Changing Course (21 page)

As Jess scrambles to get away from this crazy, messed-up situation, Caleb rounds the corner and she runs directly into his chest. His eyes quickly rake over everyone, finally landing on Sarah. She immediately stops laughing and cowers behind me. Caleb's face fills with rage as his scrutinizing eyes take in the situation. This has just gone from terrible, to damn near explosive.

Caleb and Sarah have seen each other once in the four years since the accident. I wasn't there, but by all accounts it was bad. Sarah showed up at his door one night about three months after Manda passed away. She was drunk, sobbing and begging for Manda's half of the best friend’s necklace. Caleb has always blamed Sarah for the wreck. So when she showed up that night, obviously drinking and driving, he lost his mind completely. I never got the full story from either one of them. I just know Sarah is now terrified of him, and Caleb loathes her.

"Get out," he says to Sarah with a scary calm as he tucks Jess under his arm.

The tone of his voice is enough to cause Sarah to let out a small whimper and slides further behind me, attempting to disappear completely. My eyes are stuck to his arm around Jess. She has her hands covering her face and her entire body pressed against his side. It's the wrong time to care. I should be grateful that she has someone to comfort and protect her right now, but it pisses me off that it's him and not me. I hate that he is even touching her right now. With any other friend in the world, I would ask them to take Sarah home, so I could hold Jesse myself. But there is not a chance in hell I could leave Sarah alone with Caleb.

"Caleb, calm down for a minute. You're freaking her out," I say while trying to figure out the best plan to get everyone into their separate corners.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Brett?" He snaps. "I have no idea what just happened here, but I can promise you that crazy bitch hiding behind you is at the center of this problem."

I feel Sarah start trembling behind me. He's right, she has proven herself to be crazy today. But feeling this woman who used to own my heart shaking in fear, is more than I can take. I reach behind me and pull her into my arms. Our position almost exactly mirrors the way Caleb is holding Jesse. He stands staring and shaking his head in disbelief, while wrapping his other arm around a still hidden Jesse.

"You have issues, Brett. I thought you were moving on from this, but I think we can all see now that you are still stuck, rooted in a past that you will never be able to reclaim. You need to take a good long look at this situation for what it really is. You're walking out of here holding the wrong woman, and everyone knows it but you." He bends over lifting a still emotional Jesse into his arms, and carries her out the back door.

I know he's right, but I can't see what other options I have right now. I look up just in time to see Jesse peeking at me over Caleb's shoulder as I hold Sarah. The pain on her face shatters the few remaining broken shards of a heart that I have left.

Kara walks back toward the front pausing only long enough to finish me off. "You know, I had you pegged all wrong. You talked such a big game last night. That whole bullshit about sunshine and fog. I even believed you." She lets out a humorless laugh. "Get her the hell out of here, and stay away from Jess. I'm not going to stand by and watch you destroy her the same way you did that one." She nods toward Sarah, still nestled in my arms, before walking away.

Jesse

T
HE FIRST
thing I clearly remember is sitting in Caleb's truck. He's talking to me, but I can't think of anything except the image of Brett holding Sarah. Protecting her. It's burned into my memory. I may never be able to see anything else again.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asks, causing my eyes to snap up to his.

"Umm..." I say as my lip begins to quiver. I can't continue without crying again, and to be honest, my head hurts. I need to be in my bed. Alone, except for the seven hundred beers I'm going to need to forget the last twenty-four hours. "Can you take me home?"

"Absolutely." It's only one word, and I've never been so thankful for brevity in my life. I'm not in the mood to talk. Not when I can still hear Sarah telling me all about the night she had with Brett on Tuesday. The night after he and I were together. The idea of him touching her within hours of leaving me is enough to make me ill. She told me every sickening detail of their night together. Her mouth was a knife verbally gutting me open. There are a lot of things she could have told me that would have done less damage, but somehow she knew that giving me the play by play of their sexual escapades was more than enough to send me over the edge. She knew my insecurities and she played right into them.

"She's so pretty," I whisper as Caleb drives us towards my apartment.

"Yeah, she is on the outside. But she's ugly on the inside."

"No, I mean his daughter."

"Whose daughter?" He asks, obviously confused.

"Brett's."

"He doesn't have any kids."

"But she had a picture of a little girl who looked just like him. Big green eyes. Dark brown pigtails. Said her name was Samantha or something."

"Oh shit, this is a whole new level of crazy even for Sarah. Samantha is his niece. Brett's whole gigantic family looks exactly the same. Must be good genes, because his sisters are hot."

"Oh."

"What else did she hit you with back there?" No way am I repeating the things she told me about their sex life to Caleb. I want to get as far away from that particular topic as possible.

"That was really horrible." I hiccup a breath remembering.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl. No one deserves to be on the opposite end of Sarah Sharp's wrath, least of all you."

"So, they really are married?" I know the answer, but after meeting her today I can't imagine Brett ever falling for a woman like that. She's beautiful, I can definitely see why he was attracted to her initially, but her personality couldn't have been more different than the sweet and funny guy that Brett is.

