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A Different Turn to Make (Alvis and Malice)

Chad rubbed his face, feeling drained. But drained was good, it was too drained to be able to put up any more stupid walls or facades.
"I don't know Mal. Part of me want to just walk now. I mean, if what you were trying to tell me is true, and Esther cheated too...I gotta know if that was the truth, and I'll wait to hear it from her, don't...tell me one way or the other. If that happened, then...it's probably the best chance I'll have to go without making this so much worse. Fuck, you've seen the wreckage from some of my breakups. It'll hurt the least, it'll make sense to her." He admit, leaning forward, shaking his head.

"There's no good way out of this, but...I guess this is the least terrible." He said quietly. On an impulse, he kept talking. "We should get coffee sometime Mal. Just...actual coffee. We've fucked thigns up so badly before, maybe...maybe we can at least learn to deal with each other in a way that doesn't make us complete fuckheads and bastards."
 
She could hear his strain. He sounded tired. Perhaps she had done too much. But if she hadn’t done this, when would she? At least she knew now and there was some sense of closure, at best, even if the linger of sadness was far more potent. “I won’t reiterate what you don’t believe. And I don’t want to slander her either or make you despise her. I don’t want to be bad. I don’t want to play games. And if you need to hear it from to believe it, then she may tell you the truth or her story of things at some point. She’s got too big of a guilty conscience to sit on it for too long.” She sighed softly. “Whatever you may think best.”

No more games or facades. The truth was out now. And this was probably the most realest conversation they were having after a long time. She managed a smile through her tears and tear-stained cheeks, wiping them again and sniffling once more. “Coffee would be nice.”

Just then, she heard a beep and looked at her phone, seeing the envelope icon at the top. A new text. She put the phone back to her ear. “I hope I haven’t completely ruined your night Chad. But thank you for answering my call and having this conversation with me. It was necessary.” She said softly. “I’ll let you go now. Text me whenever you want to hang out. As friends. Platonic. Clothing mandatory.” She laughed lightly. “Goodnight and sleep well, okay?”

After saying goodbyes, she hung up the call. She leaned back against her bedframe and looked at the text she had just received. It was from Blake. That something special jock she had gone out with last week--which meant she slept with him.

Hey there Mal-cat. What are you up to tonight?

She wrote back a reply, Not much. Just chilling like a villain. She sent.

His reply came quick. Can the sexy chilling villain get out for a bit? I’d like to see her.

What perfect timing. I’d love to. Pick me up in ten?

You got it babe.

Mallory smiled to herself. This is what she needed. A little escape. It wouldn’t fix anything but at least she wouldn’t be crying herself to sleep tonight. Not right this moment at least.

“Is she down?”
Blake smirked and stood up, grabbing his keys. “Oh she’s really down. Get the camera ready boys.” He left to pick up Mallory and bring her back there. The senior footballers were going to be legendary after a legacy like this was left for the underclassmen to try and beat!
 
Chad rubbed at his face, trying to scrub the sudden weariness from his mind. Well, it looked like he had things to do. He thumbed out a text to Esther.
Hey. You busy? I feel like we should have a chat.

He walked from his phone, heading out to get a shower. He was going to need one one way or the other.

Harrison was waiting in the kitchen. He'd sent Jane off to one of her friends houses for the day, citing she get more homework done in a quieter neighbourhood. Really, he wanted to be alone for the next part of the day. The door opened, and his father staggered through the door, face flushed, and holding a cooler.
"Boy! Get over ehre adn help me with teh cooler!" He called. Harrison quietly got up and stepped up, taking hte plastic cooler from him. Harrison carried it into the kitchen without a word, setting it on the counter, and opening it. He looked inside, expecting to find a case or so of beer.

It was packed with filets of fish. Harrison blinked.
"Boy! The hell is Jane at?" His father asked, coming into the kitchen. Harrison turned and looked at him.
"Out. School work at a friends house." Harrison asked.
"Which one? We should get her home. A lot of good eatin' in that cooler, she should be here to enjoy that." Harrison stared at the man, not sure what he was seeing.
"She'll be home later. And...since when do you give half a shit about what Jane enjoys?"
"Don't fucking take that tone with me boy! I know I aint a peach most times, but I'm still her father!" Harrison took a step closer to him, one hand clenching.

"Father is a term you don't get. Fathers are there for their kids, they don't make their daughter afraid to be home with them. You're a fucking sad excuse for a human being, let alone a father!" Harrison barked at him. His father stared, dumbfounded.
"Harry, boy, it's not that bad in here-" he stared, but Harriosn cut him off.
"Bullshit, you're just so fucking drunk you can't even tell what's happening. Do you even remember what happens in here most days? Or is it just an alcoholic haze to you?" The silence from that question was answer enough. "I thought so. Fuck this, and fuck you too." Harrison started to walk away, but stopped. "But you know...thanks for the fish. Probably the first food we've had from your effort in the last five years." Harrison drew his jacket on, and head for the door. "Jane should be back tomorrow, around noon. I'll be back sometime before that." he left the house, fuming.

That had gone better than expected.
 
Esther lay on her mom’s bed watching a TV show while doing some reading. Her mom was passed out, the faint sound of her snoring dulled out by the sound of the TV. Esther wasn’t paying attention to either. She was catching up on her English reading and just because she liked to, believe it or not. Abby and Mallory often would look at her in disbelief when they would catch her willingly doing the reading.

