Chapter 21

A few hours later Jordan found herself pounding on his door. She wanted to see Taylor and ask what happened. She needed to know if he knew what his nephew was up to. She pounded on harder until Matt opened it with a smirk. She smacked him so hard her hand was wringing.

"Don't fuck with me", he said low,deep and threatening.

"Get out of my way", she replied before brushing past him into the house. She walked straight back Taylor's room and swung the door open without knocking. Perhaps if she had been a little hesitant she would have heard the noises coming from the other side of the door and walked away. Perhaps she would have walked away without such a broken heart.

"Taylor", she managed to gasps out past the pain in her gut. "What are you doing?"

He was entwined in the legs of another girl obviously. Pressing his lips against her in the same way he had to Jordan not to many hours ago.

"Why are you in here?" The girl, a pouty red head asked, giving her the evil eye.

"No. Why are you here!"

"Well", she replied glancing suggestively down at the parts of her so intimately connected to Taylor. "It's obvious what I'm doing. How about you get lost so we can finish what we started?"

Jordan looked at Taylor but he was peering at her like she was just some random girl from the street.

"I need to talk to you", she said softly. "Come out here, I promise I won't keep you long." She stepped outside his door and breathed deeply. This wasn't happening to her, she thought rubbing her eyes. She didn't just dump her boyfriend of a year to be with a lying creep. Stuff like this didn't happen to girls like her.

Girls like what, her inner voice chinned at her. Girls that use people, that cling to people? She wanted to scream, to pry that inner voice out of her. She didn't use people and she didn't cling to them either.

"Why didn't you knock?" Taylor asked as he came out of his room, a robe tightening around his waist. "That was rude."

She laughed without humor, a sound so dark it scared her. "Would it have made any difference if I did? She would have still been in your bed if I did." She clenched her fist at her side.

"I didn't say we were serious, why are you so mad." He shrugged, his hands reaching out to grab her. "I can finish up in here and let you come in." He rubbed her arm reassuringly. Only, the act felt dirty and it saddened her.

"I'm not here for you." She snarled, looking away from his piercing blue eyes. "Did you know the whole time?"

"Know what?" He managed to get out before she backhanded him across the face.

"Did you know your nephew was taping his sex with my sister? Did you know he was passing it out like candy to everyone at their school!"

"I didn't know he was going to pass it out but I knew he was taping it. I even saw a clip of it."

She made sure to smack him harder this time. She reached out to punch him right before he grabbed her arms to restrain her. "Dammit, stop trying to hit me!" He screamed, wrapping his arms around her. "Calm down, no one is trying to hurt you."

"I hate you!" She screamed struggling to get free from him. She thrashed until she was tired to no avail until she went completely limp. "Let me go, just let me go." She begged. Taylor dropped her and she fell limp to the floor.

"I can't believe you didn't stop him", she muttered as she wiped away at her tears. "I never want to see you again." Jordan stood up and punched him square in the nose. She felt completely satisfied when she heard the telltale sound of a broken nose with the crunch it made and the sting in her hand.

"What the fuck", he yelled, catching the blood with his hands. "You broke my fucking nose."

"You broke my heart." She whispered before turning and running out of his house.

Jordan didn't know what to do. She couldn't go face her sisters after the mess she'd made of everything. She couldn't protect her sisters anymore than she could protect herself. It was a mistake to think the girls would be better off with her than anyone else.

Jordan reached into the backseat and pressed the talk button on her ringing phone with a sigh. She promised herself she was done cry, she needed to be strong.

"Jordan?"

Jordan cleared her throat, confusion laced in her voice. "Aunt Beth, why are you calling me?"

Her aunt laughed. "Am I not allowed to?"

"I mean you are. I meant uhm, was something going on?"

"Lawd, your sister called me and told me something was going on and your mother wasn't doing anything about it. I know you think you're a big girl and can handle everything by yourself, but you're only one girl and you have your whole life in front of you."

Imnotgoingtocry imnotgoingtocry, she chanted, pressing her palms into her eyes. "I know Aunty."

"I decided I'm going to come get the girls and make them live with me. I know you have good intentions, but you need to grow up before you think you raise anyone."

"Aunty", Jordan breathed heavily into the phone. "You don't know what you've just done. I couldn't thank you as grateful as I am."

"Don't thank me yet", she replied with a laugh. "I'll see you soon."

Jordan hung the phone up with something close to hope ringing in her chest. She breathed a sigh of relief before closing her eyes and thanking god. She could do this, finally.