When my cousin, Chuck, called to let me know what's going on with my grandmother, my heart stopped.

Once the shock wore off, anger took over.

Annie has always been stubborn.

I witnessed countless arguments between her and Grandma Lucy because she would not listen to her advice.

If there was something that Annie wants, she goes for it.

That usually means sneaking out once Grandma Lucy is asleep.

She once fell from the window of her bedroom trying to escape to attend a concert.

Grandma was so mad that she grounded Annie for a month.

The news was distressing because I was afraid for my grandmother.

Not only was she immuno-compromised.

Now that she's older, she will surely suffer more.

The cancer treatment took a toll on her.

When I saw her the last time, she lost a significant amount of weight.

Most of her hair were gone from the chemo treatment.

Despite the agony, the light in my grandmother's eyes were brighter than ever.

I cried when I saw her.

She told me that she was determined to beat cancer.

I didn't tell Jack about what's going on.

It was a personal matter.

I also didn't expect to come running to him for help.

When Brandon told me that I was being laid off, I did not consider the possibility of going back to my parents' house.

I'd rather die.

When I ran away, I knew that there was no turning back.

That house was my personal hell.

Escaping from it was my salvation.

With the loss of my job and the shock of what was going on with my grandmother, I broke down.

I was not prepared to take another beating.

When Jack asked what's wrong, I just cried and told him.

I knew he was kind.

When he said he would take care of dinner, not only did I find it sweet.

I also felt that he cared about what I was going through at the moment.

But when he got up to answer the door, I didn't expect what happened next.

There were raised voices behind the slightly closed door.

I stood up to check what was going on.

As I got closer to the door, I could see Jack waving his hands in anger.

I opened the door wide and saw him arguing with the tall and lanky pizza guy with long blonde hair.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused.

They both looked at me.

I saw the questioning look in the guy's eyes just like what happened when Kate's mom dropped by.

"He wants to take Ralph."

"What?" I glanced at the guy who was holding to the pizza boxes with both hands using it as a barrier between him and Jack.

He was a few inches taller and his arms were covered with dark circular tattoos.

"Why can't you just give back the cat? He's not yours anyway."

"Why can't you just give me the pizza and get the hell out of here?" Jack retorted.

"I am not leaving without Ralph." He stressed every word.

"You don't even like cats."

"I'm allergic. There's a difference."

"Yeah right you're allergic."

"Kate would be mad to know that you took Ralph."

"I didn't take him, you idiot. Just ask her mom."
"Pizza for the cat."

"You're stupid." Jack was about to turn around but the guy grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Don't you dare touch me." Jack pushed him and the sudden impact threw him off balance.

Luckily, he didn't fall.

"What the fuck?" He put the pizza down on the ground and charged to where Jack was standing.

Without thinking, I stood in front of Jack just in time for the guy's fist to land on my right cheek.

"The hell!" I yelled.

His eyes grew wide but before he could say anything, I kicked him hard on the crotch.

"Shit." He screamed then covered his balls with his hands.

"Come on." I felt Jack grab my hand then he pulled me back inside the house.

He slammed the door behind him then took the wooden baseball bat.

Jack raised the bat and we both listened behind the door.

Across the street, the light from the neighbor's house turned on.

I saw a shadow of a man watching from behind the sheer curtains.

He was probably as confused as we were.

Jack and I heard a car quickly peeled out of the front yard.

It must be the pizza guy driving away from the scene.

Once the screeching sound of the car faded, Jack placed the bat down.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked then touched my cheek.

My skin was tingly and warm.

I will definitely have a shiner tomorrow.

"I'll get some ice."

"Check if he left the pizza."

He frowned.

"Come on." I pleaded.

"I'm hungry. Go check outside and I'll get the ice."

Jack stood speechless and only move when I jerked my head towards the door.

I opened the freezer door and was glad I bought packs of frozen peas the last time I went shopping.

There was a dull pain behind my eyeball.

Pizza guy, Andrew, has a strong right hook.

Too bad I was the recipient of it.

Jack came back carrying the boxes of pizza.

"He left it."

"Good." I pressed the pack of green peas on my cheek.

"I'm sorry, Des." We walked to the dining table.

"I have to call 911. He can't just walk away from this."

"Jack, you don't have to." I was too stunned that the last thing I want to do was deal with the cops.

"Why not? I ordered a pizza not a knuckle sandwich." The tips of his ears were turning red.

"Besides, look at what happened? You got hit."

"I was trying to protect you. I'm your sidekick remember?"
He shook his head.

"That blow was meant for me. If you didn't stand between us, then it's me who could have gotten punched. Even if we press charges or not, this is still an assault. I'm not going to let that shit fly."

He pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Jack was really angry.

He had every reason to be mad and he had every right to report the incident.

I pulled a chair and sat down while he went to the bedroom to talk to 911.

When I was young, I lost count of all the times the cops came over to my parents' house.

If it weren't my sister Brooklyn calling to report a disturbance, it was the neighbors.

We had a reputation in our neighborhood.

It sucked to walk on the street and see the look of disdain or pity in their eyes.

I walked with my head down to avoid their stares.

Whenever Dad or Mom gets mad at either of my siblings, I always stand in the way to protect them.

I've had a broken nose, lost my front tooth and bruised my face so often I thought I would eventually end up disfigured.

That or I'd end up dead.

I was the youngest and yet I was the one who felt that I needed to protect them.

With all the injuries I sustained from the beatings, you would think that the cops would have taken me away from my parents.

None of that happened.

My father was smart.

He would not let me go the hospital for treatment.

I looked up when the door opened.

Jack came out of the bedroom looking more distraught.

"Is everything okay?"  I asked as soon as he was seated.

"I could kill someone right now."

"Hey," I took his hand, "don't say that."

"You reported what happened."

"But it does not mean he won't do it again. Just think. He knows where I live. Who's to say he won't come back and cause trouble? What if next time he just break inside the house and hurt you or Ralph?"

"Jack, I know you're afraid for our safety but don't get so work up over this. I can handle myself. You saw how I kicked his balls."

He was not pleased.

"I just can't believe this happened. I didn't even know him. Now, since I got Ralph, he called and texted. Is it just coincidence that he was also the pizza guy?"

"It's possible."

"What else does he know about me?"

I studied his face.

He seemed deep in thought.

"Jack, what is this really about?"

"Do you think he knows why Kate left me?"

"I don't know. Besides, what if he does?"

"What if he kills me?"

I think I understood what this was about but I did not say anything.

"I saw the look in his eyes. It was not just about Ralph or me pushing him. There was anger in there and if you didn't get in the way, he probably wouldn't stop until I'm dead." His chest heaved.

"When I told Kate I was trans, the sweet girl I knew was gone. All we did was fight. She accused me of lying to her. She asked if I'd known the whole time and kept it from her. I didn't. I always knew there was something different with me, something that didn't feel quite right. But to hear from the person I love the most that I betrayed her was like a punishment. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her or destroy her trust."

"I know you won't and you didn't do anything wrong."

"You know what was the final nail in the coffin?"

I shook my head.

"I woke up one morning and saw Kate sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for me to wake up. Once I opened my eyes, she said she hates me. She told me she feels disgusted with the thought that I touched her."

His tears fell.

"Oh, Jack." I stood up and wrapped him in my arms.

He quietly wept and for the first time since we met, I was at a loss for words.

Seeing the pain in his eyes broke my heart even more.