"I'm all right! Goddamnit, I'm all right, Eric -- just leave me alone!"

Eric was hovering like he does when he gets nervous. He was holding the ice bag against my eye, but he kept pushing too hard and it hurt like hell.

"How did this happen, Andrew? Tell me!"

"Mark."

Eric froze. I could tell the reality was sinking in. The color left his face, he looked like he was going to faint -- then it returned, blood red with anger. He scared me.

"Eric -- it's over. Let's just forget it."

"What did he do? Tell me what he did, Andrew -- or I'll go to his house right now!"

"I went there," I said. "I was going to finally end it... and he, he got me to come in. It was my fault, really. I mean, he-- I was in his bedroom and the next thing I know I'm on the ground and he's on top of me. I kicked him hard in the face-- I ran out... and that's-- that's it. I-- I-- Eric, I should never have gone there." I started to cry, "He wanted this to happen, he set the whole thing up, he seduced you, he seduced me-- and now we have nothing."

Eric took me in his arms. I cried harder.

"We were gonna spend our lives together, we were gonna have a life -- a home... and now..."

He held me.

But I could tell he wasn't really listening. He was too angry to hear me. His mind was spinning.

I remembered a story he told me about when he was a kid and someone hurt one of his brothers. Eric bloodied the other kid's face till the boy had to go to the hospital. Eric was 9 years old.

"Eric, Eric, we have to forget everything that happened."

He looked at me, murderous. He wasn't forgetting anything.

"He hurt you, Andrew," Eric said in a voice like gravel. "I won't forget that. Ever."

Eric got up and grabbed his keys.

"ERIC!" I screamed, following him.

"No!" he shouted. "Stay here. I'll be back in just a little while. I think we should take you to the hospital, that cut needs stitches."

I tried to calm Eric down, but it was useless. "Then let's go to the hospital, don't go after him. He doesn't matter. I -- I was asking for it."

"Don't you ever say that, Andrew." he yelled again.

And he left.

I stood in the front door, seeing his car careening into the street and screeching down the block.

It was the domino effect-- and Mark had knocked the first one over.