Page 40 of Battling the Enemy
Iwas officially a pussy.
I knew Roselyn was talking with Delaney about our past relationship, and my entire body was tense with anxiousness. There was a real possibility that Delaney wouldn’t be able to handle our friendship, and I wasn’t ready to act on that yet.
Everyone knew where Linnie was and the silence was…morbid. It was like we were all waiting for the knock on the door from a military chaplain to deliver the news. While none of us had known Delaney well, her reputation for being a quiet, sweet wallflower was a huge indicator that she might have issues with what went down between Liam, Linnie, and me. And, sure, she let me do crazy things to her body this weekend, suggesting she was open-minded, but a threesome might be too much for her. Or, at least, a threesome where everyone was still friends afterwards.
Ramsey, Liam, Emerson, and I were seated at our regular lunch table when Ava storming towards us, and there was only one person at this table that she could possibly be pissed at.
Me.
She stopped at the head of the bench, planted her hands flat on the surface, and ignoring everyone else around us, leaned in until her blue eyes were shooting fire directly into mine. “Do you have a minute?” she hissed.
I stood up, waving everyone else to remain seated. They all knew Delaney had spent the weekend with me, but I didn’t need our business shouted throughout the entire school eatery. “Lead the way,” I said sardonically. I followed Ava through the eatery and out back towards the Ag-Science building. No one ever studied Ag-Science, so it was as quiet as you could get back here.
The second she determined we were clear…
She. Went. Off.
Hands planted on her hips she looked up at me and spewed at me violently. “Look, Deke, I’ve never had a problem with you before,” she started, “but I just spent fourth period with Delaney crying in the fucking school restroom, you sorry sonofabitch! She’s crying because you spent all weekend screwing her-which, she’s way too fucking good for you to begin with-and this morning you’re ignoring her like the hundreds you threw on the nightstand should be good enough!”
I had my hand around her neck and her body slammed up against the wall before she knew what hit her. “Don’t you ever fucking talk about Delaney like that again,” I hissed in her face.
But Ava didn’t back down. Ava was fucking crazy, and I knew it. “Don’t ever fuckingtreatDelaney like that again,” she hissed back. “I trusted you! I fucking trusted you to take care of her, that’s why I called you Friday night. And what do you do? You sleep with herandyou don’t even bother with protection! What the fuck is that? Why…why would youdothat to her?! Delaney’s not some trailer park trash you can fuck with! She’s important!”
The only reason I wasn’t snapping her fucking neck was because she loved Delaney. She loved Delaney, and she was only doing what I hoped she’d do where Delaney was concerned; protect her. “I’m going to say this, and I’m only going to say it once, Ava,” I growled. “This weekend with Delaney isourprivate business-”
“Oh, please,” she spewed. “Like your little brood of psychopathic bandits don’t already know how you took Delaney’s virgi-”
I tightened my hold around Ava’s neck, cutting off her next words. “Keep my friends out of this, Ava,” I warned. “Don’t think that just because I’m in love with Delaney I won’t destroy you if you cause problems foranyof us.”
Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and it wasn’t because I was depriving her of oxygen. I had accidentally let my feelings for Delaney slip. “Y…” I removed my hand from around her neck, so she could speak. “You’rein lovewith Delaney?”
I stood to my full height and looked down at the girl I was going to have to learn to get along with for Delaney’s sake. It’s not that I really had anything against Ava, it’s just I knew she’d always be wary of me and she wasn’t necessarily Team Deke.
“This weekend…taking her virginity and possibly getting her pregnant doesn’t matter,” I answered. “Delaney’s mine, and she’ll never want for anything for the rest of her life, Ava. She’s mine to love, protect, provide for, and cherish. I’m in love with Delaney, and she doesn’t have a choice about where we go from here. She’smine.”
Ava’s face went from furious to…resigned. “Deke, you don’t understand,” she started to say, “Delaney’s special. She’s-”
“I know she’s special, Ava,” I snapped, cutting her off. I knew she didn’t think I deserved Delaney, and she was right. But I didn’t like hearing it. “She will want for nothing, Ava.Nothing.”
She regarded me for a full painful minute before saying, “I don’t care about you, Deke. I don’t care about you, Ramsey, Emerson, Liam, or Roselyn. I don’t care about your…power or your status. If you hurt Delaney…if you betray or hurt her, I will come after you, Deke Marlow. Iwillcome after you and I don’t care who you have in your corner or who I have to go through to get to you.”
I stared down at this girl and I knew she meant every word she just said. She’d go down in burning flames to defend Delaney and it made me wonder just what their relationship was made of. They didn’t match, but anyone paying attention could tell they were the real deal.
I took a deep breath and gave Ava a tight nod. “Noted,” I grumbled. “But, Ava, I’m not going to hurt her.Ever.” Ava gave me a short nod, and I didn’t say anything more as she walked away from me.
Returning to the eatery, I spotted Linnie and Delaney sitting at our table. That was good, right? If they were sitting together, then that must mean Delaney was okay with our friendship.
At least, I hoped.
I approached the table and when I got there, instead of sitting where I was when Ava came roaring through, I sat next to Delaney. And I knew it was going to be okay when she quietly dropped her head on my right shoulder in surrender.
I glanced over at Roselyn and she gave me a small smile, but I could see it all in her eyes. Delaney was okay with that part of my life. Now, she might not be okay with everything else going on around us, mainly her parents and Reynolds, but she was okay with what mattered most to me, and that was everyone sitting at this table.
I wasn’t worried about Reynolds, because I’d kick his ass every week if I had to in order to get my point across. It was Delaney’s parents that I knew would be a problem when I finally faced them. And I would be facing them because there was no way I was going to let Delaney confront them alone. Claiming her meant protecting her, and that meant against anyone, including her parents.
“You okay,” I whispered down to her.
I felt her nod against my shoulder. “Yeah, just…”