”What is that?”
“What is what?”
“That?”
“That, what Abs?”
“That book?!”
“Our English reading.”
“Yes, but why are you actually...reading?”
Esther looked at them and blinked her eyes. They all seemed to think this concept was foreign in one way or the other. Abby and Mallory thought it foreign that one of the was actually doing the reading and Esther thought it foreign that they were having such a cow over it.
“Because I like it?”

Thankfully they still loved her for it, especially when they found out the advantage of one of them doing the reading. Esther could catch them up on it and share her notes. Sometimes she hated it, but most times she liked helping her friends, even if she was basically justifying their lack of homework by feeding them the work for them. Oh well. Call her a push over.

Her phone buzzed beside her and she looked over, seeing a text from Chad. Alarm bells began to go off. After the chat she had with her mom, Esther made her decision. She wanted to stay with Chad and she’d tell Harrison that what happened in his office today could never happen again. Though she planned to write him a letter since clearly she had no will power in person with him. Hence the debacle earlier today. But by the ominous undertone of Chad’s text, her scalp prickled and she got an uneasy feeling. Did he know? Oh god, did Mallory tell him? She seemed so cryptic and though Esther thought they had healed some odd patches in their friendship, maybe something happened?

Picking up her phone, she texted him back. I’m not busy. Do you want to call or text? Or did you want to come over? My mom’s asleep and likely going to stay that way for the rest of the night. She sent the text and got up, tucking her mom in--which was just pulling the blanket over her sleeping form--and turning the TV off and the light, leaving her room and going to her own.
 
Chad was drying his hair when he noticed his phone was blinking. He walked to it, and checked. If this was going int he direction that he thought it was, then he wasn't going to want to do it over the phone. Even he thought that was pretty crass. But he also didn't want to be going to Esther's home turf, and potentially stirring shit up with ehr mom in the building. Not his idea of optimal. But he also didn't want to let her in that he had a suspicion. Not unless there was someone besides Mallory to pinit on. He could very gleefully throw someone else under the bus, but maybe not Mal, not for this one.

There's a little diner down the road from your place, Modine's Place I think. Can you meet me there, in an hour or so? he sent, adn paused, thinking about it. One way or another, maybe a trip to Modine's wasn't a bad idea. Good coffee, adn the finest in old 60s style diner chow. Add a pound to you just by looking at it, but damn if it wasn't fine as all hell. He got dressed,adn put in a call to one of hte junior members of the track team, that had a car, and would drive him around for nothing.

Modine's was exactly like he'd remembered, and stepping in was like stepping back in time. Black and white checkered floors, the booths with the red vinyl seating that was surprisingly comfortable. Teh backless stools up by the bar. And behind the counter, even at this time of night, was Modine. She was a taller woman, nearly of a height with Chad, and had a bright smile. Her black hair was bound up, keeping the curly wave under control. There were deep lines around her eyes, smile lines his mother used to call them.
"Chad honey. Where you been at? Aint seen you here in a coon's age." She said with a nod.
"Busy busy Miss Modine." Chad answered. She waved a hand at him.
"Don't much buy that for a moment there young man. Or are you just too damned busy with all them girls at your school?"
"Might be a factor." Chad answered. Modine laughed.
"Miss Modine might have been born at night Chad honey, but it weren't last night. You meetin' some one?"
"Yeah, in a bit. Can I get a coffee?" He paused. "And pie. I think I'd like pie."
"Comin' up hon." Modine was in motion as she spoke. Chad looked around. Not much traffic tonight, that was good. he spied someone that seemed to be waving at him. He cocked his head, and approached.

"Jaime? The hell you doing here this time of night?" Chad asked, sitting at the table. Jaime looked rough, tired, dark circles under his eyes. "The hell is going on man, you look like hell." Chad quirked a smile. "Abby wearing you out that much?" Jaime sighed, adn leaned back.
"No. Not at all. You are." Jaime supplied. Chad blinked, and his food arrived.
"There ya are hon. More coffee luv?" She asked Jaime. Jaime nodded, offered his cup. Modine filled him up and moved on. Chad leaned forward.
"Me?"
"You. You and Esther specifically." Chad blinked.
"Um. Well. Dude, if you've been carrying a torch for her before now-"
"Shut up Chad." The words actually surprised Chad into falling silent. "You're a piece of shit of a person. You know it. You lilke being that. And you hurt people without a thought. Do you remember Amanda Sue?" Chad frowned, looking at Chad with a cocked head.
"Uh...no? Should I?"
"Probably. You dated her for two months, fucked her twice, and then dumped her so you could do the same thing to her younger sister. Within the week you were after the sister." Chad grit his teeth. Well, now he remembered. When it wasn't spelled out like that, he'd been proud of that rebound. "And then dumped the sister in half the time, because she gave it up faster. Got with her three times before you dumped her because you thought she was clingy." Chad winced.

"Okay, yes, I'm a scumbag." Chad admit. His eyes opened. "How did you know that?" Jaime dropped a heavy file folder in front of Chad. Chad opened it, eyes going wide. Information, pictures, even a small silver ring on a chain stapled to a page in a plastic baggie. "What...the everloving...fuck?"
"Research. Talking. A good memory. And...I keep some files. Chad, that file is a litany of every woman you've screwed over. And you're adding Esther to that list." Jaime said bluntly.
"No! You don't understand, I'm not-"
"I know you went to go fuck Mallory at the party. You know, the one that Esther was almost raped at?" Chad went cold.

