“Tell me how I stop by here for coffee early in the morning and she’s already here,” Adam asks, spitting out the wordshe. Chess flinches and I can feel her hurt.
He laughs, crazily. “I see it now!” He rubs his hand over his face and stares right at me. “Tell me you’ve been fucking my sister behind my back, and everyone knows it but me!”
He glances around the room, and no one is saying a word.
Chess steps towards him. “Adam, I’m so sorry. It just happened…”
The hit comes as a shock. I didn’t even see him move towards me before I was laid out on the floor. Chess and Britt both scream and Farrah moves to them, while Billy and Bobby try to move Adam away from me. Tommy is at my side dragging me backwards across the floor, opposite to where they’re holding Adam back.
“What the fuck!” I say, my eye is immediately swelling. I feel my face pulsing.
I hear Adam's voice. “You’re fucking my little sister, asshole? I trusted you! I trusted her with you.” He sounds like he’s trying to come at me again, I hear scuffling across the kitchen, but I’m kind of seeing double. Fuck, how hard did he hit me?
“Adam! Stop!” Chess cries.
“Adam. Jesus. Let me speak!” I finally get the words out.
“I can’t believe you.” He’s seething. “You took advantage of her. I tried to bring her home, to live in peace with all of us, and you moved right in on her. Picked up where you left off, right? She left this town because of you once before. Then you lie to my face about it. You’re a coward.”
He pauses.
“How long?” he asks.
You can hear a pin drop.
“How. Long.” More silence. Then realization dawns on him. “Oh my God, you planned this? Make up some fake bullshit story to get her to feel bad for you, get her to agree to be your girlfriend, then you lie to my face about it. From the day you saw me moving her in, you thought you could step right in! You promised me?—”
Chess steps in and cuts him off. “Adam.” She’s crying. “Please don’t do this. Don’t be mad at him.”
“Who am I supposed to be mad at?”
“Don’t be mad at anyone. Adam, please. We’re all adults. I’m an adult. You can’t baby me anymore.”
He scoffs. “Adult. Right. Because you’ve made some great adult decisions in your life.”
Chess recoils as if he just slapped her.
“I know what you think of me, Adam. I know you’re disappointed in how things went down. I’m disappointed in how things happened. But I won’t apologize for it.” Now her voice is getting louder.
“I didn’t say that.”
Billy steps in. “Why don’t we chill for tonight and talk it out tomorrow?” He puts his hand on Adam's shoulder, but Adam just shrugs it off violently.
Adam points at Chess. “You lied to me.” Then he turns and points at me. “And you stabbed me in the back.” He pushes past me and Chess calls after him.
“You’re missing the real issue here, Adam. Are you mad we didn’t tell you or are you mad you think you’re being replaced?”
“Replaced?” He spits the word. “You don’t replace family, Francesca.”
“No. You don’t. You accept them. You build upon family.”
They hold their stares for a long minute. Then Adam stomps out of my house, down the steps and a few seconds later I hear his truck start and tires squeal away.
Chapter 34
Francesca
It’s been six days since the fight at Jackson's house. I am angry, sad, and disappointed. I even tried backing away from Jackson in hopes that those two would repair their relationship. But he wasn’t having it and wouldn’t let me go. If Adam could just see that side of him, I know he would be happy that we’re together.
