Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Bohannon, Hipsy

  Their eyes locked and her heart, shattered. The look in his blues killed her. Hurt, confusion, and worst of all…, disgust was clearly all there to be seen as Able’s icy glare, sliced through her like she wasn’t nothin’.

  They stood, staring at one another, neither saying a word. But, then again, what was there to say, really?

  Cole stood, high above in Ace's office, looking down on the crowd below, with his arms crossed over his chest. His energy was nervous, as he bit the inside of his cheek, his jaw flexing.

  "Are you sure about this, Cole?" Ace questioned from his desk, where he set with a raised brow, looking over at a very troubled looking Cole.

  Taking a deep breath, Cole scanned the crowd, once again. It was all or nothing. He was way too far in, to try to turn back now.

  Not that, that, was ever an option.

  "Yeah, do it," he ordered, sounding surer than he actually was.

  Ace eyed him for a moment before picking up his phone to give the underhanded order.

  "Holden wait! Please, let me explain!" Penny cried out, just as Able turned his back on her, heading for the door. Quickly, she leaped out of the stage box, grabbing his arm.

  Able jerked out of her grip, as he looked back her way. A look of disgust carved into his features.

  "There’s nothing to explain Livi, I just saw it all. Nice show, by the way; very entertaining. I gotta tell ya, though, you act, way better than you dance. You, sure as shit, had me fooled.” He more taunted then said the words before turning to rip open the door and head out, Penny hot on his heels.

  "Holden, please!"

  She begged to his back, just as he made his way into the main room.

  Able’s eyes, darted around the packed room, in search of Cole. He wanted out of this place, and now. It felt like the walls were literally starting to close in on him.

  "Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together! We got a celebrity in the house! Star of the hit show, The Dead are Walking, Mr. Able Grace!"

  The D.J. screamed it all out, just the way, Ace, had told him to. Next, the spotlight came and just like that, the club went wild.

  Shielding his eyes from the, too bright light shining down on him, Able glanced around, quickly realizing he was about to be mobbed. People were coming from everywhere. All of a sudden, the darkness was no more, the whole club was lit up like the fourth of July, as everyone brought out their phones, snapping pics, that Able wanted no part of.

  "That's right people, you heard me. The machete king, of the living dead world, Mr. Able Fucking Grace!"

  The D.J. sounded off, once again, as Able turned on his heels, ready to try to make a run for the back exit. He didn’t make it, though, instead, he turned to come face to face with Penny Lane.

  No longer was she trying to beg for a chance to explain herself, instead, she was looking at him in the same disgusted way in which, he had been looking at her, not two minutes before. Instantly, it felt as if his breath had been kicked out of his chest.

  "Guess I'm not the only liar, am I Holden, oh, I mean Able." Penny’s tone was soul leveling as she shook her head in judgment. Her eyes, traveled up and down his body before she finally rolled them. Giving his chest, a good hard shove, she managed to push her way past him. Next, she had to fight her way through the crowd that had gathered, all wanting a chance to meet, Able Grace. The little liar himself.

  Able followed suit, pushing through the crowd as he searched around for Cole, but found him nowhere. No doubt, he was in a back room, paying double, for a happy ending. Able didn’t have time for his shit tonight, Cole was on his own. He just wanted the fuck out of this building, hell, out of this whole damn city, for that matter.

  "Sorry, brother," Cole whispered as he watched his friend fleeing from the club. The crowd was behind him, giving him a good chase. “Fuck,” he cursed, turning around to come face to face with Ace. The look, the man was giving him, had him diverting his eyes in shame.

  "I hope you know what you're doing Cole, I really do.” Ace noted, looking the man over that stood before him. He had been more than happy to help when Cole had called him earlier, asking for a favor but after seeing it all unfold, he was second guessing everything, and by the look on Coles' face, so was he.

  “It had to be done.” Cole defended, more to himself than to Ace as he turned and made his way out of the room, his head held low.

  About a half an hour later, Cole still set in his viper, out in the clubs parking lot. Phone in hand, he was hitting send on a message to Able.

