So I ran towards them on the floor, Ben sitting on top of Frankie, and I grabbed Ben’s fist, praying that he was still thinking straight despite what he had just witnessed.
“Ben, no!” I screamed. My lungs weren’t going to survive this turmoil. But I was still breathing, right? That must count for something. More tears wet my cheeks as I stared into Ben’s enraged eyes.
“Please.”
I was scared that Ben might actually kill Frankie if I didn’t stop them, and that was the last thing we needed.
Sofi, from the living room, must have sensed the stress and the commotion because she was now crying, the TV disregarded.
“Get the fuck off me—”
“She doesn’t want you, you piece of shit!” Ben returned his attention to the drunk man on the floor, and I ran toward Sofi to console her. I didn’t want to be near them in case another fight started.
Ben grabbed Frankie’s shirt and pressed the latter against the floor so hard I was afraid that his ribcage might crack. I should probably stop him before it could escalate into something more. I didn’t want any authorities involved.
“I’m pressing charges against you, man.”After that, I didn’t hear what Ben said, trying to push away everything else and focus on the distressed child in my hand.
I cradled Sofi, and the poor baby wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. She must have sensed that I was in danger.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” I stroked her back, praying that she would calm down so I could think straight. The tears only worsened from hearing my child’s thick sobs.
The next thing I knew, Frankie was out the door. The look of hatred on his face was clear as day, and it told me there was no way to fix our friendship. It broke me, having to cut ties with him, but I realized a little too late. I knew now that he was a danger to me and my daughter.
I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something horrible would’ve happened to us because I was too blind to see it all.
I saw Frankie walk away without another word, and when the faint sound of the elevator came, Ben came inside the penthouse and slammed the door so loud I flinched back. Sofi’s cries only grew louder.
A long, ear-splitting silence followed as my body registered the shock, and post-adrenaline clarity registered the commotion that just happened.
I saw the way Ben’s nose flared, and he was staring at me with rage in his eyes, his hands shaking against his sides.
For a moment, there were only Sofi’s cries that echoed in the penthouse as I swayed her to sleep. My eyes felt tired, my chest was so painful, and my lungs were on fire.
With trembling lips, I asked Ben, “Are you really going to hurt him?” I didn’t recognize my voice. It felt like there was cotton in my mouth.
“I will if I have to,” Ben hissed through gritted teeth.
I didn’t know what to say to Ben right now. I didn’t even know what he was feeling. All I could think about was Frankie and how much I hated him for what he just did.
“Are you really worried about him right now? After he made a pass at you? I don’t want you seeing him anymore.”
“What? He’s my best friend, Ben.”
He was right. I knew he was right. Frankie was a danger, a ticking time bomb. But I couldn’t stand that we would end things like this. At least I wanted to talk to him one last time.
“You need to find better friends because friends don’t fuck friends without consent.”
The week's chaos came crashing into me, and I was sick and tired of it all. I knew I needed to let it all out. I was so frustrated at Ben about the whole Gwen thing, and now I was losing the only family I had had growing up. It wasn’t fair, but that was life sometimes.
“You want to talk about friends fucking, Ben, really?” I sneered, still cradling a now-relaxed baby. At least one of us was. I wanted to lay down, maybe take a seat or something. My head spun, and the ache in my lungs hadn’t subsided.
“Is this what this is all about, Chloe? Gwen?”
He closed the gap between us. He was still mad. At me? Wasn’t he the one who had an ex-fling come back, and now he tried to send my friend to the hospital?He saved you, you dummy, my inner thoughts retorted.
“We fucked in the past. But that was ages ago.”
“Really? Is that why she came to see you again? Because your little side hustle happenedages ago.”