She Needs Me

"Hello?"

"I've got to do something, Rolly."

"…Owen?"

"I have to…I have to do something."

"What are you-"

"Do you know what he did? Huh? To Annabel? Do you?"

"What are you going on about?" Owen heard sheets rustle over the phone and knew that Rolly was in bed. "What did she tell you today? Huh?"

Owen was at his house now, stewing the whole way home. He'd even stayed in his room for a few hours after, not even being able to eat. He was too angry. After what Annabel had told him though, revealing to him her secret, how could he not be angry? How could he not-

"Owen, are you still there?"

Oh, he was there, pacing back and forth in his bedroom, shaking his head slightly. God, he'd been too upset to even turn on his stereo!

"Yeah, I'm here."

"What's going on? What did she tell you today?"

"You remember…Will Cash?"

"That guy she slept with? Ye-"

"She did not sleep with him."

"Owen-"

"He tried to fucking rape her."

"What?"

"Where is he anyways? Huh? Do you know him?"

"No, I-"

"Annabel said that he goes to the Fountain School. I think. Or someone told me that or something. You should know him. Do you-"

"Owen would you chill? God." Rolly let out a long breath. "Now what happened?"

"She told me about how she went to that party last summer and that guy, that Cash dick, came too with her friend Sophie. Then he fucking…he…"

"Just take deep breaths. God. It happened months ago."

"I don't care!"

"Owen, you can't do something stupid."

"Stupid? Stupid?"

"Yes, stupid. I mean, God, I get it, okay? You liked Annabel, a lot, but remember how you felt when she walked out on you at Bendo?"

"So?"

"So, clearly she has issues with guys, right?"

"Rolly-"

"So what if this is just her excuse, huh? What if she got, like, drunk at the party and something happened and she's just saying she didn't…that he… I mean, it could have happened, right? And then you'd go fight Cash for nothing. I mean, God, last week you hated her too."

"There's other girls, Rolly."

"What do you-"

"Cash, dipshit. You heard by now, right? Everyone in freaking Lakeview heard."

"…You mean she's saying that guy that-"

"Yes. Will Cash. The trial's tomorrow. You've had to have heard about that. Even I know about it."

"I have," Rolly said slowly, probably thinking. "So…then it's probably true. I mean, not all those girls can be lying about one guy, right?"

"I never thought she was lying to begin with."

"Which means that he really did that to Annabel," Rolly concluded, letting out a low whistle afterwards. "So what are you going to do?"

"I thought a second ago you didn't want me to do anything?"

"I don't. I know you will though. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't…I don't think she'd want me to do anything."

"She must want you to do something."

"No. Annabel's not like that."

"Then why tell you?"

"Because…" She needed him. Or at least that's what he thought. Annabel needed him. And if he went out and did something stupid, she wouldn't have him. "I think she wanted me to understand, you know? Why she walked out on me?"

"At least now we know it wasn't because you were too forward with her."

"What do you mean?"

"I just never mentioned it, but, uh, I thought that she thought you were taking things too far, you know?" Rolly laughed uneasily. "I mean, Owen, she's hot. Like, really hot. Like I'd bone her h-"

"Get to your point, Rolly."

"I just mean that the real reason I thought she left us at Bendo was that she never liked you and knew that you liked her. She just thought it was better to leave, not having to hurt your feelings."

"Walking out on me hurt my feelings," he muttered, frowning slightly.

"And now we know why she did it," Rolly finished. "What we need to focus on at the moment though is what you're going to do about it."

"I just…I want to see him, you know?"

"See him?"

"He's out on bail, huh? Trial tomorrow and all, he must be at home."

"I can call around for you, if you want. But you have to tell me first what you're going to do."

"Just see him, you know?"

"And you can't do that tomorrow at the trial?"

"I can, of course, but I need to know. I can't sleep thinking about…I have to know, you know?"

"So what are you going to do? Stake out his house? Sounds like a plan, chief."

"Rolly."

"I'll call around, huh? Find out where he is for you? Will that make you feel better? Then you can go and look at him." Then, on the end, he added on, "Just look though, right? 'cause I like you and everything, Owen, we're boys, but I ain't no accomplice."

"I just want to see him. See what I'm up against."

"Up against?"

"Like…It just…I need to see him. Please, Rolly. I don't even know where to start."

"Alright, alright. I'll call you right back, huh? When I find out?"

"Alright."

"Don't do anything stupid before then, huh?"

Then he hung up and it was just Owen, pacing his room, thinking. How could anyone hurt Annabel? She was so nice. And pretty. And smart. And funny. And though she had a poor taste in music at times, he couldn't hold it against her. She didn't have anyone to show her the good stuff, after all, someone to enlighten her.

