Violation

"You have got to be fucking kidding me..." I spoke so quietly that only Rob could hear me.  Recognition flashed in his eyes followed by anger.  I quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing firmly.  He looked down at my hand on his, then up to meet my gaze.  I simply shook my head once, indicating that no, it's not worth it.

An uneasy silence had fallen on our previously boisterous group.  Most of the people in attendance knew that Michael and I had gone through a somewhat messy breakup.  A select few knew about the TRO.  People looked from me to Michael and back again.

Holly cleared her throat and stood suddenly.

"Ah, hey, Michael.  Can I have a word with you outside?" she gestured towards the front door.

He looked smug, defiant.  He shrugged one shoulder and scoffed.

"What, is the bitch upset we're here?  She can take this weeks boyfriend and leave if it bugs her so much," he sneered in my direction.  Manda plastered on a venomous smile and laughed.  How such a beautiful girl could have such an ugly personality boggled my mind.  She fixed her icy blue eyes on me and smiled pointedly.

"We were invited, ya know," Manda offered, pulling up the Facebook invite on her phone.  Holly looked bewildered.

Finally, I spoke up.  It was unfair for Holly and all of our friends to be subjected to this situation.

"Michael, you know you can't be here," I began, not wanting to cause a scene or air our dirty laundry in such a public way.  Despite everything we've gone through since breaking up, Michael is still my daughter's father and I didn't want to humiliate him in front of everyone.  However, I wasn't about to sit there and let him bully me or Holly.

"Is that so?  What are you gonna do about it, have your boyfriend beat me up?  You gonna cry to the cops?  You're such a bitch, Emma," he snarled.  Twelve pairs of eyes were on us, then.  It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room.  Manda looked bored, Holly looked to be on the verge of tears, Rob looked furious.  Everyone else had a mixed look of confusion and curiosity.  Someone cleared their throat nervously.

"I'm serious, you need to leave.  We both know why you can't be here..." I trailed off, my voice soft and pleading.

For a split second, I saw a glimpse of the old Michael.  He looked hurt, rejected and so damn lost.  Just as quickly, his face changed into a hardened mask of hatred.  Neither of us ever wanted to reach this point.  If someone had told me a year ago that I'd one day find myself pregnant with a restraining order against Michael, I would have laughed and blew them off.  It seemed utterly preposterous.  Yet, here we stood.

"Michael, please just go," Holly's voice wavered.

"Why should I have to leave?  Huh?  Is everyone here gonna side with her?  What, I'm not part of the group anymore? This is bullshit!" he exploded, gesturing wildly.

"Michael, I swear to God, if you do not leave right now, I will call the police.  You'll be arrested for violating the restraining order.  Do everyone in this room a favor and just leave!" I no longer cared about what people would think.  I grew a backbone in that moment and I wasn't backing down.  I was done protecting Michael's reputation amongst our friend group.  I was ready for them to see the man he had become.

"You know what, you can all go to hell.  Fuck each and every one of you!" Michael stormed out, slamming the door behind him.  Finally, Manda had the sense to look ashamed and quietly followed, shooting another hateful glance in my direction as she did so.

Awkward silence filled the room.  Ice clinked in glasses as people looked around the room

Holly was the first to speak.

"Emma, everyone, I'm so sorry and embarrassed. I had no idea he was coming.  I specifically didn't invite him tonight but the Facebook event was public, he must've seen it." Holly's boyfriend, Peter, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tight.

"Ah, Holly, this was my fault," a voice quavered.  All eyes turned toward Jessie, who was nervously fidgeting with the sleeves of her cardigan.  She was a petite, mousy little thing.  I'd seen her at past get-togethers but didn't know her personally.

"I got your invite and shared it with a few people, Michael being one of them.  I had no idea about..." she gestured towards me, pushing her black-rimmed glasses up and sniffling.  I felt bad for her, really.  How could she have known?

"Jessie, it's okay.  You didn't know," I offered, "I'm the one who should be apologizing to everyone.  I think I'm going to head out."

I stood, clutching my purse.  Rob nodded at me before standing.

I addressed Holly directly.

"Holly, I'm truly sorry to cause a scene and ruin the night.  If Michael comes back or says anything to you, please let me know.  Everyone, again, I'm sorry you all had to witness that.  Enjoy the rest of the night."

Holly walked me to the door.  Slowly, conversation had begun to return to the room.  I hugged Holly tightly, reassuring her that I was fine and simply worn out.  I waved goodbye to the group and made my way outside.

I leaned into Rob as we stood outside my car.

"Jesus, what a mess!" I moaned, rubbing my temples.

"Even though he left somewhat willingly, you still need to report the violation.  I can call Rebecca for you in the morning, if you'd like.  As your lawyer, she should know, too.  You still have that cop's card, right?  You need to document everything," Rob spoke calmly, yet angrily.  I knew he wasn't angry at me, rather the situation.  I stretched up and hugged him, speaking into his shirt.

"I'm glad you were here."