A Slut's Triangle Pt. 15

My whole body is trembling as adrenaline courses through my veins. My ribs are hurting and I'm scared. Face down on the pavement, it's everything that I can do to shield myself from Kryss kicking me again. Just hearing Brenda's voice echo through the night air gives me a glimmer of hope.

There are plenty of things in my life I take for granted, but my friendship with Brenda isn't one of them. She's been there for me when I need her the most and she's never once judged me for the way I dress. She's also never even asked me for anything in return other than unconditional friendship.

"I said that's enough," Brenda shouts again, cautiously walking closer.

"Well, well, if it ain't the manipulative, little cunt," Kryss slurs, hovering over me as he turns to face her. "I thought we were going to be fucking last night."

"Your bullshit games don't work on me," she explains, inching closer. "The cops are on their way."

"You're bluffing," he answers, chugging the rest of his beer, then wiping his lips on his shirt sleeve.

"That's a chance you're going to have to take," she bluffs, evaluating the situation.

"Maybe - maybe you forgot my dad owns the Chamber," he threatens, slinging his empty bottle into the bushes. "I can have your ass fired."

"You think I'm scared of Michael?" Brenda bluffs, inching closer as she stares him down with a cold, emotionless poker face. "Try me - just fucking try me."

I have no way of knowing if Brenda called the cops. The faint sound of police sirens in the distance, getting closer supports the possibility. It's enough to convince Kryss to retreat to his car and start the engine.

"You're as pathetic as that sissy laying on the ground," he slurs, pointing his finger at Brenda.

"You're fucking with the wrong bitch," she threatens, putting herself between his car and me, challenging him.

"This ain't over - not by a long shot, bitch," he promises, slamming his car door shut.

"One of these days - one of these days," she mumbles, glaring her eyes through the windshield," you're going to get everything you deserve."

Staring knives at Brenda, Kryss revs the engine of his Mustang over and over, then squeals the wheels as he pulls out of the parking place. When he drives away, she follows him with her eyes until he's out of sight. Thankfully, it was Brenda and not Kimberly to confront Kryss. There's no telling what would've happened.

"Are you alright?" Brenda asks, wrapping her arm around me and helping me to my feet.

"I think - I think my ribs are broke," I groan, cradling my ribs with my hand.

"We need to get you to the hospital," she suggests, brushing the dirt off my satin blouse and leather skirt.

"I'll be fine," I decline, attempting to avoid a trip to the hospital dressed like a woman after getting my ass beat.

"Why didn't you tell me Kryss was beating on you?" She asks, resting her hand on her hip.

"I was too embarrassed to tell you," I reply, closing my eyes as I grunt in pain. "I really thought he'd change, but he's only getting worse and I feel trapped."

"It sounds like stuck you're stuck between a cock and a piece of ass," she teases, causing me to tense up with pain to hold back my laughter.

Brenda doesn't make it sound so obvious, but somehow she knows that I gave Kryss another chance to make things right. Still, he fucked it up because I'm through with him. Nevertheless, I'm still playing with fire if I get involved with Kimberly. That alone keeps me linked to Kryss' love triangle - something I want to escape.

"Tell me Kimberly didn't see Kryss fucking me," I groan, doubling over from the pain as I stagger across the parking lot.

"She saw the whole thing," she replies, wrapping her arm around my shoulders to keep me from collapsing to the ground.

"I was afraid of that," I reply, struggling to suppress the pain in my side. "Is she mad at me?"

"She isn't as naive as you think she is," she explains, holding me steady until I regain my balance. "She's already seen your Focus parked in Kryss' driveway before.

"That explains some of the things that she said last night," I mumble, staring at the ground, "but she never confronted me about sleeping with Kryss."

"I told her Kryss made sexual advances towards you first," she adds, steering me through the parked cars. "She doesn't blame you."

"She didn't speak to me at all today," I grunt, noticing Kimberly walking around the side of the bar.

"Whatever you did with her has her mind churning," she explains, looking up to see Kimberly walking down the steps towards us.

"I didn't really do anything," I grunt, pulling away from Brenda to attempt to walk on my own again.

"You didn't demand or expect anything from her either," she reminds, watching me closely to see if I still need assistance walking.

"Kryss will do whatever it takes to protect his love triangle," I speculate, resting my hand on Brenda's shoulder.

"He has no idea his secret isn't a secret anymore," Kimberly interjects, joining our conversation as I turn away, heading for my car.

"Please, don't leave, Ashleigh," Kimberly begs, following me as I stumble towards my car. "There's something I need to tell you."

For a brief moment, I pause, holding my head down unable to look her in the eyes, expecting the worse. There are a lot of things that I should say, but I can't find the right words. All I want to do is go home, lay down on my bed, and forget the day ever happened. Something tells me it isn't going to happen when Brenda walks away without saying a word.

"Look at me," Kimberly pleas, tugging on my shoulder and spinning me around. "I don't fully understand you, but I want to. It doesn't bother me that you dress like a woman, Kevin. I love you for who you are on the inside."

