"Don't cheat if you don't want to be cheated. A relationship is mutual. This is the golden rule for all great connections." — Israelmore Ayivor
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Chapter 28
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Maggie

My roller paused along the wall. "Have you ever tried to eat paint?"

Luke passed a look of shock out the corner of his eye before dragging his attention back to the his side. We were on our second coat of paint, now.

"Have you ever tried to eat paint?" he retorted.

My shoulders bounced in a shrug. "Jax dared me when we were kids. Easiest twenty bucks I've ever earned."

Yesterday, after the fall, was nothing, but silence. When I came in today, though, he pretended as if nothing had happened, so I did the same. The day had ran far more smoothly because of that.

His head fell as he chuckled. "That explains a lot." I shot a glare at him, to which he completely ignored. Just as I managed to calm my own humor, I heard him ask, "Jesus, Norris. Where were your parents?"

I froze at that. My grip tightened around the roller to stop from dropping it. Cold dread swept through me like a plague until I felt my stomach twist.

Luke caught on much quicker than I liked. His body stilled at my silence, before I felt his gaze burning into the side of my face. "Shit," he hissed. "My bad. I should have—"

I pulled in a breath through my nostrils, shaking my head. "No...it's cool." It was anything other than that, though. I'd been asked about them all of my life, so much that I thought I had the story locked down pact.

But, for some reason, when Luke asked, I felt every lie and every deceitful thing slip from their cage, and wrap me in their sense of betrayal. It made me nauseated.

"I didn't see them," I heard him say. "In your house, I didn't see any pictures of them."

Digging my nails into my palms, I forced a neutral expression."They're not around."

Luke nodded, tugging at his bottom lip. I tried to read him over, but was given nothing in return.

I saw the muscles in his arm flex as he motioned to me. "You wanna tell me why?" his voice had noticeably gone softer. "You know I won't tell anyone, but you know that you don't have to tell me, either."

My control ran loose so quickly, it left me fighting back the words. I'd never had anyone dig the way he did, nor did I ever have anyone be such a comfortable presence about it. It fucked with me. Bad.

The thing that knocked me off course the worst, though? It was that I didn't want to lie to him.

Just like in the hotel, I didn't feel that same instinct to lie. I wasn't sure what it was. It felt as if he were already two steps ahead in what he knew about me, like he was just waiting on myself to admit it to him.

I placed the roller back into its place. Luke did the same, his gaze weighing down on me.

"I haven't seen them since I was ten," I admitted in a small voice. I tried to build some type of cover up in case the real truth ever got back to Kimberly and Raven, but when I did, nothing came.

Because, I think, a part of me trusted Luke. I knew I admitted it the night of the event, but now, it was a much more dominant feeling. I trusted him.

My eyes fell to my paint-stained fingers to avoid his gaze. "They weren't good people, not at all," I murmured. "They were terrible people, and terrible parents." That was all I could get out before it nearly became painful to speak.

Luke seemed to be absorbing the information, his eyes bouncing between me, and the floor. I caught myself waiting for a reaction, but the one given wasn't what I expected.

"Jesus." His lips pulled into a small smile as he bumped shoulders with me. "I guess we're two peas in a pod, huh, Norris?"

A breathless laugh fell from my lips as I nodded. I hadn't realized my eyes were watering until I blinked. "Pretty much, yeah. Our parents hate us."

Luke chuckled, shrugging. "Your parents missed out."

I wasn't sure if it were intentional, but before I could respond, his big hand fell flat by mine, his pinky stretching out to stroke mine.

I stared down at the spot, but by the time I came to, I realized how labored my breaths were, now. That simple touch alone sent a whirl of fire to the pit of my stomach.

While I worked on putting the flame out, I forced out, "Did you just compliment me?"

His hand had grown closer. Slowly, he wrapped his middle finger around mine, just as he had at the event, and in the car.

His eyes widened in horror before he jerked his chin up at me. "Fuck no. I could have been talking about Jax for all you know." By his tone though, I knew better.

The skin along my lips stretched into a small smile, my gaze falling to the ground. I'd never heard anyone compare Jax and I, and choose me. It was so rare.

His thumb was stroking the back of my hand so casually. I wondered if he could feel the drum of my heartbeat through the skin as I feared he could. It was going wild at the simple touch, turning my emotions upside down. Yet, the fear I had telling him about my parents had subsided, completely.

I needed to snap out of it.

Swiftly, I pulled my hand from his grasp. The skin went cold, but I ignored it, as well as the turn of Luke's expression.

Clearing my throat, I motioned toward him with a hand that felt limp, now. "Ready for lunch? I'm craving burritos."

Shit. Why would I think that that was any better?

He shoved his frown away, and instead stepped on a natural expression. "I guess we're having burritos for lunch, then."

I ran a hand past my trippy stomach with a nod. "Don't forget the—"

"Maggie."

Both of our heads turned at my name since neither of us had said it. It came from the doorway. Xander was standing there, a bag and a cup in hand.

