Tear Down These Walls (12 page)

Franco grabs her arm really hard and shouts, “You stupid
witch!”

Teagan grimaces and tries to pull out of his grip. “Let
go of me you asshole!”

“Hey!” They hear someone shout. “Get your hands off
her!” The bartender comes out from behind the bar. “There won’t be any of that
in here. Separate or leave!”

Instantly, Franco lets go of her. Teagan rubs her arm
because it hurts. “She started it.”

“I don’t care if she kneed you in the balls, you don’t
touch girls,” the bartender snaps. “Now, leave them alone.”

With a look of disgust, Franco scoffs, “Whatever, she’s
just a stupid bitch.”

“Move!” The bartender commands. Franco glares at Teagan
before walking to the other side of the pub.

“Oww,” Teagan groans, as she shakes her arm.

“Call Trent!” Victoria growls urgently.

“No,” Teagan laughs. “He would think I was nuts. Franco
is gone. Who cares?”

“Whatever!” Victoria grabs Teagan’s phone and starts to
text something.

“Hey!” Teagan exclaims, darting after her friend.

Victoria holds her phone up.  “Too late!”

“What did you say to him?” Teagan whines. She opens up
her text window and it says: 
Can I hire you to kick someone’s ass?
“Great,
he is probably going to get pissed off.”

Thrusting her hands forward, Victoria says, “Explain
what happened. I bet he would be more than happy to help!”

The response is:
We covered this, I am not a goon for
hire.  Why, what’s wrong?

Nothing,
she replies.
I just got into it with
an asshole. Victoria texted you. I really am sorry. It wasn’t right of her to
ask you that.

Are you okay?

Yeah, he is gone.

Good.

Sorry again. I will see you tomorrow.

Alright, see you then.

“Thanks Victoria, I bet he is annoyed,” Teagan groans,
turning her eyes to her injured arm and continuing to rub it.

“It’s fine,” Victoria sighs, “Relax.”

“Whatever,” Teagan grumbles.

“Hey, let’s just drink some beer and play some pool,”
Emily sighs. 

“You okay?” Teagan asks. Emily shrugs her shoulders, but
nods anyway. “That guy is such a douche.”

“Yeah, yeah he is,” Victoria agrees.

“Wait until you see this guy,” Victoria giggles to Emily. They take up the
place they were the week before, and their jackets lend the only color to the
blank white wall.

Teagan groans and says, “We are here to learn something.”

“Maybe you are,” Victoria giggles again. Suddenly, she smacks Emily in
the arm.  “That’s him!” She nods to the front of the room.

“Holy….cow,” Emily exhales.

Trent smiles and walks towards them. Every girl in class watches him walk
over.  “Good evening ladies….Teagan.” He nods as he meets her eyes.

“Hi,” Teagan whispers, unexpectedly feeling shy.  She looks down.

“Are you ready for class?” Trent asks.

“Yup,” Teagan says, finally looking back at him.

“Take off your hoodie, I want to show you another defense move,” Trent
says with a smile.

“Ask me nicely.” Teagan puts her hand on her hip.

“Teagan, may I show something on you?” Trent counters, being very polite.

She nods her head, “Yes you may.” Teagan unzips her hoodie and throws it
to the side.

“What in the hell is that!?” Trent yells. “What did you do?”

“Huh?” Teagan gasps.

He grabs her elbow. “Look at that.”

Teagan looks at the back of her upper arm. There is a large bruise on it
in the shape of a hand.  “That asshole!” She shouts. “Ugh, the jerk
bruised me!”

“A guy did this!?” Trent hisses, his eyes blazing.

“Yeah, yesterday, when I texted you,” Victoria interjects. “Teagan
slapped him because he said Emily was easy. He grabbed her. The bartender had
to finally tell him to let go.”

The anger emanating off of Trent stifles Teagan. “Where do you know him
from?”

“The university,” Teagan states..

