Chapter 35: Fight

Some people are just born to fight, i guess.

Jaimie-mae's mom had just come back from a business trip three hours prior to Jaimie-mae's episode. Fabian had called, although he was reluctant, and told her the whole situation.

He saw the fear in her eyes when she looked at his dad. It was intense and real. She didn't respond to him either which hurt... a whole lot.

Fabian was never this easily affected by anything or anyone. He'd been beat up multiple times, but Jaimie-mae's sudden cold shoulder (which he knew wasn't completely intentional) hurt more than all of his beatings combined.

Justin had left an hour later, the room was sullen and quiet the whole time he had been there anyway.

Fabian thought he saw a flicker of guilt in his dad's eyes, but there was also a sadness which he couldn't quite find it in him to care about. He didn't think his dad deserved his feelings.

All he cared about now was Jaimie-mae.

The next day, he texted Jaimie-mae in hopes that she had finally come around.

Hey Jaimie😊

Hi

His face lit up when she actually replied. Though it did lack an emoji. It wasn't like her.

How are you feeling?

Fine

Fabian knew she wasn't just fine. They had promised each other that the word fine was just another way of saying 'i need a hug, i'm not okay'. They agreed not to use it because fine meant they were never really fine.

You can call me if you need to talk

I'm doing homework

Fabian realized how much that stung. She was actually trying to end the conversation. He tried to keep it going.

What type of homework?

English

He sighed at the short, one worded answers.

Oh cool. Well do good, okay.

I will

His fingers fidgeted around the keyboard. He didn't really know how else to get her to talk to him.

Food, food was always the answer.

Can i take you out for icecream or something later?

Umm. Idk. When?

I get out of the hospital tomorrow, so maybe the day after.

I'll text you later to let you know if i'm feeling up to it. I do kinda feel like icecream though.

😄 okay sure. I hope you do come for icecream with me.

After that, Fabian received no reply. He wasn't exactly upset, just a little... dissapointed.

He'd gotten a little more out of her though and that was enough for him.

***

Jaimie-mae clung to the light jacket around her as she walked down the sidewalk which was lit up by lamp posts.

She decided that a walk was much needed, especially because she hadn't been sleeping well.

She knew it was stupid of her to be walking the streets alone. In the dark. But she couldn't really find a spot in her to really care at all.

She was tired of the feeling in her chest that was making it feel as if she couldn't breathe. She always felt like when she turned a corner someone would be standing right there ready to scare her again.

She was now purposefully avoiding all turns and corners.

Her mind was all over the place. It was like a scattered puzzle peice. The peices all spread out over the ground, some of them missing, some of them seemed all the same.

She felt like she was suffocating under a huge pile of quick sand and there wasn't anyone to pull her out.

Usually her mom was someone there to anchor her. Keep her grounded. Kept her from sinking. But now she had to go out and work more often to pay off the expensive therapy bills; which in Jaimie-mae's opinion were a complete and utter waste of time.

Therapist were there to help. But in the end, they didn't really understand. They weren't her age. They didn't go through what she did. They didn't see what was going through her mind.

Therapy visits were not comfortable. Jaimie-mae would feel better if they were wearing sweatpants or cozy pajamas instead of pencil skirts or formal business pants. If they wore the things she did and if the office didn't feel so much like an office, maybe she'd be able to speak her mind.

Fabian, was another person she could rely on. He was an anchor. Someone she could feel normal around.

But now, she didn't feel like that much anymore.

She knew it wasn't his fault. She wanted him to give her one of those warm hugs of steel. She wanted him to kiss her forehead and smooth down her hair, whispering happy things to her as he played with her fingers with his other hand.

But her mind wouldn't allow it. Her mind created this false image and now she couldn't get rid of it.

The air was a little warmer now, though it still had a chill to it. It was enough to bring color to her cheeks and a lightness to her eyes that hadn't exactly been there for a whole two weeks.

Her steps were short. Her hair blew behind her away from her face. Her arms hugged her small frame. Her short frame was cute. Everything about her screamed cute and shy. But everything about her screamed vunerable and alone as well.

At least that was what the two guys across the street thought.

Their squinted eyes studied her every movement, though she failed to notice their stares. She was way to deep in her thoughts now.

They watched as she kicked at the ground and fidgeted with the hoods strings as she walked past on the street opposite of them.

