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I watched intently as Jack's eyes moved away from me to Joey.
"I gotta get out of here," he repeated.
Joey turned to face him, jabbing his chest with a finger. "No, you don't. You can't just run off every single time things get too uncomfortable."
Jack fisted his hair and stepped back as if Joey's hand had burned him. The act shocked me. I'd never seen him reject Joey's touch before. Joey noticed it too. She cast her gaze down and moved her hands away from him, letting them fall lifelessly to her sides. I was willing to take Jack being a dick to me, but there was no way I would let him hurt Joey.
"I'm gonna kill you," I hissed before I gently pushed Joey aside and punched Jack directly in the face.
"Lip, no," Joey yelled, but I didn't hear her. I punched Jack again.
"Fight, asshole!" I yelled. When he didn't hit me back after the second time, I stopped. I knew this side of Jack very well. He had two speeds: anger mixed with violence, or complete self-hatred. At that moment, he hated himself and welcomed my punches to numb his own pain.
I wanted Jack to think straight to talk to us, to lean on us in order to let us help him, but all I got was his empty stare before he walked out the door.
Chapter 7
JOEY
"It's been a week," I said. I'd been on my best friend Sonia's couch for the last four hours, crying on and off, unsure of what else to do. Sonia kept hugging me as she lied, telling me everything would be okay, but I didn't feel like it would be. I didn't think anything would be all right ever again.
"Has he ever done this before?"
"He's run off before to blow off some steam, but he always comes home. He also always answers my messages. This is the first time he's ever been radio silent. Lip's even worried. He's been out searching for him, calling everyone they know. What if something happened to him, Sonia?"
"Jack? No, nothin's happened to him. That man knows how to take care of himself."
"I hope you're right. You should have seen the look on his face before he left… I wanted to run after him, but Lip held me back. I fuckin' wish I hadn't listened. I should have jumped in front of his bike."
"No, Lip was right. You can't make someone do something they don't wanna do."
"I know. Just…two years… Didn't that mean anything?"
"Baby, that man loves you. You and Lip are everything to him. That I'm sure about."
"I just want him to come home."
"I know you do."
"I shouldn't have pushed."
Sonia grabbed my face. "No. You did what you had to do. A relationship can't have any secrets; that shit festers and consumes people until there's nothing left."
"When did you get so smart?"
Sonia laughed, flipping her hair, "I've always been like this."
"We found him," Tristen, Sonia’s husband said, walking in the front door with Lip trailing behind.
I flung myself off the couch and straight into Lip's arms. He held me tight, silently telling me that he'd never let me go, never let us fall apart.
"Where is he?" I asked, looking behind Lip, thinking Jack was going to come in right behind them.
"He's in the hospital," Lip whispered, and I felt my legs give in; the only thing that kept me from falling on the floor was Lip's arms. He picked me up and carried me back on the couch before sitting beside me.
"What happened?" I asked. Sonia handed me a glass of water, and my hands shook as I took it from her.
"He got in an accident on his bike. He hit his head pretty bad. He has some swelling of his brain. He's in a coma," Tristan said, pulling Sonia to him.
I glanced at Lip. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled, his clothes the same he was wearing yesterday. I realized at that moment that he was just as heartbroken as I was. Our relationship didn't work because I fell in love with two men who both loved me, but the truth was that we worked because we all loved each other. We were three pieces of the same puzzle. With one in disarray, we all were. I squeezed Lip's hand, trying to silently tell him that I knew what he was going through.
Lip smiled, attempting to reassure me, but it was a fake smile like the one you put on for people when you really didn't feel like smiling. I knew how he felt because if anything happened to Jack, I didn't think I'd ever be able to smile again. Lip kissed my forehead, bringing me to him. That was all I needed, as the tears started to flood. It was like the dam broke, and I could no longer hold the rush of water and welcomed being drowned in it.