I tore away from my spot, cursing myself for giving off any notion of deceit. I shouldn't feel deceitful, because I wasn't doing anything wrong. That didn't stop the cool itch from creeping up my back, though.

I swept my sweaty palms down my jeans with a small smile. "Hey, babe. What are you doing here?" I stepped over the empty cans of paint to reach him, but at the same time I heard Luke murmur, "That's what the fuck I'm trying to figure out, too." I cast a quick glare back at him before turning back to Xander with a smile.

I wasn't sure if Xander heard him, but if he did, he played it off well.

Ignoring Luke, he wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me in. "I brought you lunch," he told me, a casual smile on. "And, I wanted to see my girl."

Luke snorted in the background, to which I ignored. I took the bag from Xander with a smile. "How sweet. Thank you."

We exchanged a kiss, but just as his tongue brushed past my lips, I was being pulled back. Literally. Not by my own will, but by a much stronger grasp.

Luke had pulled me away from Xander by my arm, lingering there in a possessive hold. His glare remained on Xander. "That's enough of that shit." He flicked his head at me. "Come on. We're going to get burritos like you wanted."

Xanders' uneasy eyes bounced between the both of us before finally landing on him. "I already got her lunch."

Before I could resist it, Luke released me. It was only so that he could snatch the bag from my hands.

With a completely sane expression, he walked to the nearest can of open paint, and threw the bag of food right in. Paint droplets landed over the floor from the splatter. "Not anymore."

My jaw fell at him. "Luke," I hissed. "What the—"

"Oops," he replied flatly. "It must have slipped."

Xander shot daggers into Luke's soul. "What the fuck is your problem, bro?"

Luke was unfazed, but the agitation was undeniably evident in his eyes. "I don't have a problem. And, I'm not your goddamned bro."

Anger bubbled in my blood at his attitude. "Are you sure? Because, you're acting like a child." I didn't know what his problem was. He was an entirely different person five minutes ago, but here he was now, trashing my food, and acting like a cunt.

"Agreed," Xander bit out, his eyes narrowing at Luke. "Listen, man. You need to chill."

Luke cocked his head as he took a step closer. Instinctively, I stepped in front of Xander. His eyes flickered to mine before raising above my head.

Luke flicked his head at him. "I don't know what kind of delusional shit you think you're in," he started in a deceptively calm tone. "But, in this one, there's no way in hell you're going to come into my shit and tell me what to do."

I recalled when I'd said those words to him at my house. Funny how the tables turned.

Xander stepped past me, despite my effort to keep him back. Eyes cruising his figure, he began to size up Luke, who hadn't let his look drop once. Because he knew, without a doubt, that he could easily rip Xander in half.

"Listen, I don't care about you owning this piece of shit building, or you being a spoiled prick," Xander retorted, his lips set in a frown. "Someone obviously needs to put your rude ass in your place."

Without a word, Luke threw his head back, and laughed. The crazy motherfucker laughed. It made my body ring with a shudder of alert at it.

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he came to. "Shit, I like that." Before Xander had a chance to respond, Luke was placing his phone and keys on the table, then popping his neck. "Let's do it, then. I haven't fought a fucker like you in a minute." His lips pulled into a shit-eating grin. "You know what? I'll even let you get the first swing to make you feel better—"

Shitshit—

Immediately, I swept myself in front of Xander. "No, hell no."

Luke's expression was glazed over with boredom. "You really gonna let your girl cover you?" Another laugh that defined sadistic. "You're more pussy than I thought."

Xander squeezed my arm. "I got this, Maggie. It's fine." I cast a warning glare at him to let him know that he indeed did not have this. Not at all.

I loved to see, hell, even instigate fights just for the heck of it, but not this time. Xander had no idea who he was up against.

Luke, and his friends had been fighting for nearly a decade. I never showed Kimberly and Raven because of the gore, but I'd seen the videos of the three boys. There were some of the three fighting each other, but when it came to other fights, they were relentless. I expected it of Luke, and Kade, but I'd never thought Levi—who was the kindest one out of the three— to be the same, if not even more, when it came to violence. I still recalled a video of Kade knocking a guy's front tooth out for saying something crude about Kimberly. There was one of Levi breaking a guy's arm for trying to feel up on Raven. But, just as they were in a group, they were just the same alone: violent, especially when it came to people they cared about, specifically Kimberly and Raven.

I didn't think I meant the same to Luke, but with the way he was glaring down at Xander...it was a challenging thought that I couldn't place exact reasoning behind.

I moved my gaze to Luke, who was staring down at me, already. "Norris." His grin slipped back into a smile. "Move out of the way for me, yeah?"

"No," I argued, narrowing my eyes back at him. "If you hit him, then you have to hit me, too." I heard Xander arguing behind me, but paid him no mind.

Luke glared down at me, and I matched it entirely with one of my own. His smirk had molded into a frown, the argument building in his expression.

Finally, he broke our look. His lips pursed around a scoff.