"How could you know that?" He asked quietly.
"Are you seriously that fucking dense? Half your team saw you go in there with her. And some of them, believe me, are really sick of you acting like Lord of the Manor with them. All I had to do was ask." Jaime answered, closing the file, and sliding it across the table, back into his bag.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Someone had to. I thought so anyway. I also know about Esther's other...exploit."
"How in all the hells did you know about that? Seriously, only a few people know about that!"
"I actually didn't know for sure, until just now, thanks for the confirmation." Chad put his face in his hands. He was dancing way out of his league with Jaime.
"What are you going to do?"
"Depends on you. What are you going to do with Esther?"
"I don't know. I was...figuring to use this as a reason to end it."
"So that when her first relationship ends, it's all her fault? Brilliant, that'll be fair."
"You know what, fuck you Jaime." Chad snarled, stabbing a finger. "It's either over becasue she cheated, or it's over because her boyfirend cheated on her with one of her best friends. There is no fucking version of this that doesn't hurt her, so don't go preaching at me like you're the good guy in all this. How manby people know that nothing they say to you is priovate, huh? How many know that you keep this kind of shit on them hm? I'm guessing none." Jaime looked away. "Thought not. How the fuck much privacy do you invade with this horseshit? Huh? And you dug all this shit up on me, for what? To show Estehr I'm a bad guy? Throw yourself on your sword, let her think you're an asshole, but it'll save her from me? Who the fuck are you to decide that for her? Seriously, go fuck yourself, you jumped up son of a bitch." Jaime nodded, stood up, and looked Chad dead in the eye.

"If you can manage it, do the right thing for once in your fucking life Chad. If you can manage it?" Jaime said in a quiet voice. Chad just nodded. Jaime dropped cash off with Modine, smiled at her, and left the diner. Chad rubbed his face. He was really going to need that coffee now.
 
Esther set her textbook on her desk and she sat down in the chair. She opened it back up to where she bookmarked it but kept glancing at her phone every five minutes to see if it would go off. It didn’t. She was a bundle of nerves now. That was it, she had to admit it. She had to tell Chad what she did and only hoped he would forgive her and not break up with her. Sure, there was some kind of something undeniable between her and Harrison but it was just sex. Even she was sure that he’d be the first person to second that belief. Shaking her head, her hands came up to cup the sides of it and she sighed deeply. He had to forgive her. It was a mistake, a moment of weakness.

Finally, her phone went off and she read the text he sent her. Modine’s Place. Oh, that was just asking for her to eat some really delicious, albeit fatty food if this all went sour. But he wanted to meet there and it was probably wise that he didn’t come here. Just because her mom was asleep didn’t mean she wouldn’t wake up if she heard something amiss, like crying or arguing or hints of raised voices. She was a light sleeper.

Texting him back, she wrote, Sure thing. I’ll see you in a bit. It wasn’t far off and she could easily walk there. It’d take her a little bit since the road wasn’t a short one. She’d leave in about twenty minutes. Plenty of time to calm her nerves by finishing her reading.

After she did finish her reading, Esther pulled on a zipper-hoodie but kept it unzipped. She changed out of her sweats and pulled on her knit shorts and slid her feet into some flip flops, orange in color. Tying her hair into a messy ponytail, since it was the only way it would look decent because she hadn’t cared to putz with it after her shower earlier that day, she grabbed her house keys and slid out the front door as quietly as possible, wallet and phone in her hoodie pockets.

Her hands shoved into the pockets of it as she walked on, not about to psych herself out from walking in the dark. Nothing bad would happen. Thankfully, she was at Modine’s fast enough. She saw Jaime on his way out but he was already ducking out before she could wave. Walking inside, she spotted Chad at a booth. She smiled gently, although nervously, and moved over. Clearing her throat, she slid into the booth, sitting across from him and looked at him. “Hey.” She looked uneasy, both about what may come from all this and what she had to say.

“Before you say anything, I have to tell you something. And I know you likely won’t forgive me and you’ll be very mad but I want you to know from me and not anyone else, should anyone else find out.” Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled shakily. Her breath wasn’t the only thing shaky. Her hands were shaking, her entire body in fact as if wracked with a sudden chill. But it wasn’t just that. She was nervous and scared. “I slept with someone else.”
 
Chad bided his time. Coffee. Pie. He knew that he was nervous when Modine clucked at him for getting a fifth piece. But she served it. Modine was nothing if not a smart businesswoman. Modine cocked her head, looking out the window.
"That your girl coming up here honey?" She asked him. Chad looked out the window as well.
"Yeah. Yeah it is." He answered.
"Now I know why you been busy! She's finer than frog's hair." Modine chuckled as she spoke, bustling her way into the kitchen, out of hte way. Chad knew why. Modine wanted to let the two of them have a little time without an audience.

He was about to speak When Esther just started talking. And then she just came right out and said exactly what mallory had told him. And Jaime had told him. And he had to stop a moment, look at how he felt rfom Esther actually tgelling him.

It actually hurt.

He kenw from a quick examination, it was for entirely the wrong reasons really. he'd always felt taht Esther was so grateful for the attention from him that she'd stay loyal to him, that her shaky self esteem wouldn't really lend itself to getting with other guys. Not really flattering thigns to realize. But still, it did hurt. Because the other thing it told him...

He hadn't been enough for her.

"Wow. Hi, good to see you, fine, and you?" he said with an edge of sarcasm in his voice, leaning forward to put his face in his hands. "No. You know what, scratch that, Esther, you didn't deserve that. I...have to figure that was hard for you to say." He shook his head.

"I'm just going to ask the obvious question. Why?"
 
