by Claire Adams
Oh, please attack me, you stupid fool, I thought. Give me another reason…
“Hey, Sawyer!” he called out. “What’s up, bro?”
“Don’t give me any of that ‘bro’ crap,” I said. “Why are you following me? What do you want?”
“What do I want? You know, man, that’s a tough question.”
“You’ve been on my ass for the last five minutes at least, so I’m sure there’s a reason, and I’d like to know what it is,” I pressed.
“I want to know if you’ve had sex with Hannah,” he said.
I chuckled quietly. “What’s it to you?”
“I want you to tell me that she lied,” said Jared.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re going to have translate better,” I said. “What’s your problem?”
“She says you two haven’t hooked up, and I want you to tell me that she’s lying.”
I chuckled again. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I haven’t slept with Hannah. Yet.”
“Oh?” Jared blurted. “As in, not currently?”
“As in, it’s not off the table,” I said presumptuously. “As in, she’s my roommate, and not everything is about sex with me.”
“That’s a crock of shit,” he said.
“How are you and your fictional girlfriend doing these days?” I prodded. “Girls that are in your imagination are the best; they’ll do whatever you want.”
“What’s funny about that is I’m getting laid more than you!” said Jared. “If she’s not having sex with you—or me—she must not be into sex at all. Dead fish.”
“She didn’t feel dead to me when I had my fingers inside her tight pussy the other night,” I jabbed.
Jared’s eye twitched. “You love how much this bothers me.”
“Honestly, I don’t give a damn about what bothers you,” I replied. “Didn’t I tell you that you didn’t want to ever see me again, lest I beat the tar out of you?”
Jared laughed, clapping his hands together. He walked around in little circles, never quite making eye contact with me. His glasses were slowly fogging up.
“We’re not that different, really, you and me,” said Jared. “I know good offers when I hear them; don’t you? The ones that sound too good to be true are always the best ones because, worst case scenario, you got to think about something amazing; best case scenario, it’s actually true, and your life is immediately better.”
“Okay, stop the cryptic bullshit speak,” I commanded. “Spit out what you’re going to say in less than thirty seconds.”
“Whoa, man, where’s the fire?” he asked with a wink. “We’re all just making deals and… whatever else we want, so I’d like to present you with a proposal.”
“Twenty seconds,” I informed.
“Okay, here goes,” he began. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I will pay you five thousand dollars cash if you sleep with Hannah and then dump her the next day. I know your reputation, and I know why you’re living with her. You don’t want to date her anyway! I will hand-deliver you five thousand dollars, in whatever bills you want, if you just do what I say. I’m giving you two to three months’ rent to do what you were planning on doing in the first place. So, what do you say?”
I burst out laughing, unable to contain myself. The angrier he got over it, the harder and louder I howled.
“Wait… are you joking?” I asked, unable to compose myself.
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” he asked irately.
“Bro, you look like a bitch-made loser punk that needs an ass-kicking,” I said to him. “Get the fuck out of my face with this nonsense. I’m not wasting my time explaining myself to you. Who the hell are you?”
I grabbed my helmet from my seat, ready to put it back on.
“Keep your money and buy a few sessions with a good psychologist,” I snidely remarked. “Stay away from me. And, stay away from Hannah.”
“She called me yesterday; did she tell you that?” Jared asked.
“Nope, must’ve slipped her mind,” I jibed. “She was too busy giving me a hand job on the couch to tell me about that. It might’ve been the best hand job I ever got, not even going to lie. And, not that you ever figured this out, but she has a beautiful clit. I can’t wait to taste it.”
“Do you even know what a woman’s clitoris looks like?” he asked condescendingly. “Should I draw you a diagram?”
“You know… I’ve got to ask, why are you still so into Hannah? Given how your relationship ended, and all the unbelievably toxic crap you say to her now, what’s the deal? What’s your endgame here?”
“I want her to know how worthless she is,” he answered without skipping a beat. “She needs guidance.”
I clenched my jaw, attempting to subside the rage building inside me. I stepped up to him. Each time I moved closer, he moved back.
“I’ve had enough,” I said.
Things happened quickly. Before I could make any move, Jared reached into his pocket and yanked out a contact Taser. Reacting quickly, I lunged forward and punched him directly in the face. I kicked the Taser out of his hand and got into a fighting stance. He leaped for the Taser on the ground. I kicked him in the head, sending him twirling on the asphalt, discombobulated. I climbed on top of him and immediately punched him a few more times, causing him to bleed and bruise.
I raised my fist to hit him again, but he began to flinch and recoil. I stopped, holding my fist like a hammer above his head, ready to pound again.
“I’m not into beating people up too bad that are no match for me,” I said, periodically panting and growling. “This, what just happened? That’s nothing compared to what I’ll do to you if I ever catch you following me again. If I ever see your face again, I’m going to take it off you. If you threaten Hannah, or come near her or me ever again, I’ll make what I just did to you here look like spring break. I’ll put you in the hospital. You’ll have to eat shitty food through an IV for a month. Got it, bro?”
