"What the FUCK?"
Trent was ripped off me and Ian held him by his collar driving his fist through his face. Trent slumped to the ground holding a bloody nose.
"Ian, shit did you break his nose? Oh man, I don't want to clean that blood up." I moaned stupidly.
Ian turned to me anger radiating off him. "You okay Ace?" He asked, using the nickname he's had for me since before I can remember.
"Ummm yeah?" I looked at him expectantly, I hadn't seen my brother in two years, this was not the situation I would have liked for his homecoming. He turned back to Trent yanking him up.
"If you lay a hand on my sister again, so much as look at her, I'll kill you. Got it asshole?"
"What's your fucking problem man, she's my girlfriend." Trent shot back, the idiot.
"I'd say by the way you were forcing herself on her she's not you girlfriend anymore dickbrain, now get out of my sight before I fucking loose it." Ian yelled. Trent took a quick glance at me, blood still pouring out his nose.
I shrugged, "It's not me it's you."
He gave my brother a weary look then bolted.
"Great date!" I proclaimed sarcastically, and drunkenly. I turned back to Ian and threw myself into his arms. "It's soooo good to see you," I said sweetly. " I missed you heaps!"
Ian squeezed me, then pulled back anger returning to his gaze. "Seriously Gwen, what would you have done if I wasn't here? You're wasted, that dress is too fucking short and Mum and Dad are gone, if I hadn't stepped in … "
"Don't worry so much Ian, its all worked out now, and your home!" I sang at him, my happy drunk buzz still firmly in place.
"Yeah I am, but I have no idea who I'm looking at right now Gwen. Drinking, partying, wearing clothes like that." He spat, gesturing at my dress. "Mum and Dad have been telling me your grades are suffering, and you're skipping school? I don't know what's going on with you Gwen but you need to sort your shit before you ruin your fucking life with actions you can't take back."
That was the only time I'd seen him really angry, and after seeing myself through his eyes I got my act together. Well not completely I still caused a bit of trouble, but I got my grades back on track and stopped my mother from going prematurely grey. The next time Ian saw me, I was doing pretty damn well for myself. I ended up getting a degree in Fashion Merchandising at university, my love of all things fashion being a part of me since I was old enough to dress myself. At 21 I graduated, moved to New York, got a job as a buyer for a department store and made myself a life. Ian stayed in the army, travelling around the world, coming to New York a couple of times to see me, then going back home to see Mum and Dad. That got me to thinking, I had only seen Ian a couple of months ago, he was meant to be on tour for another 12 months.
"Ian, how did you get here? Aren't you meant to be in some undisclosed location, water boarding terrorists and beating infidels into submission?"
Ian turned from the wall, breathing heavily, my question taking awhile to penetrate. He ran his hand through his lack of hair and sighed.
"Yeah, but I got and emergency call from Amy, she somehow got a hold of my number, that girl could run a country." He joked tightly.
"Amy?" I asked.
Amy was my best friend and roommate. I met her on one of my first days in New York. I was out having a drink in some trendy bar alone, which was scary but I didn't know anyone and was hoping to meet some awesome Sex And The City types and bond over Cosmos. I cringe thinking about my reasoning now that I was a savvy New Yorker, but back then I was a naïve country girl from New Zealand. I had only just taken my first sip when some greasy looking guy had sidled up to me and seriously couldn't take no for an answer. After I had tried to politely decline his advances for the third time I began to feel little scared, not knowing a soul in the bar. Enter Amy.
"Oh my god babe, sorry I'm so late." She breezed in, squeezing between the sleaze ball and me. I gazed at the gorgeous stranger with wide eyes as she took a sip of my drink.
"Andrew wanted me to tell you he got held up at the prison. They were just about to let him out when some guy made a comment about the photo of you he had in his bunk." She put the drink down and raised an eyebrow at me. "Beat the shit out of some guy. Don't worry they're still letting him out just a little later." She delivered this without a glance to the man beside her who was very pale and looked at me with wide eyes before darting away.
I regarded at the woman standing beside me, impressed. Her thick red hair was piled into a messy knot on top of her head. She had emerald green eyes an angular face and amazing skin. She was petite, but curvy in the right places. I was jealous, I wondered if she would divulge her diet and exercise secret to me if I brought her a cosmo.
Her outfit was straight off a runway, a white silk shirt tucked into a Balmain leather pencil skirt, and black Manolo Blahnik heels.
"Um thanks for that." I blinked, trying to figure out what just happened.
She smiled at me. "No problemo girlfriend, this city is full of sleaze bags they would kick me out of the sisterhood if I didn't do something about that. And I just got stood up, needed a drinking buddy. You've got good taste in cocktails, impeccable style and a cute wee foreign accent. You could just be my new best friend."
And we had been, ever since.
"Yeah she was here almost as much as me but she's ‘out getting supplies.'" Ian explained with finger quotes, bringing me back to the present.
As if on cue Amy thundered through the door arms full of flowers and shopping bags, followed by my other two friends, Ryan and his boyfriend Alex.
"Holy fuck! You're finally awake! " Amy screamed, dumping all the bags at her Jimmy Choo clad feet. She was dressed impeccably, in black leather pants, a slouchy tan tee with oversized black blazer on top and multiple gold necklaces strung around her neck. Even in a hospital bed I couldn't help but appreciate her outfit.
She stared at me for a moment standing in the middle of the room.
"Girlfriend don't ever scare me like than again, I lost my mind for almost two weeks." She whispered her voice breaking and tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, mascara coming with them.
"I'm okay now Amy," I whispered back, trying to sound strong.
"Okay?" She repeated in a shrill tone, anger replacing sadness. "Okay? She thinks she's ‘okay,''" She directed a look at my brother, using finger quotes.
"What those bastards did to you," she shuddered. "You almost died G, the doctors said you might not wake up, and even if you did you had the possibility of brain damage. You are bruised and battered everywhere, so I would say that's the opposite of okay. I am going to kill those animals!!" She cried, starting to sound hysterical.
I flinched, thinking about another person I loved going through hell. Ryan, another one of my best friends, approached my beside with a tender look on his beautiful face. Ryan had mocha colored skin, a bald head and bone structure to die for. He was a male model and never has a shortage of jobs, plus he always looked like he had just strutted off the runway. Today was no different, he wore a deep red cashmere turtle neck sweater, and black pants tucked into some biker boots. His boyfriend Alex, was the day to his night, tall with pale skin and seriously built with muscles everywhere. His dark black hair flopped over his face, like he spent hours styling it, but Alex wouldn't be caught dead with any "girlie shit" in his hair. He was a macho man, and Ryan is so high maintenance he gave me a run for my money, but they love each other so it worked.
"Amy, take it down a decibel, only dogs communicate at that level." Ryan hissed. "Gwen knows exactly what happened to her and doesn't need reminding. She sure as shit doesn't need to try and calm down your crazy ass either." He glared at her and approached my beside.
Ryan stroked some hair off my face and failed to hide his wince at my battered appearance. "Baby girl." His voice was soft and his eyes glistened, for just a moment.
"Alright girl, lets get you into some of these wonderful satin PJs we picked up from Barneys and get you out of that hideous gown." Amy chirped in, sounding a lot more like herself. Alex, who hadn't said anything since he walked in, joined my posse and gave me a kiss on the head.