A Simple Life Ch. 60-71

"N-Not with m-my family. That's m-my business, not yours."

"How can you say that?"

"B-Because it's true. J-Jack is my b-brother and he...l-l-loves me."

"He's got a funny way of showing it."

"You d-don't understand. Y-You weren't there. You d-don't know anything."

"I know enough."

"No you don't." I say. "And K-Kayla's right. Y-You're not a full resident yet."

"What the hell does that matter?"

"If you get in trouble, big trouble, they'll kick you off the island." I say. "Th-They won't ever let you back neither. It's d-different here." I swallow, take a breath, then put my foot down. "Y-You have to p-promise you w-won't talk to or do anything w-with my brother."

She stares down at me, lost in confusion. I might as well be speaking another language. "I can't make that promise Avery." She says. "It goes against...everything I was raised to believe. Everything that I am." From my chest to hers she lays her right hand across her dreamcatcher tattoo. "I'm a warrior Avery. It's who I am."

I am lost. I could see how important this was to her, yet I couldn't let her confront my brother. I loved her! I had to protect her. "You have to p-promise. I-If...you want me...you have to promise and l-let me deal with my f-family myself."

"Sprout?" I could see it all play out on her beautiful face. She was angry, offended, and just as lost as I was. "I don't do ultimatums Avery."

"I-I...don't know how else to s-say it." I plead. "Just...promise. Please?"

She tilts her head, narrows her eyes, then all at once pushes up off of me. "I...I gotta go." She starts searching for her clothes.

"Y-You don't have to..."

"I need to cool off. I'm gonna go before I say something stupid that I can't take back, okay?" She says, her tone clipped and wavering with emotion. "I had a really good time tonight Avery."

"M-Me too." I sit up, feeling absolutely wretched as I watch her dress. "I d-didn't mean to upset y-you."

"It's not cause of you, it's me." She says, panties already on and wriggling into her jeans. "Where's my bra?"

"L-Living room."

"Right." She heads toward the door. "See ya later Sprout."

"Wait!" I reach for her. "Wait. D-Don't...go."

At the door she pauses and looks back to me. In two big strides she returns to me. Grabbing my head in one hand she leans down over me and kisses me hard, then looks deep into my eyes. "I do love you Avery."

"I love you too."

She holds me with a long, soulful gaze then kisses me again. "Hold onto that."

And with that...she's gone. I sit alone on my bed listening as Winona finds her bra and shirt then collects up her gaming bag. I'd messed up. I'd messed up bad. But I didn't know how else I could have done it. This STUPID black eye! How could a split second slap still be causing all this fuss all this time later? As I look around my room, the space now feeling so empty and lonely, one thing was certain. I really did have to deal with Jack, once and for all, before Winona did.

To be continued...