The Allies of Old, Book Two Renewal: Chapter Six "History Repeats"

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If you have not read the first book of the series, "Reborn", it is advisable you do so before reading "Renewal" or you will be lost. This link will provide you with a series summary as well as all sixty-eight chapters of Reborn

Chapter Six

A couple of girls and a guy Jenna didn’t recognize were on Austin's heels. College friends, she surmised as she stared at the group. Ge must have sensed her eyes on him, because his head turned in her direction and he blinked in momentary shock. Then he smiled widely and wound his way towards her, dodging dancing couples.

“Jenna! Wow, it’s been awhile, how are you sweetheart?” He slid onto the stool next to her and squeezed her knee affectionately.

“I know, it has been awhile.” She snuck a glance over his shoulder in Anna’s direction and inwardly winced. Her friend was being seriously groped by that asshole.

“So what’s up? I heard you moved to your aunt’s in Jersey.”

“Um. Yeah, I did.” God so much had happened since she’d last seen him, and it struck her that he was the one person she could confide in since he already knew so much. She had been diligently trying not to focus on her horrible homecoming, but looking at his inquisitive face brought everything to the surface. Especially Jess’s disappearance.

“What’s wrong?” he asked noticing her expression.

She shook her head lightly. “It’s a long story. We’d need to get together some other time for me to tell it.”

“Gotcha. We should go out for lunch,” he suggested.
She smiled and nodded, stealing another glance at her intoxicated friend.

“So who are you here with?” he asked.

She instantly looked Anna’s way and this time he turned and followed her eyes. She bit her lip as she watched his face drain of color. For a moment he looked like he was staring at a ghost. Then his expression changed to hurt and anger which quickly turned to confusion and disgust.

He tore his gaze away and met her apologetic expression.

“She’s drunk,” she supplied weakly, “hammered actually. I’ve rarely seen her this wasted.”

He opened his mouth then shut it again, a muscle working in his jaw. Turning to the woman behind the bar he ordered a shot and a beer, quickly downing the first then taking long swallows of the second. He looked back at Anna, and Jenna winced as they both watched Leo pull her backside into his crotch and grind against it. Anna’s arms went up behind her head and around his neck and he pressed his mouth to her ear.

Austin’s breathing became shallow and Jenna touched his arm lightly.

“Austin.” She said quietly.

He looked at her and shook his head taking another swallow of his beer. “I was doing so well,” he mumbled. “I thought I was getting past her.” Another swallow. “Fuck. And Leo? Jesus, what the fucking hell?” He looked sideways at Jenna and she nodded in agreement.

“I need to get her away from him. I’m scared of what she might be considering…”she let that hang as she looked back at her friend.

“Considering? What do you mean?” he frowned.

“It’s really complicated, part of the long story I mentioned. Trust me when I say her life has not been easy these past few months. Fate keeps slapping her in the face with a new twist. A lesser person would be curled up in a ball rocking in a corner somewhere.”

Austin searched Jenna’s face and took a deep breath. Glancing back at the love of his life he felt an overwhelming desire to be done with her. Completely Fucking Done. He did not want to care about her trials. He did not want to care about HER.

Jenna watched a variety of emotions slide across Austin’s face and decided it was time to get Anna away from the creep.

When she reached her she had to grab her elbow to stop Leo from spinning her away. “Come to the bathroom with me,” she commanded.

“Right now?” Anna slurred.

“Yes, now.”

Anna pulled from Leo’s grip and put a finger against his mouth when he started to protest. “I’ll be back,” she said smiling and he let her go reluctantly.

She started towards the ladies room but Jenna put a hand on her arm to stop her, nodding in the direction of the bar. Anna turned to look and froze.

“Austin,” she whispered. She looked at Jenna and tried to focus. “Bathroom. Good idea.”

Once inside Anna threw water on her face and leaned over the sink. The sight of Austin had jarred her and some of the dizziness faded as she struggled for coherence. She scooped water into her mouth from the faucet then looked at Jenna pleadingly. “Would you let me take your wrist? I think it…err…shit. I think it might dull the effects of the…you know a little, maybe.” She squeezed her eyes shut against another bout of dizziness.

Jenna pulled her into the stall, and a few minutes later Anna did feel a little less out of it. The downside was she felt a whole lot of other things all at once. Mostly she felt pain that worked its way up from her stomach and lodged itself somewhere between her heart and her throat.

“Just his presence makes me want to cry. It seems like it’s been that way forever, kinda the way my dad makes me feel.” Her voice was strained and hoarse as she tried to push back her emotions.

Jenna didn’t comment on that, instead she asked, “What were you doing with that dickhead?”

Anna looked up in surprise at her friend’s accusatory tone then looked back down in shame. “Considering something really, really stupid.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“Jenna, I just, I don’t know what to do. As usual.”

Jenna squeezed her arms. “I know babe, but you do know what not to do, don’t you?”

