Chapter 26: Brent

The trial had started, and so far there was excellent news. Jenny hadn’t been called in. As much as we tried to take her mind off the subject, it was clear it was very much at the front of her mind. She was hardly eating and at times when she was at home, she just stayed in her room.

“Brent, you seen Jenny this afternoon?” Tracey asked. She was flushed, and I could tell with the way her eyes were darting up and down the cafeteria that she was scared. I could have said, nice to see you too or even a hello, but Tracey was worried about something and by the look on her face, I knew it wasn’t good.

“No. What happened?”

She bent down toward me, trying to keep away from everyone who was listening. Since the news about the trial got out, it’d been used by the kids as a way to torture for Jenny. One thing about high school, they need something to talk about every single day, and it was all about Jenny. Seeing as she was the most interesting thing happening in school at the moment, everyone couldn’t help themselves but gossip about the case. I worried at times she would blow under all the pressure.

“We were in class, and then the jerk just cornered her after class. I told him to leave, but then she ran off. I don’t know where, and he was laughing saying shit as usual, and since then I haven’t seen her.” She said it so fast, as if she couldn’t catch her breath after revealing the events of this morning. It just highlighted how anxious she was at the moment.

I jumped up. “When was that?”

She sighed. “Nearly two hours ago.”

“Fuck!” I grunted at the idea of Jenny running off and Kurt probably catching up with her.

I wanted to protect her; that was my job out of the three of us. Trent said between training and being behind on a few assignments with classes, he wouldn’t be on the lookout for her. I must admit, before Tracey came, I was too busy daydreaming. I took out my phone and called her.

“You think I didn’t call her before looking for you. Man!”

Then she moved away as if I was the dumbest guy in the word. I didn’t know what she did because all she’d said was that Jenny was missing. Apart from looking for me, she never said what she’d done to find her. I grabbed my bag, after losing my appetite, and followed her. Tracey has been on some killer diet and lost a good few dress sizes, so she was fast, I mean like she was running track.

“Tracey, wait up?”

She stopped in her tracks with her shoulders slouched. I could tell she wasn’t going to make this easy for me.

“We need to find her,” she whispered. “If you’re not interested then fine. Just don’t waste my time.”

I ignored her as I clutched her arm and said, “Let’s go!”

I had a feeling Jenny would be in one of the two spots Trent and I had taken her to. If she wasn’t there then maybe at home. Either way, we both had the same mission at hand. Besides, my brothers would kill me if they found out the one thing I was supposed to do today, I’d fucking failed at doing.

We both headed to the side of the school, neither of us exchanging words with only one thing on our minds… finding Jenny. No small talk, and we had to leave before the bell rang for class. I held on to my bag, and then I decided I needed to be a gentleman and reached out for Tracey’s. She was shocked by the gesture and gave me a warm smile making her brown eyes shine. Her short bob, which was a new haircut, bounced as she walked with haste to the back of the school. As we got to the back and were ready to leave through the fence, it was there we found Jenny. Not only Jenny, but Kurt too.

He was hitting her and roughing her up. I dropped both of our bags, wondering how long they’d been there. I didn’t care, as I raced up to him, and this time I showed no mercy as I hit him not once, but over and over again.

“Jenny, you okay?” Tracey asked. That was the only part of the conversation I heard as I got a quick glimpse of Jenny’s bloody face lying on the grass.

“You think it’s okay to hit a woman? You think you’re a man now?” Every question resulted in a smash to his face. The more I thought about the blood I saw on Jenny’s face, the angrier I became, ignoring his sobs and only knowing one thing, I wanted to hurt him. Not the way he’d hit Jenny or even tried to hurt her, even more.

He was whimpering, holding his hands up and trying to defend himself. He tried to move, until he couldn’t anymore. No more was he the big shot. My fist was hurting, blood was spurting from it, and I knew in my mind, I’d gone too far. I stood up, watching his nearly lifeless body crying.

