Dancing with the Varsity Bad Boy

Chapter 14

Jordan's POV

****

Violet has been on edge since this morning, and has been constantly checking her phone as though waiting for a message that'll tell her the ticking time bomb she ordered will be delivered soon.

"Come on, up to bed," I tell her when I find her curled up on the sofa rocking herself back and forth. Chris had gone out and picked up the shopping list she gave him. She surprised us all by asking for us to lock all the alcohol away in Xavier's bedroom, although she never gave us an explaination.

"I can't," she mutters, her voice tight with pain.

"Well, you don't have a choice," I ground out, and scoop her up so she's forced to wrap her legs around my waist, and her arms around my neck. Violet glares at me, but I'm pissed with her too. She'd been doing good since Thursday, her pain seems to have been manageable, or at least that's what I have assumed from watching her. But since that text she's not even attempted to get a handle on it. She tenses at me having moved her, her knees and fingers hot to the touch, boiling even.

"What does your dad do when you're being unreasonablly stubborn?" I ask, glancing at her as I take us both upstairs, nodding to Eric who's been quiet since Violet brought back that blanket from next door.

"He normally let's me be stubborn until I figure out for myself it's not going to help," she says and shrugs her dainty shoulders.

Having Violet here has really fuc'ked with my head.

I've noticed more about the woman in my arms in the past few days then I have over the pass four years.

It's pissing me off. I've never let women get into my head, or under my skin, but something about this stupidly stubborn woman has me intrigued to learn more about her and it's really annoying me.

"Promise you'll take me down if I ask?" She asks, her shoulders slumping with defeat, fatgiue in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll take you down, but I don't know what's gotten you so rattled," I try to stop the scoff from escaping, but fail and she laughs. It's a hallow sound, not the rich melodic one I've gotten used to hearing.

"You wouldn't understand," she sighs, unable to fight me. With a shrug I set her down on the bed and grab her duffle bag for her before grabbing a pair of sweats for me.

"Need help?" I ask, but when she shakes her head I head into the bathroom and get changed.

While getting changed the things I've noticed about Violet run through my head. She's disciplined, has a stubborn streak, and is fiercely loyal to her friends. She's got a sharp mind, a wicked sense of humor and she's kind. I can understand why many of my teammates have tried to make a move on her before. She's a dream girl for many of those on the team.

She's not my kind of dream girl though. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Heading back out, I watch her struggle as she shuffles into the bathroom, her grip painfully loose as she tries to brush her teeth, dropping the toothbrush several times. I sigh and take it from her, pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger I smirk at the shock frozen in her eyes.

"Open wide for me," I grin and she surrenders, letting me brush her teeth before spitting and rinsing her mouth out.

Eric's and Xavier's jab from earilier today hits me square in the chest and I take a step back from her with a frown.

That's not right, we don't act like a couple? I'm just helping her is all.

The door slamming open downstairs echoes in the house and Violet's eyes widen with alarmed understanding.

"Violet!" A girl screams, the kind of scream that holds desperation in it. As though they're drowning and only have enough breath to shout one last time for help.

The screams that follow are haunting, filled with pain, terror and a soul destroying dispair as Violet pushes pass me. Without thinking I scoop her up and jog out the room, taking the stairs two at a time, only to freeze when I turn into the living room to find Gypsy curled up in Eric's arms, her prosethetic leg twisted at an angle and blood seeping through her jeans. Violet pushes against me, forcing me to set her down and let go as Gypsy screams for her again, her eyes wide and darting around the room, unseeing, unhearing, like she’s trapped in a waking nightmare.

"What happened?" I ask Eric, who tightens his hold on the girl, his knuckles white as he clutches at her shirt.

"I think she tripped as she came in. I don't know what's wrong, I've tried calming her down, but nothing's working," he chokes on the words, swallowing hard as Gypsy starts whispering.

"Please daddy, wake up, please," her gaze now trained on an empty spot on the floor, but unfocused.

"She's having a flash back, something must have set off the PTSD on her way back," Violet says, her voice errily calm as she grabs a blanket and the bag she'd brough over earlier and sits beside Eric, not even attempting to move him out of the way, or pull Gypsy from his arms. Instead she wraps the patchwork blanket around her friend and somehow manages to get Gypsy to hold onto two corners. Corners that look to have come from an old jersay and an old jumper.

"Gypsy, can you hear me sweetie?" She asks, pulling the girls hair out of the ponytail it was in and running her fingers through it.

"Vi?" For a moment Gypsy's eyes focus, her body shuddering as though caught between a memory and reality.

"What do you feel Gypsy? What do you hear?" Gypsy blinks at Violet's questions, and whimpers, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"M-my leg, he...he shot my leg," she whimpers, Violet nods and moves away to check Gypsy's leg, the blood soaking her jeans. Her forehead wrinkled with concern, as she looks out the still open door.

"Something that sounds like a gunshot, then her tripping and the pain could have set this off I guess, or was it something someone said?" Violet mutters to herself, her fingers gently pressing against her friends thigh.

"Jordan, get me some scissors please, and a first aid kit," I'm frozen, both Eric and I are frozen as we stare at Violet who shuffles around, pushing her pain to one side in order to take care of her friend.

How can she be this calm? How can she be this cold?

When I don't move she looks up at me, and frowns, her hazel eyes hardening, like a wall just erected itself between us.

