When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (12 page)

Nick went at him and this time, got in his face. “I’m so sick of your lies and thinking you’re so much better than other people.”

“Nick, don’t do it,” Kevin warned him.

“You want a piece of me, little Man?” Josh spat in his face.

“After school, in the parking lot,” Nick replied and stormed out of the locker room.

Nick sat on Kevin’s car, waiting. He’d never been in a fight before, except with Kevin, but this time, there was no way around it. Josh had gone too far.

“What’s going on?” Chloe asked as she and Gabbie walked up. She’d heard that there was going to be a fight, and when Nick didn’t talk to her in study hall, she knew what he was thinking.

“Go home, Chlo, I’ll call you later,” Nick said as he waited. He didn’t want her to see this. He wanted her home and safely away from what was about to happen.

Kevin came running up and looked at him. “Chloe, I’ll take care of him. Just go home and we’ll call you.” Turning to look at Nick, he had to ask, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I am so sure,” Nick said as he watched for Josh, as he felt the anger grow with each passing minute.

Finally, as Josh and his friends started to walk up, Nick got off the car with a faraway look in his eyes.

 
Chloe grabbed his arm, put her hand to his face, and made him look at her. “Don’t do this. There’s been some pretty bad things said about me before and I can handle it. You know the truth and you believe me. Just please don’t do this,” she soothed him.

He gazed into her eyes, and it killed him that she wouldn’t leave. “Chlo—”
 

She shook her head no. “He isn’t worth it, and you promised me,” she reminded him.

“So, are we going to do this, little man, or is she telling you what really happened? Tell him how much you enjoyed it, Chloe,” Josh taunted and laughed at her.

Chloe glared at him with hatred in her eyes. “You’re nothing. Nothing you say will ever harm me. I’ve been through too much to let your lies get to me.”

“Chloe, let’s go,” Nick said, taking her arm. He didn’t want anything Josh said to hurt her anymore. She’d been through enough and she was right, Josh wasn’t worth the battle.

Josh laughed at that. “Chloe, next time when you’re sucking my dick, use a little less teeth,” he taunted.

Without warning and using all he had in him, Nick cold cocked Josh and laid him out. The Jock lay flat on his back on the pavement.

Kevin stood in shock along with everyone else. “And that’s the way we Allen boys roll! Get in the car, Nick!” Kevin yelled, finally full of adrenalin for what his little brother had just done.

The rest of Josh’s friends just held back and watched them drive away.

“Ouch, ouch, damn! I think I broke it,” Nick complained, shaking his hand as they walked into the kitchen.

“Do I want to know what happened or should I play dumb when Mom gets home?” Mark questioned as Kevin turned to get Nick some ice.

“You better hope you didn’t. Mom will have a cow. Mark, I have never been more proud to call him our brother. He cold cocked Josh and laid him out flat! Where did that come from?” Kevin asked Nick.

“I don’t know. I just saw red and the next thing I knew, he was on the ground. Chloe, I’m sorry. I know you asked me not to, but—”

“He was asking for it. You tried and he just wouldn’t let up. You had no choice.” Chloe took the ice from Kevin and held it on Nick’s hand.

Nick looked at her as she gently held the cold pack on his hand. The bruising on her face was starting to fade. He’d never done this for a girl before, but for her, it‘d been worth it. “When is Mom coming home?” He had to break the spell he was feeling with her. The longing to touch her hair and the overwhelming need to kiss her was pulsing inside of him Even with the pain he was in, nothing compared to the warmth of her hand at that moment.

“Not for a while. I’ll get your stuff and take you to get it checked out. We’ll make up something on the way to tell them if it’s broken. I really don’t know what to say, Nick. I’m pissed you fought the guy, but from the grin on Kevin’s face, you held your own. Just don’t do it again.” Mark playfully smacked him upside the head and went to find his keys.

Chloe could feel Nick’s hand flinch as he tried to hold it still. “Does it still hurt?” she asked shyly, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

“Ah, yeah, it still hurts a little. I know this really isn’t the best time to ask you this, but after that kids’ party at the hospital, there’s a Halloween party at Dave’s. Did you want to go?” He could hardly get the words out. He’d been thinking about it since the day Josh had asked her out and had been afraid it was too late.

“Yeah, Gabbie was talking about going and I guess I am going to. I mean, I’ll be dressed up as it is.”

“We could go as friends? I don’t want you to think I’m trying to be another Josh. I just thought since we were both—I’m sorry.
 
I’m making a fool out of myself. It’s just I don’t think of you the same anymore…” Nick closed his eyes.
Did he just say that out loud?

“Oh.” She looked downward.

“No, Chloe, that’s not what I meant. I’m starting to see through the illusion you keep talking about and I’m seeing the real you, and I like it. I was just thinking that since we would be together anyway, maybe you would want to go with me?” He felt so stupid. If he was trying to ask her out, he was doing a horrible job at it.