She looked at him, her gaze glued to him much to her surprise. She wanted to look away, she wanted to look down, at the table, or stare beside her at the shiny red vinyl covering on the booth seat but she couldn’t. She was afraid that if she looked away and then looked at him again, she’d see it without anything needing to be said.

Though his sarcasm cut through her and that shaking she felt turned into tremors. She felt like they were seismic tremors and it wavered even to her voice, her lower lip quivering, her eyes watering. During the heat of the moment, Chad had been far from her mind. After the fact when the haze of post-coital bliss lifted, guilt stabbed her. She had a big guilty conscience. And right now she felt like she could eat Modine’s Place full just to assuage that guilt.

Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, though painful to do, she blinked her eyes, trying to push the tears back. “It was. But I wanted you to know.” Her voice was soft, very thin so she didn’t let it break. It wasn’t her normal voice.

Her shoulders shrugged and her eyes were filled with tears but she didn’t dare let them fall. “It just happened.” She said so softly, her voice almost a whisper. “I don’t have any excuses or reasons or…” She really wasn’t sure. She knew that with Harrison it was...better...than with Chad...and it didn’t even matter about size. Just the amount of time Harrison took with her to really get her going, doing things she never knew she could like or even respond so well to. But the difference between him and Chad was that Harrison was lust and intimacy and Chad was intimacy laced with love, or potential love. There was more meaning whereas with Harrison it was just scratching an itch of the moment.

But she couldn’t say that to him, now could she? Because then she’d really be digging her grave, expected to lie in it while she had to strain to watch Chad leave and walk out on their relationship. Not that she could blame him or fault him. What she did was unforgivable. And even though he was trying to be as calm and not too harsh about it, the truth was that he didn’t have to be. He had every right to bitch a fit. She’d likely do the same if the situation was reversed.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I don’t expect you to stay. I don’t expect anything because what I did was so horrible.” Well, no it wasn’t horrible but the ramifications are going to be horrible, she knew that without a doubt. She was facing them right now. “Especially after yesterday and…” She finally broke eye contact and looked down, just so he would see her cry, which she quickly wiped away under the pretense of just rubbing her eye. “I don’t have any excuses. I just feel terrible.” She said it as she looked at him.
 
She was cracking, he knew it. She was on the edge of just losing it completely. And seriously, who could blame her. She was about to blame herself for everything. And from where she sat, rightly so. yes, Chad was an asshole, and he knew it, yes he'd done am ost the exact same thing himself, and recently. But just because someone had wronged you, didn't make returning the favour right. Or at least he was pretty that's what his mother had been trying to convince him of for years. He supposed that it took being on the other side of things before he could actually understand the why behind it. He ahd the impulse to lay it all out for her, let her know that it wasn't just what she'd done, but the mroe he thought about it, the more he realized that...he'd been right when he had told Jaime off.

Telling her would be throwing Mallory under the bus, adn for what? To make Esther likely feel even worse about things? How would it possibly help the situation? The fact was that it wouldn't. All he could do here was to hurt her more. Or...maybe not? He didn't really know, but he'd lead with what he could.

"Esther, you know that I'm not exactly known as a saint. Gods know I've done some shitty thigns, and believe me, I've used that line, the reason, sometimes things do...'just happen', but...man, I've done something a lot like this before, but it wasn't the day after. I mean...fuck, I don't even have words right now." Chad rubbed his face with his hands. The shoe was on the other foot now, seeing what it meant to be cheated on. And sure, he knew that it was for stupidly selfish and petty reasopns that he even feeling this, btu at days end...did that even matter? The feeling was real, and wrong had been done on both sides. And yet there was a part of him that wanted to hold onto things here. Could it be worked out? did he want to work them out? Fuck,he was going to have to sort himself out before he could even answer her.

"I need time. Not a lot of time, but...Esther, I flying blind here, I have to figure this shit out in my own head before I actually answer you on what happens from here. Not used to being on this end of the conversation." He admit. He sighed, and stood. Modine came back oput, and her smile withered when she saw the looks fo the two people. "Modine, I thinhk the lady might need something. Put it on my tab will you?" Chad told the older woman as he left the diner. The night was a bit chilly, and that was good. The bite made him wake up. He started a walk home. Time to sort this out. Hopefully he could avoid any other attacks on his psyche in the meantime.
 
It was the circumstance of everything. It wasn’t just that she cheated but that she slept with another person the day after she lost her virginity to her boyfriend. The day after they had something that meant so much and basically healed their relationship. Then she went and did the unthinkable and she could feel their relationship just starting to crumble in her hands and if she tried, she’d likely only push her hands through the crumbles but not actually grasp anything. Fall between her fingers they would.

And he confirmed that she did probably the worst thing ever by sleeping with someone the day after she and Chad slept together for the first time. This time when the tears spilled down her cheeks, she didn’t wipe them away. Too frozen in shock she was. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing right now but the look in her eyes pleaded with Chad silently. He didn’t budge. He had made up his mind. He needed time to sort things through. “Chad--” He was already up and leaving the diner after telling Modine to let Esther order anything she wanted on his tab.

She had half a mind to take advantage of that. She could really go for some weird-post-break-up bad food right now. Wiping her eyes and using the sleeve of her jacket to dash away the tears that kept resurfacing, she ordered a double cheeseburger, extra cheese, an order of onion rings, curly fries and regular fries and two oreo milkshakes. Modine was actually silent as she processed this order but she didn’t deny the girl the meal either.