He jerked his head up at Xander. A casual grin pulled at his lips. "I better see that same confidence when I catch you alone next, bitch." With the lasting impression of his threat, he turned, and strode to the other side of the room to sit down

Thank fuck. I released a puff of relief, jerking back around to face Xander. His own expression looked quite relieved, despite how he tried to play it off.

"I'm sorry about..." I threw a hand toward Luke, who was blasting his phone's audio at an obnoxious volume level. "Him. He's not so bad once you get to know him, I promise."

Xander shrugged, his eyes going behind me to cast a glare. I nearly wanted to jerk his head back around before Luke took his glare, and turned it into an injury.

"You don't have to try and cover for him," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "He's just a spoiled little asshole who hides behind his dad."

A couple of months ago, I wouldn't have hesitated to agree. But, this was now, and now, I didn't feel an ounce of agreement. In fact, I felt myself wanting to push the idea back.

Instead, I focused on one thing. I glanced back to Luke, who was pretending to be interested in whatever was on his phone.

"Luke," I called to him. "Could you give us a minute? Alone."

Luke looked up from his phone with a raised brow, a silly face on. "You're asking for privacy in my building that I paid for with my money?" A dry laugh ran from his lips. "Unless you wanna cough up a couple bucks for the water bill, then it's gonna have to stay in your dreams, Norris."

I rolled my eyes, pushing through my frustration to say, "A simple no would have held the same impact."

"Then no." His chest bounced with a chuckle as he swung his legs atop the table. "Get it, now?"

With an annoyed sigh, I turned around to Xander.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" Xander asked with a curious look. "What's on your mind?"

I stared into his dark eyes, trying to depict everything within them. As always, I didn't find any reason to lose trust in him, or to doubt him. He was sweet, the perfect gentleman, and as thoughtful as can be.

So, why did I feel so betrayed right now?

I shook the thought away. It was Luke's influence that had caused my distrust in Xander. He was probably just trying to rile me up.

It didn't hurt to ask, though. I'd feel better with an explanation.

I hadn't even noticed Xander was holding my hand until now. Nothing came from it, and the very thought had my mind zeroing on the warps of electricity that rung through me at Luke's touch.

I shoved the reminder down with extra force. It was so fucking wrong.

"That night that I called you after the event," I started, meeting his eyes. "I saw—"

Before I could finish, a loud ringing cut me off. I jerked around to glare at Luke, but it wasn't him.

Xander cursed under his breath, grabbing his phone from his back pocket. I tried to catch glimpse of who was calling, but before I could, he declined the call. "My bad, babe. Work's been calling like crazy ever since my lunch break and the rush started. What were you saying?"

I responded with a slow nod, despite the uneasy rocking of my stomach. "I was saying—"

Again, another call. I could practically feel Luke staring holes into the back of my head. The temptation to snatch Xander's phone was strong, but I calmed the thought down.

"That's a fuck-ton of calls for only work," Luke drawled out from behind me. I didn't even turn to glare at him, since I agreed. It was strange as shit.

Xander declined the call, but a vibration followed a second later. With a sigh, his eyes ran over the screen before I saw his brows scrunch tight.

I narrowed my eyes at him, then the phone. "Is everything okay?"

His eyes skipped up to me, erasing any trace of deceit. "Yeah, yeah, of course." He nodded quickly, a dazzling smile growing across his lips as he shoved the phone away. "Actually, though, I'm gonna have to get going. Call me tonight to so that we can talk this over, though, okay?"

I nodded, a little dazed on the entire ordeal and how quickly it shifted. "Uh...yeah, sure—"

His smile fell. "Shit," he hissed, his hands going to my waist. "I've been meaning to tell you..." His expression grew apologetic. "Jax's play. I know that you were looking forward to it, but I won't be able to go this time."

My confusion only grew before it morphed into plain disbelief.

"Wait, what?" I bellowed. "Why not?"

His face fell at mine. His fingers tightened around my waist, but for the first time, I wanted to rip away from them. "Work, babe. Since it'll be spring break week, the restaurant will need every hand on deck."

A disappointed sigh left my lips at that. Jax was going to be the lead in a play. Nearly everyone in town would attend. I told Xander about it months ahead of time, so I wasn't sure why he hadn't requested the time off, or something.

It was all overlapping for my frustration. Bits of anger, and confusion stung at me, but I couldn't do much about it.

His hands squeezed at my waist. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I really am. I wish—"

I released a sigh, shrugging at his apology. "It's whatever." I didn't know what else to say, so I honeyed what was really on my mind, "You can get going, already. I'll see you later."

Xander nodded, his lips trained around a frown as he drew me in for a hug. I glared at the corner of his feet while he said, "I'll make it up to you, babe. I promise."

My head bobbed on its own before we detached. With a parting kiss to my forehead, he backed away with a small smile. "Bye."

My lips remained in a thin smile, but I couldn't give a response.

I turned just as something behind me sounded out. Luke was standing now, clapping so loud, it echoed right through the building.

Him moving closer gave me clear sight of his amusement. "That was a fantastic performance, Norris," he announced. "Fucking fantastic."