  "Where you at, man?"

  A few moments passed and nothing. So he tried again.

  "Dude, why the hell did you dip out? What’s up with that, way to ditch me, asshole!” Cole text, trying to keep up the facade. His breath hitched in his lungs as a message dinged back.

  "You were right about Livi, man. She was there, tonight. I saw her with my own eyes. It was so fucked up!"

  "No, shit?!”

  Cole was hating himself. He was torn; half of him was thrilled about the way it had all played out but the other half of him, felt like a scummy little fuck.

  "I'm crushed dude, I think I’m just gonna get alcohol poisoning, and try to forget all about this fucked up night.”

  Cole read his friend's text before glancing around at the parking lot with a heavy sigh.

  He didn't want Able to be alone tonight, not when he was hurting. Just because, he was the cause of his friend's pain, didn’t mean he wanted him going it alone.

  "Meet me at my crib, I already got the booze there, and I’ll pick up some party supplies on my way home. We’ll tear it up, old school style!"

  Hitting send, Cole didn’t even wait for a response before pulling out of the parking lot. He was on a mission, to help mend a broken heart, that he himself, had broken. It was fucked up but what are friends for, right?

  Chapter 17

  C ole's house was trashed. Empty bottles and beer cans were strewn, everywhere. Clothes were scattered, ashtrays were full, and the music was blasting. Cole himself, sat lounged back in his place on the couch. Wearing nothing more than a sheet and his cowboy boots. Dangling in his fingers was a bottle of 151, barely still holding a sip. He watched on with hooded eyes as Able played, meat in the sandwich, between two very tasty brunettes.

  The four had been going at it for hours before Cole had finally excused himself. At first, Able hadn't been interested in the, ‘picked up on the corner’, party girls, but then the booze kicked in, and since then, it had been game on. All thought of anything, not including an alcohol content, or boobs, went out the window. The girls were nonstop and completely insatiable. Just the type of women you want around when you’re trying to fuck yourself into believing that you don’t have any feelings.

  Cole was pretty sure, both women, had been sneaking off to the bathroom, to enjoy a little blow between fuck sessions but fuck it, they weren't hurting anyone. They were getting accomplished, exactly what Cole had brought them here to do. Able wasn’t being a little bitch over Penny at the moment, so all was well.

  There for a while, the poor guy had been a fucking mess.

  He kept going on and on about ‘his Livi’. One second, he was pissed at her for lying, saying he never wanted to see her again, and the next, he was pissed at himself for lying, wanting to run off and find her, apologize, and then proceed to beg her for her forgiveness.

  For his part, Cole had made sure to steer his friend in the ‘fuck that bitch’ direction. He filled his head with ‘once a liar always a liar’ and ‘a spade is a spade’, something about ‘fish in the sea’ and even something about ‘turning a whore into a housewife’.

  He went on and on, about the filthy ways of strippers, and how they would do, just about anything for a dollar. He even had the coke whores in on it, nodding away, like it was all gospel that he spoke. Hell, they should know. It was clear to see that the two had worked a pole, more than a time or two, so, they would know, right? Able didn’t stand chance.

  Col
es' ears perked up as the sound of a knock rang out, It was faint, almost completely drowned out by the fuck music, still blasting out of his houses system. He stood, wrapping his sheet, tightly around his waist before making his way toward the front door. Curiosity was killing him, trying to figure out, just who in the hell, would be knocking at four in the morning. Either, the girls had ordered more coke for themselves or it was the police, ready to yell at them for the loud music and animal noises. Either way, it kind of seemed like an adventure to Cole, in his current, fucked up, state of mind.

  Letting her fist come down on Coles door, yet again, Penny let out an anxious sigh. She shifted her weight back and forth in her old black boots, wondering if he was even home. She hadn't texted him before coming over, she had just come from the club as soon as her shift had ended. It had been one of the hardest shifts of her life. It’s sad, how a need for money can make you stay in a place you hate, doing something you despise, all the while dying inside.