Now she did though. She had Owen. He was not only going to enlighten her, but save her. Help her. And if it started with getting a good look at this Cash guy, then so be it.

"Hello?"

"You'll never guess what I found out," Rolly said. It was about ten minutes later when he called his friend back, excitement in his voice. "No stakeout tonight, buddy. He's at Bendo."

"Bendo?"

"Yep. One of his favorite bands is playing."

"Who goes to a concert the night before their trial?"

"You and him might have more in common than you think."

"Rolly-"

"He's not just watching the band, Owen. Sometimes he plays in it. He's not from the Fountain School, I don't think. I think he's from Perkins. Or at least the guys in the band he's playing with are from Perkins."

He ran through his head all the local bands he knew. "Oh, God. He's in that band? Serious?" Killing him would be putting him out of his misery if he was in that band.

"Look, I don't know how long Cash'll be there though, Owen, so you'd better leave now. Are you picking me up or-"

"No."

"Then you want me to meet you at-"

"No."

"Owen-"

"I'm doing this alone."

"But we're boys."

"We are," Owen agreed. "But this is about me and Annabel. Not you."

"Call me when you get back then, huh?"

"Alright."

"Unless it's from jail. Then lose my number. We're boys and all, but I wouldn't do good in jail. Way too pretty."

"Rolly."

"Just don't get in trouble, Owen. This is something that happened months ago. And I know to you its fresh, but just remember, Annabel's okay now. You don't have to get vengeance."

"I know."

"If you get popped again for fighting, that's juvie. If nothing else stops you, think of Anger Management, huh?"

Owen wasn't sure if he meant the class or the radio show, but knew either would work. Nodding in the darkness all alone in his room, he said alright one more time before hanging up. He already had something holding him back anyways and she was at home right now, awaiting the next day and he planned to be there for her on that day. No matter what.

A band. A band. Who goes out the night before their trial to see a band? …Then again, Owen didn't want an answer to that.

Inside, Owen just hung around the back, watching the first set. It was shit music. Not even their own shit music. Owen could at least respect that. No, this was shitty cover band music. God, it made him want to vomit. Now, Owen had nothing against covers, but only tastefully done ones. People that only do other people's songs? There's not art in that. You might as well just play the CD of the original song. God.

Cash was up there, playing bass. Owen just watched him, eyes unmoving. How could he have missed this? In all his conversations with Annabel, there had to have been a hint at some point that this, this…dickwad had hurt her. How could Owen have not picked up on that?

After the first set, Owen headed back outside. He'd gotten his look and, though he didn't like what he had seen, got what he needed. He'd seen Cash around before. He didn't know him of course, but he'd seen him. God, how many times had he seen him after what he'd done to Annabel and not even known it? It made Owen sick to his stomach to think about.

As he was heading over to the Land Cruiser, Owen saw him. Not like how he'd seen him up on the stage, but saw him up close. The bastard was outside, leaning up against a truck, smoking a cigarette. The scum. Don't all of them smoke? Owen was pretty sure, stereotyping or not, that all scum did. It made him want to take the cigarette and shove it up the guy's nose. Or better yet take the lighter and set him on fire. Or-

"How's it going?"

Owen was stifled just by the other guy speaking to him. How dare he speak to him? This jerk who'd hurt Annabel, Owen's almost kind of practically girlfriend. God, they'd kissed, Owen and Annabel had. That made them something, didn't it? It did to him. She'd met his sister and knew about Anger Management. He'd even taken her to World of Waffles. And made her CDs. She was something to him and this…prick had tried to take something from her.

"It's going," Owen muttered back, walking on by.

"You come out to see us?"

See that shit band? Owen would rather eat literal shit. No, really, he would. Or better yet, he'd rather shove shit down Cash's throat. Yeah. That's what he'd do. And then he'd-

"We've got a lot of fans, you know. Locally. Ain't even really my band, though. Just fill in sometimes," the guy went on, taking another drag. "It's the chicks, you know? More of them come when I'm here. Can't keep them off me. Got a girlfriend, but you know. Can't stop the influx."

Owen didn't even think about it. He didn't have a chance to redistribute his anger, didn't even have a chance to count to ten. His fist just came up all on its own and punched the guy straight in the face, making swift contact. Cash was stronger than he'd have liked, not eating the punch, but not being knocked out either. That was fine though. Because Owen would gladly-

"The fuck is going on over here?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing back, he found the bouncer.

"This shithead fucking hit me," Cash yelled, jumping up. When he came at Owen though, the bouncer moved to hold him back. "What the fuck, man? What's your problem?"

"What's my problem? What's yours?" Owen couldn't help it now. He was angry. Anger was part of life, or so he'd learn in his anger management classes. You just had to find a way to channel it. Unfortunately for Cash, the way he wanted to channel it tonight was through his fists. "You fucking mess her up. Annabel. You screwed her to hell. You're lucky I don't-"

"She came onto me."