I drew out a tired sigh; I didn't have time for this right now. "What are you talking about, Luke?"

"Your boy toy." He flicked his head at the door. "The fucker should be an actor."

My brows scrunched in tight as I glanced back at the spot Xander had just been in. "What are you talking about?"

"As a man," Luke started, crossing his arms. "Trust the fuck out of me when I say: it's easy as shit to tell when another one is lying."

My head tilted at him. "Elaborate." A part of me knew, but that same part of me didn't want to be right. Not at all.

He did the same, almost mocking me. "You told him you wanted to talk. The fucker didn't even care—"

"He did care," I corrected. "But, he had to go—"

"I don't give two fucks if he had to go, and take a shit," Luke cut in, rolling his eyes. "When your girl is talking about something that's bothering them, you're supposed to stop whatever the hell else is going on, shut the fuck up, listen, and solve the problem. Everything else can wait."

I hated how right he sounded, despite how crude his word choice was.

"How do you even know this?" Shaking my head, I looked back to him. "You've never even had a girlfriend."

"Kade and Levi," he responded with a shrug. "You have no idea how much those two fuckers have bitched and cried about their girls. It's annoying as shit, but I've learned a couple things because of it."

I didn't respond, instead glaring down at my shoes. A headache was beginning to set in.

"Now," Luke started, an eye roll following. "If you'll let me finish, I'll tell you that it wasn't because he couldn't listen. It was because he didn't want to. And, if he didn't want to, it was because he didn't care. I almost believed his bullshit until he mentioned your brother's opera or some shit." He waved the topic off. "I texted Jax, and asked him if he knew where your boy toy works."

My eyes widened before I jerked them up to meet his. "You did what?" I hissed at him, stepping forward to reach for his phone. "Can you quit texting my—"

"Hold on, know-it-all," he scoffed, placing a palm against my face to hold me back. I swept it down with a scowl. A frustrated one hung across his face. "Let me finish."

My hand itched to smack some sense into him, but I refrained. My curiosity was hanging over the edge of my frustration.

Luke pulled his phone and, then motioned for me to wait, to which I rolled my eyes in return. A moment later, the dial of his phone rung out until whoever he was calling connected.

"Hello, this is Lyle's restaurant," the girl on the other line announced in an honey-sweet tone. "Is there something I can help you with today?"

Luke cast a glance at me, catching my confused one. "Yeah, I was just wondering if your establishment would be open during the week of spring break?"

"No, sir, we will be closed for that week as well as—" the girl's voice was cut short when Luke ended the call.

His eyes went to mine, immediately, his brow cocked. "You get it, now?"

My entire being had fallen, altogether. I couldn't say my heart, because Xander didn't have it, but nonetheless, the hurt took my breath away all the same.

My feet stumbled back until I landed in one of the chairs. "Oh my god."

Xander had lied a couple of times already, but I'd always found some type of loophole. There was none for this one, though; he had lied straight to my face.

"What the fuck," fell from my lips in a whisper. Scorching heat began to build behind my eyes before I shut them entirely. "He lied to me. Why would he..."

My mind immediately jumped to cheating, even though a different motive was possible. But, when it came to people in a relationship, they usually only lied to do their wrongdoings.

I heard Luke shuffling closer to me. "Because, he's an idiot. He thought you were one, too, and wouldn't piece it together."

"I didn't piece it together," I mumbled absentmindedly. "You did."

I heard the scrape of a chair closing in on me. "I'll give you some credit for it." The humor in his voice was small, but nonetheless, it still lifted the weight in my chest for a moment.

Opening my eyes, I palmed my forehead, and messaged at the hot skin.  "What am I going to do?"

Luke reached in his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. "You're going to tell me where he lives, we're gonna go there, then we're going to jump the fucker. I'll even take you out for burritos right after. My treat."

"Wait...we?" I questioned through a tearful laugh. "You'd help me beat his ass?"

He reached out so quickly, I don't even think he caught it himself. His finger was soft against my cheek, catching the tears before they could hit the ground.

"You kidding me, Norris?" he teased, lightly kicking my foot. "Of course I will. I'm not letting you have all the action." My giggle came, marking his own chuckle follow up. "We can play it however you want to. I can choke the fucker out while you hit him. Or, we can tag-team him, tapping one or the other in to get a water break. Whichever one you want. I'll even let you get the first shot."

A small smile danced across his face before it fell into a frown. He scooted the chair closer. "Just...stop crying. The fucker's not worth it." He used either hand to wipe my wet cheeks, his tough expression lowering just by the smallest amount.

I sighed, heavily. "You're right." He wasn't worth my tears if what I suspected was true, but it still hurt, nonetheless. "Are you cool with me leaving early? I wanna go confront him."

"You don't even have to ask. Let me get my—"

"No," I shook my head, but it barely held up. "I need to see him alone. I swear I'll call you, or Jax if it gets out of hand." I knew I wouldn't. I was capable of saving myself.

