Xander POV
I glared back at the man, refusing to back down.
He was big, way bigger than me, and there was some cause for concern, but I wasn't here to fight. I just wanted to ta to Methis.
I looked past his shoulder at her, "This is him yeah?"
She nodded.
"What is he doing here? I thought I warned you not to let him in? How the hell did he get here?"
"Xander, I can explain," she said, getting up and reaching for my hand.
"Explain what? Why you're still seeing this jerk?" I snapped, pulling my hand away.
"Hey, watch your mouth," The man said, "You don't know anything about us."
"I know enough. I know you treated her like shit mister, I know you broke her heart, and I know you're not good for her," I said, glaring at him.
He laughed, a cold and mocking sound. "You think you know her so well, huh? You think you're her knight in shining armor? You're nothing but a rebound, kid. A distraction. A toy."
I clenched my fists, feeling a surge of adrenaline. I wanted to punch the bastard in the face, to make him pay for hurting Methis. But I knew that would only make things worse. I had to stay calm, to be the bigger man.
Even though I was scared out of my senses.
"Get out of here, Jamal. Leave her alone. She doesn't want you anymore," I said, trying to sound confident.
He shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "You're wrong, kid. She does want me. She always will. She's mine, and you can't have her."
He moved closer to Methis, wrapping his arm around her waist. She flinched, but didn't resist. I felt a pang of jealousy and pain.
"Let her go. She's not yours. She's not a possession," I said again, taking a step forward.
He tightened his grip on Methis, making her gasp. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, loud enough for me to hear.
"Listen, Methis. I am here. I will always be okay, you don't need to put up with him, come home..."
I watched her, willing for her to reject him, but looking into her eyes, something told me she wouldn't.
She remained quiet, refusing to say anything.
He paused, then added, "You also know what I can do to you, right? What I can do to him, right?"
He looked at me, a sinister smile on his face, one that sent chills down my spine. "You see, kid, you have no idea who she really is. You have no idea what she's done. What we've done. What we can do. And trust me, you don't want to find out."
He kissed Methis on the cheek, then slowly let her go. He walked towards the door, then turned and said, "I'll be seeing you, Methis. And you, boy. Don't get too comfortable. You never know when I might show up again."
He opened the door and left, leaving Methis and me alone. I felt a mix of emotions: anger, confusion, fear, curiosity. I looked at Methis, who was staring at the floor, tears in her eyes.
"Methis, what did he mean? Who are you? What have you done?" I asked, hoping for an answer.
Methis looked up at me, her expression unreadable.
"Methis?"
She shook her head, then said, "I'm sorry, Xander. I can't tell you. It's too dangerous. For both of us."
She grabbed her coat and purse, then walked out of the door, leaving me alone. I felt a surge of frustration and sadness. I wanted to follow her, to talk to her, to understand her, but I knew it was useless. She was gone, and I had no idea if she would ever get her back.
* * *
I felt like an absolute loser. I had dropped everything I was doing and rushed to help who I thought was a damsel in distress, only to be utterly and completely embarrassed. It felt unfair, but a little part of me told me I deserved it, for acting a fool.
And I tended to agree with it.
To make matters worse, the next day, I saw her at school. She was walking with her friends, laughing and smiling. She looked worried, and for a moment I felt a pang of pity. The woman was scared, and I wouldn't blame her? Who wouldn't be?
But I blamed her too, she was a grown woman, capable of at the very least making decisions about her own life. I wouldn't be there to protect her everytime, and thinking I was her knight in shining armor was the problem, it was what had gotten me into the shitty situation I was forced to experience the previous day.
I slammed the door of my car and stormed into the school building, ignoring the stares and whispers of the other students. I was still seething from the confrontation with Jamal yesterday. I was by no means a push over, but he had made me feel like one.
Weak and powerless, unable to defend myself, or even her.
I remember the first day I met Methis. She had smiled at me with her bright green eyes and dimpled cheeks, and I had felt a jolt of electricity run through me. She was smart, funny, kind, and passionate about everything she did.
So I kept my feelings to myself, and tried to be a good friend to her. We hung out after school, studied together, watched movies, and talked for hours. She confided in me, trusted me, and cared for me. She made me laugh, she made me feel alive, she made me want to be a better person. She was everything I ever wanted, and everything I couldn't have.
I tried to ignore the growing attraction between us, the sparks that flew whenever we touched, the longing that filled my eyes whenever I looked at her. I tried to convince myself that it was just a crush, that it would fade away, that it was not worth risking our friendship. I tried to deny the fact that I was in love with her, and that she might feel the same way.
"Xander?"
A voice broke me out of my reverie forcing me to ignore the banging headache and look up, somehow, she had managed to sneak up on me. Her eyes stared down, large and pleading and despite what I was feeling right now, I wanted to stand up and pull her into my arms and tell her it was all okay.
But I didn't.
"Hey, Methis."
"Xander! Xander, are you okay?" She bent over wrapped her arms around me. All of a sudden, all my senses were overwhelmed by her, the warmth of her skin, the smell of her hair...
Everything.
I needed to stay focused.
"I'm fine, Methis. I'm fine." I said, patting her back but I didn't feel fine.
"I'm so sorry, Xander. I'm so sorry for what Jamal did. He was out of his mind, he didn't know what he was saying, he didn't mean to hurt you." She said, and I could hear the sincerity in her voice. She was apologizing for something that wasn't her fault.
And I knew it was unfair to her that I was mad at her, but I couldn't help it.
I felt like an intruder, like I was interfering in her life, bugging in where I wasn't needed.
It made me feel disgusted with myself.
She pulled back, and looked at me with her green eyes. They were shining with tears, and something else. Something that I had never seen before. It made my heart skip a beat, and my breath catch in my throat, made me want to kiss her, and tell her how I felt.
"Xander, I..."
But I didn't let her finish. I didn't want to hear what she had to say. The damage has already been done, and nothing she said would make me feel better. It was best to walk away from the situation, before I acted brashly.
"Xander, wait. Where are you going?" She asked, as I untangled myself from her.
"I have to go, Methis." I said, pulling away, refusing to even look at her face, "Catch you later?"
"Xander-"
I didn't wait for her to finish, I just walked briskly to my car, my eyes staring straight ahead.