Page 28 of Derek
“Please, can you go check?” I beg, and he groans reluctantly.
“Indy, she’s gonna yell at me.”
“Not if you’re nice and don’t call her Peaches,” I suggest, causing Brooks to give me a smirk.
“Now, why would I do a thing like that? Whenever I call her Peaches, her cheeks get pink, and her mouth gets all twisted. I ain’t giving that up.” I stifle the chuckle. It’s not a secret that Brooks has a crush on Stevie. I think it’s a crush anyway, it’s weird because every time he has had the opportunity to be a good guy and impress her, he ends up blowing it and looking like an asshole, i.e., the great danish debacle.
“Will you pleassssse go and check on her?” I give him my biggest smile while clasping my hands together. Brooks rolls his eyes before grumbling and turning to walk towards the exit. I do know how to smile into getting what I need, even if I’m not anyone’s ‘type.’
I glance over at the tattoo tables where the guys are. Atlas spots me and gives me an overly enthusiastic two-handed wave, and I smile, waving back before fans of his start asking for selfies. Fox is talking to a podcaster with Janie, and Ash is with Ren talking to some customers. I see Derek away from the table, he’s on his phone, and though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I can tell he’s angry by his stiff pacing and the way he moves his arm as he talks to whoever is on the other end of the phone.
“Hey! Bitesize!” I turn my gaze to the heavily pierced and tattooed man. He looks big, not as big as the guys in my circle, but big enough to intimidate me and make me wish Brooks would hurry back.
“Hi!” I say pleasantly, even though my stomach is twisting. “What can I do for you?” He looks me up and down, and I shift uncomfortably. Can Ash see me? I glance over and see my brother’s back is turned,perfect.
“Well, I got this new piece of jewelry. It’s supposed to really heighten… certain pleasures. Wanna take a break and see if it works?” My face goes red, and I cannot believe no one around us is paying him any mind.
“Wow, that was absolutely the most disrespectful thing any man has ever said to me. I hope you feel great shame.” I say firmly and see Stevie marching back to the booth.
“Sorry,” she mutters. “I’m not feeling well.” I give her a sympathetic look.
“You okay for a few minutes?” She nods, and I give the guy one last glare before storming off. After I go pee, I will get a massive slushie and possibly put some vodka in it. Okay, probably not, but I saw cinnamon roll pretzels, and I’m definitely getting one of them.
I walk out of the bathroom, groaning at my jeans. I can’t get them buttoned, and even though no one is looking and I know one of the girls will fix it, I’m just annoyed by it. I settle against the wall in the quiet hallway for a moment. I like people. I am usually a complete extrovert. But since this last relapse, keeping my positive Indy persona at the forefront is getting harder and harder. The angry Indy with dark thoughts, the one who feels short-changed, has been screaming louder and louder recently, and I just want her to go away. I know my negative mindset isn’t helping anything, and I know studies have shown that just having positive thoughts can do wonders. I see my therapist regularly, and I’m always excited to learn and implement new tricks to help my outlook and mental health, but all of that just seems like trash right now.
“There you are.” I freeze at the familiar voice and turn to see the guy from the booth. “I thought you might’ve been playing hard to get.”
“W-what?” I sputter as I back away. “N-no! I am not. I am telling you right now. I do not want you in any capacity.”
He stops and looks at me. “That hurts. I have feelings, you know.” He grips my arm roughly and shoves me against the wall. I let out a small cry at the impact as I try to push him away. It’s no use, and I hear the rip of my belt loop as he yanks it.
“Stop!” I scream out, stomping on his foot with my boots.
“Ow! Bitch!” He smacks me, one of his rings catching my lip and splitting it.
“Hey!” I nearly sob at Janie’s shouts and look up to see her and Ren storming over. Janie grabs the guy and drives her knee into his crotch, causing him to double over. Janie proceeds to sit on his chest and pull out her phone.
“Are you alright?” Ren asks, and I look up at her in shock. I don’t know what I feel besides my lip hurting. I can feel that.
I hear Janie say something about the guys and security, but I can’t make it out. Everything is fuzzy. My heart is beating too fast, and I’m getting tunnel vision.
I look at my worried blonde friend as she yells something at me, but I don’t know what. I open my mouth to say her name, but I can’t hear myself say it, and my world goes black.
* * *
“Hey, there you are,”I hear Stevie’s voice as I try to focus my gaze. “Ash, she’s coming to!”
Just as I can start to see again, my brother’s black eyes hover over me. “Oh my god, Indy. Oh my god.” I focus on his face and look around. I’m lying in a bed in a hotel room, but not mine.
“W-where am I?”
“My room,” Ash says as he helps me sit up. I look around and see the girls and Ash. “Fox and At are packing up, and as soon as they are done, we are fucking out of here.” I furrow my brows, still trying to piece everything together. Ash is in a panic attack, evidently, because he is talking way too fast, and he keeps popping his knuckles.
“Where’s Derek?” Ash looks at me in almost annoyance.
“I don’t know? Who the fuck cares? Maybe had he not been on his fucking phone, you wouldn’t have been assaulted.”
“Stop it.” Ren flicks Ash’s ear while bouncing Howie. “It’s not Derek’s fault, it’s not Brooks’ fault, your fault, or Indy’s. It’s the douchebag’s fault who attacked her.”