They didn't notice though, the silent ringing of an incoming video call.

Jaimie-mae looked down at it. The brightness was at its lowest but she immediately noticed the profile picture she had of Fabian and her that lit up the screen.

She realised she was really starting to crave that now.

It was a picture of her covering her face in his shoulder while he just looked off into the distance. She was standing on a step of some sort to even reach that high. Malakai had taken the picture and said it was 'goal worthy' but not as cute as him and Bella.

Jaimie-mae, after some hard thinking, finally gave in and answered the video call.

"Oh f- oh my lord help me. She's answered the phone! When did i get so lucky!?"

Jaimie-mae had to hold back a chuckle. Her heart immediately felt a little softer, her shoulders a little less tense. She wasn't as scared anymore. Why did she even bother trying to ignore him for a week? "Hi."

"Hey." She could see him furrow his eyebrows. "Are you outside?"

She nodded.

"In the dark?"

She nodded again.

"Alone?"

She looked around her for a second and then nodded again.

She noticed him frown.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He scoffed. "Yes!"

"Um, okay. Can i help you in anyway?"

"Yeah actually you could."

She waved the phone around guesturing for him to continue.

"You can get your fine ass back home."

Jaimie-mae's cheeks flamed up into an adorable red which Fabian could see under the light of the slightly flickering lamp post through his phone.

"Are you blushing?" He asked with a smirk.

She shook her head.

"Lying isn't good," he teased.

She just shook her head and laughed. She felt like she had a skip to her step now.

"You know you aren't supposed to say things like that until three months from now, right?"

He scoffed. "No ones gonna know except you and me. I'm getting kinda impatient."

Jaimie-mae stopped to talk without the phone shaking for a second. It was strange how they just talked like nothing had created tension between them two weeks ago.

"How are your ribs?"

"They're alright. I'll be back to normal in no time amd then you and me can have a little bit of... fun." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Jaimie-mae had to hide the blush forming on her cheeks again.

Images of that night he kissed her while her legs were basically bare to him flashed through her mind and she suddenly felt her skin burning where ever his slightly, rough but gentle hands carressed her.

Footsteps from a distance behind her brought her back from her naughty thoughts so she looked behind her to see no movement.

"Jaim, whats wrong?"

She turned back to the phone and started walking again. "Huh? Oh nothing."

He raised his eyebrows. "Where are you?"

"Quiet valley."

"What? Why?"

"I needed fresh air and Quiet valley is peaceful and the air smells fresher 'cause of the trees and everything."

He shook his head with a small smile. "Only you would notice those things."

That's what he also liked about Jaimie-mae. She noticed and appreciated the little things.

"Go home Jaimie."

"Okay. I will."

She raised the phone to say goodbye but Fabian stopped her with a sudden urgency.

"Wait!" His voice dropped down to a quieter tone. "Jaimie-baby, I need you to listen carefully.

She furrowed her eyebrows and tugged down the sleeve of her jacket nervously. "What? What's wrong?"

"I need you to cross the street and make a round so that you're making your way to my house. I'm going to come meet you."

She could see him getting up from his bed at his house and she could hear him shuffling around quickly, the screen now showing the ceiling fan.

"Why?" She asked as she picked up his phone again.

"Just please. Trust me. Do it now!"

She immediately crossed the street and from the corner of her eyes she could see two men not to far from where she was walking before.

"You crossed?"

Her voice shook. "Yes."

"Okay. Walk in the direction of my house, im gonna pick you up," he said as he slid into his car.

"Fabe, i don't see the men anymore."

He could see her start to get nervous through the phone. "Okay Jaimie. Keep your steps constant and breathe okay. I'll be there soon."

He put his phone on the dash of his car and she suddenly got more nervous because she couldn't see his face anymore.

Suddenly she heard mildly heavy footsteps behind her, a few feet away. She looked behind her and her eyes widened.

"Fabe, the men are behind me," she rushed out. Her pace sped up and she noticed the mens did too. "Oh my- why me? They're following me."

"Shit. Okay stay calm. Don't freak out. Oh sh- oh fu- okay, okay, freakin' shit."

Jaimie-mae would have laughed if she wasn't in the situation she was now. He was freaking out more than she was at the moment.

Suddenly, a strong grip was around her arm and she squealed and dropped her phone.

