After a week of dating, Lee didn't seem so bad. Sure, he still flirted really badly - but at least he didn't insult me afterwords. We were at a pub downtown, one that John and the others have never been to or ever mentioned. We were having dinner, having a really good time. We had just gotten our meal and we had started to eat. Charles had gotten a sandwich and I had gotten [food]. The door opens, and I hear a voice that I really didn't want to hear at that exact moment.
"I told you, John, it's changed names!" I suddenly hear Alexander say. Oh no.
"Are you sure?" I hear my brother ask.
"I'm positive! C'mon, let's get a table."
Oh god. Oh god OH GOD-
"[name]?" I hear. I turn my face towards John.
"Hey there John...." I say uneasily. Charles had frozen in his seat, dropping his sandwich onto his plate. Alexander comes over. Oh fuck I'm dead. Charles is dead. We're both dead.
"[nickname]!" Alexander says. Then he sees Charles. Oh no. Oh god no. Oh please god no. He scowls, his eyes turning deadly. "Charles fucking Lee."
"What the fuck are you doing here with my sister, you creep!" John suddenly yells. The pub goes silent. Johns eyes become deadly too, and he clenches his fists. So does Alex.
"Look, John, old buddy, I can explain." Charles says, putting his hands up.
"Don't call me old buddy, you fucking weirdo, and get away from my sister!"
"Get the fuck back, Lee!" Alex yells, grabbing someone's umbrella and pointing it at him like a weapon. Charles stand up and starts to back away.
"Just give me a moment to explain-"
"No!" John screams. "I don't want to even know, I just don't want to see your face!"
I stand in the booth I was sitting in and go near John. "John, just let him explain."
"How about you explain?" He asks angrily.
"What did I do?!" I ask.
"Why the fuck are you with him?!"
"I'm not a baby anymore, John-"
"She was on a date with me!!" Charles yells. John and Alex freeze. John turns his head to Lee.
"Excuse me?" He asks.
"You heard me, you son of a bitch, we're dating!" Charles yells again.
John suddenly charges for him and punches him in the face, Alex starts beating Charles with the umbrella. Charles gets bloody nose and punches John in the throat, sending him backwards and tumbling into some poor group's table, holding his throats and choking.
"John!" I run towards John, helping him up into a chair. I turn to see Alex then attempt to kick Charles in the shin, but Charles sends him flying into the bar, and people try to scramble away. Charles is about to land a punch on Alex while he was temporarily unconscious p, but John gets up and grabs him by the neck, putting him in a headlock and choking him. "JOHN!"
I run towards him, trying to get Charles out of the headlock. I was starting to cry, Charles face turning blue. John turns to me, his face and knuckles covered in blood and his eyes purely murderous. He looks into my eyes. His gaze softens and he lets go of Charles. Charles drops to the ground, coughing like hell. John gets Alex off of the bar. The pub is nearly empty. The manager just stares at us in surprise.
"What the hell?!" The manager says. The manager goes back into his office and I hear some clicks of a button. I look at the three boys.
"C'mon, guys, let's go home." I say.
We get into John's car. I let Charles rest on me in the back seat while Alex slept in the front seat. John smiles at me from the rear view mirror. I look out the window at the dead of night in Times Square, the sky pitch black, broadway signs shining in my face. A few minutes later, we stopped on a pretty empty street, in front of John and I's house. It seemed weirdly like the perfect time to snow. I help Charles out of the car, and John does the same with Alex. Alex woke up and tried to walk, but had a huge limp. We help them inside and sit down. The boys clean the blood off their faces.
I put a kettle of water on the stove and heat up the after, getting out a couple of mugs and the tea bags. The boys walk in, and John had given Alex an old crutch. Surprising out parents weren't home. As we sat down with out tea, Alex and John glared at Charles. I throw my hands up.
"Ok, what is wrong with me and Charles dating??"
"He's a coward and he insulted Mr Washington!!!" They scream.
"Everyone insults Mr Washington!!" I yell. "Alex, you've screamed your head off about your grades to Mr Washington!!"
"That's different!!"
"Not really!!"
"Guys!!!!" John yells. "Look, if [name] wants to date Charles, she can date him. She can date whoever the fuck she wants."
I turn to John in surprise. "You're right, [name], you're not a baby anymore. You deserve to make choices on your own." He admits in defeat.
I smile. "Thank you, John."
Alex looks at me, then John, in utter shock. "Laurens, you literally considered this?!"
"She's not 7 anymore, Alex, we can't protect her like that anymore." John says. "As much as I hate Lee, my sister deserves what she think is the best, even if we don't think it's the best."
Alex let's out a "hmmp" and slumps in his chair, crossing his arms. Charles sighs in relief, and it seems like ten pounds of weight have been lifted from his shoulders. You smile.
Dating Charles with John as your brother and Alex as your best friend was gonna be fun.
