Bender (The Core Four #1)(77)
Just over an hour into my stalking, I looked across street at the outdoor patio of FastEddy’s and watched as a familiar looking dark-haired girl was seated. How did I know her? I was going through faces in my memory trying to peg exactly where I’ve seen her but nothing was ringing a bell. Hmmm… maybe I knew her from class or something. I was going to shrug it off but then Camden’s car came pulling up to my side of the road and parallel parked. I ducked in my seat as if he could see me, when in actuality the windows were too dark for him to see in. My heart went into my throat, and I was holding my breath as he got out of the car and looked across the street. The girl gave a small wave and that was when it hit me. Holy shit it was the girl from the photograph. The one that was hanging in his parents’ hallway. No, no, no, this wasn’t happening! I felt like my eyes were deceiving me. Dizzily looking from her to him, then him to her. I was going to puke. Camden turned in my direction but was looking at the other side of his vehicle. The passenger side door opened and Dodger stepped out. What the hell was he doing here too? They both made their way across the street and through the restaurant until they stepped out on the patio. The women stood up, and I looked on as she hugged Dodger and kissed his cheek. Oh Macie would have a field day with his balls right about now had she seen him do that. When Camden greeted her, she smiled big, as if she were happier to see him. She went into his open arms, and he held her tightly. He was speaking into her ear, and she nodded as he spoke. When he broke away, she held his hand as they sat down.
He’d been lying to me. He came to meet up with a girl, and he never told me about it, and for whatever reason Dodger was in on it. Mindlessly I sat and watched as they conversed and shared some laughs. I didn’t know why I stayed there letting every ounce of respect for Camden dissolve into nothing, but I did. Call it torture, call it affliction, call it whatever you want, I was planted in my chair as it all unfolded. Every emotion one could feel— disgust, hurt, pain, anger— were rolling through me like a raging storm.
I snapped.
Pulling out my wallet I threw some money on the table and stood up. Fury was fueling me to move forward. Once outside I went to Camden’s car and looked over the hood at the three of them. All I kept saying to myself was, ‘he told me he was working late’. When I heard the chime of her laughter float across the air, I think that was when I broke. Tears welled in my eyes clouding my vision, but not enough to do what I did next. I slung my purse at his passenger side door as hard as I possibly could. The sound of the beating amped me up to do it again, over and over. A few people stopped and watched what I was doing, but nobody said anything to me. Well, maybe they did, but I didn’t hear them. I was in my own little bubble. I’d hoped that it would give me some relief, some sort of reprieve from the need to go over there and hurt him. I never said anything about what I was doing was right, but all sense of reason had left my body. When it wasn’t enough, I dropped my bag and started using my feet. As my destruction continued I had looked up in time to see Camden reach across the table and place his palm on the woman’s cheek. Have you ever been so angry that you saw red? His gesture repulsed me. I kicked everything that I could lay my eyes on; the bumper, the door, the hood. I was running around it like a mad woman. A small crowd was forming around me, murmuring about calling the police. I wanted to say, ‘yes, call the police, because if he comes over here I am going to be charged with murder’. When my feet were no longer enough I started using my fists, pounding on the windows attempting to break the glass. It was like Camden was the car, and I was kicking the shit out it like I wanted to do him.
Arms suddenly closed in around me and I was lifted in the air away from the object of my focus. I screamed, “No! Put me down!”
Camden came to stand in front of me, his chest heaving. “Keegan? What the fuck are you doing?”
“I hate you. I HATE YOU!” I spat. “Who is she you son of a bitch? You lied to me.”
I didn’t realize who was holding me from behind until I heard Dodger’s voice in my ear. “Keegan, settle down. Jesus Christ, would you relax.”
“Fuck you, Dodger! I can’t believe you’ve known about him being with someone else, and you didn’t say anything.” I grunted.
I kicked against him trying to break free. “Shit!” I hit him in the shin. The girl that they were sitting with had made her way through the crowd and saw me. Her mouth dropped open in shock, but then a funny thing happened, she looked at me… in approval? What the hell?
Camden took two steps toward me and grasped my upper arms, pulling me away from Dodger. “Seriously Keegan, would you calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself more if you don’t stop.”
I tried to use my arms to bring them up and around to break his hold, but I should have known better. Camden was built like a brick house, and I didn’t stand a chance. He brought me in, locking me in a bear hug, and his face came down to mine. His eyes were deadly serious, and all I saw the black of his pupils. “Enough!” he commanded.
“Oh screw you! How long have you been cheating on me, huh? How long Camden? Or should I ask your little whore over there?”
I was still squirming, and I kicked him hard in the knee. He grunted but didn’t waver in his hold. Instead, he pushed me up against his car and wrapped one of his legs around me, preventing me from any further movement of my limbs.
“I said, enough,” he said through gritted teeth. “If you’d stop for one second and let me explain, you’d know that I’m not cheating. In fact it’s not even close.”