I didn’t know if Jenny and Tracey were still here. I turned my eyes, scanning for where they were. The spot I’d last seen Jenny was empty. I saw them walking away in the distance, our bags still by the fence where I’d seen Jenny and left in a hurry. Tracey didn’t bother about her bag. She’d gone to where Jenny was and now was helping her friend. I could have run after them, but I decided against it. The ache of my fists was nothing compared to the pain Kurt had suffered at the other end of them, but I walked slowly to the bags. I was so angry, feeling as if it was all my fault for not looking out for her today.

She had Tracey.

I knew right now, the last person she needed was me.

* * *

I had twenty missed calls from both Trent and Prent, who had heard the news. Maybe Tracey called them or Jenny. They both burst through the house as I sat in the kitchen trying to heal my wounded hands.

“What the fuck happened, Brent?” Trent spat out as soon as he entered.

Prent said, “You alright? Shit, let’s look at those hands?”

I’d calmed down, skipping the rest of the day and not wanting to go the hospital. Memories of the way Jenny looked at me replayed in my mind. It wasn’t the first time I’d beaten Kurt in front of her. The way her eyes moved in disgust as if she knew I wouldn’t be able to control myself gutted me. The thing is, I’d managed to do it without anyone telling me enough was enough. I was sitting at the breakfast table, lost in my thoughts and not knowing what to do next. I said nothing as Prent took off the bandage and started to treat my hands. I didn’t scream, even though it fucking hurt. He gently tried to assess the best course of action.

Trent sighed as he sat next to me. “Tracey called, she said most likely Kurt was at the morgue because he hit Jenny. Apparently, she’d spent the whole time in the bathroom trying to escape from him until she was brave to leave, and then he managed to catch up with her.”

I didn’t shift my eyes or even look in his direction as he carried on telling me the events of the day. The one where I was supposed to be keeping Jenny safe by making sure nothing happened to her, and I’d failed miserably. I hated myself more than I did Kurt for giving him the opportunity to hurt her.

“Apparently, the shit really hit the fan today. Not only is Jenny’s dad going down, but Kurt’s too. FBI have seized all accounts. His mom is missing, and this is most likely why Kurt flew off the handle. He was a volcano ready to erupt.”

He cupped his face with his hands, and then turned to me.

“Brent, I saw Jenny. I know why you did it. Fuck, if you hadn’t then I would have done that shit to him. He was out of order.”

I wished I could agree with him.

“I’m a fucking animal, man. I deserve to be in the zoo.” I began to weep the same way Kurt had done as I beat him senseless.

I looked down and noticed Prent had finished treating my hand. Crazy. If I’d been watching him, then I would have been telling him to let go and stop pretending that he was Florence Nightingale, but as my hands stopped aching and he’d cleaned me up, I knew it would be a lot better in a couple of days, or even less. No amount of Advil could stop it throbbing right now, but he’d managed it somehow.

“Don’t you dare think that way. I fucking won’t let you. You’re our brother, and we love you. Jenny too. She called you her knight in shining armor.”

I turned to him, trying to take in his words. Was he really telling me the truth?

“She did?”

Then again, why would he lie?

With disbelief most likely written on my face, Trent continued to explain.

“Of course, she did. I mean, if you hadn’t got there, who knows what could have happened. We love you, man, and so does she. She was just scared. Rattled by the whole thing. She needed to get as far away from Kurt as possible, poor thing.”

They both embraced me. Some would say it was a sign of weakness, three men embracing and crying as we did. The thought was frightening about what Kurt could have done, but I knew one thing for sure, he wouldn’t get his hands on her ever again. If he did, then I would fucking kill him, and I would have a fucking party to celebrate. Nothing would hold me back, not even the memory of the way Jenny looked at me the first time, and again this time, when I’d beaten Kurt. I would have to do it, because no one harmed her. No one. She was our girlfriend, our precious jewel who should be treated that way, all the time.