Chapter Twenty-Eight-1

The monotone element to Jen's voice droned on and on as I actively took no notice of her blabbering, though certainly didn't do so without consequences being dished out. Her, 'How could you?' speech suddenly stopped before a soft pillow came hurdling towards my busted up face, unforgiving in its journey. "Are you even listening to me?" "Not really," I admitted, unable to muster up the energy to lie. "Jennifer, he doesn't need any more bruises adding to that awful concoction," scolded Mum, hissing her utmost objections. "I've got a bag of peas, Will. Or do you prefer actual ice?" "Peas will do." I refrained from telling her that whilst ice would help heal my external injuries, nothing would take away from the ache currently crippling me from the inside, out. Fuck you, heartbreak! "Here you go, honey," she smiled, passing me a bag of Birds Eye garden peas. "Cheers." I pressed the coolness to my right eye and momentarily sighed through the immediate relief it offered. Ben Mongomory sure knew how to hold his own in a fight and I pitied any man that ever crossed his path. Of course, I didn't resent him for beating the shit out of me. It was only natural for him to want to see me hurt once he got wind of mine and Rosie's relationship. Not only was he forced to endure every picture of us kissing by the Trevi fountain, he also had to deal with the fact that the rest of the Country knew of our on goings and that was public humiliation at its best. "Are you seriously going to let him drive you away?" asked Jen, unable to wrap her head around my decision to leave. "He's not the only reason," I argued, numb from the cheek up. "The press are saying awful things about her. She's not equipped to deal with that type of negativity if we continue seeing each other." "Don't you think you're underselling her slightly?" she demanded, looking to Mum for backup. "The newspapers will move onto the next scandal in a few weeks. People may seem outraged now but fuck them!" "Jennifer!" "Mum, seriously? 'Fuck' is a legitimate word to use in this situation," she protested, lightly smirking in my direction. "Is Dad around?" I questioned, unable to watch them argue over the use of curse words. It was an ongoing debate the pair insisted on doing and I couldn't sit though another second of it. "He's in the shed, darling." Perfect! "Great, I'll go see him." Before they could voice their hurt, I shot out of the living room faster than the speed of light and went in search of my Dad, finding him soon after in his perfectly trimmed garden. "Dad?" "Will, is that you? Oh Christ, what happened to your face?" he asked, stricken with concern. "Oh, nothing. A misunderstanding," I lied, too tired to explain. His eyes were unconvinced and whilst wiping the dirt from under his fingernails, he told me as much. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with this morning headlines, does it?" he enquired, moving closer to inspect the damage. "Shit, he got you good." "That he did." "The cousin, I presume?" "Hmm," I responded, picking up a pair of gloves and going to town on some weeds. "He's not happy." "He'll get over it." Joining me by the flower bed, he positioned himself to my left and began helping in my need to rid all poisonous plant life. In a way, I didn't feel much different from those weeds. Like them, I had wormed my way into Rosie's life, only to let her down in the end by killing all hope of a sturdy relationship. I wanted things to be different but seeing Ben react the way he did today simply confirmed everything I already knew. My lifestyle wasn't compatible with hers and I'd die before I let anyone accuse her of manipulating the situation to her advantage. Sure, I knew the press could be cruel but to outright suggest she was using her own Father's death to secure her five-minutes of fame was inexcusable. They didn't know her like I did. "No he won't. Not that it matters. It's over," I informed, causing all pulling action to stop "I don't believe that for one second," he stated, shaking his head. It didn't matter that he didn't believe it. It was true. "How else am I supposed to protect her?" I questioned, though required no answer. "I didn't expect it, Dad. I knew there would be consequences but not like this. The entire nation is against her and her only living family member is against me. We don't stand a chance."