Kimberly's words resonate in my thoughts and ease some of my pain. I don't exactly know how to respond to her because no one has ever told me anything like that. Before I can utter a word, she uncoils my fingers and lays an earring in the palm of my hand - one that I must've lost when Kryss slammed me onto the floor in the Chamber.

"I'm not perfect," I reply, folding my fingers over the earring as I gaze into her eyes. "I've made some bad choices, but I'm strong enough to face the consequences."

"I'm okay with that," she adds, hugging me with tears puddling in her eyes.

"But, your stubborn ass is still going to the hospital," Brenda interjects, walking up to us with my purse.

I can count on Brenda's persistence to persuade me into going to the hospital. Between her and Kimberly, they manage to get me into the backseat of Brenda's Cadillac CTS instead of calling for an ambulance. While Brenda drives us to the hospital, Kimberly sits beside me letting me rest my head on her.

About a half hour later, Brenda pulls into the parking lot of South Fulton Hospital, the same hospital where I was born. After they help me into the ER, I check in at the front desk. The ER is somewhat crowded and we pass the time discussing things with Kryss along with other trivial things to help ease some of my embarrassment anxieties. Eventually, Brenda and Kimberly run off to find a vending machine, leaving me alone.

"You're lucky to have them as friends," a subtle voice utters from behind me. "I can tell Kimberly really likes you."

"Were you listening to us the whole time?" I ask, turning myself around in my seat to have a look at the woman speaking to me.

"I'm Malena," she introduces, putting her hand on the back of my seat.

"How do you know she likes me?" I ask, sweeping my eyes over her.

At first glance, it appears Malena is about the same height I am, probably around 5'7", definitely younger in appearance. Her shoulder length blonde hair has streaks of amber highlights running to it. Her denim jeans are tucked into her cowboy style boots. It doesn't look like she's wearing a bra under her red satin blouse so I avoid starring at her chest. Nevertheless, there's a genuine likability about her.

"She's pansexual like me, but I'm mostly lesbian, though," she explains, putting her iPhone into her purse.

"Pansexual?" I ask, looking around the ER, paranoid someone is eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Kimberly has an obvious attraction to you because she's not limited in her sexual choices based on your gender identity," she explains, returning her hand to the back of my seat.

"I never thought of it like that," I remark, scanning the waiting room for Brenda and Kimberly.

"Do you like her?" She asks, raking her bangs behind her ear.

"I feel an attraction to her," I confess, wiggling around in my seat, unsure of how to answer the question, "but I'm afraid of her losing interest in me."

"You're only holding yourself back from having something meaningful with her," she says, sweeping her eyes over me. "So are you a transvestite or a transexual?"

"I'm a transvestite," I confirm, softening my voice, "but my voice tends to gives it away for me."

"Not too bad," she says, glancing at my arm coiled around my body, "but why are you holding your ribs?"

"Uh - uh," I stutter, looking down at my torso. "I have a jealous boyfriend that I tried to break up with; it didn't turn out so good."

"It's only going to get worse," she advises, relating to my situation with Kryss. "I've been in a similar situation with a same sex relationship. It's not uncommon, but you deserve better."

Sometimes it's easier to open up to a total stranger instead of someone close. They aren't as biased to certain situations and they usually give their advice without any expectations. Malena has given me a lot to think about in our short conversation - things that I've already been telling myself, but not listening to.

"Why are you here?" I ask, changing the subject because of my paranoia that others are listening to our conversation.

"I'm waiting to see if they're going to admit Sarah, a friend of mine, to the hospital," she answers, looking up to see Brenda and Kimberly walking towards us.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder to see them walking our way, eating potato chips.

"She's has Uterine cancer and needs to have chemotherapy," she explains, bowing her head.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I empathize, putting my hand over Malena's hand. "Friends need each other when times are bad."

"Ashleigh - Ashleigh Manseur?" A nurse summons, waiting by the door for me to follow her to the back to be checked out.

"It was nice to meet you," she smiles, waving bye as I stand up holding my ribs. "Think about what I told you."

Brenda and Kimberly wait out in the lobby for a while before they join me again after my examination. Hours trickle by and I find myself staring at the clock up on the wall, pondering what Malena told me. After the doctor has a chance to examine me, a nurse takes some X-rays of my ribs. When the tests and examinations are all finally over, the doctor bandages up my ribs and gives me something for the pain.

"Alright, you've got a couple of cracked ribs," the doctor addresses, studying my X-rays. "It could've been a lot worse."

"So am I okay to leave, doc.?" I ask, slipping on my bra and satin blouse to cover my bandages, anxious to leave.

"You' can leave," he answers, removing his glasses and hooking them over his shirt collar, "but I'd suggest that you consider filing a police report."

"You should at least take out a restraining order," Brenda suggests, helping me off the examination table.

Oddly, Kimberly remains silent while she stands by my side, studying me. The look in her eyes tells me she knows what's going through my mind. Despite what all Kryss has done, I can't bring myself to file a police report on him or even take out a restraining order without bringing more embarrassment on myself.

"Let's get you out of here," Kimberly says, wrapping her arm around my shoulder to help Brenda lead me out of the hospital.