“Hey Kennedy,” Holly said with a thick mean girl accent. “You helping Little Bo Peep find her sheep?” She laughed, and so did the rest of the table.
I should have pushed her off my lap. I should have told her to shut the hell up. I probably should have even defended Grace, but I didn’t. I just sat there. I made a quick glance in Grace’s direction and could see her eyes focused on my arm, the same arm that was around Holly’s waist. I jerked my head around quickly.
“Hey Jackson.” Grace said to me in a quiet voice. It was just loud enough that only Holly and me could hear it. I couldn’t look up. I didn’t have the fucking balls to look up. Everyone was laughing at her. I gave her a quick head nod but didn’t bring my eyes anywhere near her face.
I felt Holly lean into me closer when Grace said my name. She was obviously staking claim to me as if she had to worry about Grace. I knew that there was an attraction between Grace and me, but I wasn’t about to commit social suicide, at least not in front of anyone.
“Don’t be jealous Holly. It doesn’t suit you.” Kennedy replied.
“Why the hell would I be jealous? I mean look at her.” Holly spouted as she pointed in Grace’s direction. Her voice rang loudly over the room, and caused unnecessary attention.
“Maybe because she doesn’t have to get her blonde hair from a bottle, or maybe it’s because she’s not even wearing makeup and she’s prettier than you’ll ever be.”
I felt Holly’s body tense against mine. She squeezed my thigh hard like she wanted me to step in and say something.
Oh hell no.
She got herself into that mess, and I wasn’t about to start a fight with my sister.
“Grace,” Kennedy said loudly. “These are the ass holes,” she waved her arms around the table. “And Ass holes,” she was talking to us as a crowd. “This is Grace. Come on Grace. Let’s go. I will introduce you to some people with class.” Kennedy grabbed Grace’s arm and pulled her away.
There was still a smile on her face. Even after the way Holly had spoken to her, and the way everyone else laughed at her. She was still smiling. I felt bad. I felt like the ass hole that Kennedy said I was.
But I didn’t feel bad enough to chase after her and apologize.
Holly turned around to me and gave me the meanest look. I just shrugged my shoulders, and didn’t say another word. I tipped up my glass, and finished off the entire thing.
I left Holly at the table sulking while I walked off to the bathroom. I’d already finished two glasses of whiskey and some nasty shot of something. I was unsteady on my feet. When I made it to the edge of the dance floor I found myself drawn to the blonde by the bar. Looking harder I realized it was Grace. She and Kennedy were standing there at the corner talking to a couple of guys. It was harmless, but I could feel a twinge of jealousy inside me. I didn’t want anyone else talking to Grace. Not only that, they were laughing. Not at her like I had done. They were laughing with her as if she’d told a funny joke. Was she funny?
I let out a loud groan and ran my fingers through my hair as I stomped off to the bathroom. There were too many emotions running through me, and I didn’t know what to make of them all. I had no right to be jealous. I couldn’t even explain to myself why I’d even felt that way to begin with.
I splashed some cool water on my face from the sink in the bathroom. All I wanted to do was go home. Or go home with Holly. Actually, that plan sounded a lot better.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I started walking back to the table. Well, that was what my intentions were, but I found myself walking straight towards Kennedy and Grace. The two guys eyed me curiously when I stepped up in between the two girls. My face was hard and my eyes glared at them. I was so angry with them that I couldn’t see straight. I wanted to stack claim here and tell them to walk out those doors and never look back, but I didn’t.
“Problem?” One of the guys said to me. I bit down hard on my lip to keep myself together. I didn’t like these assholes. Not one, single, bit.
“There’d better not be, seeing as you’re talking to my girls.” I spat out.
Kennedy sighed. “Seriously Jackson. Go away.” She whispered in my ear.
“You know this guy?” The prick asked Kennedy.
“You could say that.” She paused. “He’s my brother.”
I could see the look on the guys face turn from frigid dickhead to sincere schoolboy.
Yep. That’s right buddy. I’m the big bad brother. What are you going to do now?
“He was just leaving.” Kennedy groaned. She turned to face me and put her finger on my chest. “Go home Jackson. You’re drunk. I’m old enough to take care of myself. Don’t think I don’t know exactly why you’re acting like an idiot. I’m not stupid, and I’m not going to say it out loud.” Her eyes narrowed and I could see an understanding in them. She understood me better than I did at that moment. “Now walk your drunk ass back to your table with you girlfriend, and leave us alone. Better yet Jack, go home.” She gave me a hard shove backwards and I stumbled barely able to stand.
I looked over at Grace and saw pain on her face. Was it my fault? She looked kind of sad and she was fidgeting. I probably looked so stupid in front of her.
“Fine,” I yelled out and walked away. I walked away and left them there with those guys even though every part of me didn’t want to.
Grabbing Holly by the wrist, I pulled her close to me.
“Take me to your place.” I said in a low whisper.
“Lead the way.”
13
Grace
I had no idea what just happened, but it scared me a bit. We were just talking to these guys and Jackson made such a scene. He’d obviously had way too much to drink. Kennedy knew just how to handle him because with a few words she was able to get him to leave. Not just us, but he left the entire bar. I watched him as he left with Holly under his arm. I didn’t ask Kennedy about her, but I wanted to. It was obvious that Holly and Jackson was a couple.
Kennedy took up for me when Holly and the rest of the table were laughing at me, but I later told her that it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t have to come to my defense, because I never cared what anyone thought of me. Maybe it was years of obedience that my parents hammered into my brain. Looks were never an issue, and neither were materialistic things. We’d always been looked at differently back home. Even in the grocery store, people would laugh and point. My mom always told me to hold my head high. That being different was okay. As long as we didn’t have a problem with it, then no one else should either. I guess what she said always stuck with me. Sometimes situations would become uncomfortable just like earlier tonight when we stood at the table with all the “ass-holes” as Kennedy called them. I kept a smile on my face so that they would know that their words were petty, that they didn’t bother me at all. The only thing that did bother me was the way that Jackson acted. It was as if he didn’t know who I was. I shrugged it off. I thought maybe because Kennedy was so excepting of me, that maybe he would be too. I was completely wrong. I suppose he only wanted to be friends with me when no one was looking, or when he needed something.
I wanted to laugh at the thought. I wanted to just say grow up, and was glad when Kennedy had pulled me away from them.
The guys that we’d been talking to seemed not to care. They were very nice. Kennedy made it so easy for me. She introduced me and did most of the talking. I was never uneasy or pressured, and they were both very nice. Too be honest, I thought maybe they were a whole lot older than Jackson and his friends because they didn’t act so childish. It was a nice change of pace.
Well, up until Jackson came to ruin it.
“I’m so sorry about that. He’s very drunk and he gets a little overprotective.”
“It’s okay.” Adam said. He was the tall guy that clearly had his eyes on Kennedy.
His friend Preston was really nice too. He never made jokes or laughed at me. We had real, adult conversation. We talked about his job and how he worked all the time. We also talked about my love for poetry which I never really talked much about before. He loved art and so one subject led to the next. Before I knew it we were laughing and having a great time.