—***—
“I’m home,” Bob’s familiar, deep voice called out as the front door closed. Demi looked up from the chair in the front room where she was watching TV with the others.
She got up and walked over, looking up at him. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he looked at her.
“Hey,” he said softly, not moving.
“Hi,” she said quietly, standing still. He looked at her, shifting to another foot. “Are you going to kiss me?”
Bob smiled and leaned down, his lips meeting hers. They moved together, ending up in each other’s arms. They stood, kissing by the door for several heartbeats, then released each other.
He looked her over, then his brows furrowed. His arm went up quickly and pulled back the collar of her loose shirt.
“What the hell is that?” Several marks were scattered over her shoulders and the tops of her boobs, with a few peeking out from where the cups of her bra covered her. One was on the side of her neck, covered by her long hair, but exposed as he pulled it away.
She stepped back, pushing his hands away. “It’s nothing!” she said, looking down.
“Nothing?” he asked loudly, staring at her. “Those are hickies, all over you! What the hell has he been doing to you?” He tilted his head, trying to make eye contact. She wouldn’t look at him, and backed away.
His hand darted out, grabbing her wrist. She shook it, but he hung on, not letting her back away further.
“He did this to you, didn’t he?”
“What do you care?” Her eyes met his, filled with defiance.
He stood there, wide eyed, shaking his head. “What do I care?” he repeated softly. “I love you. I don’t want some douche like him hurting you like that!”
“He’s not hurting me. He’s loving me.”.
“That’s not love!” He pointed at her chest and neck with his other hand. “You don’t do things like that to someone you love.”
“Yeah? And what about Ann? Huh?”
“What?” he asked, his brows raised.
“Don’t lie to me!” she screamed. “I saw her neck when she got in the pool. That mark wasn’t there when she got here,” Demi said, a dark look in her eye as she shook her arm free from his grasp.
Bob stood there, unable to speak.
“You did that to her. When you were fucking her! In our playroom!” she yelled at him, her fists balled at her side and face turning red. “I know she’s been after you for a long time. I guess she finally got what she wanted,” she said, her eyes narrowing.
Bob tried to speak, but nothing came out.
“And what about that time at the apartment? Where were you?” She stomped her foot. “You and Ann were the only ones who didn’t say what happened to you.” She took a step toward him.
“You guys did it, didn’t you? I needed help and you were off fucking that skanky redhead!”
Bob hung his head, sighing deeply. After a moment, he looked back up at her, a tear running down his cheek. “Yeah, I did that. But we were drugged,” he began.
“Oh,” she interrupted him, “were you drugged last time?” She looked him in the eye, shaking her head. “No? You knew what you were doing when you did it with her, huh?”
She scoffed at him as he stood there without words. After several tense moments, he sighed, then said quietly, “I’m sorry.”
Demi calmed down a little. “So you banged Ann,” she said more reasonably. “And I banged Tony.” She nodded at him. “So what? How’s what I did different?”
“But he’s garbage! He’s an asshole, and no good. You don’t see how he tries to get with the other girls,” Bob tried to reason.
“Oh, bullshit.” Demi crossed her arms under her breasts, her chest heaving as she stared at him.
“He’s always hitting on Stacy, bothering her when they’re over. I saw how he looked at her, and the rest of the girls.”
Demi spun around, staring daggers at Stacy.
“I don’t believe it!” She spun around to face Bob again. “Anyway, even if he did, so what? We all share! I’ve done all of you guys.”
She looked around the room. “And every one of you girls has done each one of the guys.” Stacy looked down at the rug, but Demi ignored her.
“But we’re family,” Bob said desperately.
“But you did it with Ann!”
He sighed deeply, then said, “That was a mistake.”
She nodded. “Yeah, sure. Once, maybe. But twice? No, that’s crap.” She shook her head at him. “And yet you stand there, and lecture me on what I can and can’t do?” She looked at him, waiting for an answer.
None came. “You can’t tell me what I can do,” she said firmly, pointing her finger at him.
He looked her in the eye. “For the last time. I’m telling you to stop it with them. No more! He’s bad news!”
Demi’s laugh was an ugly sound. “Fuck you,” she said softly. She turned and walked quickly down the hallway, shutting the bedroom door behind her.
The group sat there, no one saying anything for several moments. The buzzer in the kitchen went off, and they got up silently, heading through the dining room and into the kitchen. Food was taken out of the oven, and the table was being set when Demi walked down the hallway, dragging a large suitcase.
“Not again,” Bob groaned. He walked out and followed her to the door. She had it open and was stepping out when he caught up to her.
“Demi,” he said. She stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Wait, please?”
“Why?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too. But I also love them.” She turned and looked at him. “Don’t you see? This is how I am.” She searched his eyes.
“No,” was all he said.
She sighed, then picked up her bag. “I need this.”
She dragged her bag and put it in the back seat of her car, then got in and drove away.
Bob didn’t wait for her to make the turn at the end of the road this time. He shut the door and went back to his room, closing the door softly.
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