Jared scowled, trembling with fear and loathing.
“Do I need to hit you again until you convince me you understand?” I asked him.
“You don’t know… what you’ve done…” he muttered angrily.
“You will leave the apartment complex in forty-eight hours,” I ordered. “If I see you in the complex after Saturday, I’m going to go into your apartment and remove you myself. Now, tell me you understand so I can go on with my day.”
He said nothing. I knew he was inviting more punches, but I wasn’t lying to him when I said it: I didn’t like fighting people who were so drastically below my league. I also didn’t care for people who started fist fights and proceeded to try and use secret stashed weapons because of their lack of physical strength or combat training.
I stood up, looking down at him and his beaten body. I glanced around us, and it appeared that no one had seen what had transpired, but I wasn’t sure. I walked over to the Taser on the ground and picked it up, putting it in my leather jacket pocket.
“That was pretty shocking,” I said, laughing at my own pun. “I didn’t think you had it in you to try and use a Taser. These things can be lethal. I don’t think Hannah has one of these. Maybe I’ll teach her how to use it in case one of her creepy ex-boyfriends comes snooping around one day. Later, Jared!”
I sped off from the parking lot, not looking back. I was relishing in my triumph, while at the same time fearing retribution. Jared may have proven that he was weak, but he also proved that he truly was unpredictable. I went forward with purpose.
Chapter 21
Hannah
I knew something bad was going to happen, but I was jolted by just how fast it occurred.
Only two days had passed since my debilitating phone call with Jared took place. That day, in my car, I finally ended things between us for good. Two days later, I was at work, eagerly waiting for the clock to give me permission to leave and enjoy my weekend. Only minutes after my lunch break ended, I
received a text message… from Jared.
That wasn’t the worst part of my day. It wasn’t pleasant receiving a text from Jared, but that was nothing compared to where my day was heading.
His text read: ‘Hey Hannah Banana. How’s it going?’
I was briefly, but very forcibly, thrown back into the past. Hannah Banana was an old nickname called me early-on in our relationship.
Another text came through: ‘I know you said we shouldn’t talk anymore and I agree. But I lied when I said I didn’t love you. I may have fallen out of love with you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you.’
I stared at the text and reread it several times, waiting. I knew there was more to come. And, sure enough, he didn’t disappoint:
‘You’ve lost your way and are endangering your own life. I tried reaching out and helping, but you obviously don’t care about your own well-being anymore. I don’t know if it’s the breakup or something deeper.
‘Since you can’t take care of yourself, I will do what I’ve always done for you: I’ll fix your problem.’
I waited for another text message to appear, but none did. I didn’t know it then, but that would be the last time I ever received a text message from Jared Sabin.
I went into the ladies’ bathroom. I splashed water on my face, hoping that it would somehow cleanse me and help me make sense of everything around me.
“What’s going on, Hannah?”
I looked up from my sink to see Lisa standing by another sink near me. She was brushing her hair and reapplying makeup. I hated that I felt inferior to Lisa in so many ways, but I couldn’t help it. I was envious of Lisa’s beauty. I harbored no resentment toward her, but I did harbor some insecurity, especially whenever I was near her. I looked in the mirror, hating my dark hair, how it fell in my face and how it looked compared to the bright flame that sparkled atop Lisa’s gorgeous head.
“Lots of guy drama,” I answered.
“Oh?” said Lisa.
“Sawyer and I aren’t talking, and Jared won’t stop talking to me,” I continued.
“Jared’s talking to you?” Lisa asked, turning her attention from my reflection in the mirror to my actual face. “What… what’s he been saying to you?”
“I called him on Wednesday and told him we were officially, completely over,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I told him we shouldn’t talk at all anymore and that we should just go on with our lives.”
“…And?”
“And he won’t listen. He won’t take no for an answer. He wants me to beg him to take me back. It’s such a… I don’t get why he thinks that’s going to happen! I don’t know what to do! He won’t leave me alone.”
Lisa approached me. “I think… he just wants to humiliate you. That’s the only thing that makes sense. Right?”
“None of this makes sense,” I said. “Usually when I break up with a guy, it’s clean. This is what I get for dating guys that live in my complex. Oh my God, I am involved with two different guys who live on the same floor as me. What is wrong with me?! Am I really that desperate?”
“Hannah, I think you’re overreacting,” Lisa began.
“No, there’s something wrong with me. I’m such a fuckup,” I said, tugging on my imperfect hair and pacing around. “Who does this? Who lets a guy move in with them the day he gets kicked out without even knowing him first? Just tell me I’m crazy, Lisa!”
“You’re not crazy,” said Lisa, attempting to calm me down. She placed her hands on my shoulders, trying to keep me steady. “You are overreacting, though. Jared is angry, and he needs a period where he can be this angry, vengeful guy. You know how men are with their pride. Pride is another word for testosterone-driven stupidity.”
I laughed. Lisa grinned.
“And you and I both know how to fix the problem with you and Sawyer,” said Lisa. “Tie his ass to your bed and ride his dick.”
