S2 Episode 13

The Avenging Angel

Welcome to Trainwrecks: Season 2 (2005-2006)! If you haven’t read Season 1, please start there! Trainwrecks is a free-to-read fiction serial that follows a group of six Seattle-adjacent friends from the year 2004 to the year 2015. Join Luna Cruz, Sebastian Velasquez, Dimitri and Victoria Hale, Duke Kingston, and Jasmine Nolan as they stumble their way from adolescence to adulthood, falling in love, making mistakes, overcoming their pasts, and staying together through it all.

For series introduction, character profiles, relationship charts, and general orientation, check out the Table of Contents!

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Content Warning: Domestic abuse

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Jasmine relaxed and let her hand fall from Sebastian’s shoulder as the quinceañera waltz came to an end. “Great,” she said. “Now we just need to teach that to a bunch of people who aren’t speaking to each other.”

School had been back in session for two weeks, and the situation was no less dire than it had been in the immediate aftermath of Duke and Victoria’s breakup. Luna had aligned herself completely with Duke and shut both Hale siblings out of her life. Dimitri refused to come anywhere near Luna after their last fight, so Sebastian had to meet with him outside the house. Duke had sunk into a depression so deep that he spent all his free time playing video games, eating junk food, and sleeping, and his bowling game had gone to the dogs. If Jasmine hadn’t felt so sorry for him, she’d have called him pathetic.

She hadn’t seen much of Victoria, but from Dimitri’s scant reports, she was carrying on like nothing had happened while practicing the piano almost frantically. Jasmine had tried to talk her into coming over, but Victoria claimed she was far too busy, and anyway, she was fine! Everything was fine! Such lovely weather they were having!

Jasmine watched Sebastian walk over to the chairs at the back of the dance studio where he’d discarded his hoodie. His new haircut had removed the curls from his eyes and left them piled neatly on top of his head, sides shorn. He might have looked like a different person altogether if he hadn’t still been sporting his emo wardrobe. “We could get Luna and her damas in here with their escorts and worry about the rest later,” he suggested.

“Who’s going to be Duke’s partner? And are Dimitri and Victoria even coming?” She didn’t think Luna would bar them from her birthday party, but she also hadn’t thought she’d go this long without talking to either of them.

“Let Moon figure that out. We’re here to instruct.” Sebastian picked up his hoodie, dropped into the chair, and sighed. Jasmine felt his pain. The arguing had worn her out from a distance, but Sebastian, being caught between Luna and Dimitri, was out on the front lines. No amount of pleading had managed to negotiate a ceasefire between them yet. “I have to admit, I’m at a loss here, Jazz.”

She walked over and sat next to him. “You’re not the only one,” she said. “At this rate, it’ll take a miracle to get things back to normal.”

Sebastian was silent for a moment. “A miracle, huh?” He sat up, turned towards her, held out his hands, and beckoned her forward with his fingers. Jasmine, confused, laid her hands in his. He closed his eyes. “Lord, please heal the rift in our friend group. We can only do so much, but nothing is impossible for You. Amen.”

“Amen,” Jasmine echoed with a faint smile. The one good thing that had come out of the last couple of weeks was Sebastian’s return to church. He’d even attended youth group every Friday night since his reconversion. On the surface, he seemed like the same Seb, but she could tell that a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He smiled easier now, and the haunted look had left his eyes.

A loud buzz came from Jasmine’s coat pocket. She pulled her phone out and frowned at the display screen: a local number, but not one of her saved contacts. She flipped the phone open. “Hello?”

A scratch against the speaker made her jump. “Jasmine?”

“Yes?”

“It’s Destiny.” Another scratch.

Sebastian gave her a quizzical look. Jasmine shrugged. “What’s up?”

“Umm… I’m at Sean’s right now.” More background noise. “Can you come get me?”

There was an unmistakable hint of fear in her voice. Jasmine’s blood ran cold. “Is he there with you?”

“He’s asleep. Got him to smoke some weed. I don’t know how long it’s going to keep him out for, though.”

“Can you wait outside?”