  She was hurting something fierce. Everything felt like it was falling apart, yet, it had never really been put together, not the right way, anyway. She hated that she was here, hated that she had run right back to her comfort zone.

  Cole was her only coping mechanism, though, what else was she supposed to do? She needed him to make it all better, needed him to fix the pain that she felt in her chest, at finding out that, once again, she had been lied to.

  She knew that she should feel guilty about lying to Able but deception is an odd thing, like that. You tend to only feel it on, your, end. The knife you stuck in someone else's back, doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as the one sticking out of your own.

  Running to Cole, was what she always did, it was sadly second nature to her. He would collect all her broken pieces and tell her that everything was gonna be okay. And when he said it, she would believe it. He had a tone in his voice, a way of holding her in his arms that would make her believe it true, if only for a short time. That’s all she needed really, just a few hours of not hurting, of not being bitter or feeling jaded. If she could just have, that much, she would be okay, she would move on, just like she always had too.

  No doubt, he would have some cocky ‘I told you so’ line for her but he would still let her in, still fix her broken. She knew it wasn’t fair to use him like that but she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t bare to be alone right now.

  Finally, the door shifted under her knuckles, taking a moment before opening wide to reveal a very glossy eyed Cole, dawned in only a sheet. He was scratching at his bare chest, eyeing her like she was a ghost, or at least had three heads and a tail. She could tell he was either drunk or, had been in the deepest sleep, ever known to man.

  "Hey, um, some shit went down tonight and I was wondering if… um, I… I just don’t wanna be alone, okay? Not tonight." Her voice cracked a bit as she stuttered out her reason for being there. It had sounded so much better in her head.

  "Oh… um," Cole breathed out, before biting his lip, his eyes darting around at anything that wasn’t her.

  "Cole Conners, get your sexy ass back to bed! You’re missing all the fun! Hey, is that Dave? We’ve been waiting on him, for ages!”

  A leggy brunette announced, walking up behind Cole to wrap her arms around his bare waist, before peeking over his shoulder.

  "Oh shit, sorry…," she quickly, threw in, having spotted Penny. Even coked out, the woman could feel the weight of the moment. Tension was seeping off the pair. Quickly she released Cole’s body, before turning on her bare heels, and heading back into the house.

  Cole’s eyes, locked with Penny’s, and he knew, it was game over.

  "Penny wait!" He cried out as she spun around, headed straight for Bertha, who was parked in his drive. "Wait!" Quickly he reached out, snatching her arm in his grip.

  One sharp jerk had Penny’s arm free, and her head jerking around. The glare she gave him stopped him in his tracks. Judgment and disgust were bubbling from her hazels, and maybe even, a little jealousy, as well.

  "That's not fair! I had no way of knowing you were gonna show up here! You’ve never even been here before! Why the hell would I think you would show up tonight?” Cole scoffed, his hands moving a mile a minute, trying to talk for him.

  "Ya know what, you're right, it's not fair. I'm sorry, I should have known better than to show up at your house unannounced. I should have learned that the last time, huh? Look at that, history repeating itself, who would have thunk it! The only difference is, you’re not mine, this time. No harm no foul, right Cole?”

  She handed him his ass in a tone that was, all, hurting woman. It was meant to come off with no care, but the emotion dripped from Penny’s tongue and poured from her pained hazels. She shook her head, as she tske’d, turning back to her car and ripping open the driver's door. Quickly, Cole slammed it back shut. Not giving her the chance to climb inside.

  “No, fuck that! You’re not just gonna walk out on me, again, Penny! We need to talk about this!” Cole pleaded, trying to pull her hand away from the door handle, where she was still, trying like hell, to yank it open.

  “We have nothing to talk about Cole. Go have fun with your new leading lady, or whoever the fuck she is, go on, get! Go love that little groupie bitch!” Penny ordered. Turning sharp, she sent a hard shove to his chest, and then another.

  “I don’t even know her Penny, Jesus!”

  “Oh, even better! Bravo, somehow, you just found a way to make it even worse!” Penny spat out the words, throwing her hands up into the air, before turning her attention back to her car.

