Seeking Karma (9 page)

     I focus my attention onto Anna.  “Do you know her?”

     She nods her head solemnly.  “Yeah, she’s in a few of my classes.  From what I’ve heard about her, she’s a walking venereal disease.”

     I swallow hard, and head back to a table
- on the other side of the diner.  “I hope Trent wears a condom.”  I mutter, as I look over the menu.

     “We don’t have to eat here, Sweetheart.”  Dusty says, patting my hand. 

     “Yeah, Dusty’s right.  We can go somewhere else.  Would you prefer McDonalds?”

     “No.”  I wave off their offer.  “This is fine.  Trent can do whoever he wants.  It’s not like we’re in any kind of relationship.”  I don’t want to admit this to myself, b
ut seeing him with someone else - really hurts.  I’d had a really good time talking with him last night.  It felt so – right.  I guess it was all one sided.

     “Screw them!”  Dusty booms.  “Let’s dance.”  He gets up and walks over to an
old juke box, and begins scrolling through the songs.

     Anna and I follow him
, and look over his shoulder at all of the songs.  All of the songs are older, mostly from the seventies and eighties.  “How about this one?”  Anna points to one I’ve never heard.  Hell, I haven’t heard of half of them.

     “No way.  We need something we can dance to.  That one’s way too slow.”  Dusty keeps flipping
through the songs.  “Oh, here we go!”  He slips some change into the slot and presses a button.  Something you should know about Dusty:  He doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks of him.  He is who he is - and if you don’t like it - you can go and fuck yourself.  He begins gyrating his hips, and imitating John Travolta, as he bangs his head to Poison’s ‘Talk Dirty To Me’

     Anna doesn’t give a shit, either.  She jumps in
, slinging her head round and round.  Unfortunately, I’m not as carefree as my two friends.  I look around warily.  There are only a few older people, in the diner, and of course Trent and Dena.  Trent’s eyes are locked on me.  I quickly turn my back on him, and watch Dusty and Anna.  Okay, I know exactly what they’re trying to do.  They’re trying to take my mind off of Trent - and the slut-bag he’s with - and cheer me up.  And, do you know what?  It’s working.  Screw it!  I jump in between them and begin dancing.  We’re all head banging, and throwing our arms around.  It must look like we’re all having a seizure, but I don’t care.  I’m having fun!

     We’re all completely out of breath, and laughing hysterically, when the bell rings, indicating someone has came in.

     I glance back over my shoulder, and I instantly feel like all of the oxygen has been sucked out of the room.  I drop my arms by my side, and gape at Aaron.  He’s with a couple of other guys, and he’s watching me intently.  Holy fucking shit!  This isn’t good.  I grab Dusty and Anna’s hands, and head for the door.

     “Hey, what are you doing?”  Dusty asks, pulling me to a stop.  “I’m starving.  I thought you wanted to eat here.”

     “Not anymore.”  I look over at Anna, and her eyes are wide with shock.  “We need to get out of here, now!”

     “She’s right.”  Anna jumps in between me and Dusty
, and begins yanking us over to the door.

     Aaron sidesteps
, so he’s blocking the door.  “I need to talk to you.”  His tone is calm and steady, but I can see the anger flashing in his eyes.

     I shake my head and try to step around him.  “I don’t think so.  We’re leaving.  Get out of our way, please.”  Dusty looks back and forth between us
, with a curious expression.  “I don’t have anything to say to you.”  My voice is trembling.

     “I think you do.
”  Aaron throws his arm out to the side, so it’s across the door.  “You won’t return any of my calls, and apparently you’ve rearranged your schedule.  I think you owe me an explanation.”  He reaches out and grabs my arm, before I can step away from him.  Shit!

     “Don’t you fucking touch her!”  I look up
, and see Trent making his way towards us.  His shoulders are squared, and he looks beyond pissed.

     “What are you going to do?”  Aaron says
, releasing his grip on me.  “Beat the shit out of me.  I don’t think that would be in your best interest, Trent.  I’m not drunk right now.  I can totally take you.”

     “Yeah right, why don’t we step outside and find out.”  Trent
steps up in Aaron’s face.