“He’ll get mad if he wakes up and I’m not here.”

Jasmine closed her eyes. The dance studio was in Bellevue. Sean’s place was in Renton, not far from where Sebastian and Luna lived. It would take at least half an hour to get there without traffic, less if she could convince Sebastian not to drive at his usual grandmotherly pace. “Wait thirty minutes,” she said, “and then walk out. If he wakes up, run to the gas station down the street.” She hung up and looked at Sebastian. “Destiny needs help.”

He was out of his chair in an instant. “Let’s go, then.”

~*~

Jasmine had never seen Sebastian drive so fast. He pushed his old Toyota as hard as it could go, heater blasting, radio on low to keep her calm. She’d been shivering ever since she got off the phone. Memories of pain flashed through her mind. Sean slamming her against a wall. Throwing her on the floor. The weight of his foot pummeling every side of her he could reach. You deserve it! he’d screamed at her. You good for nothing, disease-ridden bitch! See if anyone will ever love you! Two years later, she could still feel every bruise.

She directed Sebastian to the apartment complex, a series of shabby, long two-story buildings with chipped wooden stairs and missing roof shingles. Destiny was nowhere to be seen. Jasmine tried calling her number, but she didn’t pick up. She tried again. Nothing. “I’m going in,” she said.

Sebastian put on his hazards and unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’m coming with.”

She almost told him not to, but her heart was beating so hard, her mouth was so dry that she knew she couldn’t just waltz into Sean’s apartment without backup. They hurried up the damp, uneven sidewalk together, muscle memory carrying Jasmine straight to the door. She knocked loud enough for anyone inside to hear. A few tense seconds later, the rattle of a chain, and then the door opened to reveal a red-eyed Sean dressed in nothing but sweatpants. He was almost a head taller than Sebastian, his white arms thick with muscle. The sight of them made Jasmine’s jaw ache all over again.

“You two Mormons or something?” he asked.

Jasmine shoved past him. “Move,” she said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. Destiny sat on the couch, coat and shoes on, her eyes wide as satellite dishes. Jasmine came to her side and helped her to her feet. “Are you okay?”

“Man, take a hike, Jasmine. Destiny and I are just talking.”

Destiny’s hair was disheveled, and Jasmine noticed the green and purple edge of a bruise near her collarbone. A wave of nausea rolled through her. “Not anymore you’re not. Let’s go.”

“Hold up. None of you are going anywhere,” Sean snarled.

Sebastian remained in the doorway. “You two go ahead, I got this,” he said, his voice perfectly calm, his expression serene.

Sean whirled on him and grabbed him by the front of his hoodie. “Got what, huh? What the fuck are you gonna do about it, you little shrimp—?”

In the blink of an eye, Sebastian freed himself from Sean’s grip and charged him. Jasmine barely had time to drag Destiny out of the way before the two fell into the living room in a pile of flailing limbs. “Seb!” she cried, inching towards the door. But Sebastian either didn’t hear her or flat-out ignored her. He landed two good punches before Sean shoved him off and rolled to safety. Then they were both on their feet, circling each other like animals. “Seb!” Jasmine shouted again.

“He has a gun!” Destiny whispered, her voice tight with fear.

Sure enough, Sean pulled a handgun out of his back pocket and pointed it at Sebastian. The panic that went through Jasmine was so intense she thought her soul would leave her body. Her throat closed up. No scream, no prayer, no warning could get through.

And yet, Sebastian walked right up to Sean as if there wasn’t a gun aimed at his head. He pried it out of Sean’s hand, pointed it at the wall, and pulled the trigger. Destiny shrieked. But instead of the report of a gunshot, there was only the loud thwack of something hitting the wall: a tiny metal bead. “It’s a toy,” he said before pistol-whipping Sean so hard he fell back onto the floor in a daze. Blood gushed from his nose. He turned onto his belly to try and crawl away, but Sebastian crouched down, twisted his arm behind his back, and put his boot-clad foot on his elbow.

“No! Please, don’t!” Sean cried. “Please!”

