Unrequitted? - Open

Lucy wanted to throw up. It was a familiar feeling that she always got when she saw Alex with Renee, his long time on and off again girlfriend. Alex was her older brother's best friend for years and for as long as he had known Davis, she had had deep feelings for him. Alex had never treated her as anything more than a little sister, even beat up Zack Riley when the bastard got too handsy with her the night of prom. She had tried dating other guys, hoping that someone would make her forget all about him. It never worked out and she would end up as miserable as before. The only people that knew about her feelings were Davis and Renee. She had always been hostile towards Lucy, almost territorial. Davis and Lucy had always been close siblings ever since their dad had died in a drunk driving accident when she was just 12 years old.

Typically Lucy tried to avoid Alex at all costs. It was getting harder to do since he was getting wise to the fact that she didn't want to see him. It was just too damn painful to see him anymore and she didn't trust herself not to spill out all those feelings the minute he focused those pretty blue eyes on her. He was just too damn perceptive a person for her to fool. Today was especially hard since it was Davis's birthday. He had come to their mother's house to spend the day with her and his friends, which included both Renee and Alex. Lucy mostly stayed in the kitchen and helped her mother finish up the birthday cake. Her mother gave her a playful nudge. "Honey, why don't you go talk with your brother? I know he has missed having you around. Seems like everytime he calls you to make plans that you have something going on or some kind of excuse."

There was a real reason for that. Lucy was also dealing with a small bout of depression that she never talked about. It wasn't something she wanted to burden anyone with. "Mom, I can't help it if Davis always waits to the last minute to make plans with me. " Her mother just eyed her suspiciously. "Lucy..." She knew that tone. Her mother would not let this go this time. "Alright alright." Lucy put up the icing bag she was using to finish decorating the cake, washed her hands and went out to the living room where the boys were supposed to be watching a movie. All she found there was Renee. Lucy wanted to turn right around and run. "Well if it ain't the innocent little lamb. If you're looking for your brother, he's outside having a cigarette with my boyfriend."

The blonde stood up from the couch, sauntering over to her like she owned the place. "You're really are pathetic, you know that. " She sneered at Lucy. "I see you making those cow eyes at Alex everytime he's around. You think replace me, hun? You could never give him what I give him. That scrawny little body and big bug eyes. " Lucy's eyes began to fill up with tears. "Maybe you should just kill yourself. God knows you're annoying and.." The door slammed forcefully and Lucy could see the rage in Davis's dark eyes. "GET OUT!" Renee looked fabergasted. "I have every right to be angry. You and I both know she's been head over heels for MY boyfriend for years." Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach as her eyes met Alex's. She stifled a sob and walked off towards her old room. Davis was fit to be tied. "You listen to me, you blonde hussy. I only put up with you because of Alex. You weren't invited to this little get together but as usual you inserted yourself where you weren't wanted. You will not come into my mother's home and talk to my family like that!"

Renee looked as red as a tomato, she was so embarrassed at being caught. She buttoned up and left, not even bothering to talk to Alex. Davis just shrugged at his friend. "Dude, I will never know what you saw in that girl. She comes onto anything with a dick, even me. You want to keep her then keep her away from me and my baby sister." Lucy sat on her bed, letting the older girl's words echo in her brain. The tears came down her face, her full lips trembling slightly. This had been beyond embarrassing. Lucy had never told Alex how she felt because she knew he would reject her. She wasn't like Renee, flirty annd sexual. She was more sensitive and emotional. At that point, she didn't want to come back down stairs and face him.

Alex

My heart raced as Davis quickly revealed what had taken place. I was torn with sorrow for Lucy, but anger for Renee. How could someone be so hostile, and jealous to pour their venom out the way she had done.
"Man, I am sorry that this happened...I had no idea how much Lucies feelings would effect Renee. I know growing up she always had a crush on me- I thought it was cute but she is like my sister and I never wanted to bring drama between you and I" Alex explains. Davis nods with understanding "Well regardless, that girl is a bitch. How could you spend time with someone like that and have a real relationship? I know you well, your not like that....You got a huge heart but dude you need to start thinking with your brain and not your dick." Alex sighs.."you are right man, but above all no body hurts my family.... Lucy never desevered any of this....." Alex puts his hand on Davis's shoulder "I want to talk with Lucy but I need to take Renee back home and end it". No probs bro, do what you gotta do- Im gonna go up and settle her down."
As I walk outside and shut the door, I turn and am confronted with Renee.