     “Hey, let’s all calm down.”  On
e of the guys with Aaron, steps in between them.  “All he wants to do is talk to her.”

     “That’s not going to fucking happen.”  Trent growls. 

     I don’t want them to fight.  I just want Aaron to move, so we can get the hell out of here.  “I don’t want to talk to you, Aaron.  Now please get out of our way.”  He keeps eyeing Trent for several intense seconds, before he finally slides to the side.  I don’t waste any time.  I grab Dusty and Anna and drag them out of the diner.

CHAPTER 25

TRENT

     My blood is boiling inside of my veins.  I can’t believe he fucking grabbed her - right in front of me.  If it wasn’t for Gabe standing between us, I would have already choked him to death.

     “Fuck this.  I’m out of here.”  Aaron snaps, turning for the door. 

     I push Gabe to the side, and grab Aaron’s arm.  There’s no way in hell, I’m letting him out of here, so he can follow Karma.  I’ll be damned, first.  “Where in the fuck do you think you’re going?”  I step up into his face, daring him to make a move.  If he so much as blinks, I’m going to fucking kill him.

     “Get out of my face, Trent!  It’s none of your God damn business
, where I’m going.  What do you care, anyway?”  He narrows his eyes, and studies me.  “Are you fucking Karma?”  His hands are clenched into fists.  “Because if you are…”

    
“What?” I interrupt him, before he can finish his threat.  “Are you going to shove her down?  Are you going to fucking hit her?”  Just hearing her name come from his mouth, has my hackles up.  How dare he say her name.  He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. “Don’t you dare say her name.  You don’t deserve to say her name!  And if you ever lay a hand on her again, I’ll fucking kill you!.”  God, I really wish he’d hit me, so I’d have a good excuse to finish him off.

     “That’s enough!”  Gabe gets in between us, and begins pushing Aaron out of the door.  “We’re leaving.”  I don’t recognize the other guy, but he steps out behind them
, shaking his head.

     I follow them outside to make sure Karma has left.  I don’t trust Aaron.  I wouldn’t put it past him to follow them.
  I fold my arms across my chest, and lean back against my truck.  I watch them until they’re out of the parking lot.   

     As soon as they’re out of my sight, I climb into my truck, and head home.  I want to make sure Karma made it home safely.

     “Fuck!”  I punch my steering wheel.  Anna’s car isn’t here.  Where in the hell are they?  I shut my truck off and head inside.

    
I slam the door behind me, and throw my keys across the room.  They slam against the wall, putting a small hole in the drywall.  I don’t give a shit!  I’ll deal with Jude, later.  I can’t calm down. 

    
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”  Jude steps out of the kitchen, with a huge sandwich in his hand.  He’s wearing his work clothes, and he’s covered in oil.  He’s a mechanic.

     “What are you doing here?  I thought you were working.”

     He shrugs his shoulders.  “I just came home for a bite to eat, and then I’m going back to the garage.”  He stares at the hole in the wall, and eyes me suspiciously.  “What climbed up your ass?”

     I run my hand through my hair a couple of times.  “Don’t worry about it.”

     “Have it your way.”  He bends over, picks up my keys, and tosses them to me.  “But don’t be throwing things.”  He pulls his keys out of his pocket, and walks over to the door.  “And you will fix that.”  He says in a deadly calm, before leaving.

     I grip my keys in my hand.  “Yeah, whatever,” I’m not in the mood
for repairs, so I head to my bedroom.

     Where in the fuck are they?  I’ve been home for over an hour, and there’s still no sign of them.  I’m on the verge of jumping into my tr
uck, and going to look for them - but I don’t have a clue where to begin.  Shit!

CHAPTER 26

KARMA

     “Does someone want to tell me what that was all about?”  Dusty asks, leaning up between Anna and me.

     I shrug my shoulder
s.  “I don’t want to talk to Aaron.  We’re not together, anymore.”  We’re in Anna’s car headed to Pizza Hut.  Its located way off of campus - and Aaron hates pizza.  It’s the safest place I can think of, right now.  I’m sure as hell not going to go home - if there’s the slightest chance he could be following us.  I don’t want him knowing where I live.

