square_the_circle_chapter_26_ crOwl scott's natural reaction to the abrupt presence of the police, two officers entering swiftly and methodically, was willing surrender. he still loomed above dennis browne, his chest heaving with disgust and then turned away from him like a cat who grows bored with the injured and weakened mouse and gazed upon kayla, her blood stained, delicate white shirt, her right hand clenched in a fist holding the tooth he had accidently jarred from her mouth. "i'm so sorry," scott moaned. he ran his hands across his forehead and pressed his fingers tightly against his eyes. he looked at her with a bedraggled sense of defeat. he was delerious with rage and this severe reality check yanked him like a mother who pulls their child from an oncoming car just before he steps obliviously into the street. the police had everyone on their feet in a few seconds, moving with strong authority and a no nonsense urging. dennis browne was bleeding from his nose, a cut above his left eye, and his lip, yet he seemed coherent and apologetic, repeating over and over that he was wrong and that he deserved it and that everything was fine. scott had calmed down considerably, smirking at browne's humbled appearance and when the officer let him go, he rushed over to kayla. she exploded into his arms and he desperately hugged her as if his embrace could erase his folly, press the clay into a shape of his deliberate choosing, but it was not to be. she smashed her hands to her mouth and sobbed. the police addressed scott, advising him with piercing stares and a pointed finger against his chest not to touch dennis browne ever again and browne agreed to stay away from the premises. kayla refused medical attention, mumbling that she would be alright. they led browne creakily down the stairs and out of the house to where an ambulance was parked against the curb and a pair of bored paramedics sat waiting on the wobbly wooden steps. scott peered out the window and watched them attend to browne's cuts, dabbing away at what his angry fists had done. i hope they scar, motherfucker, scott thought to himself. it all seemed so easy, like a spill that gets mopped up, but scott knew it wasn't over. he would never forget the way browne unflinchingly chuckled when he saw what scott had done to kayla in his blind fury. he never had the chance to deal with that blatant jest and he knew if the police hadn't shown up at that very moment, he would have pummled browne until he killed him. scott sighed. he felt kayla pressing up against him. "come on," he said, grabbing her other hand. "let's get you cleaned up." 061028 ... unhinged they silently walked into the bathroom. kayla quietly sat on the toilet. scott got a washcloth and kneeled down next to her to dab the blood from her face. his hand started to tremble when kayla winced as he touched the bruise on her jaw. kayla grabbed his hand. 'scott...it was an accident. it was one of my back teeth. you can't even see it when i smile.' kayla tried to smile but her lips and brows puckered together in pain. scott laid his head in her lap and a tear fell out before he could stop it. 'you...i...i used to do bad shit when i was young kayla. this whole thing reminds me of my girlfriend in high school.' 'the one that you hit.' scott grabbed her calf to hug her close. 'yes. thea.' 'scott, you know this wasn't the same situation. i should have never let him in the house. you shouldn't have beat him almost senseless. he shouldn't have laughed when you hit me. the whole thing is just fucked.' she talked slowly because of her swollen jaw and petted his hair in rhythm to her words. 'i should be holding you right now and instead you are comforting me.' 'scott, stop. please. it was an accident. if i wouldn't have stopped you, you would have killed him. we both know that. so i'm missing a tooth instead of visiting you in jail. i don't think i used it much anyways.' scott was amazed at her humor. more tears welled to his eyes and he buried his face in her lap. she pushed him away so that she could stand up. 'come on. i want to make a necklace out of this thing.' she grabbed his hand and led him downstairs. 061030 ... crOwl i can't believe how amazing this girl is, scott thought as kayla made him sit at the kitchen table. she moved quickly about, opening drawers, scattering clatter, until she found her jewelery tool box. he watched her with a whole new sense of wonder. i just busted her jaw and she's wanting to make a necklace with the tooth i knocked out, scott mused. he shook his head and sighed. "what are you smiling about cutie?" kayla asked, stopping for a moment. scott loved the rushed look about her, how it filled her cheeks with a rosey swell of indulgence. she found the stuff in the bottom drawer under a tangle of plastic grocery bags. "i just think it's so amazing how you are handling this," scott said, stretching out his arms. his right hand ached from pounding dennis browne. kayla placed the toolbox in the middle of the table and while she stood she opened it and looked for some hemp string and wire. she smiled at scott's words. "it was just an accident," she said, suddenly lurching towards him. "kiss my boo-boo." scott delicately kissed her, carefully avoiding her angry bruise. kayla went back to the toolbox and found what she was searching for. she grabbed the tooth and set to work, concentrating, the tip of her pink tongue protruding from her determined lips. scott watched her with what could be called fascination, but to him it was much more than that. he loved kayla, but there were things that solidified his love, cemented his emotions, and anchored his intentions. events that confirmed his desire to marry her. this was one of them. she took wire and a small pair of pliers and cradled the tooth in a wire seat. using an eye clip, she fastened the wrapped tooth to the string. scott liked it. there was something almost tribal about it, but even moreso, it represented their history. it marked a turning point in their turbulent, side by side existence. it hung between her breasts like a stone. a foundation they would build upon for the rest of their lives. "i think we should set a date for our wedding," scott said. 061101 ... unhinged kayla walked over to scott and he pulled her down into his lap by the arm. his fingers touched the smooth plastic of a band aid. 'what's that?' she jumped out of his lap. 'oh...well...ummmm,' she was nervously hopping from foot to foot focusing on some unknown spot on the linoleum. 'kayla...' there was a concerned nervous lilt to scott's voice. she looked up at him biting her lip. she peeled back the band aid. scott could see the raised and barely scabbed red and pink lines carved in her arm. he took in a sharp breath. 'scott...please just let me say this or i will never say it. i couldn't be rational the other morning. i just couldn't.' kayla stopped talking and raised her hand to her jaw. scott sat silent waiting for her to finish like she had asked. 'i felt so horrible about me and dennis that it started to eat at me like immediately. by the time you left for work that day i couldn't stop myself. i needed to stop the pain i made from hurting you. that was all i could think about.' she started to play with her tooth. her hand always went to her pendants when she was nervous if she was standing still. a single tear rolled down her right cheek. scott stood up and gathered her in the arms mindful of her bad jaw. he kissed her in the part of the hair. 'i should have handled it better.' kayla pushed him away to look him in the face. 'no you shouldn't have. i cheated.' a tear splashed on scott's arm. 'we need to set a date for our wedding,' scott reiterated. 'march 28th,' she replied unblinkingly. 'why that day?' 'it's the day my grandma died.' 061101 ... . square_the_circle_chapter_27_ 061105 what's it to you? who go blather from