When the food came, she didn’t touch it right away. She just sort of sat there, staring, crying without making a sound, simply letting the tears fall. Then her stomach growled as the scent of fries and onions rings wafted into her senses. She took a bite of the onion ring and then she didn’t stop. She didn’t eat like a pig. No, she had manners. She cut her burger in half because for the life of her, she could never hold a burger properly and without spilling it and dunked a corner into one of the milkshakes. That was why she got two. One for sipping purposes and the other for dunking purposes. It was always when her mood was down she craved the weirdest combinations of all. After all, it wasn’t so weird to dunk your fries into a milkshake but a burger?

She didn’t even care. And by the time she finished it all, she was so full she wanted to puke. And that was exactly what she ended up doing. Not by choice. No, it settled for a moment and then started hurling up with a vengeance. Covering her mouth, she ran to the bathroom and threw up pretty much everything she just ate.

She came back out and rather than let Modine put the food she just threw up on Chad’s tab, Esther paid money for it. She then left and walked home and once there, she went inside without being caught and this time, rather than going to her room, she went to her mom’s and laid down beside her.

The shift in weight of the bed woke her mom up who turned to face her daughter.
“Esther?”
“Hey mom. Sorry to wake you.”

“No no baby, it’s fine. Are you okay?”
“Not really.”
Her mom flipped the bedside light on and looked at her daughter. She could tell when she had been crying. “What happened?” She cupped her cheek.

“I think he broke up with me.”
“Did you tell him?”
Tearily, Esther nodded her head and sniffled. “I hurt him real bad, Mom.” Her voice broke.

Her mom lay down beside her and wrapped Esther up in her arms, stroking her hair and letting her cry all she wanted. No more words were said. Eventually, after maybe an hour of crying, she fell asleep, with her mom falling back asleep after her. At least she was always safe in her mom’s arms regardless of how bad of a fuck up she committed.
 
"Dude, seriously, that happened?" Chad heard the words from his left, and tipped back the beer bottle, downing the contents. His team had his back for sure, bringing a few cases of beer over to hear things out. He'd done it for two of them. Granted, one of those times his team mate had only been cheated on because Chad himself had seduced his girlfriend. Chad shook that off.
"Yeah. Pretty sure that's what happened, seeing as she told me." Chad answered. He looked at the speaker, letting his beer addled brain process who he was looking at. Corran? Karl? Cory? Yeah, he was pretty sure it was Cory.
"So when do we settle the score?" The questyion brought dead silence, dead, pregnant, expecting silence. Chad actually blinked. If it had been anyone else beside Harrison, the team would be out in force looking to deliver a merciless ass-beating. What was more, Chad knew that the authority that he had as Team Captain was not a firm thing, it was tenuous becuase the guys all respected him. If he let this go, then there would be hell to pay, adn he'd likely lose what perks he ahd.

"Soon. Next day off of school, we find him, and make this right." Chad said quietly. The guys cheered, while Chad grabbed another beer, knocking it back quickly. Oh, this was now officially out of hand. And it wasn't going to end well. He drained the bottle, and then stood. "On that note, we crash now boys. Still gotta show at track tomrrow. Go the fuck home. Rest up. And get ready. Work to do." The guys all drained the bottles, adn filed out of Chad's garage. He closed up behind them, leaning his forehead on the cold metal. Great. Not only did he have to decide if he wanted to stay with Esther or not, he had to go fight Harrison Fucking Trenton. Life seemed dead set on being complicated.

The next day came soon enough. Harrison got home early, knowing that Jane would be by before school to get changed and ready. Harrison found his father in the kitchen, hesitantly pushing food around on a plate.
"Harry. It's good you're home. We shouild um...talk." His father led with.
"Don't see what about." Harrison answered.
"Harry, come on. Work with me here." The tone was pleading, and Harrison actually cocked his head, looking at him in what might be a different light. "What do I have to do to make this right?" Harrison snorted.
"Undo about fourteen years. How's that sound?"
"Fucking hell Harrison! I got hurt! ANd then I got left by the woman I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with! You and Jane weren't the only ones that got left behind here! Do I not get a chance to mourn that? Do I not get a grieving period?"
"No. You fucking don't." The words cut the bluster out the older man instantly.

"You had two kids left here, two of them that needed someone to be there for them. Instead they got an alcoholic asshole who hit the oldest adn scared the shit out of the youngest. For years. And after the first time they went without food for most of a week, the oldest picked up the slack, becasue if he didn't they were going to die. Or get taken away and seperated. Which might have been worse. So yeah. Neither of us got much of a chance to be a kid. So if you can give us back those years, maybe I'll cut you some slack for them." Harrison had stepped forward, was near to striking distance from his father now. The older man had gone pale.
"Harry, I...I didn't-"
"Didn't mean it? If you say you didn't know...Gods I don't even know what I'll do!" Harrison barked out a desperate, almost broken laugh.
"Harrison...what...what can I do to even start here?"
"Nothing." The look on his fathers face went from pleading to devastated. "I mean...what good is your promise? You'll drink three beers, and then forget all of this even happened. And you'll be back to the same drunk asshole I grew up with." His father hung his head, sinking into the kitchen chair, and putting his face in his hands.
"I never meant for it to be like this. I wasn't...I was supposed to do better than this by you two. Give you better than I had." His father looked up at Harrison. "I know you're strong Harry. Have to be after all this. But Jane...is it that bad with her?"
"You want to try and make right by her? Here's what you do. You never touch her. You never try totouch her. You don't come within ten feet of her. You don't ask her for anything, except maybe the time, and how her day went. Do all of that for a long ass time, and maybe, just maybe, she might stop being scared to come home." His father nodded.
"Done deal. Harrison, I know you might not ever really respect me-"
"Understatement of the year."
"Shut the fuck up! Lemme finish talking damn it." Harrison actually cocked his head, but nodded. "I get that I gave up all chances of you respecting me. But maybe...if I do all that you asked of me, put the work in, maybe...find some way to contribute...you might find it in you to at least not hate me?" Harrison was quiet.
"That's a tall order." His father nodded. "I'm not saying no. But I sure as fuck aint promising a damn thing." Another nod.
"That's fair." He stood up. "I'm...going to go out. Let jane do her thing without risking running into me."
"That would be best." Harrison responded. His father all but slunk out of the house. Harrison leaned back, his head resting on the wall. It was looking like it was going to be a long day.

