Kendall

Tobey brings Arlo and Jax to the office while Daniel, Ashley, and I wrap up closing the bar. The monthly sales are undoubtedly being reviewed. They meet with Toby once a month, but usually, it is Arlo and his father. "Hey Ash, how are things going between you and Jax? And please also explain how that happened. I assumed that Eliza was the reason you did not want to date anyone." I say, looking at her. Dan cuts her off before she can say anything.

"Yes, please tell me how that hunk of meat is in bed. Because, girl, he looks like he will rip you wide open." We laugh at Ashley after she blushes in response to Daniel's statement. "Damn, you already fucking him," I say in shock because she is like me; she always shies away from sex since she had her daughter. But I shy away from it because of the hell Craig put me through.

"First off, I'm not sleeping with him." She says, and Daniel adds a yet under his breath. She gives him a dirty look, and I laugh. "Come on, do not hold back; I need details," I say.

"All right, so no, we are not having sex, and we began dating two weeks after we first met them. He wouldn't stop bugging me, like he was so sweet, and told me that we could go at my pace and swore that Eliza wasn't a deal breaker. So, I gave in and agreed to go on a date. And now here we are." She says, grinning a little.

"Aww, that is so sweet. You seem happier now, and I love to see you smile and be so lively." I say to her, meaning every word, she needs someone, and she deserves happiness. With a deadbeat for a baby daddy and raising a child alone, she has experienced a lot. We go back to cleaning the bar. I approach the radio, switch it on, and begin to sing and dance to a song that has just come on. Whitney Houston's song "I want to dance with somebody." Man, I love this song. As I'm singing and dancing, I feel someone come up behind me and grab my hips. When I turn and jump, I see it is Arlo. I move to the opposite side of the bar and take a step back. As I turn, I see him standing there looking sad.

"What was that about?" Ashley says to me. I give him a quick glance before turning back to Ashley and starting to talk. "I told him that I would not be with him until he changed his ways. I will not get involved with a criminal. I will not be mixed up with his nonsense. But I am also not worthy of him. Someone worthy of his time is what he needs. He needs a worthy partner, and I am not that person." I say in a low tone. "Kendall, do you think you are not deserving of his love, or is the illegal activity a problem?" Ashley asks me. I give her a quick glance before turning back to my hands and picking at them. "No, I am not bothered by the illegal activities.Ashley, it is true that I am not deserving of his affection. Who in their right mind would want to be with someone with so much baggage and someone who is so broken?" I say to her. The moment I tell her the truth, I get a knot in my throat, begin to choke, and fight the urge to cry.

"You are completely deserving of his love, Kendall. In my opinion, he should be lucky to have you." Ashley says to me. I shake my head, not agreeing with her. I give her the broom, walk past everyone, and go to the back door of the bar because I need some alone time. "I will be back," I say. Leaning against the wall, I take a few deep breaths and release them as I step outside. And exhaling isn't helping the feeling of suffocating. I pull my hair in frustration and start pacing. I begin to pace while glancing at the wall and consider striking it. I raise my fist and begin to punch it. As I punch it the first time, I feel my bones crush in my knuckles. This brings satisfaction to me. I just keep punching the wall, and I don't stop for a while. I have no idea how long I will be out here punching the wall and crying. All I know is that I can not stop hearing Craig's voice in my head.

"YOU'RE WORTHLESS! YOU NEED TO DIE! NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE YOU!" I hear Craig's voice in my head, and I know it's true. I am all of those things.

As I continue to punch the wall, I break out of it after I hear someone scream my name.

"KENDALL! STOP!" After hearing it, I see a hand snatching my arm. "What the hell are you doing?" Arlo says. I notice concern on his face as I look up at him. In a daze, I glance around before turning back to him. "Hitting the wall, I guess?" I had no idea what I was doing; I only recall being relieved when I first struck the wall, and then all I can remember is hearing Craig's voice in my head. "Why would you harm yourself in this way?" Arlo shouts, holding my hand up, showing me the damage I did to my hand. I notice that my hand is dripping blood, which is running down my fingers, and that there is blood smeared on the wall. I can tell I damaged my hand because it is purple as well.

"How could you harm yourself, Kendall? Why, Tesoro, why would you do this?" Arlo says. I see tears and pain in his eyes when I look at him. 'Why is this such a problem for him? Why does he care?' I think to myself. "It does not matter," I say, shoving him away and attempting to move on.

"Dammit, Kendall, will you stop pushing me away?" He says to me as I try to walk away. "I'm doing no such thing. I just want to be alone." I say to him, but he doesn't believe me. He is standing there shaking his head no. "You are pushing me away, Kendall, but also, I will not leave you alone. I'm not going to leave you out here to do God knows what else to yourself to hurt yourself, so try again." He says to me. I release my breath and roll my eyes. "Arlo, what do you want?" I cry to him. "I just want to help you right now. But in the end, I want you to learn to love yourself. And not to fight me as I love you." He says to me.

He tells me this, and I shake my head. I disagree that I am unworthy of his or anyone's love. As I lift the hand I messed up and try to run it through my hair, I feel a sharp pain on my hand. I scream in agony, "AHHH." I collapse to the floor and sob.

"Dammit, Kendall, we have to have your hand examined. Please, please, do not fight me. At least tonight, let me look after you." I look up at him in tears as he says this to me. I just agree because I do not have the energy to argue with him. I am lifted off the floor and led back into the bar by him. "Oh my god, what happened, Kendall?" Ashley's shout reaches my ears.

"She hurt herself I'm taking her to get it looked at. She will be home tomorrow." Arlo says. He leads me to his vehicle, seats me, and closes the door. He approaches the driver's side of the vehicle and climbs in. He shifts into drive and makes his way to the hospital. When we get to the hospital, he finds a parking space, puts the car in park, and turns it off. We walk into the hospital after he exits the car, walks over to my side, and assists me in getting out.

Five minutes after he checks me in, we are in the back, and a doctor visits me. The doctor says to me, "Good evening, Ms. Wyatt. Tell me what is bringing you into the night." I show him my hand and explain what happened to it. He cleans up the wounds after ordering x-rays. When he is finished, I go get the x-rays taken. The doctor returns a few hours later and informs me that my hand is broken. He puts me in a brace and instructs me to call a number he provided so that a specialist can apply a cast. "Thank you, doc.I will see to it that she contacts the physician tomorrow." Arlo says to him.

We leave the hospital and make our way to the vehicle. "Want something to eat?" Arlo asks me I look over at him and shake my head no. "I simply want to return home." After saying this to him, I move to the passenger side. He gets into the driver's side and puts the car into drive and heads out. I ask him to take me home, and he does. Before I get out, I turn to him and speak. "Thank you, Arlo. I appreciate your help; I really do," I say to him. He smiles as he looks at me. I hear him talk as I exit the vehicle. "I will continue to fight for you, Kendall; I will not let you go. But I will also give you time to see how much you are worthy of." He speaks.

I stand there in disbelief, then I close the door and go inside, not knowing what to say to him, and I enter my apartment, go to my room, and immediately go to bed.