Renee was anxiously smoking a cigarette waiting for Alex to come out for her. Hopefully he had crushed that little virgin's dreams enough to stop Lucy from drooling over him. She glared at him as soon as he exited the home. "This is getting out of hand. I cannot take her anymore." It wasn't like she loved him or anything but Alex belonged to her and no little angel was going to take him from her.

What she wasn't ready for was his rough hand grabbing her arm and hauling her to the truck. Renee could tell he was angry with her. That intense look in his eyes always signaled a fight. The drive back was in bitter silence. She stomped into his place, on the edge of a tantrum. "Spit it the fuck out! I know you've been holding something in since we left."

Davis watched his best friend take off and went upstairs, knocking on Lucy's door. Over and over he knocked. "LUCE!" His sister had never been one to do anything drastic but this last confrontation with Renee had been enough to do some damage. Davis finally decided to break down the door. What he found was an empty room with a letter on the bed.

Dear Davis,

Sorry if I ruined your birthday, big brother but I have to get out of here. This is just too much for me. I have to burn him out of my heart and my head.

Lucy

At that moment, Lucy was sitting at the bar, trying to drown her sorrows at Red's Levee Bar. She had gone a little risque with her look this time, wearing a blue dress that made her creamy skin glow. It was tight and dipped down low, showing off two perfectly round breasts.

"How can you stand there after what you said and hurl demands at me! Are you fucking insane?!" Alex turns and puts his hands in his hair with frustration.....The silence is deafening. "How can you be so dam selfish and shallow to hurt Lucy like you did?" Alex's eyes narrow and his face strains with anger but in a controlled voice: "You are an embarrassment- Please get your stuff and get out, leave my key and loose my number. I dont want to be with someone like you". Renee begins to sob and speak simultaneously but Alex cuts her off agressively, yet with class-"Renee ENOUGH!........Please get your things and move on".

After an hour and Burning half a pack , Alex sits on his porch when Renee steps slowly out with her last box in hand and tears running down her cheeks. She looks over at Alex for some kind of acknowledgment-Alex only focused on the stream that ran through the grassy meadow 50 yards from his house. His hand is steady to the point that 3/4'ers of his cigarette had ashed yet remained attached....He could be so warm,playful and funny, yet deep inside a switch could be flipped and he was as cold as ice and as steady as a winnowing fork through wheat. She knew it was lost for now as she walked off to her car and drove down the dirt road.

Davis was frantic, wondering where his baby sister may have gone in the state she was in. "DAMN IT!" She had taken his car which left him stranded. His mother's car was in the shop and he had no way of getting to town. There was only one other person he trusted to find her now. Lucy may not like it but she hadn't given him much choice. Davis picked up the phone to call Alex. "Hey, man. We have a serious problem. Lucy took off in my car. I'm stranded at Mom's. Can you check around, see where she might have gone? Just look for my Jeep. That lime green color will stick out like a sore thumb."

He paused a moment. "One other thing. Be careful with her. She has been holding all this in for a long time." Davis hung up, praying to God that he had done the right thing.

Lucy was half drunk already and dancing to the old jukebox Red had in the bar. She didn't notice all the leering eyes that followed her every move. When a big hand came around her waist, she almost jumped. The familiar face of Zack Riley came into view. "What the hell do you want?" He just smiled and pressed against her tiny body. "How about a dance, sugar? Maybe we can pick up where we left off on prom."

The quiet sound of the breeze through the pines surrounding the small two bedroom cabin fill his ears. He always loved living in the mountains, being in a crowded city was never what he loved. His Mother and Father had passed 3 years ago....His mother leaving first and his father a month after. Their love for each other was beautiful. Alex being an only child.....they left everything to him. They had tried to have a larger family but his mother had many complications- Alex was a wonderful unexpected surprise and they raised him with values of honor, respect and hard work. After their deaths he sought to fill a part of himself with what he thought would be Renee....but he too was a bit naive.