“It’s fine. We can go as friends. And I don’t—think of you like Josh. You’re not.” She looked up at him finally.

He could tell she was feeling it, too. The way her green eyes were aglow and the shy smile on her face as she gazed at him.

“Okay, are you ready to go?” Kevin walked in and seemed to notice the moment they were having and smiled at Nick.

He quickly gave his brother the evil eye. “Yes, thank you, Kevin. We can drop you off at home on the way,” Nick said to her when she let go of his hand.

Kevin started laughing as Chloe walked past him, and Nick hit him with his good hand.

*
   
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*

At school the next day, all anyone talked about was how Nick had knocked out Josh and what Josh had done.

Chloe was standing at her locker when Nick got to school.

“So, you’ve had your honor restored,” he joked as he leaned next to her locker.

“Yes, brave Knight, thanks to you. How’s your hand?” She laughed, checking to see if they put it in a cast

“Just sprained. I guess I got lucky. Has he said anything to you?” He didn’t think Josh was going to give up so easy on her.

“No, nothing, and he won’t. You bruised his ego,” she answered and shut her locker. She had to admit, she enjoyed seeing the big black eye Josh was sporting now. It helped some to make her wounds feel better.

“So, are you ready for Sister George’s class? Today, is the big day.”

“For someone about to become a father, you’re very calm,” she noticed. She, on the other hand, had been a nervous wreck, not about the assignment but about the attraction she held towards Nick now. How every time he looked at her, she could feel the heat in her cheeks.

“I have to be. Just keep breathing, Honey. We’ll get through this.”

They both laughed, as his witty joke paid off until they entered the classroom.

Josh stared at them with his new black eye very apparent.

 
Robyn sat next to him while glaring at them.

“Wow, if looks could kill,” Nick said and sat down. He noticed Chloe getting suddenly uneasy. “Hey, I won’t let him near you again,” he reassured her, touching her hand.

Chloe could feel an icy stare coming from Robyn’s direction. “I know. I just don’t trust her now, either. They seemed to get really chummy since everything happened.”

“I wouldn’t worry about them. I can say the letters stopped in my locker, so maybe she has her sights set on him now.” Nick said with hope in his tone.

*
   
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*

Three days later, the new arrival had kept Chloe up almost every night. The event of this new ‘baby’ was a little too much to handle, but they seemed to be doing okay with it so far.

Now, as they worked on their log for family living, Chloe found it hard to keep her eyes open. “Can you take him tonight?” she asked, almost begging him, looking at the doll.

 
The ‘baby’ sat in his carrier, making little gurgling noises.

“Yeah, I’ll sleep down here, so I don’t get murdered in my sleep. He’s kinda cute when he’s like this,” Nick said, looking at the doll.

“Tell me that at three in the morning, when you try everything and can’t get it to stop crying. Okay, let’s get to work on history.” Chloe yawned, pulling out her books and opening the notebook.

Nick opened his book, and then looked at Chloe. She was leaning on the couch with her head in her hand, asleep. As her hand fell, she jumped a little.
 
“Shh, go back to sleep,” he whispered softly, as he covered her with one of the blankets. He watched her sleep for a few minutes and fought the urge to touch her cheek. Earlier that day at lunch, she’d leaned against him and laid her head on his shoulder. Everything just felt so right with her. Why was he so afraid to just take that next step?

The doll started to become more vocal and he decided to quickly take it out of the room.

In the kitchen, he found his mom making dinner and his brothers doing homework. “Get that kid out of here, I’m trying to study,” Kevin said and put his head in his hands as soon as he heard the mewing noise.

“I can’t take it back out there, Chloe just fell asleep. It’s been keeping her up all night.” Nick’s voice was a whisper as he talked.

 
Kevin and Mark looked at each other.

“When are you just going to admit it?” Mark asked.

“What?”

“You like her,” Mark accused.

“He likes her? I think it’s more than that at this point,” Kevin added with his knowing all nod.

“She’s just a friend.” Nick didn’t want them to know how he really felt. If they did, the teasing would only get worse.

“Okay, let’s play a little game,” Kevin suggested, ready for Nick to fess up and say he broke his own rule.

“What color are mom’s eyes?” Mark asked.

“I don’t know, blue?” Nick answered as he tried to remember what their mother’s eyes looked like.

“Wrong. Brown, like yours, Dummy,” Kevin snickered.

“What color are Chloe’s eyes?” Mark knew that if Nick knew, then he was falling for her.

“Green, like after it rains when the trees and grass have that brightness to them,” Nick replied, thinking about her eyes.

Kevin laughed. This was going to be good. “What does Tiffany smell like?”

“Death—mixed with some expensive stuff her dad gets her,” Nick answered and laughed.

“Nicholas, that’s not nice!” his mother scolded.

“What does Chloe smell like?” Mark asked, while wearing a smug look.

“Like a candle, coconuts and strawberries, I don’t know, tropical. Come on, that doesn’t mean anything. I just like the way she smells,” he defended, but he knew that they had him now.