A Bullet and a Blade for You (Chapter 1)

When I woke up Monday morning, I knew that Mick wasn't there. He had work. I laid there for a minute before rolling over on my back. As I rolled over, I heard the crinkling of paper and sat up to find a note that had been left.
Hey Cyn,
Sorry thatI had to work today, but I'll be home at four.
Make yourself at home. I'll see you when I get off.
Mick
I sighed as I reread the note and picked up my phone. It was a little after nine-thirty. Groaning, I climbed out of bed and stretched before heading over to dig some clothes out of my bag. Luckily, I had packed enough for a couple of days, but I figured I could some laundry while Mick was at work.
A shower helped me wake up and I quickly got dressed. For a minute, I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a tangled mess from towel-drying it. I picked up my brush and ran it through, then pulled it up into a half-ponytail with the top layer pulled back and the bangs loose. I also applied my usual amount of eyeliner.
Mick's laundry room was a testament to bachelor living. There were piles of clothes everywhere. Somehow, he had managed to spill some liquid detergent down the front of the washer and the trashcan next to the dryer was overflowing with lint and dryer sheets. "Good lord, Mick." I whispered as I started to sort through the dirty laundry. I really had my work cut out for me.
I soon realized that Mick didn't have any laundry detergent. Sighing inwardly, I grabbed my keys and wallet, and headed to the store. It was a little after eleven, so the store was practically empty. I got a cart and headed down the household cleaning aisle, grabbing a bottle of detergent and a box of dryer sheets, just to be on the safe side.
By the time, I got to the checkout line, I had also managed to pick up stuff for dinner, too. Mick would have probably objected, but we did have to eat. Once I was through the checkout, I picked up the bags and headed out to my car.
"Hey." A voice made me spin around and I almost dropped my bags. Edward was standing behind me.
"Holy hell, you trying to give me a heart attack or something?!" He just gave me a sly smile. I felt my hands clench on the handles of the bags. Something didn't quite feel right.
"Sorry, didn't think you were so jumpy. You paranoid or something?" His words were razor sharp.
"Why would I be paranoid, butit's just not everday that I keep running into an ex that I'd rather not have any contact with at all." Edward narrowed his eyes and scowled at me. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm just a little edgy."
"Yeah, whatever."
I made a move to walk past him to get to my car, but he stepped in front of me.
"Can't we just talk for a little while. I mean, we had something once, didn't we?" He reached up and stroked my arm. I glared at him, icily and jerked away from his touch.
"Don't you ever touch me again." I moved to go around him and opened the back door of my car to put the bags in. Edward was still standing there, but I could tell he was getting pissed and I just wanted to get out of there.
I shut the car door and went to open the driver's door, when Edward grabbed me and slammed me against the car. I tried to get out of grip, but he had a hold of both of my arms. "Let me go!" I spat in his face, but he just leered at me.
"Where's your boyfriend to protect you now."
I was kind of starting to freak out now. Edward had had a bit of a violent temper when we'd been together. There had been three holes in the walls that had testified to what he could do when he had been living with me. Honestly, I had no idea what he would do to me if I pushed him too far.
It was a fairly warm day and some sweat had collected on his brow and had ran down into his eyes. He let go of my left arm for a momentto wipe it awayand I slapped him across the face. He backed up a step and rubbed his jaw where I'd struck him. Now he was really pissed.
"You bitch." He made a lunge at me, but I stepped to the side and he collided with my car. Without a moment's hesitation, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the knife that Mick had given me and that I now carried everywhere. I unfolded the blade and when Edward saw it catch the light, he froze.
"Stay away from me." My words were practically whispered, but I knew he heard me. He reached up and ran his hand through his hair before turning and walking away.
For a moment, I couldn't move. I just stood there as the adrenaline coursed through my veins. Finally, I closed the knife and stuffed it back in my pocket. I climbed into my car, but for some reason I couldn't get the key in the ignition. After the third try, I realized that it was because I was shaking badly. I took a deep breath which steadied me long enough to get the key in and turned. Once the car started, I drove slowly back to Mick's house.
When I got there, I headed straight to the laundry room and started a load of clothes. However, it was all very mechanical and I knew I was only doing it to hold off the inevitable flood of tears that was threatening to engulf me. After I got the laundry started, I went into the kitchen and put away the food that I had purchased. I looked at the clock and saw that it was quarter 'til one.
Still with that mechanical precision, I made myself a cup of tea and sat down at the table. I picked up a magazine, but couldn't focus on the words or the pictures. When I heard the washer stop, I jumped up and headed back into the laundry room to put the clothes in the dryer. Then, I put another load in the washer.
I had just shut the lid when it hit me. I doubled over and sobbed before sliding down to the floor in front of the washer. Why had Edward done what he had done? We had broke up over a year ago. What had driven him to go as far as he had. It made no sense and he could have really hurt me if I hadn't pulled the knife on him. What kind of person was I that I had actually pulled a knife on someone?
As I sat there, I didn't notice my phone vibrating in my pocket until about the third or fourth ring. Slowly, I pulled it out and saw that it was Eric's number. I took a deep breath and prayed that I wouldn't sound hoarse from all the crying I'd just done.
"Hello..." I kind of half-whispered the word.
"Hey, Cyn? Um, are you okay."
Damn, I thought, apparently he could tell something was wrong.
"Well, actually. Nevermind, don't worry about it."
"Are you sure? I mean, don't take any offense, but you soundlike hell."
"Yeah, I'm actually a little better now. What's up?"
"I was just bored and I thought I'd give somebody a call, but everyone's busy."
"Yeah, I'm just doing some laundry right now, and waiting for Mick to get home."
"Are you at Mick's?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well I can let you go if you want?"
I thought about it for a second and realized that I actually preferred talking to someone at the moment. "No, it's cool. I'm just waiting for the clothes in the dryer to get done and they still have a half an hour."
I had pulled myself up and I was now standing in front of the dryer, eyeing the timer.
"Are you sure you're okay? I know Mick works until three, but you don't sound very good."
"I'm fine, I just had a bad moment a couple of hours ago." I was now making my way into the kitchen and looked at the clock. It was a quarter after two.
"What happened?"
"Well, I ran into Edward and he tried to attack me and I pulled a knife on him." I said it all really quickly like if I said it fast then the thought of it wouldn't stay with me any longer.
"You pulled a knife on him? Oh my god, are you okay? I mean, did he hurt you? Does Mick know?"
"Slow down, Eric. Yes, I pulled a knife on him. Yes, I'm okay and no, he didn't hurt me. No, Mick doesn't know, yet."
I had made my way into the bathroom and was looking into the mirror at my smudged eyeliner, when I noticed that there were bruises on my arms from where Edward had grabbed me and thrown me against the car. Great, I thought, a reminder of what had happened. Plus, they were something that I would have to explain to Mick.
"You're going to tell him, though, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm going to have to because Edward left some bruises on my arms from where he grabbed me and slammed me into my car. I'll have to explain those to him."
Eric got really quiet. "He left bruises on you? Cyn, I think you need to call the cops and report him. That guy is unstable."
"Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell them when he tells them that I pulled a knife on him?"
There was a pause and then, "You were defending yourself."
That was a simple enough solution. "Listen, Mick will be home soon and I need to wash my face and stuff. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Alright, but talk to Mick. He'll be pissed at first, and he'll want to go and kill Edward, but he'll calm down after a little while. Anyway, talk to you later."
With that he hung up and I closed my phone, sliding it back into my pocket. I looked in the mirror one last time before grabbing a washcloth to clean the eyeliner off. I was still wondering what kind of person I was to pull a knife on someone that I had once known, intimately.