(DAVIS) his caller ID read. "Hey man"........Sitting there quietly listening, Davis explained the situation that had unfolded since he had taken Renee away. "Ok....yeah I will take a look around through town on the way to pick you up, I'll let you know if I find anything.....alright..." Alex ends the call and gathers his keys.

Reaching Main Street, Alex drove his fathers old F100. Memories of the fishing and camping trips that they had done as a family in this truck, the wood they had cut together and stacked in the bed....he would never get rid of the faithful machine......It had soul. With the window rolled down, arm resting on the edge, his eyes scanned the town street for Davis's Jeep. About half way through town he looked to the right spotting the Green Jeep parked behind Red's. A grin crossed his face with some relief at where she was at. As he pulled up and parked next to his buddies Jeep, he pulled his phone out and called Davis to relay the find- "alright yeah i'll get her out and come pick you up in a bit". Alex shut the truck off and removed his keys now heading toward the bar entrance. Alex knew this place well, his father actually helped build it with Red some 20yrs ago. Alex's family had history in this area- they had settled it 200yrs ago to farm and raise their families.

The bar was not packed yet being that it was early. Red waved to Alex from behind the bar as he entered. "Red how are you my friend" extending his arm to shake the bar owners hand. "Im doing good son......glad you showed up though, I was about to call you or Davis....Lucy came in about an hour ago looking pretty down. I was surprised to see her alone but thought I would keep an eye on her" as he pointed at the dance floor where the jukebox played and a small crowd had gathered. Alex spotted Lucy but also noticed a guy next to her, a face he knew so well. Alex watched as the man pressed himself into Lucy but her responce was that it was unwanted. Alex looked at Red with a look that spoke loudly and Red nodded his understanding of what to do.

Alex walked slowly observing the situation as the few couples dancing began looking at the girl beginning to struggle. With a calm, collected voice "why dont you let go of that pretty little girl Zack before you get hurt?" Zack's eyes rose as he recognized the voice filling him with anger. The dance floor emptied quickly, all eyes where on Zack as he held Lucy's arm tightly causing a slight whimper to escape her beautiful lips. "Oh so now you gonna come on in here and play the good guy.....well let me tell you boy.......you go fuck yourself!" At that moment Zack released Lucy's arm while swinging at Alex with his clenched fist. Alex moved quickly dodging the punch and began a nice combination of punches between Zacks stomach and face knocking his ass to the ground with broken ribs and a nose.

Lucy whimpered as Zack's grip on her arm tightened, almost certainly leaving a bruise on her white skin. The man was at least three times her size and seemed impossible to fight off. When she heard Alex's voice, Lucy was both relieved and afraid. She felt so exposed to him now, like there was nothing between them to hide all those feelings she had kept in for so long. "Alex..." She pleaded with him with her eyes. As Alex knocked Zack to the ground, Lucy leaned against the jukebox, battling the woozy feeling in her head. The alcohol had dulled her inhibitions a bit and loosened those normally tightened lips.

She staggered forward only to be caught in his strong arms. The clear intense shade of blue in his eyes had always captivated her. Lucy braced herself in his arms, trying to get her footing back and failing miserably. "Feel like a damn fool. Dreaming about you all these years." Her big brown eyes teared up slightly as she looked up at him. "Always my knight in shining armor." A tear slid down her cheek as she started feel dizzy again. "I wish I could forget you." Everything went dark when she finally passed out in his arms.

Lucy heard vague noises in her stupor, a curse and the slamming of a car door. Reality slowly came back into view being accompanied by a loud pounded in her ears from the headache. She was a light-weight when it came to liquor which was why she usually didn't drink this much. A beer or two at a get together was her usual but last night had been overboard. She looked around to see where she was, half expecting all of it to be some terrible dream. Lucy looked down at the man's button down plaid shirt she was wearing. It was familiar enough to her that she knew it was one Alex's shirts.

Why he had taken her to his cabin, she had no idea. Deep down, Lucy was afraid to face him after all this. How the hell could she look him in the eye? Tented in his big shirt and nothing else, she went out of the room to find some aspirin for her headache. Apparently he had stuck her in his guestroom where Davis usually stayed when they went fishing together. The place was still dark so she couldn't see where she was going. Lucy stubbed her big toe on something, muttering some very unladylike curses at her own stupidity.