Luke watched me, biting at the inside of his cheek. I knew he wanted to battle the thought but realized he couldn't.

"Fine. Wait a few minutes, though," he said. "I'm not letting you drive like this."

I chuckled through the build of tension in my chest. "Careful, Luke," I joked in a weak voice. "I might think you like me, or something."

Luke hesitated for a moment, his eyes falling to our feet. I wasn't sure if it were because my vision was so broken with tears, but I could have sworn his cheeks went red.

Finally, he gave way to a scoff, "Don't be silly, Norris. I'm only trying to keep my employee well enough to finish her debt."

***

I'd been sitting outside of Xander's house for an hour.

I parked behind a couple cars, well enough to stay hidden, but just enough to see his house, as well. It hadn't moved, nor had his car.

I took that as both a bad and good sign. The bad being that he said he'd be at work. The good being that his car was the only one in the driveway. Either that, or he had picked the girl up and brought her back here. If there was any girl at all.

Fuck.

I swiped a hand through my hair for the millionth time, despite it being tied back. I didn't know what the next couple of minutes held for me, so right after I left Luke's, I put it out of the way.

Chatter came from my phone, calling my attention.

I called my girls, too. I needed the emotional support. I tried calling Quinn, but she'd texted, and said she was at work. Kimberly was at work, too, but she had picked up on the second ring, as did Raven. I hadn't told Jax yet, in fear of him coming down here himself, and ripping Xander in half.

"Just go," Raven said, her hazel eyes lit with rage. "Kick the damn door down if you have to. He won't have any time to cover up from there."

I shook my head, chuckling. "I'm not taking advice from the girl who thought her boyfriend was in a threesome with his best friend and his sister, then destroyed his Porsche because of it." I hadn't been there, but hearing about it had been just as funny.

Kimberly's laughter came from her side of the call before Raven responded with a scowl, "How was I supposed to know that he was with his sister?"

"Mhm, I don't know, you could have just...asked?" This was a good distraction from the whirl of my head, at least for a little while.

Raven rolled her eyes at me. "Says the pretty little troublemaker herself who destroyed thousands of dollars worth of property from a Vaudest."

I crossed my arms. "You're always going to bring that up, huh?" I directed my eyes at Kimberly. She was the most mature out of us. "Any advice?"

Kimberly leaned back in her chair, comfortably, offering, "I'm with Raven. Just go in. The truth's gonna remain the same whether you see it now, or later, anyway."

I groaned. As truthful as it was, I didn't want to hear it right now. I wanted bullshit, and fake enthusiasm.

"Exactly," Raven agreed. "Just rip the band-aid off."

"That shit's gonna sting like a motherfucker," I muttered, glaring down at my wheel. "Maybe—" My phone buzzed as an interruption. My eyes nearly bulged at the reasoning.

Kimberly glanced at her own screen, and Raven did the same. "I don't have that number saved. Who is it?"

Luke had changed his name to 'The Best Fucker I've Ever Known' and I hadn't even bothered to change it. I recognized it as soon as it crossed my screen. He was trying to join the call.

With a sigh, I accepted just to get it over with. A moment passed before the his side of the call connected. Kimberly and Raven swallowed back their shock, their gazes bouncing between me, and our new contact.

Luke focused on me, and me only. A scowl crossed his lips before he narrowed his eyes at me. "Get your ass in that house, right now, Norris."

My mouth went agape. "What? How did you even know—"

"I asked Kade for a favor, and he looked—" His eyes flickered to Kimberly before waving the subject off, and pointing to me. "Look, it doesn't matter. This is about you, and your annoyingly intelligent, stubborn ass. Get it out the car, and go confront that fucker."

Raven nodded pointedly. "That's what I've been saying!"

Hell. Now I was the one being jumped. "I can't just walk up and—"

"The hell you can't," Luke snapped. "You're Maggie fucking Norris. You beat my ass, and stood ten toes down to three fucking lunatics. You don't lose any of that confidence over anyone." He pointed at me, his eyes narrowed. "What did I tell you in the hotel? You're not scared of shit, especially that son of a bitch in that house. Go."

"Wait," Kimberly cut in, her eyes sweeping between Luke and I, curiously. "A hotel?"

Raven turned her surprise to me. "Yeah, what hotel?"

I tried to hide the rue of my skin, instead pushing their questions to the back of my head. Despite how much I planned on getting back at him at his approach, I knew he was right.

I knew what I was thinking, and what I was feeling. My gut instinct was there for a reason.

"I'll give you five seconds to decide before I come down lover boy's road," Luke offered, his glare jerking over me. "I'm ten minutes away, but I can make it three." From his tone, it sounded like he'd already decided, but I shook my head, anyway.

"Fine," I huffed, eyes glancing up to the house before falling to the screen, again. "I'm going in, okay?"

"You've got this, babe," Kimberly encouraged at the same time that Raven said, "Oh, thank god." Luke remained silent, nodding once at me.

I blew out a breath, glancing over my two girls. "I'll call you guys later, okay?"

