93.3 played quietly on the radio on the short drive to Marlowe’s place. Her little black car sat off to the side of the trailer. I wanted to help her figure out what was wrong with it so she could have a reliable car. But I didn’t know shit about cars.
Another two cars sat in the main driveway to the trailer. “Dammit,” she mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking around.
She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her keys from her bag. “Nothing. My sister’s boyfriend is here. He’s an asshole.”
A light was on in what looked like the living room, and I could see two people standing talking to each other. Suddenly, the bigger of the two started yelling and grabbed the other by the shoulders and shook them before slapping them across the face. “Oh my god!” Marlowe screamed and swung the car door open.
“Marlowe, wait!” I heard a door slam behind me and gravel crunching. Bunny had gotten out of the car too.
Frantically, Marlowe tried to unlock the front door. “Get your fucking hands off of her!” She screamed at the middle-aged-looking guy in her living room. Her sister stood crying when we ran into the room.
“This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Marlowe. Get out of here!” Her sister screamed, throwing herself between Marlowe and the guy. Marlowe ran to her sister’s side, spinning her so she looked directly at the woman I was becoming far too attached to.
“I know you aren’t standing here and continuing to defend him, Francesca!” Marlowe gently placed her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “He just fucking hit you. We are getting the fuck out of here, and you’re coming with us.” Gripping her sister’s hand, Marlowe pulled the younger girl behind her.
Francesca yanked her hand out of Marlowe’s. “Stop it.” There was no fight in her words.
The guy shoved Francesca out of the way and approached Marlowe. “You heard your sister, bitch. This has nothing to do with you.”
As soon as the guy raised his hand as if he was going to hit Marlowe, Bunny and I both shoved the guy. He fell back on the couch with a grunt.
Marlowe’s little sister gasped and tried to run over to him. “Fuck off all of you. You’re so annoying. Just get out of here.”
Marlowe just stared at her sister, dumbfounded. “This is a fucking joke, right?” She looked around the room at all of us, a questioning look painted across her face.
“Come on, Mar.” I ushered Marlowe toward her room, where I heard Dojo whining.
Marlowe wiggled around me and ran back to the living room, pulling her sister back to her so she would look her in the eye. “So this is really happening? You’re just going to let history repeat itself and end up just like her?” Marlowe raised her eyebrows at Francesca.
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Francesca asked, coming at her sister with a fierce attitude she didn’t have a moment ago.
Marlowe turned away and walked back toward me. “You heard me, Francesca. I’m not going to fight with you about this anymore. It’s not worth it.”
Francesca made a face behind Marlowe’s back and flicked her off. The guy struggled to stand up from the couch, mutteringsomething under his breath I couldn’t hear, and Bunny pinned the man to the couch by his neck.
“What the fuck are you doing to him?” I heard Francesca screech as Marlowe and I began gathering the essentials for her and Dojo to stay with Bunny and me.
twenty
deep breath
Bunny
“I’ll teach this bitch a fucking lesson.” Francesca’s ape of a boyfriend muttered under his breath as he tried to stand from the couch. The middle-aged guy was probably double my size but was so faded he could barely stand on two feet. It barely took any force for Dex and me to shove him over to the couch.
As soon as his threatening words toward Marlowe hit my ears, I flew onto him and pinned him to the couch by his neck. He struggled at first, pushing and kicking at me. Francesca started pulling at my jacket. “What the fuck are you doing to him?”
Neither Marlowe nor Dexter stopped me. I hoped they went to her room to get her things and Dojo.
“Frannie, just shut the fuck up.” The guy struggled to speak under my weight.
Hating the way he spoke to her, I pushed down harder. She was treating Marlowe like shit, but that didn’t give him the right to treat her like shit either. And to think Marlowe was living withthis too. I felt skin prickle at the base of my neck. The urge to punch this dick in the face was so strong.
“Where do you get the balls?” I finally asked him.
The guy tried to shove me off again. “Why the fuck does it matter to you, shithead? She’s a bitch, and she knows it. Both of them are.” Without thinking, my fist landed on the guy's jaw. I knocked him out.