“Does he live on campus?” Trent inquires, looking at Teagan.

“At a frat house, why?”

“Which frat?”

“Theta Alpha Theta, why?” Teagan whispers.

Taking in a deep breath, Trent asks, “Did you drive the girls here?”

“No, I drove,” Victoria answers.

“I will give Teagan a ride home,” Trent  asserts.. “Hold on.” He
takes his phone out of his pocket and hits a number. “Kyle, I need you to grab
Ian and meet at the fraternity Theta Alpha Theta in two hours, full gear. Yes,
I am dead serious, full gear and armed.”

“Armed?” Victoria mouths. Her eyes are as wide as saucers.

“Okay, see you then,” Trent says. He hangs up the phone and looks at
Teagan. “Is that all he did?”

Teagan nods, “Yeah, he’s just a jerk, Trent.”

“He is a jerk who is going to wish he never touched you,” Trent says in
an eerily icy tone. Teagan shivers, either from the air conditioning or the way
he is looking at her. Either way, she rubs her arms to calm the goose bumps.

“Are you going to kick his ass?” Victoria exclaims. “Please tell me you
are!”

“I’m not sure yet, we will see how it goes,” Trent murmurs. “Come on
Teagan, we are going to switch things up in class today.” He grabs her hand and
pulls her to the center of the mat. “Okay ladies, we are changing the course
for this evening. We are going to go over what to do if someone grabs you. All
right?” He looks down at Teagan. “Are you okay with this?” She nods her head.
“Okay, let’s start with this first.” He grabs her arm and proceeds to teach.

At the end of class, Teagan puts her hoodie on. “Are you sure you are
okay with getting a ride home from him?” Victoria whispers, sliding her arms
into her jacket.

“Yeah,” Teagan replies, trying to stifle a smile. “This is going to be
awesome!”

“What if he really kicks his ass?” Victoria snickers. Emily grins from
ear to ear, nodding.

“I will video tape it,” Teagan grins.

Trent walks up and asks, “Are you ready?” Teagan nods. “Let’s go. We are
meeting two of my guys there.”

“All right, see you girls later,” Teagan calls over her shoulder.

“CALL US!” Victoria emphasizes, her hand to her ear like a phone.

“I will.”

“Come on.” Trent places his hand on her back and ushers her to the front
door. A lot of girls are still standing there. Teagan sees the awe on their
faces when she walks past with Trent. Trent’s truck is sitting out front. He
clicks the locks and opens Teagan’s door for her. She hops in and Trent shuts
the door. When he gets to his side, he opens the back door. He throws his
jacket inside and strips off his shirt. Teagan’s jaw drops. 

“Holy crap,” she exhales. Picking up her phone, she takes a quick picture
of him.  “Wow.” Trent throws a black t-shirt on. Then he puts on a
bulletproof vest. Teagan’s eyebrows rise. She watches Trent strap a gun to his
hip. “HOLY CRAP, TRENT! What are you doing?” Her pulse starts to race and
nerves run through her at the sight of the gun.

“Scaring the crap out of a college punk,” Trent retorts with a sinister grin.

Teagan nervously laughs, “I can see that.”

He finally climbs in front and starts the truck. “He won’t touch another
girl again. He will be too scared to.”

“What are you going to do to him?” Teagan asks as Trent pulls away from
the curb.

“Intimidation is the key,” Trent chuckles. They drive quietly as they
head to the university. Teagan watches him carefully. Trent finally looks at
her. “Why are you staring at me?”

Trying not to smirk, Teagan looks out the window. “Nothing, I’m not.”

“No, you were.  What were you thinking?” Trent asks, pushing her
gently.

She laughs, “I’m not telling. I am not looking at you anymore.”

“Tell me, or I won’t do this,” Trent slows down the truck.

“Then don’t, I am not telling you,” Teagan teases. “Pull over, I will walk
home.”