They both nodded, sending smiles and words of encouragement before they hung up. Then, it was just Luke and I.

My eyes rose to the house before returning to him. "Were you worried or something?" Despite my curiosity, it was more of a distraction from the truth.

"Of course not." Luke rolled his eyes at me. "I'm just not going to sit back and watch you lose the shit that makes you...well you, over a little bitch."

I tugged at my bottom lip to release some of my nervousness. "And, what exactly makes me, me?"

His attention lingered on the road for a moment. I saw his blank expression fall into one that was fighting back conflict. It went away just as quick as it came, though, pulling his mask back up, instead.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he dismissed, not once letting his eyes meet mine, again. "Call me if you wanna tag-team the fucker, or if he tries something. You know I'll come."

Without another word, he ended the call. It was only silence, now. It itched at my skin the longer I sat in it.

Fuckitfuckit—

Yanking the keys from the ignition, I pushed my door open with my shoulder. The moment it popped open, I thought I'd spill all the contents of my stomach out with it.

"I'm Maggie fucking Norris," I continued to whisper to myself as I stepped out of the car. I didn't bother locking it behind me. "I'm not afraid. I'm not."

Except I was.

I swept my misted hands down the material of my jeans, and let them fall. With one, I knocked on the door, and with the other, I continued to dig my skin into the metal of my keys.

My stomach hung low when no one came to the door. I wasn't sure if I were disappointed, or relieved. I also didn't know what to think of the silence. It could mean that he wasn't doing anything in the house that would set me off, or it could mean that his thick walls were doing their job.

My eyes fell to the doorknob. It didn't hurt to try.

The moment I twisted it, the door opened. Flashbacks of the night I destroyed Luke's building came at me for a moment. It was funny how the events stacked off of one another to lead here.

I couldn't help, but wonder, though. If without Luke's input, would I have been suspicious of Xander? Did Luke fuck with my head on purpose just to get back at me? Did I have a reason to be suspicious, or was it Luke's influence?

No.

You know what you're thinking, I told myself. And, you know what you're feeling.

I stepped into the house without a word. Parts of me were concerned about trespassing, but I pushed the thought back down. I was Xander's girlfriend, and I had the right to confirm my suspicions. He came into my apartment without knocking a number of times, too, so I didn't think I was that crazy.

The inside was quiet, but it took a second to recognize the thump of music behind it. It was coming from the hallway.

I glanced around the room carefully, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Xander was a neat freak, so everything was still in the same place, and in the same position as it had been when we first started dating. Except one thing.

A box of condoms on the coffee table.

I peered at them, nearly stumbling as I approached it. Why would he have them sitting out in the open? It wasn't too hard to answer.

I snapped a quick picture, quickly forwarding it to Luke. I was such a nervous wreck, I nearly sent it to Xander himself.

Luke responded before I could even turn the phone off: Kill the fucker, Norris.

Roughly, my fingers jammed at the screen as I pushed the box of condoms over. I straightened my back, fully sucking in a breath as I moved my attention to the hallway.

My steps were so slow, I felt like I were in a fucking horror movie. My insides rung with both alert and fear, if they weren't damn near the same.

My eyes ran over the white door, carefully. Music, the same that I heard when I walked in, was blaring behind it. It only furthered my anxiety, because music was usually used to block out...

I raised a hand to knock, but it fell back down. I needed to confront this shit head on. Rip the band-aid right off.

My hand wrapped around the handle to make sure it was unlocked. It was.

Here goes every fucking thing.

I pushed the door open. And, out nearly came the contents of my stomach.

What awaited me was a sight that I could never unsee.

Xander on his bed. On his knees, naked ass thrusting so hard, I wasn't sure how I hadn't picked up the sound, even through the music.

Quinn on his bed. On her fucking knees, taking my boyfriend's cock right up the ass.

Neither of them had noticed me yet, despite the choked gasp that slipped from me. They were too busy betraying me to notice anything else.

Xander was grunting, his chest flush against her backside as he squeezed her tits from behind. Quinn was moaning his name like it was the only one she knew, her body bouncing right against his as he fucked her.

What. The—

The anger overpowered the hurt before I could stop it.

Violence, now. Thinking, later.

I marched farther into the room, reaching for the first thing my hand grazed. I recognized it to be the record player Xander's grandfather had given him as his parting gift.

Well, fuck him and his rotting ass grandfather.

My feet carried me behind the bed; they still hadn't noticed me. Good.

Raising the record player to my best ability, I brought it down against his back so hard, he crumbled right on top of Quinn. With a yelp of pain, he rolled off of her, and onto his backside.

"You motherfucker!" I growled, slamming it into Quinn's tits this time. "You motherfuckers!"

I went to slam it into one of them again, before Xander stretched a hand out to stop me, shouting, "Stop! What the fuck are you—" His eyes finally met mine, the mix of shock shifting right into regret, quickly. "Oh, shit...Maggie—"

Quinn's hazel eyes widened at me, her jaw hanging. "Oh my god." She yanked the blanket up to cover her chest, as if she had any ounce of regret.