     “Oh don’t give me that shit, Karma.  There’s more to it than that.  I know you.  You were scared of him.  Why are you scared of him?”

     Anna glances at me out of the corner of her eye.  “You might as well tell him.”

     I twist in my seat, so that I’m facing Dusty.  “Aaron and my relationshi
p was complicated.”  Damnit to hell!  This is so hard.  I don’t want Dusty to know everything Aaron did to me.  I don’t want him to know how I kept staying with him - even with all of the abuse.  For the first time in my life, I’d been weak.  I never want to feel like that – again.  And I sure as hell, don’t want Dusty - of all people - feeling sorry for me.

     “Yeah right,” Anna scoffs.  “He beat the shit out of her, regularly.”

     “Anna!  Shut up!”  I cannot believe she just blurted it out like that.

     “He’s our friend, Karma.  He has the right to know.”

     I glance back a Dusty.  His lips are set in a firm line.  “He hit you!”  He slams his fist against the console, making me jump.  “He fucking hit you!  Oh hell no!  Turn around!  I’m going to fucking kill that bastard!”

     I grab his hand.  “Calm down, Dusty.  It’s okay.”

     “No, it’s not!  He needs to be punished.  What kind of low-life beats on their girlfriend?”

     “The Aaron Jones kind.”  Anna says, shutting the car off.

     “Yeah, well he needs his ass kicked.”

     Anna grins at us.  “He did get his ass kicked.
  Trent beat the shit out of him, literally.  He put him in the hospital.”

     Dusty’s eyes widen.  “Really?  I knew there was something I liked about that guy.  I would have loved to of seen that.  That hunky beefcake, with all of those flex
ed muscles.  I bet that was hot!”

     “We wouldn’t know.”  I sigh.  “We left before it happened.”

     “Come on you two.”  Anna opens her car door.  “I’m starving.  It’s been one hell of a day, and it’s barely three o’clock.”

     After we drop Dusty off at this dorm room, we head home.  Anna was right
.  It’s been a long day.  I’m totally exhausted.

     “So, I guess the diner’s off limits, from now on.”  Anna says, turning the radio down.

     “Oh yeah, I’m definitely not going back there.  Aaron’s probably already staking the place out.”  I shake my head bitterly.  Just something else Aaron has stole from me.

     “Well, this should be interesting.”  Anna
says, as we pull up in front of our townhome.  I look up, and see Trent sitting on our front steps.  This is just great.  Anna looks over at me.  “What are you going to say to him?”

      I shake my head.  “I don’t have a clue, but I can’t sit in your car all day.”  I open my door, and slowly climb ou
t.  Trent pushes up to his feet - and buries his hands in his pockets - as we make out way over to him.

     “Hey,” his tone is guarded.  “Are you okay?  I was worried about you.”  Yeah, I’m sure he was worried about me.  He probably screwed Dena, before we were even out of the parking lot.

     “As you can see, I’m fine, Trent.”  I can’t keep the hostility out of my voice.  “Thanks for your help at the diner.”  I know I shouldn’t be so cold towards him.  He didn’t do anything wrong.  He even saved me – again.  But seeing him with that sleazy girl is annoying me.  “Go home.”  I step around him, and walk to the door.

     “Yeah thanks.”  Anna says, stepping up in front of him.  She starts to walk around him, but stops and turns back.  Oh no!  What is she going to do
, now?  “By the way, a little word of advice.  If you’re going to sleep with Dena, you might want to double wrap.  You wouldn’t want your dick to fall off.”

     My mouth falls open.  I cannot believe she just told him that.  She walks over to me and unlocks the door.  “Come on Karma.  I’m finished here.”  She grabs my elbow and starts pulling me inside.

     “Karma!”  I don’t know why, but I stop, and turn to face him.  Maybe it was the desperation and panic in his tone.  “It wasn’t like that.  I swear.  She just happened to be at the same place.  I didn’t invite her.  She just invited herself to sit with me.  I don’t even like the girl.”  His eyes are pleading.