“Lisa!” I shrieked. I began brushing my hair, despite believing my efforts would produce fruitless results.
“Hey, go do that right now and tell me that doesn’t solve at least most of your problems,” said Lisa. “Sex always helps. Trust me.”
“I’ve had sex before, Lisa!”
“Maybe you haven’t been doing it right,” she said in an unusually icy tone.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… I just think that maybe Sawyer could be a possible… sexual renaissance for you,” she stated. “You don’t need to keep denying yourself pleasures that are so easily accessible to you right now, Hannah.”
She winked and went back to making herself look more stunning. I looked at my reflection, thinking about Sawyer and whether he had a plan for winning his bet. He only had two days left until the deadline.
I thought more about Sawyer on my drive home. He hadn’t come home until late the night before, past the time I fell asleep. It was strange, because normally he would come home shortly after work.
Does it matter that he didn’t come home until late? You haven’t been talking to him.
I thought about how he came into my room, regardless of me shutting him out. I wondered what might happen if I ever went into his room, regardless of whatever intent his closed door suggested.
I thought of his hands and how incredible they felt when they ran along my body. I grew frustrated when I remembered how his words ruined what could have been an intense orgasm at the behest of his skilled fingers.
I thought of our time together and how Sawyer’s attitude and language with me had seemed to change. He was still perverted and sex-driven, but our conversations had evolved, our comfort with each other seemed great, and I was beginning to truly believe he was looking at me in a different way. I knew that it was possible that I was filling my head with delusions to satisfy my own desires, but I didn’t care.
I thought of how easy it was to simply be with Sawyer. With Jared and the other guys before, there were many times when I wasn’t sure what to believe, I was too afraid to speak my mind, or I didn’t know where I stood with them. I had none of those problems with Sawyer. Even though Sawyer’s blunt honesty could sometimes be a turn-off, it could also be assuring. It meant I was always getting the truth from him.
Part of me was hoping that he wouldn’t be home. Another part was hoping he would be home and in his room, and that maybe, I could initiate a conversation with him this time. Another part of me was thinking of him kickboxing again in the living room and how fun it might be to try making out on the couch again.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I got instead.
As I pulled in to one of my usual parking spots near the building, I saw two police cars parked nearby, flashing lights and engines running. The building was big, so I didn’t immediately know where the cops were in the complex, but my heart sank. My gut told me to move fast.
I ran up the stairs and hurried toward my apartment. I slowed to a halt when I noticed that my door was wide open. I could hear raised male voices, one of them belonging to Sawyer. I was nervous and afraid, and I didn’t want to confront whatever was waiting for me on the other side of the open doorway.
“She didn’t know!” I heard Sawyer shout.
“We’ll see about that!” another man shouted. “Where the hell is she?”
I took a deep breath and took the plunge.
I stepped in to see Sawyer being handcuffed by two police officers, while a third officer stood beside the source of the other man’s voice: the landlord.
“She doesn’t know. I lied to her,” said Sawyer.
Sawyer looked at the doorway, and our eyes met for the first time in days. I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say or who to say it to.
The landlord looked at me. He tightened his obese jaw and waddled over to stand directly in front of me.
“Your boyfriend is being arrested for assaulting another of our tenants,” the landlord stated in his oily voice.
“It’s bullshit, Hannah,” Sawyer said to me.
“I came to see him removed from the premises after the police informed me that he was living with another of our tenants,” the landlord continued. “Even though I should have guessed, I’m a little surprised it was you.”
“She didn’t know,” repeated Sawyer.
“It’s bad enough that you let someone live here without consulting management,” the landlord said to me. “It’s worse when it is someone that I evicted weeks ago. Maybe I should evict you for harboring someone who was kicked out.”
I stared at the landlord, unblinking and unsure of what to say.
“Hannah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you!” Sawyer yelled. “You can’t threaten her like that! She didn’t know!”
“Is that so?” the landlord replied. “Tell me, Ms. Stone, why have you been allowing Mr. Smith to stay with you for the past several weeks?”
I glanced up at Sawyer, who gave me a small grin through all the chaos.
“…I was trying to be nice,” I said to the landlord. “He said he needed a place to stay, so I let him stay here.”
“You’re telling me that you weren’t aware that he was asked to leave this complex almost a month ago after he destroyed the apartment right next door to yours?”
“I told her my lease was up,” lied Sawyer. “I didn’t tell her about any—”
“Sawyer, I can speak for myself, thank you,” I interrupted.
I cleared my throat, trying to remain calm. “I knew what kind of a neighbor he was, but he asked me to help him, so I did. I see now that it was a mistake.”
Sawyer only had eyes for me. I wasn’t sure about anything, but I felt like I could trust him. He had yet to lead me astray thus far, and even though he was in handcuffs, my gut had deduced that something took place between him and Jared. I didn’t want to ask many questions or give the landlord any fodder, so I kept my questions to myself.
The landlord glared at me with suspicion and malice in his eyes. “Hmm. He’s not allowed back on this property. If I catch him here again, I’m going to make sure you both leave here in handcuffs, you understand?”