Jaime got the news of the change in the day early, and started the mass texting process to all his friends.
Hey all! Sounds like a pipe blew in the school! THey've shut it all down so they can repair it! No school today, adn maybe not tomorrow either!
 
The next morning, both mother and daughter woke and got ready together. But separately. That is, Esther went and showered in her bathroom and her mom showered in her bathroom but after Esther got dressed in a pair of black khaki-material shorts, absently throwing on Harrison’s shirt too, sans bra, she went to her mom’s bathroom once she was dressed as well and sat down on the counter, watching her apply her make up.

Phone in hand, she felt it buzz. Her heart leapt in her chest hoping it was from Chad, but it wasn’t. It was from Abby who heard from Jaime that school was out today on account of blown pipe. Esther snorted and then got a text from her one friend in color guard who told her that practices were cancelled until the pipes were fixes. Apparently it had flooded onto the fields and the gym was out of commision as it is. Esther sighed heavily which made her mom look at her.

“What is it?”
“School is cancelled until further notice. A pipe burst.”
“You’re going to be home alone. I can call to see if I can get someone to cover the shifts. I don’t want to leave you.”
“I’ll be fine mom. As it is, I’ll come to the diner for dinner and we can eat together before you get off.” She smiled.

“I’d like that, baby. What about practice?”
“Cancelled as well. The fields got flooded from the burst pipe.”
“Goodness. Talk about bad luck. You sure you will be okay?”
“I promise. What do you want for breakfast? You have time right?”

“I do. How about you go heat up some of those croissants. I’ll join you when I finish and we can make bacon, sausage, egg and cheese croissant sandwiches.”
“That’s awfully fatty.”
“I think you and I both could enjoy it, don’t you think?” Her mom was the best.

Esther laughed and gave her a hug before she went downstairs and got cooking. They enjoyed breakfast together. Esther felt in better spirits. But after her mom left and she was in the house alone, she didn’t feel so good, spirit wise. She hadn’t even told Mallory or Abby yet. To be honest she was just embarrassed and ashamed. They would say ‘I told you so’ and Esther would explain what she did and they’d be left stumped.

Of all the people expected to cheat, it was Chad. Not Esther.

After cleaning the kitchen, she went to her room and grabbed her favorite Harry Potter book and went downstairs to the living room. She curled up on the couch and just began reading The Half-Blood Prince. Now this made her feel better. Especially since she could pretend like her phone wasn't going off by Abby and Mallory. When she looked down and saw some of the messages, they already knew. Apparently they heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone. Jeez, even when school was out gossip traveled fast, maybe even faster than if school was in session!
 
Jane edged her way into the house, looking around. Harrison was cooking.
"Harry?" SHe called faintly.
"He's not home Jane, you're clear." Harrisonc alled back. Jane moved eaier, stepping intot he house, and head for the kitchen.
"What are you...cooking?" Harrison scooped out a fillet from the pan.
"Fish. I'm cooking fish. Fried. Hungry?"
"Yeah, sure." Jane took a plate and sat down, starting to eat.

"This is really good." She mumbled around a full mouth.
"Oh good, I had no idea what I was doing." Harrison admit, shutting off the stove. One plate went into the microwave right away.
"What was that one for?" jane asked. Harrison held up a finger.
"Don't ask. Please." Jane held up a hand.
"Long as I get to keep eating this kind of stuff." Harrison nodded.
"Done deal." Jane sighed, and then checked her phone.
"Damn it, I got to get going. So do you! Or are you skipping school?"
"Cancelled. Blown pipe. Have fun today." Jane sighed, shook her head, and stood up.
"Thank so much Harry." Jane head upstairs to get changed. Harrison leaned back, mulling over what he'd be doing. A thought crossed his mind, and he had to smile. Plans after all.

It took him a little while to get ready. Shower, change, call in a ride. He was gone before his father showed back up, and that was a blessing. He didn't want anything to spoil his mood right now. He got dropped a few blocks away, wanting hte time to make sure he knew what he was doing. ANd he did. He was equally sure he didn't care. It was going to be an option, a choice, and one way or another, it was going to get made. He had a smirk on his face, leaning on the door frame, and hitting the doorbell on Esther's house.
"Morning Martin." He mused as the door started to open.
 
Esther was at the first session between Harry and Professor Dumbledore, when Harry viewed the first memory that Dumbledore collected on Tom Riddle. It was so exciting. Especially with the way she imagined it. So different from the actual movie. To be honest, she had been highly disappointed but still loved them nonetheless. Even if she disliked J.K. Rowling, whom she believed compromised her integrity on her own creations for fame and money, the movies would always hold a special place in her heart, but the books held it firmer.