"What?" I released a toxic laugh. The longer I spoke, the more the rage built. "You're ashamed? Now, you're fucking ashamed?"

I jerked my eyes to Xander, who was shoving himself into a pair of boxers, now. "And, you!" I thrust a finger into his forehead, digging my nail into the skin. "You son of a—" The words fell back on a sob before I shoved it back down.

Dark eyes full of regret raised to mine, hesitantly. "I-I didn't mean for you to see it, Maggie—"

My eyes widened in disbelief. Was he fucking serious? "You didn't mean for me to see it?" I roared at him. "How about not doing it at all?"

Quinn was practically a trembling bird on the bed, her eyes watering. "Maggie, I'm—"

"Shut the fuck up, you dirty excuse of a..." I couldn't even finish before the anger threatened to swallow me whole.

My hands went to the dresser beside me, wrapping around the first thing I could. I tossed it at her, nailing her right in the corner of the head before whatever I threw slipped behind the bed.

Through her yelp, I narrowed my eyes at her. "You were my fucking friend! I considered you a sister, and you do this shit?"

Next, I threw one of the cologne bottles at Xander, to which he ducked. "How could you do this? And, to me! The girl who stuck by you through all of your bullshit!"

He jerked himself up from the bed, the shame mixing in well with his bullshit. "So what? You're perfect? You've been fucking Luke this entire time, and you—"

Oh, fuck no.

I shoved him so hard, he fell back onto the bed, nearly landing on top of Quinn, who was tucked in the corner now, her face in her hands as she cried. As if she had any reason to be hurt.

"I have never once cheated on you, you conceited, wimp-dicked, sorry pile of shit!" I growled at him. "So, don't you try and turn this shit around on me!"

It was enraging. If I could figure, I'd guess that they'd been doing this for a while, probably before I even started working for Luke. There was no way in hell he was going to try, and turn his infidelities on me. He was a grown ass man, capable of his own big boy decisions.

I could have fucked anyone, especially Luke, as many times as I wanted, but I hadn't because I was loyal. Now, it was all bullshit. These two traitors in front of me, were bullshit.

My thoughts were running a million miles per minute. I tried to cage them in, my hands gripping either side of my head. "Oh my god..." I'd covered for him at the hotel, despite there being every reason not to. And, he was, they were—

My eyes raised to Quinn with pure hatred. "This was the guy. The fucking complication guy was my boyfriend, wasn't it?" Her head fell, attempting to sweep some of the finger strands in front of her face as a disguise.

The hair. The red fucking hair. It was right in my face, and I ignored it.

When she didn't answer, my rage boiled over. I stormed over to where she sat curled in a ball, clutching the sheet for dear life.

I yanked it from her, pressing it down across the length of her neck. "Tell me!" I screamed at her, holding down even as her nails dug into my wrists. "Tell me, or I swear to god—"

"Y-yes," she spurted past my hold, her face growing red. I relented despite every thought telling me not to.

Craning my neck, I leaned down until I was staring into her lying eyes, my words slow, "How long?"

"Maggie, baby—" I heard Xander say from behind me.

I jerked a glare over my shoulder. "You shut the fuck up!" Turning back to Quinn, I glared down at her. "How. Fucking. Long."

Her body shook under me before she squeezed her eyes shut. Hot, ugly tears spilled out of either side. "Since you went to Pennsylvania to see Kimberly," she admitted in a small whisper. "I-it was the Christmas party."

Of course. Of fucking course.

It was the perfect opportunity for them. I'd gone to Pennsylvania with Raven and Jax for Christmas to visit Kimberly, and stayed gone for nearly a week.

My vision blurred with the mix of rage, and tears. It all rushed in for a violent disaster. 

Before I could stop myself, my hand had tightened into a fist, and lurched back to have a harder impact. I slammed it into Quinn's nose so hard, I felt the bone snapped under my own.

I couldn't stop myself. I never, ever, went after the other woman, because they usually owed me nothing. Half of the time, they didn't even know they were the other woman.

But, Quinn did. She knew. She owed me a friendship, a sisterhood, but she had broken it all. I didn't stand for it.

Even as arms grasped me from behind, I continued on with my fight. My shoe slammed into Quinn's face before I managed to stomp on her exposed tits as well. Past the red, hot fury, I saw the blood that streamed from her, and caked the bottom of my shoe.

"Stop it, Maggie!" Xander shouted, attempting to restrain me. As if he had any fucking right to touch me again. 

I didn't wait for a sign of release. Instead, I made my own.

I slammed my foot down until I landed the bastard in his own. He yelped with pain, releasing me.

I jerked around, attempting to pass the burning betrayal long enough to speak. "You fucked my best friend!" I shouted, my voice booming. "You son of a..." The infidelity hit me right in the stomach. "How could you?"

His face still held signs of pain, but he edged over it, stepping closer to me. I narrowed my eyes at him in warning, which he took, raising his hands in surrender.