Jasmine’s mouth hung open in mute horror. She held Destiny against her, shielding her from the violence. Sebastian, calm as ever, looked at her as if asking for permission. She could only stare back. With a sigh, he removed his foot from Sean’s arm, cast the BB gun aside, and grabbed Sean by the hair instead. “Y’know,” he said, “people seem to think I’m a nice guy, but I’m really not.” He pulled Sean’s head back to an uncomfortable angle. “If you ever talk to Destiny or Jasmine again, I’ll break your arm and maybe a couple other things, too. Got it?”

“I get it! I get it!” Sean sniveled.

Sebastian patted his bruised cheek. “Good. Might not want to tell people about this, either. Getting beaten up by a little shrimp like me? It’s pretty embarrassing.” And then he let him go.

Jasmine had no idea how to process what she’d just witnessed. She walked Destiny out of the apartment in a stupor, moving on autopilot. They climbed into the backseat of Sebastian’s car while he went around front. Once they were buckled in, he pulled away from the curb and drove them out of the complex.

Destiny was trembling all over. “Thanks,” she whispered. “I was about to leave, but then he woke up and…” Tears cut wet tracks down her cheeks, streaking her mascara.

“Do you need us to take you to a hospital?” Jasmine asked.

Destiny shook her head. “Mom won’t pay for no hospital, but…” She sniffled. “Can you take me to my grandma’s place? She… I can stay with her for a bit, and she’ll…”

Jasmine held her as gingerly as she could. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“I’m so stupid!”

“No, you’re not. This isn’t your fault. You didn’t deserve this. Nobody does.” She rubbed her back, hoping there were no bruises there. “Sean’s the one who chose to hurt you.”

“You tried to tell me—”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re safe now.” Jasmine met Sebastian’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He looked away.

When Destiny had calmed down enough, she gave him directions to the mobile home park where her grandmother lived. They pulled up in front of a trailer blazing with warm light, decorated with windchimes and iron lawn ornaments. Destiny looked at the place the way Jasmine looked at Luna and Sebastian’s house: like she’d reached a safe harbor after sailing through a furious storm. She wiped her cheeks and nose and lifted her head enough to look Jasmine in the eye. “Thank you,” she said. “You too, Velasquez.”

“Stick with us at school,” Sebastian said. “We’ll keep Sean off your back.”

Destiny peered at Jasmine shyly. “Really?”

“Really,” she said with a reassuring smile. They stayed outside until Destiny had been wrapped up in her grandmother’s embrace and taken indoors, then Jasmine got back into the passenger seat and Sebastian started in the direction of her house.

They rode in silence. The heater blasted uncomfortably warm air into Jasmine’s face. She leaned forward to close the vent and her stomach roiled. “Pull over.”

“Right now?” Sebastian asked, but he’d already slowed down and turned into a liquor store parking lot. Jasmine wrestled her seatbelt off, opened the door, and made it two steps away from the car before she was sick. Tears stung her eyes. Her throat burned. Sebastian was at her side in an instant, but she waved him away until she was sure nothing else would come up.

And then she was crying, quiet sobs that only made her throat hurt worse. The evening’s events were on a nonstop loop behind her eyelids. She turned to Sebastian and reached blindly for his hands. In the light of a nearby streetlamp, she could just make out the bruises on his knuckles. “What were you thinking?” she demanded.

Sebastian pushed her hair away from her face. “That I wanted him to know what it felt like to be the one getting hit.”

“What if it had been a real gun, Seb?”

“It wasn’t.” He wiped her tears with his thumb. “Look at me, I’m okay. And so are you.”

Right. She was okay. She was safe. She had people to look out for her. Even if Sean tried to come after her at school tomorrow, Sebastian wouldn’t let him near her. And because she was safe now, she could protect Destiny, too.

Once she’d calmed down, Sebastian squeezed her hand. “You did good tonight, Jazz.”

She squeezed his hand back. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said, hoping he knew she meant it in more ways than one.

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Author’s Note: Y’know, Sebastian, most people just go to a spa when they’re stressed.

Now all three of the boys have gotten to punch someone this season! There will be no more fights… physical ones, anyway…