The sound of a doorbell rocked her out of her reading heaven and she looked up above the top of her book toward the door. Who could that be? Goodness, if it was Abby and Mallory she was going to hide. Setting her book down, she pushed the plush blanket she curled up with and got up, moving to the door. Her hand was on the lock, about to unlock it but stilled when she looked out the peephole and saw who it was. “Shit.” She whispered.

She looked down at herself and grimaced. She was wearing his shirt. “Shit, shit, shit!” She pulled the shirt off of her and threw it on the stairs and ran to her gym bag for color guard. She pulled out one of her shirts from there, an off the shoulder black long sleeved pullover that came just a little bit above her hips, more like waist length and showed some skin, the flatness and softness of her stomach. Deciding it would do since it didn’t smell the worst, she moved back to the door and unlocked it, opening it. She looked at Harrison and gulped.

“Morning Mr. Trenton. To what do I owe this inconv--pleasure?” She bit her tongue. No need to show hostility. After all he didn't force her or held a gun to her head. She had done so willingly. Still...he knew she was in a relationship and he couldn't not be sexy! Bastard...
 
Harrison left eh smirk on his face, and took a moment before answering, eyeing Esther up and down, taking in the outfit she had on, leatting his gaze linger on her, drawing out the moment.
"Well, last time we met, you owed the pleasure to me, but I don't you forgot that." He answered with alsight drawl to his words, enjoying the moment. "But. I'm just here taking you up on your standing offer." He let that moment go a little, let her wrack her brain. He was well familiar with the fact that post sex a lot of ladies said things they didn't properly remember.

"You did after all, tell me that you were going to keep my shirt to entice me down here. And here I am." He told her. He pushed off the door frame and stepped forward, not so far as to be forcing his way through the door. "So...am I getting my shirt back, or do I have to...come in and get it?" He leaned forward as he spoke, getting a little closer to her.
 
It took her a moment to remember. She had said and done a lot of things that she couldn’t remember properly or off the top of her head after they had sex, from the haze of post-orgasmic bliss. Esther was transported back to the feeling. That life-altering, knee-buckling, blood-boiling in the best way moment. She noticeably swallowed, remembering what she had said. She was going to keep his shirt and if he wanted it back, he would have had to come back. And now here he was. Like clockwork. Fuck…

And he knew what he did to her. He knew the hold he had over because her resolve not to fall back in his trap was weakening. Even as he leaned in closer, she almost didn’t take a step back, clearing the threshold for him to enter. But she did, as an afterthought and cleared her throat. “Oh right, your shirt.” She hoped he wouldn’t be able to see it on the stairs. “I lost it?” She grabbed onto the door as if it would be her last ditch effort to slam it in his face if he came too close. She had no willpower around this man! It wasn't...normal! What the hell was wrong with her that she was ready to just do whatever Harrison Trenton wanted? What was it about him? He's sexy, dangerous, sexy, seductive, sexy, strong, sexy, powerful, sexy...sexy...exudes sex...goodness me he is a sex god. Or would sex devil be more appropriate?
 
Harrison cocked his eyebrow, looking at Esther, and then over her shoulder. His smirk only widened when he moved his hand, putting it just past her ear.
"You mean that shirt on the stairs over there, rumpled up like it's been, oh my, tossed aside after being worn?" Harrison asked, bring his hand back, taking the time to stroke his fingers across her neck. He shifted again, bringing himself down to eye level with her, face close to hers, so much like the last time, but this time subtlety different. There was a little more force behind it this time. It was on her hoem ground, and he kneww that it might not be as easy this time.

"So am I getting it back from you? Or am I going to come there and get it?" He asked her, shifting slightly so that he was cloe enough that she would be able to feel the heat from him on her face.
 
Her cheeks heated heavily and she swallowed uneasily. He saw it. Of course he had. She could toss a flag so high up and she just landed her rifle toss spinning five times in the air before being caught not too long ago. The rifle guys were impressed at how fast she caught on, for a sophomore who hadn’t done rifle until they started teaching her. She was impressed too. But for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to throw a shirt more than three steps. It was pathetic!

Shivers ran up her spine as his fingers grazed along her neck and she breathed deeply through her nose, exhaling as deeply. Looking up to meet his gaze, she realized he was a lot closer than he had been. When did that happen?!

Swallowing hard, Esther was so close to falling down that rabbit hole again. So close to falling into the trap again, not that it was particularly difficult to do so considering how attracted she was to him. But it conflicted her. And it was only sex. It didn’t mean anything to him but to her it meant something. Her hands came up to his chest and she pushed him back. “Oh stop with your seduction Harrison Trenton! If you want your shirt back so badly, then fine!” She stepped aside and motioned with her arm for him to come in and in plain sight, there was his shirt lying in a messy heap on the third step of the stairs. “Have at it! But don’t think for a second you’re getting anything from me! It’s already done enough!” And so she decided the best tact was to snap at him. But she didn’t blame him. Not directly.
 
Harrison liked that she was getting snappy with him, showing a little fire a little backbone. He left the smirk on his face, adn walked past her, one hand gliding along the slide across her midsection as he did so. He stopped down to lift his shirt, picking it up easily enough, and then turning back to her.
"Well, now I've got it. Suppose I can just leave now, since I've got it." He told her, leaning on the wall by the stairs. "But maybe I feel like hanging around. What are you Planning on doing about it?" he asked her, folding his arms, and fixing her with a stare.
 
Shivers. Those fucking shivers each time he touched her. That hand, rough and coarse across the smooth softness of her skin made her nearly go so weak at the knees she could have fallen. But he was in her house now. She looked out to see if anyone was there. It would be her luck that just as Chad came to forgive her and tell her he wasn’t breaking up with her, he’d see Harrison go into her house. But fortunately that didn’t happen.

