Chelsea drops the ruse atleast, and the smile fades from her over-glossed lips."Cap, youneed to hear her out.I know how much you like Rory, but you needto listen to what she did to Lacey's family.Herbrother—"
"Her brother is a fuckingrapist!"I roar.I'm no longer in shock, no, now I'm enraged.Myheart rate skyrockets and my muscles tense, fury rushing through myveins and fuming from my every pore.How could Chelseadothis?How could shebring her here?!
That motherfuckingbastard'ssister flinches at my words,like she's actually surprised, like it's the first time she'shearing this about her brother.She must be as insane as heis.
"I know what she says,"she stutters, her voice shaking."But she lies, you know?She—"
I step forward, keeping myarms painstakingly at my sides."Whatshesays?!What about whatI fuckingsaw?!Are my eyes lying too?"I close my eyes and take a deepbreath.I shouldn't be engaging here.My top priority should bemaking sure Rory doesn't see this girl.Not telling her off."Youneed to leave.Fuckingnow.There is no way I'm letting youwalk into this club," I tell her more calmly, but she lookspuzzled.
"Cap…" Chelsea whines, butI don't even acknowledge her.I have nothing to say to her.Everfucking again.
"What you saw?"Laceyrepeats, still confused, as if she really has no idea what I'mtalking about.
I take another deepbreath."What I saw," I confirm carefully."You know, your piece of garbagebrother's hand gripping Rory's throat while she tried to gasp for abreath.His other hand pushing up her skirt, trying to rip off herfucking underwear…" I bite my lip to stop myself from saying worse,because the girl looks like she's about to cry, and for the firsttime I consider that she isn't in on this whole thing.That shereally believed her brother innocent.
"Your brother is a violentrapist," I say slowly."And if I didn't get to that alley in time,he'd be a murderer, too.Rory's not the liar.And you,Lacey," I practicallysnarl her name, "are a traitor to your own fucking sex, whoharassed and tormented Rory, and helped your evil family destroyher reputation.But that was in your pathetic little town.Nothere.This is fucking New York, and here, we all know the truth.Except maybe for your delusional roommate.So I suggest you findanother city to go to college in.Because here,you'rethe one with the shitreputation.And you need to leave right fucking now."
Because Rory is actuallyhaving a good time tonight and seeing this bitch will destroy hernight, and God only knows how else it might affect her.
Lacey doesn't respond tomy rant, she just stands there frozen, and it takes me a moment torealize her teary gaze is trained over my shoulder.
My heart freezes as I turnto follow her line of sight.
Motherfuckingfuck!
Rory stands twenty feetaway with Dave, an unlit cigarette dangling from her fingers.Sheis frozen is fucking shock.
I turn to Chelsea."Godhelp me if you don't make her fucking disappear in the next twoseconds—"
But she does.She grabsLacey's hand and leads her across the street and they keep walking.I don't wait to see where they're going.I don't fucking care.If Iever set eyes on Chelsea again it will be too fuckingsoon.
I make my way cautiouslyover to Rory.Dave's brows are pinched together in consternation,the cherry of his forgotten cigarette burning off and falling tothe ground.Rory's mouth gapes open and it doesn't even seem likeshe's fucking breathing.She stares at the spot of theconfrontation, not even glancing at me as I approach, though I knowshe knows I'm there.
"Rory," I breathe.My handcups her jaw, my thumb brushing her cheek, but still, she doesn'tmove a single muscle.
"What the fuck was that,Cap?"Dave mutters, but I just shake my head.
"Go inside Dave.Nothinghappened, got it?"
He shakes his head andshrugs, as if blaming me for something, and I suspect they bothheard every word I said and he knows at least the gist of what wentdown.Infuriatingly, he looks to Rory first, asking if she's okayout here, as if I'm someone to protect her from.
And maybe I am.After all,it was me who convinced her to forgive Chelsea, who put her in thisposition in the first place.Fuck, her college fucking roommate…she must have been plotting this since… before even thatbrunch!Goddamn it.There I was, guilting Rory over being a bitch to Chelsea,asking her to cut her a break, and Chelsea was planningthis?
I shove my fingers throughmy hair in frustration.
"Rory?"Dave asks againwhen she doesn't respond.My gut churns, terrified that she's goingto panic, or that she's actually gone into some kind of literalshock.But then she nods, just once, so subtly we both would havemissed it if we weren't watching her vigilantly, and then finallyDave heads back inside.
I grab her hand, pullingher down the block, away from the site of the confrontation, in theopposite direction Chelsea took that witch.Finally Rory shakes herhead and blinks, sucking in a gasping breath, but she still doesn'tmeet my eyes.
"She's gone, baby girl," Iassure her.Shit,I shouldn't be calling her that, but it just came out.She doesn'treact though, doesn't correct me, and we stop under an awningaround the corner from the club.
"W-why…" is all she canget out.
"Look, she set it up.Chelsea.That's the roommate she was all excited over."
"H-herroommate?" Rory asks shakily,finally meeting my gaze.
God, it fucking guts me tosee her hurting like this."I never should have told you to giveher another chance, Rory.She didn't deserve it.She set thisup."