Owen was ready to hit him again, but the bouncer shoved him back. He was a big guy and was not amused by what was going on his parking lot.

"Get the hell out of here, man," the guy said, pointing. Then he looked at Cash. "I think it's time you go too."

"He hits me and I'm getting booted? Fuck that. You-"

Owen left them arguing, heading over to his Land Cruiser. He'd done what he'd come to do. And more.

It wasn't until he was home, sitting in front of his house in the car, that it really caught up to him. He'd hit someone. That was something he swore never to do. And why? Because Annabel, a girl that broke his freaking heart, got hurt by some guy? Why did he care? Huh? She didn't care about him that day she walked out, all those days she avoided him. So why did he care?

"Because I like her," he mumbled to himself, leaning his head down against his steering wheel as his radio blasted out music that normally helped him feel better. Not today though. "And she likes you. And no one likes you. No girl has ever liked you. But she does."

So maybe it wasn't right. You know what, it wasn't right. Punching Will Cash. It did nothing. At all. What did it accomplish? Owen still felt like shit and Annabel was still assaulted it. But…but he couldn't go back now. He had to see Annabel tomorrow. And maybe he'd tell her.

No, scratch that, he would tell her. And she'd understand. She might even thank him! …No, she'd tell him it was stupid. Because she got him. Because she liked him. She really, really liked him. And maybe, when this all blew over, they really could be boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe.

With that high note, he headed into the house, not shocked to find his mother waiting up.

"You were almost late," she told him. "Where-"

"I hit someone."

"You what?"

…Maybe that wasn't the best plan of attack, but at least it was honest?

"Mom-"

"Owen, how could you-"

"He hurt her, alright? What did you expect me to do?"

"What are you-"

"Annabel," he said, going to sit down on the couch with her. Teresa Armstrong just watched him, not saying anything. His mother was always good about hearing him out before she punished him. "Cash, like, tried to rape…"

"Tonight? Owen-"

"No. Last summer."

"I thought that you and Annabel weren't friends anymore?"

"We…she came to tell me about it. Because tomorrow's the trial or whatever for some other girl. She's gonna be a witness."

His mother was silent for a moment. "And she wanted you to-"

"No, of course not."

"Then you did this all on your own," his mom concluded.

"Right."

"Then you're going to be grounded all on your own."

"Mom-"

"Owen, you hit someone."

"With good reason."

"Was Annabel in immediate danger?"

"No, but-"

"Was she even there?"

"Well, no-"

"Then you did this for yourself. You were angry at Cash for your own reasons."

"I was angry because he did that Annabel."

"And you're angry about it because the two of you are friends."

"Right."

"You're angry that someone did that to your friend."

"Right."

"Your friend. How dare someone do that to your friend?"

"Yes!" See? She got it.

"Good for you. Now go to bed. You're grounded for two months."

…What? "Mom-"

"Maybe longer. I don't' know."

"How did you pull two months out of your head?"

"Because, Owen, this is serious. Hitting someone."

"The bouncer didn't even call the cops."

"Lucky you. Now go to bed. You're grounded."

"But-"

"Owen, sweetie, I get it, I do." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "But you can't hit people to solve your problems. I told you last year when you hit that boy, I told you it'd be months if you did it again. Two months, three, I'm not sure yet."

"But isn't it for a gallant reason? Doesn't that mean anything?"

"You said this boy, Cash, has his trial tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

"Then that is where justice will come from. Not from the hands of my son." She gave him a kiss on the head before standing. "Bed. Now."

"But Mom-"

"Now."

Grumbling, he headed out of the room and up to his bedroom. The day had been horrible. Really horrible. This was how his winter break was going to start?

At least tomorrow he'd get to see Annabel. Right? Frowning, he walked into his bedroom. No. Not if his mother had anything to say about it. He almost went back downstairs to explain that part to her, about how he needed to be there in the morning, but figured it'd be better to deal with it the next morning.

Because the day was over. And he had gotten a lot done. Not all good, not all bad, but a lot. And tomorrow, if he ever got around to see Annabel, he'd get even more good. Hopefully.

Not that he'd be pushing her towards anything or nothing like that. God, he'd understand if she didn't want anything from him at first, given what she's gone through. And even if she didn't ever want to go past friends, that was fine too.

"She needs me," Owen muttered to himself as he got into bed. Boyfriend, friend, or just acquaintance, she'd come to him. No one else. Regardless of the fact they hadn't been talking and for all intents and purposes fighting, she knew Owen was there to protect her, to help her.

Always.

I've been in the one-shot mood recently. Love it or hate it, I guess I'm just gonna have to ride it out, eh?