He Goes Too Far

Eddie stumbled backwards off the bench and I slid to one side, slipping off it and backing up to put a few feet of distance between the two of us.

“What the hell!” he exclaimed, “What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?!” I shot back, incredulous, “What made you think that I wanted… Jesus Eddie!”

Shaking his head, he didn’t move from his place on the ground. Instantly his face flipped, turning into a mask of scorn as he drilled his hate forward and it washed over me like a wave.

“Oh come on. Don’t act like you were trying to play all coy there. Giving me all those compliments. Telling me that you wanted to be closer. You were coming on to me.”

“I wasn’t,” my arms closed over myself protectively, clinging to my body as I shuddered at the thought of it.

“You wanted it, but the moment you got it you decided you didn’t. You change your mind and then you have the gall to act like I’m the one who did the wrong thing there. No, you were asking for it.”

Now it was my turn to sneer, “If I was asking for it, I would have fucking asked for it! I was trying to be nice to you.”

Eddie popped up from the ground, his fists balled up as he advanced on me and I took a few steps back.

“No you weren’t. You were trying to fucking humiliate me. All you girls are all the fucking same. You tease and you get me interested and then the moment I try to do something you’re just crying like some innocent maiden.

“But I know what you really are. What all of you are like.

“Do you know how many times I’ve been in this position? Some girl who thinks she’s hot putting the moves on me just to humiliate me. Getting me invested and getting close and then what? What happens next?

“Is your girlfriend hiding in the bushes waiting to catch this on film? Are you going to spread rumors about what a creep I am? Are you gonna make sure that every girl thinks I’m some… some asshole and every guy thinks they need to kick the shit out of me to prove their dick is big enough.

“Fuck! I can’t believe I let myself think this was going to be different. I haven’t even been here for a full day and it’s the same goddamn thing happening all over again. I hate women! I hate you! I hate this fucking school! I hate this fucking life!”

I was trying to be patient, to be sympathetic, but frankly the memory of him all over me was making that a really hard mindset to find. Still I had to remember.

Eddie hadn’t had an easy go of things. When he said that he’d been bullied in high school he wasn’t lying. When he talked about all of these examples, they were from his own hard fought history.

And I knew the man enough to know that he would exaggerate, but not outright lie. I knew that he’d been in a bad place for a really long time and he was just spiraling now. But that didn’t make what he did acceptable, it wasn’t an excuse.

The world can change for you at any point and your perspective, your outlook on things, has a lot to do with making that come to a reality. Your future isn’t always in your hands, but you can still help steer it from time to time.

“I’m through,” Eddie continued, “If you’re going to make me the bad guy then I’ll be the bad guy. If you’re going to act like this, then I’ll behave in kind. If you’re going to be a bitch to me then I’ll be a dick in return.”

His threats were, ultimately, hollow and I had to remember that. Eddie was a lot of things, but he was so withdrawn from the world the most he would do is get sullen.

“I’m not trying to be any of that, Eddie.”

“No?” he sneered, “Then why the fuck are you trying to be in my life?”

“Because I want to help you!” I cried, because he didn’t know the first thing about the path he was on.

For a limited time you can join my Patreon for only $2 and get access to over a month's worth of new pages of My Second Chance as well as SEVEN FULL STORIES with a new one every month! Join here: https://www.patreon.com/SophiePert