“Like hell you are,” Trent snorts. “Just tell me what you were thinking.”

“You don’t want to know,” Teagan sighs.

He raises his eyebrows, “Something bad?”

“Not really, I just…..well…..this is really sexy.”

Trent pulls his right hand from the wheel and fully turns to look at her.
“Are you going to jump me or something?”

“I don’t know, we will see how this goes,” Teagan says, smirking.

Silence falls between them as Trent stares at her. Finally, he shakes his
head and looks forward.  Teagan tries not to laugh. When they get close to
the university, Trent asks, “Where am I going?”

“Two streets ahead, take a right. It’s three buildings down, on the
left.”

“Sounds good,” Trent mutters. Teagan feels her heart race again a little
when they pull up in front of the building. There is a black SUV down the
street with limo-tinted windows. Two guys get out. They are big, not as big as
Trent, but still intimidating to Teagan. They are dressed almost exactly like
Trent.

“That’s what you meant by full geared and armed,” Teagan exhales. “Is
this legal?”

“We have permits, so yes,” Trent replies. “Get out.”

Teagan scrambles out of the truck and slams the door. Trent meets up with
the guys.  One guy says, “What’s up man? We have a job this late?”

“We have a situation we need to handle,” Trent declares. “Strictly
intimidation, follow my lead. Don’t actually hurt anyone. Keep it legal.”

“Got ya,” the guy nods. He looks at Teagan and grins. “Hello, who might
you be?”

“Teagan,” she mumbles.

The guy looks at Trent. “What have you not been telling us?”

“Shut up Kyle,” Trent snaps. He looks at Teagan and says, “This is Ian,
and that is Kyle. They work for me.”

Kyle grins, “Hello.”

“So, what are we doing here?” Ian asks, being serious.

“A guy grabbed her and messed up her arm; we are going to talk to him
about it,” Trent answers, making direct eye contact with Ian.

“Awesome,” Ian smiles and stifles a laugh.

Trent turns to Teagan and unzips her hoodie. “What are you doing?” She
asks.

“We need the bruise visible,” Trent answers, as he slides her hoodie off.
His fingers gently brush her skin, and it makes Teagan’s nerves tingle. She
looks up at him, and he gives her a soft smile. “Ready?” Teagan nods. “Let’s
go.” Trent grabs her hand and pulls her to the frat house. “Let me do the talking,”
Trent instructs, squeezing Teagan’s hand. “Wait, what is this guy’s name?”

“Franco,” Teagan replies. “I don’t know his last name though.”

“That’s fine,” Trent assures her. “I doubt there are two Francos.” They
get to the door, and Trent knocks hard. A minute goes by, and he knocks again,
even harder.

Finally, the door opens and a guy says, “Yeah?” When his eyes fall on the
three guys in full gear, his jaw drops.

“We are looking for Franco,” Trent’s voice deepens. “Please, get him.”

“What do you want with him?” The guy asks, his eyes widening.

“
Get
…..
him
,” Trent emphasizes. The guy nods and runs up the
stairs. Teagan shivers; this time it is from being cold  Trent wraps his
arms around her and rubs his hands on her arms to warm her up. “This will only
take a few minutes,” Trent whispers into her ear, sending a different set of
goose bumps gliding across her skin.

“Okay,” Teagan exhales. Suddenly, Franco comes down the steps and to the
door. He stops dead when he sees what is waiting for him. Teagan elbows Trent
and nudges her head to Franco.

Straightening his back, Trent asks Teagan. “Is he the one who grabbed
you?” She nods. “That’s all I needed to know.” Trent steps into the house and
grabs Franco. He spins him around and slams him against the wall. “We are
taking you down to the police station.”

“Get your hands off of me!!!” Franco yells.

Suddenly, there are guys coming from all over the house. Ian and Kyle
step in. Kyle puts his hand up. “Back off.”

“Screw you!” One frat brother says, as he steps up to him.