Anna sighed and nodded.

“Let’s go back out there, you have to face him.”

By him she meant Austin and Anna winced as she realized he’d seen her with Leo. She really had terrible luck when it came to things like that, particularly concerning him. She hesitated for a moment and a lump formed in her throat as she tried to think of what to say to him.

“It’ll be fine,” Jenna soothed, “you two were really good friends once upon a time, maybe you can get back to that place.”

Anna nodded weakly. “I would love that but it doesn’t seem likely.”

Jenna squeezed her shoulder, “We can’t hide in the bathroom all night.”

“I know, let’s go.”

They went back to the bar and located Austin standing with the unfamiliar trio he’d come in with.

“College friends, I think,” Jenna supplied.

His gaze fell on Anna immediately and she bit her lip cocking her head to the side slightly in mutual pained acknowledgment.

Before she could walk towards him Leo accosted her.

“Hey,” she said, “Look, I’ve gotta go talk to a friend.”

“Austin,” he said flatly, clearly irritated.

“Yeah.”

“I think you should stay with me, you looked a lot happier a few minutes ago.”

Jenna intervened. “If she wants to hang out with you some more she’ll come and find you.”

“Who the fuck asked you?”

Jenna reared back as if slapped. “You are such a dick! Let’s go Anna.”

Leo made a grab for Anna’s arm and Jenna flew off the handle venting her full day’s worth of anger and frustration on the playboy.

“Touch her again you stupid fucker and I will knock out your perfect teeth!”

“Oh really bitch? Try it!”

“Hey! Don’t call my friend a bitch!” Anna yelled at him.

“Oh sorry, maybe I should be calling you that, or better yet, cocktease,” he leered at her.

Austin stepped between them and grabbed Leo by the front of his shirt, bending him backward over the bar. “Don’t you ever fucking LEARN?” he growled into his face.

“Whatever man, you can have her!” Leo made a futile attempt to wrench out of the iron grip and Austin released him with a sound of disgust.

The three of them watched as he scurried back to his table then Jenna grinned up at Austin. “You’re the man, you know that right?”

He snorted and smiled a little, then focused on Anna his smile fading.

“Hi,” she said shyly.

He nodded at her then turned back towards his friends who were chatting excitedly and waving him over.

“Wait.” She put her hand on his arm.

He shrugged it off turning towards her slightly. “I can’t. I can’t talk to you or be around you. I…” He shook his head and walked away without finishing.

She watched him go and a hand seemed to grab her lungs and squeeze, making it hard to breathe. His rejection was a little more than she could bear at the moment. Jenna put an arm around her shoulders and she let her head fall back, struggling to take a deep breath. Not going to cry, she thought. NOT GOING TO CRY, DAMN IT! But the tears began to leak out against her will and she pulled away from Jenna to head for the door.

Jenna started to follow but she stopped her with a strong shake of her head. “Need air,” she managed to push out through her clogged windpipe, “I’ll be fine. Have a drink, have fun.” She pushed through the door and went around the corner of the building before she sank down and gave in to her misery.

Jenna went back to the bar and ordered a beer looking over at Austin. On one hand she completely understood, on the other she was disappointed in him. Once upon a time he’d claimed he was Anna’s friend. Not just her boyfriend. Yes he’d been hurt, but it wasn’t as if she’d had a choice and he knew that. She worried this rejection on top of the one she was already suffering might push Anna over the edge.

She walked over to him and frowned darkly. “You were supposed to be her friend. At least you put on a good show of it. I guess fair weather has come and gone, huh?”

She turned away and he yanked her back around his eyes filled with anger and hurt. His friends were eyeing them curiously so he back walked her into the corner.

How can you say that Jenna? Me, a fair weather friend? That’s fucking bullshit and you know it!”

“Is it? Why, because you were willing to accept her as she was? The way it looks to me is that you just wanted to keep her and when it didn’t work out the way you wanted you turned your back.”

He stared at her silently for a moment then spoke quietly. “It goes both ways, doesn’t it? She hasn’t called or sent me an email saying, “Hey dear friend, how are you?”

“You asked her not to, remember? You told her you needed time and you would eventually contact her…”

“When I was ready Goddammit! And I think that maybe I never will be,” his voice deflated as he said the last.

“Okay, fine, I understand. It just really sucks you of all people can toss a friendship in the garbage. People are shitty but I’ve always thought you were better than that, one of the good guys, hope for mankind.” She started to walk away and he grabbed her again.

“Where is she?” he asked tightly.

“Not sure, she needed to escape before she burst into tears.”

Austin clenched his teeth together and shook his head, “Man you are fucking determined to make me feel guilty aren’t you?”

She sighed heavily. All of a sudden she was exhausted. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I’m probably not being fair. I’m gonna go. Maybe we’ll get together sometime before I head back to Jersey.”

He watched her walk away, started after her then stopped and went back to his friends.

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