"Jaimie! Baby are you okay?"

One man with a light beard gripped her and turned her around.

He chuckled. "Look at dis. Ain't dis Fabian's chick?"

Jaimie-mae furrowed her eyebrows.

How would they even know that?

"She's kinda small for one of Fabian's chicks ain't she. I'm pretty sure he'd go for someone more... big chested," the other guy said as he scanned her.

Jaimie-mae suddenly felt very violated so she attempted to cross her arms over her chest.

"Huh. We could probably get Fabian to pay a lot to get her back though. He owes Nicah."

Owes Nicah? What the heck?

She pulled away with a sudden unexpected force and slipped away from the mans grip. She quickly ducked down for her phone and then sprinted away, the sound of her shoes loud on the ground.

She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and the mens footsteps not to far behind her.

The anxiety rose in her chest and she began to feel like something was poking at her brain.

"Jaimie! Where are you?" She could hear Fabian shouting through the phone. Instead of talking she just held up her phone, hoping that he'd catch a glimpse of something familiar.

"Okay. I think i know where you are. Keep runn-"

One of the men latched onto her shirt, causing her to drop her phone and slip forward. The man held her up by her shirt, she dangled above the ground, the collar slightly choking her.

She clawed at the material around her neck. "L-let go!"

The shirt ripped a little and she fell to the ground, her arms breaking her fall. She scrambled to get up.

When she got up, her first instinct was to protect herself. So when the first guy came lunging for her, she swung her leg up and nailed him right in his baby making spot causing him to gasp out and drop to his knees.

She squealed and picked up her phone, making a run for it again.

"Jaimie what happened? Did you get hurt?"

"No. But i kicked a guy right in his jewels. Not gonna lie it kinda felt good," she panted out.

She could hear Fabian laugh a little through the phone although it had a worried undertone to it.

Her pace began to slow down and her legs began to feel a little sore from all the running. "Are you almost here?"

"Y-yeah i am. Everything's gonna be okay."

Jaimie-mae looked back and realized she wasn't going to be able to run much longer. So... she stopped.

"What the hell are you doing Jaimie!?" Fabian shouted through the phone. "Why did you stop?"

"I feel tired," she said as her heart rate dropped and then picked up a again. It was such a strange feeling.

The man with the light beard grabbed her and pulled her back so that she was pressed against his chest. His arm hooked around her neck and she suddenly felt her air supply dwindling. Although it wasn't from the pressure of his arm around her neck.

Silent tears poured down her face, but she felt like she was crying for nothing.

Suddenly, a huge spike of rage hit her full force and she swung her hand up, hitting him right in the nose. The sound of a crack and then a loud grunt followed. The mans grip on her loosened and she pulled away.

She turned and rammed her foot into his stomach. He stumbled and cursed as she came in for another kick. This time it landed right between his legs and he howled in pain. He dropped to the ground and glared at her.

Jaimie-mae was suddenly blinded by this horrible anger. She was sick of people making her live in fear. She was sick of fear. She was done with being nice to people who weren't kind to her. She wasn't going to let them treat her or anyone else she cared about badly. Rude men were dead to her.

She kicked him and punched him and slapped him. All her anger directed to this one guy who thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of her.

His other friend, surprisingly, had already fled the scene due to the fact that this girl seemed a little on the insane side. She was literally beating up a man not much older than Fabian. He also left most likely to go and ice his sore package that Jaimie-mae had easily kicked.

"You disgust me," she said between punches to his face.

Suddenly, the man, who had been holding back, flew up and grabbed her hair under a tight lock. He didn't really have intentions to truly beat Jaimie-mae to a pulp, but she had angered him to a point where he no longer needed to hold back.

He pulled her off of him and she fell onto the sidewalk beside him. He kneeled over her and pinned her to the sidewalk. Jaimie-mae swung her leg up backwards and knocked the wind right out of his stomach.

He tugged on her shirt and it ripped more down the front, barely covering her exposed skin. Chills ran down her body and she realized that she had lost her jacket somewhere along the way of the fight.

If someone passed by, it must have been the strangest sight to see a small girl and a grown man wrestling on the sidewalk.

Just as Jaimie-mae lost her footing and was finally pinned to the ground, the headlights of a car spilled onto them.

"WHAT THE HELL!"