  “Ya, I know, I’m such a piece of shit, right? That’s how it always is between us, isn’t it? But how about, you, Penny Lane?” Cole accused, sidestepping her to slam her car door shut, again. She hadn’t even got it half way open this time.

  “What about me?” She growled, spinning back around to face him.

  “What are, you, doing here, huh? Why are, you, at my house, right now? Let me guess, wonder boy ran off, like they all do?”

  “Yep, right again Cole, just like always. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “Ya, just like always, is right. Because just like always, you ran right back to me!” Cole accused, hating that he was going on the attack but not being able to stop himself, either.

  “It’s not like that!” She screamed back, just inches away from his face, knowing the entire time, that it was, exactly, like that. A point, that only made Penny feel even worse about herself. She was already feeling guilty, about doing just that, she didn’t need it thrown in her face.

  “Oh yes it is, it always is. That’s what you always fucking do. You, turn me away, day after day and then, you, have a shit day, a lonely night, or too many shots for that matter, and BOOM, just like that, you’re letting me back in, you're letting me fuck you, and hold you, and fucking love you again, and it’s freaking amazing but it never lasts, Penny. As soon as you get what you need from me, you’re right back to pushing me away. You run hot and cold, it’s always, your, way, always when, you, want it.” Cole was in her face now, spit flying and fingers pointing. “I might have fucked up, way back then, but you’ve been making me pay, ever since. You don’t actually wanna be here with me, right now. You just wanna get fucked, because you think that that’s gonna make you feel better. Well, screw you, I’m not your fuckboy. Go play whore with someone…”

  The slam of her fist into his face, came out of nowhere, stopping Cole, mid-sentence to grip his nose as blood instantly started to cascade down his bare chest.

  Holy shit, little Penny Lane had one hell of a right hook!

  “Fuck you, Cole!” Penny hissed, her eyes shooting daggers of pain and hurt his way before she quickly, she shoved passed him finally able, to get into her car.

  She didn’t even grace him with a goodbye scowl, instead, she kicked rocks as she ripped out of his drive, leaving Cole to just watch her go, still gripping his bloody nose in hand.

  “Damn it!”" He cursed, watching her taillight�
��s go small, as she escaped further and further away from him.

  Cole spent the next hour, unable to do anything but set on his front step, his eyes glued to the road. Not really, looking at it but more so through it. Knowing that Penny was long gone and she wasn’t coming back.

  He couldn’t have gone back to sleep, even if he had wanted to. Not with his heart aching, the way it was, not to mention, his broken sniffer was smarting like a bitch.

  He had watched the sun rise, with a pounding headache, kicking himself for all that he had said, and done, and hadn’t said for that matter. He was a fool. He should have known, that when the shit hit the fan, she would come right back to him. She always did.

  He always managed to get her on her bad days, the ones where life, always seemed to be hitting her, just below the belt. It was always on a depressed or lonely day that she would search him out. The days that nothing was going her way and life just seemed to be spitting in her face, no matter what direction she turned. Those, where his, days. He was hers, but only on those specific, bad days.

  Cole knew he was being used, he allowed it. He liked it, hell, he more than liked it, he reveled in it. And, what’s even worse, was that most day’s, he, was the cause of all her troubles. He had the money and pull to be able to bend situations around to his will, bend them around until they forced her into having a bad day. Bad days, meant that she was running his way, looking for cover.

  He had gone out of his way to get her fired from certain, checkered places, kicked out of crummy apartments, and he had even, somehow, managed to throw a monkey wrench into every single one of her potential relationships, over the years.

  He had thought, he was so smart, planning out the end of Able and Penny's, little… whatever it was. But, he had let one, very crucial detail, slip. Penny needing comfort. He had been so busy trying to comfort, the other half of the mess, his best friend Able, that he had completely forgotten, why he was doing all this, in the first place. Penny. He wanted Able out of the way so that she would do, exactly, what she had done. Run right back to him, where he still believed, she belonged all along. What he believed, though, didn’t really matter. She was gone. It had all been for nothing. He was gonna lose her anyway.