Before Teagan can blink, Kyle pulls his gun and points it at the guy
charging him.  The brother freezes. “I said, BACK OFF!”

Everyone in the room stops dead in their tracks. “We are calling the
police!” A voice from the back of the room yells.

“Go right ahead!” Trent hollers. “They will be taking your boy Franco
here with them.”

“Why?” Franco’s voice shakes. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Are you denying you grabbed her!?” Trent growls, “Because….” He spins
Franco around and grabs his hand. Trent jerks him forward and wraps Franco’s
hand directly around the bruise. “That seems to fit
perfectly.”         

“The stupid bitch slapped me!” Franco shouts. 

“Did you
seriously
do that!?” A young man yells right back at
Franco, stepping through the crowd. He looks older than the rest of them in his
khakis and burgundy sweater, and Teagan assumes he’s one of the senior members.

“Yeah he did,” Teagan replies, showing him the bruise.

Franco squirms in Trent’s grip. “She is the friend of that flake Emily!”

“She’s not a flake, you twisted asshole!” Teagan screams at him. “You are
nothing more than a predator, an ugly predator at that! You don’t deserve a
girl like Emily!”

“Franco, are you admitting you did this?” A frat brother asks, pointing
to Teagan.

“I don’t know! Maybe she did that to herself!” Franco spits out.

Trent grabs his hand and holds it up to Teagan’s arm. “Do we need to go
through this again?”

“No, he did it,” a guy in a blue long sleeved t-shirt interjects. “I was
there.”

“Traitor,” Franco growls, glaring at his friend.

“Franco, this will be brought to the attention of the fraternity council.
It is a serious offense,” the senior member steps up again, looking at the
bruise and at Trent. 

Trent picks Franco up, so his feet are barely touching the ground. “I
think we are going to take him to the police.”

“She slapped me!” Franco yells. “She has to go, too, then!”

There is a steady glare from Trent. The senior says, “Leave him to us. We
will need a statement from the girl and any witnesses. We can’t do anything
about her slapping him, but the frat can definitely take disciplinary action
against him.”

“Listen to me,” Trent seethes. “You come within fifty feet of Teagan or
any of her friends, and I will be back. You don’t want me to come back, got
it?”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Franco scoffs, his attitude clear in his
voice.

Pulling him very close, Trent whispers in a menacing voice, “Do you want
to try me?” Franco stares at him and then shakes his head. “Good.” Trent lets go
of him, and Franco drops to his knees. “A man, or should I say boy, should
never put his hands on a woman. You need to learn that, otherwise next time,
the guy you piss off, may not abide by the law like I do.”

“Bad things can happen when no one is looking,” Ian states, cracking his
knuckles.

“Are you threatening me?” Franco asks, his voice cracking.

“No, not at all,” Ian replies. “You would know if I was threatening you.”

“If you are done, I would appreciate it if you left,” the senior brother
states.  “We don’t allow guns inside the house.” Trent nods. The elder
member steps forward and extends his hand to Teagan. “I’m AJ, the president of
the fraternity. I extend a sincere apology for what happened.”

Teagan takes AJ’s hand and shakes it. “Thank you, it’s appreciated.”

“I hope this doesn’t tarnish your impression of Theta Alpha Theta.”

She shakes her head, “No, I know who is at fault here.”

“It will be brought before the council. I promise you that. We take this
sort of thing seriously,” AJ declares. “Be assured about that.”

Nodding, Teagan says, “Thank you.”

“Come on,” Trent murmurs. “Let’s get you home.”

AJ walks them to do the door. “Our sincere apologies again.”

“Just stay away from her,” Trent snaps, looking back at Franco.

“He will,” AJ promises them.

Trent takes Teagan’s hand, and they leave the house. When the door
closes, Kyle sighs, “Well, that was nowhere near as much fun as I thought it
was going to be. I was hoping that he would at least piss his pants.”