5. Wylie #3
What a fucking asshole. Wylie hated this man with the heat of seven suns. He attempted to reach across Diego to pop him in his smug, homophobic mouth, but Diego blocked him with his arm.
“Get the fuck outta here, man. You’ve had enough,” Diego said to Brian, still composed and in control.
In any other situation, Wylie would have appreciated the close contact with Diego, but he really wanted to fuck this guy up; it was the least he could do for all the bullshit he’d put Hannah through over the years.
Brian spat at the ground and said to Hannah with malice, “I’ll see you back at the house. We’ll finish this there.”
“The fuck you will,” Wylie shouted. Brian glared at him like he wanted to strangle him, and Wylie, lacking any sense of self-preservation, could only egg him on.
“I fucking dare you, shit stain. You’re not worth the toilet paper she wipes her ass with, and you never have been.
I hope she dumps your sorry ass for good. ”
Brian gave Wylie one of his nasty little smiles, his face twisted with rage. “You’re lucky you got your boyfriend here to protect you. I doubt you’d be this brave if we were alone.”
“You’re a loser who peaked in high school. And your threats don’t scare me, you pathetic bully.”
“Whatever you say, Swallows.” Brian hissed the insult as his parting words, then stormed off, shoulder-checking them both as he left.
Hannah was crying, so Wylie took a few deep breaths, then collected himself enough to console her.
Diego led them both to the bar where they each ordered another drink, even though they definitely didn’t need it.
Hannah tried to explain what they’d been arguing about, something about a guy she’d known in high school who’d enlisted in the Army but was back and wanted to catch up.
“I wasn’t even flirting, but he acted like I was.
Called me a bunch of names, embarrassed me in front of Desmond. ”
“Because he’s an insecure asshole,” Wylie said, for what felt like the hundredth time. It frustrated him to no end because no matter what Wylie said or did to convince her to leave him, she always ended up taking him back.
“I didn’t even tell you about the pictures I found on his phone,” she said.
“What. The. Fuck. Hannah, you need to dump his ass. Like, yesterday. Last year. Forever ago. You should have never gotten with him in the first place.”
“I know, I know, but he’s a good dad.”
“Is he, though? Because if he’s an asshole to you, if he talks to you like that and disrespects you, especially in front of Kayla, then he’s not a good dad.
And he’ll probably act that way toward her too one day.
Because he hates women, and he hates himself, and he probably hates you too.
He’s a loser who needs serious therapy. Maybe a lobotomy. ”
Wylie honestly couldn’t think of one redeeming quality about the man.
Even the fact that he had a good job and could mostly pay their bills was just another tool he used to control her.
It was painful to watch his best friend be treated like shit and for her to choose to go back to him, again and again.
“It’s already so hard, Wy. I can’t do it on my own.” She was full-on sobbing now, so Wylie pulled her to his chest, letting her use his t-shirt as a Kleenex. He hated it when she cried, when any woman cried. And he didn’t want to fight with her about it.
“Kayla’s at your mom’s tonight right?” he asked while rubbing her back.
“Yeah, I gotta pick her up in the morning.”
“Stay the night with me then. We can talk about it in the morning. I don’t want you going home to that asshole tonight.
” Or ever. God only knew what Brian might try and pull when they were alone.
The worst thing by far about the man, beyond his shitty attitude and wandering dick, was that Hannah wasn’t safe with him.
Neither was Kayla. And they both knew it.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said, still sniffling.
Her makeup was ruined, another casualty of Fuckface MacPherson.
Wylie glanced around, wondering how the hell they were going to get home, and was happy to discover that Diego had remained by their side during this entire drunken exchange, silently sipping his soda, eyes sweeping the bar as if another hostile soon-to-be ex might appear.
“Heyyy,” Wylie said, trying to bring back his former smolder.
“Hey,” Diego said, silently assessing him. “Ready to call it a night, Birthday Boy?”
“Yeah, sorry about…all that.” Wylie waved one hand.
“Mmm hmm.”
“I didn’t start that fight.”
“Course not.”
“But I appreciate you stepping in, for Brian’s sake.”
Diego raised his eyebrows, not bothering to hide his skepticism.
“I could have kicked his ass,” Wylie insisted. “Probably.”
“Sure you could. Where’s your keys, Mr. Self-Actualized?”
Grinning sheepishly, Wylie dug into his jeans’ pocket and handed them over. Diego wasn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit. And even though he could have taken Fuckface MacPherson on his own, it was pretty badass that Diego had stepped in to protect him.
He needed a man like that in his life.