He hadn’t completely recovered from her words, ‘It’s over with him’. Something twisted in his stomach. He wanted more time with her. What happened? Did you break it off? Why? Do you know how much I still want you? She said she wanted to go to the screening with him, as friends? Can we go back to the way we were before? Can I kiss your mouth like the world is going to end?
How he long to touch her when she said it, but then she walked away, crossed the lawn and someone came out from inside the house. It was him. He was staying at the house? He stood there in the dark and watched them interact.
“What the hell were you doing outside with that guy? It’s him isn’t it?? The guy you were seeing last year?!” Landon was upset.
“It’s none of your business, Landon,” she dismissed him and walked past him.
He grabbed her arm. “Damn it, Charlene!! Is that why you wanted to break up with me? Because he’s back in your life??” his eyes were filled with anger, he was jealous.
“No … I wanted to break up with you because I don’t feel the same way you do … and because you’re a brute, Landon … you treat me like I’m less than you!” she tugged away her arm.
“You know damn well that’s not true, I’ve been treating you nothing less than respectful all these times and you walked all over me like a spoiled brat that you are!” he yelled at her.
“See? This is what I mean … you say mean things to me because you can’t accept the fact that I don’t want to have a relationship with you … it’s over, Landon! You’re free to be with whoever you want, someone who can return your affection … someone that’s not me,” she insisted.
He grabbed her arm again and pulled hard, “And what? You’re going back to him?? That redneck country boy you were seeing just now?? That’s like smearing shit on my face! Does your father know about him??” he asked with a threatening tone.
Charlene shook her head in disbelief, “I don’t believe you, you think you’re better than everyone else, don’t you? You think this is all about you?! Now you’re threatening me to tell my dad about him? He was just here to give me a birthday present! I don’t care anymore, Landon, you can tell my dad anything you want! It’s still over between us! Nothing’s going to change that!” she said and pushed him away.
Her words had triggered him, and the push was unacceptable. He pushed her back, hard, she stumbled back and charged him with an even harder push. “Don’t push me, Charlene!”
“You were hurting my arm, you bastard!” she shouted.
He saw it.
Landon grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her. She fought back and slapped him, he charged at her and slapped her back. “Hey!!!” Tommy shouted, neither of them heard him. They were screaming at each other. Landon pulled the collar of her shirt, he almost tore it off. He lifted his loose arm, she curled under his threat. Tommy was sprinting across the lawn, his blood curled. Before Landon’s hand could land on Charlene’s face, Tommy leapt with both feet towards Landon and brought him down to the ground.
“Tommy!!” Charlie screamed when she realized it was Tommy who had saved her from a smack on the face. They wrestled on the ground. Tommy immediately got the upper hand and mounted Landon who was flat on his back. Tommy grabbed his collar and jabbed his face with his right fist. Landon pushed Tommy’s face with both hands and rolled over to his side. When the pain of his broken nose finally caught up with him, “You fucking broke my nose!” he shouted in pain.
Tommy stood up, catching his breath, he kicked the side of Landon’s leg, “If you lay a finger on her … I’m gonna fucking kill you!” he said pointing at him. Charlie was trembling, she was in shock. Landon got up on his feet. “Are you okay?” Tommy asked, but when he was about to get closer to Charlie, Landon pushed him and punched him on the jaw.
“Landon!!” Charlie screamed. They brawled and hurdled. She was screaming for them to stop. They were both rolling on the ground again, tried to land a punch on each other with their arms stretched preventing it from happening.
Landon’s knee managed to hit the side of Tommy’s rib, he fell to the ground. He quickly grabbed Landon by the shoulder and threw him down to the side, he fell hard on his back. Tommy landed another punch, to his stomach this time.
“Stop it! Please! Stop it!” Charlie didn’t know what to do, she’s never seen a fight before in her life, let alone two wrestling men punching each other, kicking and screaming like animals.
A blast broke the chaos. The sound of an explosion from a shotgun divided the silence of the night. They all looked to the source of the blare, it came from a shotgun in the hands of Catherine Ludlow who came out of the house in her nightgown. Her long light brown hair fell all the way to her waist. It was evident where Charlene got her looks from. No one had ever seen her in that way before, she was stunningly gorgeous for a woman her age.
“Anyone care to explain what the hell is going on here?” she asked calmly.
No one said a word. Catherine walked up to them, she covered her robe and tied it, she realized her cleavage was revealed under her sheer blue-grey nightgown. “Charlene?” her voice is sharp and demanding. The two boys stood up with their faces swollen up and grazed in places, their clothes dirty from the grass and dirt. “Somebody is going to explain to me … why I had to shoot my gun in the middle of the night to break up a juvenile brawl!!” she shouted.
Tommy just realized that Charlie wasn’t kidding when she said, ‘I have to get home soon before my mom takes out her gun’. “He broke my nose!” Landon started and pointed at Tommy.
“You hit her!” he shot back at him.
“She was hitting me!” Landon pointed at Charlie.
“You’re an asshole, Landon!” Charlie mumbled at him.
“I’m sorry … okay … I wanted to work things out with you before our engagement, but you were sneaking out in the middle of the night … with him!!” Landon explained while holding on to his bleeding nose.
“Engage? Am I missing something here?” Catherine was as surprised as Tommy.
“You’re getting engaged?” Tommy was puzzled.
“That’s not gonna happen, Landon, no matter how much you groveled to my dad, I won’t do it,” Charlie said.
“You know it’s going to happen, Charlene, it’s been set, we have to work things out … can we talk about this in private?” Landon insisted.
“Stop!!” Catherine raised her shotgun. Everyone stepped back, fearing the gun could explode inadvertently. “You hit my daughter and you have the nerve to think that I would let you get engaged with her??”
Landon looked down, “It was an accident … I didn’t mean to …”
“Enough! You hit my daughter! Period! I don’t need any excuse from you! I think you need to go home, right now, you’re not welcome in my house anymore, Landon,” she said firmly.
“But Mr. Ludlow said …”
“I will deal with Mr. Ludlow later … Charlene … go inside! Tom … go home!” she instructed.
Tommy went over to Charlie, he needed to be sure she was alright. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” She shook her head and held his hand, somehow being close to him made her feel better.
“It’s really late … you need to go home, Tom, … I want to speak with my daughter,” Catherine interrupted them. He didn’t want to let go of her hand. Charlie nodded, signaling him to go.
“Goodnight, Charlie … Goodnight, Mrs. Ludlow,” he glanced at Landon who was still standing in the lawn.
“You go ahead, Tom … he won’t be staying here for very long … Landon! Get your things and go home!” Catherine said. He didn’t say a thing and went inside.
Catherine touched her daughter’s face to see the damage, but the only damage she saw was her swollen eyes after a series of crying she had on her birthday. “He was roughing me up, mom, and then Tommy came to stop him … he almost punched me,” she confided.
Her mother nodded, “I believe you.”
“But dad … he said I was supposed to be engaged with him before I go to Gastonburry and move in with them … I don’t want to do that, mom, I can’t …” she was about to cry again.
“Of course not, I won’t allow it,” her mom assured her.
“What about dad?” She wasn’t sure that her mom could change his mind.
“I’ll talk to your dad, just go to your room, take a long hot bath and rest … I’ll make sure he leaves before your dad gets home,” said Catherine. She did as her mom told her. She watched from her bedroom window as Landon stuffed his things in his car and drove away.