"What else do you feel Gypsy, focus really hard," she says, and gently tugs at the blanket, enough so Gypsy's grip tightens on it.

"B-Bradely's Jersay, a-a-and d-daddy's jumper," she hiccups and Violet nods.

"What else sweetheart?" Violet coaxes looking up when Mikey passes her a pair of scissors, and places a first aid kit next to her. I hadn't even realised my team mates had come to investigate the noise. My focus had been consumed by watching Violet.

"A-arms, holding me," Gypsy sobs, and presses against Eric's chest seeking shelter.

"What do you smell honey? Who's holding you?" Eric stiffens, his gaze trained on Violet as she cuts up Gypsy's jeans, exposing her sock covered thigh now drenched in blood. Without saying anything she carefully pulls the prosethetic away and frowns with concern before she cuts the sock up as well, pealing it all away to reveal a large gash in Gypsy's thigh, the prosethic having broken during her fall and slicing into her skin.

"E-Eric?" Gypsy stutters, pulling back a little and blinking, her breathing sounding panicked, and shallow.

"Hey Gyps," Eric smiles at her as she stares at him, her hands shaking as she touches his face.

"Y-You're real this time?" The question hits like a slap to the face, and Eric flinches as Gypsy touches his arms, and chest her gaze then goes unfocused, and she slumps in Eric's arms.

"Shi't," Violet mutters, and looks up at me, panic in her eyes.

"Help Eric get her on a sofa, or in a bed, I need to restrain her, we've only got a few minutes before she fight us," Only then am I jolted out of my frozen state, and step up to Eric's side to scoop Gypsy up. Eric stands and takes her from me, his grip on the girl tight as he turns and walks upstairs, Violet following him. I take the duffle bag from her, and watch her like a hawk as she hurries up the stairs and into Eric's room.

She's going to be in agony later. Why push through the pain when you know your only going to suffer more afterwards? I don't get it, maybe I'm too selfish to understand but I want the girl to put herself first instead of looking after other people.

"I need someone strong, preferably two. One to restrain her arms, and I need someone to restrain her leg, she kicks," Violet says, pulling the patchwork blanket away from Gypsy only to cover her in it when Eric lays her down.

"Does this happen often?" Eric asks and Violet turns to look at him, and for the first time since Wednesday night, there is empathy in her gaze.

"Only around Bradely's birthday, or the anniversary," she says, and moves to let Eric lie down next to her friend, before I grab Gypsy's leg.

I jump when the first scream erupts from Gypsy, and the words coming out of the girl, as she fights against us. Violet chuckles at the curses and creative swears that come from her, as gets to work tending to the nasty gash.

Minutes tick by, Gypsy going from aggressive to pleading, to crying and screaming, to an errie silence that makes Eric and I uncomfortable.

"Vi? Violet? W-where, w-what?" Gypsy's soft voice, now rough from screaming into Eric's chest has the muscles in my back relaxing and I get go of her leg.

"Hey you," Violet says, finally signalling to Eric that he can move, only two small hand stop him, fisting his shirt so he can't move.

"H-He's real this time," Gypsy mutters, causing Violet to chuckle as Gypsy peers up at Eric, then me, her cheeks flushing.

"Yeah, you gave him a fright, and Mathews a heart attack," Violet giggles, sitting beside Eric to stroke Gypsy's hair.

"I-I thought, I was," Gypsy stutters, confusion in her eyes as she stares at Violet, seeking answers only her friend can give her.

"What happened sweetie? We knew it was going to be bad, but we didn't expect a flashback," Gypsy flinches and presses her face against Eric's chest as Violet waits, with the kind of patience I can only envy.

"I heard a car backfire, it sounded like the first gunshot, the one that killed Brads. I tried to fight it. Kept grounding myself, but when I parked, I couldn't fight it anymore, I shouted your name then I was..." She doesn't need to finish her sentence. We all witnessed it.

"You can't be moved tonight honey, you broke your prosthetic, and cut the back of your thigh open. I can get your crutches for you first thing in the morning though," Gypsy nods at Violet then curls in on herself under her blanket, snuggling into it.

"Can Eric stay?" Eric jerks back and stares down at the girl in his arms, gripping his shirt.

"If he's ok with that, if not then I can stay with you. Who do you think will keep the nightmares away better?" Violet asks watching her friend. When Gypsy doesn't say anything further, Violet peers over Eric and chuckles before she gets up and turns off the main light but flicks on the bedside lamp.

"Looks like she thinks you'll have better success keeping the nightmares in check. If you need me, shout. I'm a real light sleeper so I'll hear you," With that Violet limps out the room, and heads into mine without a backwards glance, like what just happened was completely normal.

"You ok mate?" I ask, glancing between Gypsy, and my bedroom where Violet disappeared into.

"I don't know," he nods towards my doorway, and forces a smile.

"I'll be fine. You should get some sleep, because I bet these girls will have us up in the night," it's true, but for some reason it doesn't bother me. I frown and head out, pulling his door shut, but not closing it as I wrestle with these foreign emotions. Mikey, Xavier and Chris poke their heads out of their rooms, and I shrug, because I don't know what to say to them.

Something about that girl. I'm not even sure how I feel about any of it, but there's something there. As though Violet has gotten under my skin without me even noticing it.