Turning, she looked back at Harrison as he plucked his shirt up with ease. She shut the door slowly and leaned back against it. “If you wanted to leave you’d have done so. So clearly you don’t.” She pushed herself off the door but didn’t move much further from it, just crossed her arms over her chest. “What I’m going to do about it is eat something.” She had just eaten not too long ago but when all else failed, food always comforted her. Even if it did mean getting fat. “You are welcome to join me. If not, you know where the door is Mr. Trenton.” She then started as a brisk pace, walking toward the kitchen where she began to look through the fridge to see what she could make.

She opened the freezer and found one of the Tombstone frozen pizzas. It would do. It was even meat lovers! Taking it out, she turned the oven on to let it preheat.
Plus if she had food, that meant she could be distracted and not think about eating the pizza off of Harrison's naked chest. "Ooh...Don't go there Esther."
 
Harrison let her go, turning his head as she passed to keep an eye on her. He chuckled as she went past him. He could leave, but he noticed that she actually hadn't told him to go. He could hear her muttered words as she seemed to be shaking her head to clear her mind. He let the shirt sit on the back of the couch as he walked past it. Time to do what he did best.

He stepped up behind Esther, putting his hand on the side of her body, and pulled her back into him. He leaned down, putting his mouth beside her ear.
"Don't go where Martin? Hm?" he breathed to her, his free hand coming up to trace along the line of her jaw. "Not a lot of places we haven't gone yet, but I can think up a few." He murmured to her, his voice dropped to that quiet, husky tone that he'd had just before they'd left the room last time, full of promise and a smoky air of lust.
 
Esther gasped and before she could get away, he was already there, pulling her back to him. Why was it that this spot with him was so comfortable. She relaxed back into him and closed her eyes, even tilting her head a little bit as the octave and tone of his words made her knees buckle, making her very thankful he was supporting her right now with his body. “Hmm?” She turned her face back to his and it was such a bad idea. Guilt and anguish aside, all she could think about was tasting his lips again. “Eating pizza off of your naked chest.” The words came out like word vomit. Her cheeks flamed and she looked away, closing her eyes out of embarrassment. “And now I can go die of embarrassment right now. Among other things.” Guilt. More guilt.

“Why are you doing this to me Harrison?” Her voice was soft. “You knew I had a boyfriend.”
 
Harrison gave a low chuckle, and nodded faintly, his head close enough that the movement ruffled Esther's hair slightly.
"Not something we've done yet, no." he agreed, and then heard her ask the question that he knew was going to be coming. Of course he could have just thrown her into the wall and started on her, but that wasn't really his style, not really. It made it his choice, and not hers, and it always had to be her choice to go forward.

"Why am I doing what? Showing an interest? Making a move? We are young Esther, that's what we do, we live and move forwards. And I like to live fast while I can. And yeah, I knew you had a boyfriend. Didn't seem to slow you down last time. At all. So that's not quite the problem, is it?" He asked her, his hand coming up to cup the side of her face gently, his thumb rubbing her cheek. Harrison leaned forward, his lips very gently touching her cheek, and he whispered the next words to her. "Isn't the real problem that you want me to stay? That you want me to keep coming?" He asked, his other hand sliding along her back, fingers playing up her spine. His hand slipped gently under the material of her top, not far, but enough that it would be impossible not to notice.
 
Esther had to admit. There was a sort of tenderness present with Harrison. He could be really sweet and tender when he wanted to. Rather than press on her embarrassment about admitting she wanted to eat food off of him, naked, he found humor in the situation, but it didn’t prolong her embarrassment. And the way he said it so tenderly, even nuzzling his head against hers, ruffling her hair even more--good god, her hair! She hadn’t even done anything to it! It was just...a chaotic mess!--made her feel at ease in a way.

He had a point. But more than that, as he turned her face back to his, his lips very close to hers but instead brushing against her cheek, she realized he had hit the head on the nail. She wanted him. She wanted this. And she hadn’t realized it until after she and Chad got together, when she apparently somehow got onto Harrison’s radar. “Yes.” She whispered, looking up at him, feeling his hand slide up her back, under her shirt. She really needed to wear a bra, even at home if Harrison Trenton was going to make house calls.

“What about the guilt?” Though at this moment there was very little if he continued being this affectionate and tender with her, while still making a move with his hand up her shirt. “How do I make that go away?” Because Harrison really was unlike anyone else. And she wanted to be able to enjoy herself if she was truly going to cross over to the dark side. Not that it was really a dark side but it had to be something of the sort if she wasn’t feeling much guilt in the moment about things with Chad while she was doing compromising things with Harrison. Especially since she and Chad weren’t officially broken up. But they might as well be...
 
Harrison had another smirk on his face as she breathed that one little word that meant so much. As his hand moved higher, he found that she was that much closer to being ready for what he'd come for than he had expected. But then, she likely hadn't expected to have him showing up like this. But she asked about guilt. He had to admit that guilt wasn't something that he spent much time on. You did what you did, and moved past it all. That was the extent of his processing on that.
"Guilt...well, that's up to each person, how long they want to carry something. I can't take that from you Martin. Not permanently. But if you wanted me to..." he trailed off, his lips finding her neck, gently kisses, a faint scraping of teeth on her skin, his hand coming away from her back, and sliding down her thigh, pulling her tighter to him. "...I can make you forget about it for awhile."
 
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