Say Forever(5)

I scowl as I look down at this meth-head who used to be my girlfriend's best friend. Karri's wearing an oversized blue and gold shirt with what appears to be fraternity lettering on the front. Her hair's a mess, her makeup is smeared, her jeans have more rips than should be legal, and it looks like her scuffed shoes are on the wrong feet.

What the fuck is wrong with this girl?

I look over at Christina as she tries to console the crying baby. The kid is shivering in Christina's arms. He's not wearing a jacket, and it's freaking forty degrees outside.

Karri seems oblivious to her kid's suffering as she walks over to our kitchen table and helps herself to a breadstick. "Mmmmm, this is good. You make this, Christina?" She waves the breadstick at her.

Christina rolls her eyes and turns her back on Karri, pressing the baby against her chest and whispering soothing words into his ear.

Karri shrugs a shoulder, dips the breadstick into my plate, swirls it in the sauce, and takes another bite.

Karri is the same girl who had an affair with that pendejo Jackson James while he was engaged to Christina. After Karri had Jackson's baby, she said another guy was the father, and then she named Christina as the godparent. It wasn't until Ty was almost a year old that Christina learned the truth. Last we'd heard from Karri, she'd left her baby with Jackson's parents and run off with her drug dealer boyfriend.

Yeah, Karri's a selfish, using bitch, and if it wasn't for the baby, I wouldn't have let that girl through the door.

I'm so fucking pissed, I'm about ready to punch a hole through the wall. I walk up to her, snatch the bread from her hand, and throw it on the table.

"Get out," I growl.

Her eyes widen, and she shrieks as if I'm about to hit her. No doubt, she's used to that kind of treatment from her druggie boyfriend, but I was raised differently. I'm not about to hit a girl, no matter how much she annoys me.

"I knew you would come here!" A nasal voice echoes behind me. "You've got nowhere else to go."

I turn around and glare at the man my girlfriend almost married. He's wearing unbuttoned pants and no shirt beneath his half-zipped leather jacket. Karri's oversized fraternity sweat shirt is starting to make more sense. They probably met at a motel somewhere, and Karri stole the baby when Jackson's pants were down. Jackson is about an inch or two taller than me, with wide shoulders, but he's got no muscle mass at all. None. It's like the guy spends his days playing video games, or else he's just lazy. The stupid pendejo has got a lot of nerve storming into my home uninvited.

"What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?" I bellow.

Jackson's got this wild look in his eyes as he turns to me. That's when I see the faint trace of white powder stuck to his upper lip.

Fucking great.

Tyler whimpers against Christina, and Jackson spins around, glaring at my girlfriend. "Give me the fucking baby, or I swear to God, Christina, I'll... "

Christina's eyes widen as she backs up a step. Tyler whimpers louder.

I'm barely aware of my feet propelling me forward, of me grabbing Jackson's collar and pushing him up against the wall. "Or you'll what?" I snarl. Then I say to Christina over my shoulder, "Take the baby into the bedroom."

I tighten my grip on Jackson's collar and glare at him until I hear our bedroom door shut.

Jackson is cringing and averting his gaze. He's too stupid to even know how to defend himself."That's my kid," he says through wheezy breath as some of that white powder beneath his nose falls into his mouth.

I angle my head back, not just because I don't want to inhale any of Jackson's cocaine residue, but because my girlfriend's stories are true. The guy's breath smells like a fucking dog took a shit in his mouth.

"And you're in my house uninvited," I say through clenched teeth. I still can't believe the dick has the nerve to barge into my apartment. His cocaine high must be clouding his judgment.

I hear the clank of silverware scraping a dish, and realize Karri is eating my food. I'm so fucking pissed right now, my head's about to explode.

Jackson raises both hands in a gesture of surrender, as he cowers against the wall. "Let me have my kid and I'll go."

I center my gaze on the prick with the bad breath and think I've got the perfect way to release my frustration. "I've got to take care of something first." I let go of Jackson's collar.

I hear his sigh of relief as I pull back. In the blink of an eye, I channel all my pent-up anger into the force of my fist, as I plant it square in Jackson's face.

Pain lances through my knuckles as they crash against his mouth. Damn, he's hard-headed! The release of my frustration is worth it. I don't feel bad for sucker punching the guy. He should've been prepared for it, which goes to show what an idiot he is. What the fuck had Christina ever seen in him?