"Yeah, they are." He glances over at me while driving. I find myself wanting to know more about this mystery woman. It's plain to see from her reaction tonight that she and Caleb don't get along. I think it would help to hear their story from someone who isn't in love with her. Apparently, that shows in my face because he shakes his head and says, "Listen, I'm really the wrong person to talk to about Sarah. Kara should be getting off work soon. You two can talk and do whatever the hell girls do in this type of situation. Shit, you want me to stop and buy you some wine?"

"It's 9:15 in the morning."

"And?"

"Tell me about Sarah." I finally say the words.

"No," he says simply. The pain in his voice leads me to believe that he doesn't just want to avoid talking about Sarah, he doesn't want it to lead into a conversation about Manda.

"I won't ask about...
her
," I plead. Putting emphasis on her, so he knows exactly who I'm talking about.

"Damn it, you just did!" He slams the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. Apparently, anger issues are not isolated to Brett. "Jesse, you're a good girl," he says exasperated.

"And?” I throw his earlier words back at him, determined to get some answers.

"I'm not doing this with you. Not here, not now, not ever."

"Please, I don't know who or what to believe. She tells me one thing, but Brett tells me another. I deserve to know! Can someone just tell me the darn truth?" My words cause Caleb to crack a smile, and it infuriates me!

"Darn? Really?" he asks, still smiling.

"Shut up. As much as I hate him right now, I wish Brett was here to make good on his threat to punch you in the face."

"I'm not making fun of you. I think it's cute that you don't cuss."

"Great, someone else who thinks I'm cute."

"I think you're sexy as hell too, if that helps," he says, winking at me. I bite my lip and look out the window to keep him from seeing the color that fills my cheeks. I don't respond to his flirty comment. When we pull into my apartment complex, it's Caleb who finally breaks the silence.

"Everyone is so sympathetic towards her. She’s always been wild, but at least before it was entertaining. Now her craziness is disgusting. She doesn't give a damn about anyone but herself. She is a selfish bitch and I make sure she knows I'm not falling for her bullshit.”

"Does she care about Brett?" I find myself once again inquiring about how she feels about him. Why is this question so important to me? Shouldn't I be worried about how he feels? Heck, after today, I shouldn't care about that either.

"Yes." Shifting the truck into park he sighs. "She hates him. That counts for caring, right?" I feel guilty for the relief his answer causes me. "Why are you still asking about Brett and Sarah after that little spectacle back there?" He raises his eyebrows knowingly. "You should still be crying and freaking out, but here you sit interrogating me. What's your end game, Jess?" I don't immediately respond. It's not that I don't understand his question, I just don't know the answer. Why the hell am I still asking about them?

"Something just isn't right about all of this. I'm confused, and if I've learned anything by spending the last eight years in college, it's that if you ask enough people, someone will eventually know the answer."

"You want me to give it to you straight? Okay, fine. Here it is: Sarah is bat shit crazy. She was nutty before the accident, but she is off her fucking rocker now. It scares me that she even knows you exist. Brett's an idiot for telling her your name. She hates him, but she takes great pleasure in knowing he still loves her. She has done her damnedest to drive those who loved her away, and that includes me. Everyone has given up on her. Everyone but Brett.

"If your next question is how you fit into that equation, let me tell you now, I have no fucking idea. As someone who has come to call you a friend, I want to tell you to run as far away from them as you can get. After today, I would suggest you pick up and move to Canada. However, as Brett's best friend, I can honestly say I have never seen him even notice a woman in four years. If I didn't know better, I would assume his dick has rotted off from lack of use by now. But judging by the blush in your cheeks last Tuesday morning, it's apparently still in working condition." My face heats to red, but he doesn't even slow down to take a breath. The man is on a roll.

"He looks at you subconsciously. His eyes track your every move in the mornings. He's been trapped in the past for too long, and it’s like he knows you are the one person who can save him. His problem is, he can't let go of her.

“He doesn't love Sarah anymore, just in case you are wondering. But he can't seem to walk away from her either. By the time he actually does, it's going to be too late. That's what frustrates me the most with him. He has gotten through the hardest part - he's stopped loving her. The walking away should be easy.”

Staring deep into my eyes to make sure I'm really listening he continues, "So Jesse, if you are hoping for me to tell you what to do here, you are asking the wrong person." I'm overcome by emotions at everything he just said, but I don't have any tears left to cry.

"He watches me?" I squeak out.

"Jesus, is that all you heard in that?"

"No, I heard you. I just always thought I was the one staring at him."

"You have no idea the effect you have on Brett." His words only leave me more confused.

"Then why was he holding her." Suddenly, all my bitterness from earlier returns.

"Because he's a good guy. She's broken, and Brett always feels the need to fix things. I don't like it, but he knew I would take care of you. If he left with you, Sarah would have been alone. If you are still crazy enough to want any type of relationship with him after today, you're going to have to accept that he will never let her be completely alone. He's just not that type of guy. It sucks, but he's a package deal."

"Do you think I could maybe talk to Sarah without her going ballistic on me? I'm not very fond of her, but if what everyone says is true, it's really sad that she doesn't have anyone to lean on. She needs a friend or something. I think I could have handled her a little better if she hadn't surprised me the way she did. Maybe I could try to talk to her one on one, you know, when Brett isn't around."