Page 112 of Xavier

“Other ways that don’t include you beating the crap out of him! Or worse, getting the crap beat out of you.”

“Those other ways don’t work, Malynda.” I step over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder as he tries to stumble away. “You fucking scumbag, are you ever going to bother her again?”

“N-no. No,” he stammers, his eyes avoiding hers. “Never. I promise.”

I snigger at his response.

“See? This was the best fucking way, Malynda.”

“You’ve lost your mind, Xavier,” she says, her head still shaking from side to side.

“No. I’m finally seeing more clearly than I have for a long time. I know where you are. I know why you left me. I know who’s to blame.” I push him to the side, suddenly feeling the sick rise up when I realize who I’m touching.

“Xavier, let’s go.”

“I’m not done with him yet.”

“Yes. Yes, you are. You should never have come here! I can’t believe this.”

She takes one last look at me and runs out of the studio.

“Malynda!” I yell and chase after.

“Xavier. Careful,” I hear Kaine say as I run past him, but I ignore him, just as I know he expects me to.

She’s barely at the bottom of the stairs when I catch up with her, grabbing her wrist and swinging her around to face me.

The tears on her cheek shock me, almost as much as the way she’s looking at me. Not… anger. Disappointment. It finally sinks in, she’s upset at me for being here, for trying to protect her, from trying to avenge her.

“Where are you going?” I shout at her, and she doesn’t even flinch. She’s seen worse from me today.

“I can’t… be here. Where he is,” she shakes her head, hand gesturing upstairs.

“I never wanted you to come here, Malynda.”

“Not as much as I never wanted you to come here, Xavier.”

“But I came here for you!” I yell, trying to make her understand.

Her breath hisses through her teeth. “No, Xavier, you’re doing this for you.”

I can’t believe she would think that. “He tried to rape you, Malynda.”

“Don’t!” She throws up her hand to stop me. “Do not tell me about what I’ve been living with every single day of my life. I don’t need you to tell me what he did. I was there. You were not.”

Exactly. I wasn’t.

“You can’t let him get away with it, Malynda. That’s why I’m here.”

She shakes her head at me. “No. That’s not why you’re here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not here to avenge me, you’re here to avenge yourself. Punish him for what he did.”

“To you," I say, reaching out for her, but she steps away from my touch.

“No, you’re here because of what he did to us. This isn’t about me. This is about you,” she repeats, each word like an accusation.