Donovan

"This is your fucking fault!" I step toward Jag, ready to drop the fucker, but Ash yanks me back by my shoulders.

"How is this my fault?"

"You just had to start shit!" My hands are balled by my sides. Jag, the dumbass that he is, baited me when he mentioned how sexy Shorty was tonight, and what he wanted to do to her. I snapped threating to chop off his dick if he ever went near her because she was mine. When Jag noticed Addy standing behind me, his eyes went wide but the fake shock expression disappeared and replaced with a sly grin. Fucker did it on purpose just to prove a point.

"So what! It's not my fault you can't admit how you feel about short stack. I was just speeding up the process for you. You should thank me, fucker."

"Thank you?" Is he for real?

"Yeah. You've been teetering and tottering with Addy for two years now. Either stay with her or move the fuck on. Stop playing yo-yo with her," Jag spits out.

"I wasn't doing shit. I was going to tell her after this weekend…my way," I jab my finger at my chest.

"Alright, enough!" Ash yells.

Pure fury swirled inside of me. I couldn't think straight. I'm so fucking angry. I don't know what caused Addy to flip her switch in a short period of time. Ever since she found out about Shorty, Addy has become a bit obsessive. At school, she follows me around like a lost puppy dog, clinging to me like a freaking monkey.

"Go. Go after her and fix this pile of shit you created." Ash releases me and I don't waste any time. The rage vibrating through my soul increases my speed as I run after Shorty. I need to make sure she's ok, and to assure her that I'm done with Addy. Ash is right, the longer I keep my feelings in check, I'll lose my chances with Shorty. And not just her friendship, but more, if she accepts me in that way.

I knew she was the one for me the first moment I laid my eyes on her at six years old. Some people may call it a stupid crush, but not for me. In some fucked up way, we were destined to be with one another, and it was destiny that brought us together once again. I was meant to save her, protect her, and to keep her safe.

She belongs with me, and I belong to her.

I run toward the car and hear her mutter "fuck." I walk a few steps until a full head of dark brown curls bouncing in the wind causes the rage within me to settle. My heart rate decreases, my breathing evens out, and my vision gradually comes back into focus. Shorty is fumbling for her keys when they drop to the ground, and she sends multiple curse words in Spanish into the sky as if she is waiting for someone to save her.

"Hey." I slowly approach her. She flinches which makes me feel like I'm swimming in a pool of shit. I don't ever want her to recoil from me.

"I just wanted to check on you. To make sure you're ok," I say, keeping my voice low and soft. Tears slowly fall from her eyes and my heart cracks. I can hear it slowly breaking into little pieces inside me. I fucking hate I'm the reason for her tears.

"God, Doni." She runs her hands through her curls. "How did we get here, huh?" It comes out like a whisper as if she doesn't want anyone to hear her say it.

"Hey. It's going to be ok."

"What part of this don't you understand?" she snaps as her voice turns to venom, glaring at me with darkness in her eyes. "She's right. I don't fucking belong here."

"Shorty, the hell you don't belong. That's—"

"No. Enough. I shouldn't have come." She falls back against her Tia's car, holding her face in her hands as she lets out a frustrated grunt but quickly regains her composure.

When I step forward to stand in front of her, I notice Ash and Tia in my peripheral vision standing a few feet away. I turn and raise one hand up, asking them to give us a minute. They both nod in understanding and wait, even though Tia seems a little hesitant.

In these types of situations, normally I would give the girl space, but fuck this. She's fucking broken and I hate that she feels that way. I need her to know that I am here for her and I'm not going anywhere.

Not this time.

Without hesitation, I pull Shorty into my arms, but she struggles and tries to wiggle her way out of my embrace, but I fight back and hold her tighter. I keep my voice even, low, and soft as I run my hands up and down her back in a soothing motion. I feel her body relax against mine and her arms wrap around my lower back.

I've got you, baby.

"I never seen you so angry," she says in a broken whisper.

I shut my eyes, hating myself more and more. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was so angry for what she said to you."

"Do you love her?" she mumbles against my chest.

"No," I say without hesitation, because it's true. I never loved Addy, nor will I ever. "She's not the girl for me, Shorty." She looks up at me with relief. "You're my girl."

She smiles and lays her head back on my chest. Her smile tightens my chest in a good way, craving for more. I rest my chin on the top of her head as I continue caressing her back.

I don't ever want this to end.

Why does this feel so fucking good?

She looks up at me with those beautiful dark brown eyes with a speck of gold around the pupils. She smiles, unveiling a small dimple on her cheek. God, she's fucking beautiful even when her eyes are red and puffy from crying. There's an innocence about her that makes me want to keep her all to myself.

My eyes wander to her lips and back to her eyes as I smile at her. I brush the curls away from her eyes and hold her face in my hands as I continue to stare at her. I can't help it. She's beautiful, sexy, and drives me fucking crazy. I want to ravish her lips until she can't feel them anymore. Instead, I plant a lingering kiss on her forehead, still holding her face in my hands. She moves her hands to my upper back and smiles back but briefly shuts her eyes and exhales as if she has finally found peace.

"Your curls are back," I whisper against her ear as I play with one.

"Yeah. I was tired of straightening it." She lets out a chuckle.

"Er… I'm just going to interrupt whatever the fuck this is and get a little of the action too." Ash points between Shorty and me.

We all laugh but hearing Shorty's laugh causes my heart to beat against my chest like a happy lovesick boy. Her laughs were always contagious when we were kids. It was one of the things I loved about her because it felt real and warm. After all these years, the feelings are still the same. Ash steals Shorty from me, and a feeling of emptiness takes over.

Dude, seriously?

Ash bounces Shorty up and down, squeezing the life out of her, but she continues to laugh until there are happy tears in her eyes. Ash pulls her back and wipes the tears away. He angles his head to get a better look at her and gives her a wink and smiles.

"No more tears. We got you." He kisses her cheek and gives her one last hug.

"I'm alright." She doesn't sound confident.

"If she pulled that shit at South High…let's just say she wouldn't last ten minutes." Tia cracks her knuckles, causing all of us to laugh.

"Let's go home, baby girl," Tia says as she smacks Ash's ass.