The bastard couldn't even look me in the eye. "It was...it was at a Christmas party," he admitted, his voice small and weak. "We were both wasted, and were trying to sleep it off. Quinn...she thought my bed was hers and got in. We kissed, and one thing led to another, and we didn't stop—and Maggie, I swear we didn't do it to hurt you, baby. I swear it."

I swept a shaky hand down my face as I attempted to arrange the thoughts behind it. While Kimberly, Jax, Raven, and I were at the Christmas lights, my boyfriend was balls deep in my best friend. And, they hadn't done it to hurt me, apparently.

"So..." My eyes went to his hesitant figure. "You're telling me that my boyfriend and best friend drunkly fucked each other, then continued to do it sober, for weeks, now, and you weren't purposefully trying to hurt me?"

His expression grew slack. "Yes...I mean no, I mean...this was going to be the last time, Maggie. I swear it was—"

"I forgive you," I stated, sobering over my expression.

He blinked at me. "What?"

"I forgive you," I repeated, a sweet smile on my face. "People make mistakes all the time." I opened my arms, motioning for him to come closer. "Come here, babe."

His skepticism raised, but he did as I asked. Slowly.

Just as he grew close enough, I raised my foot, striking him right in the dick that had just been inside of my best friend.

With a groan, he crumbled into myself on the floor. Pressing my foot into his back, I knelt to his eye level, and yanked his head up. "You fucking idiot."

I straightened up at the same time he sputtered, "Maggie—" Before he could finish, I swung my foot into whichever spot of his face I could catch first.

The same fist I used on Quinn veered right into his nose. Since my knuckles were busted, I didn't have the same strength as before. The skin cracked even further, blood sinking right out, but I didn't let it stop me. I swung anywhere I could, the pain only building physically and emotionally until I was burnt out.

I pulled myself up, my chest bouncing with exhaustion. I jerked a glare over him. "And, I'm taking all of my shit back. At least I'll get something out of this waste of a fucking relationship." My foot remained on his back, pressing until I felt the skin dig into my boots. When his wheezes grew more painful, I relented despite the every wish not to.

I jerked around, eyeing them both before storming over to the dresser. "I spent so much money, so much time and fake orgasms on your ass, and you do this to me." A tasteless laugh fell from my lips as I snatched the items. I grabbed a few that weren't even mine, but I'd sure have fun pawning them as if they were. "I pretended that you actually could make me come for your fucking ego, and you have the nerve—" I shook my head, another chuckle slipping out.

"Do you know how many of your friends hit on me that I could have fucked?" I scoffed, glaring back at Xander. "But, no, I—" My head fell, my lips thinning. "I can't believe this shit."

I grabbed the damaged record player, as well, bunching it all in my arms. I needed to get out of here before I let my wants become reality. I wanted to murder them right here and now, but they weren't worth the sentence.

I jerked a glare at the both of them. Quinn was a sobbing mess in the corner, a hand cupped to her bloody nose. Xander was a groaning, writhing, piece of shit on the ground.

My eyes went to the large flat screen that sat atop his dresser. I hauled the other items closer to my chest before stalking over. With one hand, I pushed the television off the spot until it landed to the ground with a thud. Shards of glass burst from it, causing me to grin.

I went for his laptop, then his computer and his gaming system. I did the same, sweeping them onto the floor until they were damaged, and beyond repair. Just like this bullshit relationship that he'd destroyed so easily.

A part of me should have felt guilty. His gaming console, and his computer were his favorite things despite the record player, and once upon a time, I was included in that. I didn't feel an ounce of guilt, though. Not one.

Karma was a bitch.

Quinn was watching me, frozen in her spot with fear. If I would have known how the day was going to turn out, I would have came with my rings, as well as my knuckles being pepper sprayed. A part of me wanted her to fight back just so I'd have an excuse to release my anger in the way I needed to.

My body shook with anger as I approached the door. I'd left it open due to the shock of what was behind it.

I turned, casting one last glare to the pathetic excuses of skin and bone behind me. "You both deserve each other."

Without another word, I stalked out of the room. I wasn't even sure how I made it to the living room, or to the outside, or to my car.

I managed to make way past the rage enough to slam his record player across the concrete.

Just as I got inside of my car, I saw Xander rushing from his house. His expression pleaded with me to stay, to listen to whatever other lie he'd spew.

Behind the regret in his eyes was desperation. "Maggie!" he pleaded, banging on the window. "Open the door. Talk to me, please."

With the runny mascara and blood stained hands, I was sure I resembled a madwoman, but with the way I was feeling, the title was accurate.

Flipping him off, I started the old ignition until it weakly roared to life.

I left the remnants of his record player in its spot on purpose. I put the car in drive, slamming my foot onto the gas to try and hit Xander before he jumped out of the way and, onto the lawn.

I shifted into reverse, grinning as the tires ran over what was left of his record player. All I saw were the mixes of rage and shock along his face before I tore down the road, and onto the highway.

Away from him. Away from Quinn. And, away from their lies and their bullshit.