Title: "Adversity On Gilman: Part 4 of 12"        

         Matt threw a punch at Zero. He had already connected with two to Zero's stomach and collarbone. Zero had yet to throw a punch back at Matt. He was just trying to contain the emotions that were going through Matt.

         Erica was standing, screaming, trying to stop them from fighting. But Matt wouldn't listen. It was all Zero could do to block the punches Matt was throwing, looking for a moment to seize him into some type of submission.

         Matt jabbed a punch at Zero, but Zero was able to duck out of the way. Matt followed up with a looping punch, but Zero slid under it, went around behind Matt, and grabbed him around his waist. Matt knocked his head back for a headbutt, but it only hit Zero's shoulder. Zero picked Matt up with some reserved momentum and swung the two backwards. They crashed atop Zero's living room table, the force of the land causing a leg to snap from it, sending both men crashing to the floor. It was in that position that Zero latched onto Matt's arm and twisted it behind his back. He took the other arm and wrapped it tightly around his shoulder blade, minimizing the movement of Matt's head.

         Matt tried to fight his way out of the hold, but it was a hold that Zero had used on many people throughout the years, from bar fights to street fights, when he needed to contain them in some sort of manner.

         Erica knew that it was hurting Matt to move. She also knew that someone had told him some sort of false information. She hollered at him through the built up tears in her eyes, "Matt, stop! Stop! You're wrong. This... I..."

         Matt couldn't move his body in any way to break free, but he could still talk. And that he did, as he responded to Erica. "Now you're taking up for him. I can't believe this."

         Zero repositioned his grip to make sure Matt wouldn't suddenly slip out from him. As he done so, he listened as Matt hollered back to Erica. And Zero, too, knew that Matt was wrong. He spoke mild volume into Matt, as his mouth was just inches from Matt's right ear. "I don't know what Carenthia told you, but she was wrong. I don't know where she got that from."

         Matt tried to turn his head back to speak into Zero's face, but a shoulder prevented that. So instead, he just spoke through his gritted teeth. "You're lying! She heard you say it last night. She heard both of you say it last night."

         It was slowly starting to fall together. Confusing still, yes. But Zero was starting to see exactly what might have happened. And so, he spoke back to Matt. Loud enough so Erica, standing off to the side, could hear, but still no more than a loud whisper. "Matt, what has gotten into you, man? If Carenthia heard us talking, she only heard me trying to help your girlfriend through a stressful situation she was in. She came over to ask about you, because she loves you."

         Suddenly, from the open door of Zero's apartment, Carenthia came rushing in. She knew she had messed up earlier when she finally broke down and told Matt what all she had heard, and then what all Mrs. Jenkins had told her. She had rushed to her house to drop off the groceries, then she sped over to the apartments to try and stop something before it happened.

         As she walked into the apartment, she realized that she had been too late. "Oh my God," was all she said as she saw the broken table that Zero had Matt submitted on.

         Zero saw her walk in. She was the center of this whole ordeal. He let go of the hold on Matt, rolled him to the side, and quickly got up. It was a heavy stride as he walked closer to Carenthia. "Just what do you think you're doing? Where are you getting your stories?"

         Matt was slow to get to his feet, as he was just starting to get feeling back in his arm. He almost started to charge at Zero from the blind side. He stopped when he heard Zero speak to Carenthia. He heard what Zero said, but knew in his head that Zero was about to try to talk his way out of this. "Zero, what are you even trying to say?"

         Zero turned sharply back to Matt and pointed his finger at him. Sternly, he said, "Matt, wait." He then looked back to Carenthia, Matt, and Erica. He made sure to get a look at everyone before he finished his statement. "Everybody just stop so we can see what is going on!"

         Carenthia couldn't believe everything had escalated so quickly in the way that it had. She only spoke aloud to herself as she said, "I don't know what's happened."

         Zero tore Carenthia right out of her single world with a sharp statement. "You're spreading rumors about us, that's what's happened!" With a snarled tone, he added, "You're modeled right after Jenkins' own heart."

         Carenthia's head popped up to look at Zero in the eyes. He looked different that the night before. The knitted skullcap was gone. His black hair stood all over the place. Was he the same person she had met? Was Mrs. Jenkins right about him? She didn't know. She didn't know how to know. She only said, "No, wait, I heard you say it. And I didn't intentionally try to start this trouble."

         Zero loosened on the snarl, but maintained an angered tone in his voice as he spoke quickly back at Carenthia. "You started it, regardless. And just what exactly do you think you heard?"

         Matt started to speak up, but Erica grabbed his forearm. He looked back towards her. They didn't say anything, but she held him back from interrupting what was going on.

         Carenthia thought back to retrace her steps of what she overheard. "I walked out on the balcony last night to come see you! That's when I heard you talking below to Erica. I didn't want to interrupt you, though."

         Zero was quick to push her along in continuing. "But what did you hear?"

         Carenthia paused for a moment. She looked at everyone in the room. A wave of nerves swept through her. She slowly looked back to Zero and told him what she heard. "I heard Erica say that she was pregnant." She threw a very quick glance at Erica. "And that you'll would get through this."

         Matt jerked forward, causing Erica's hold on his forearm to come loose. "Now what is that about?!" he hollered at Zero.

         Zero, obviously pissed off at having lies spread about both him and people he knew, was just irritated with Matt's behavior now. He turned back to Matt and said, "Matt, just relax." Zero took a deep breath before continuing. "She's my friend. She came to me to have someone to finally talk to about it. And I told her I would be there for her. That's what a friend is supposed to be."

         Erica spoke up from behind Matt. "Because Matt..."

         But Zero interrupted her. He wasn't sure if she was going to talk about the possible pregnancy or not, but he decided to say why she had came over, instead. "Because she didn't want to worry you, Matt, if she didn't have to. She was looking out for your best interest, but it was killing her inside by not being able to talk to someone."

         Matt didn't know what to say. He was beginning to feel three inches tall and not knowing want to do. His emotions had got the best of him, because he believed what Zero had just said. "I..."

         Zero couldn't hear an apology right then. Maybe later, but he still needed to get to the root of the whole issue. "Just..." He sighed. "Don't..."

         Erica reaffirmed what Zero had said. "He's telling the truth, Matt." Matt turned to look at her. She continued by saying, "That's why I came over here today. You were at work, but I needed someone to talk to. He was just being there for me when you walked in."

         Matt was speechless. How much of what he had been told was true, and how much was false, though? "Erica... I... you're really..." He didn't want to say anything about the pregnancy topic.

         Zero spoke up to the two of them. "You two talk it out in here." But then he turned to Carenthia. "But you, come outside with me." He started making his way towards her and the door.

         Carenthia followed behind, not sure what he was going to say.

* * * * *

         Zero closed the apartment door behind him. They stood on the overhanging balcony of the apartment complex. Zero instantly spoke up. "I know you didn't construct this whole story on your own."

         Carenthia could only say, "Zero, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." She looked down, shaking her head. She felt ashamed.

         Zero couldn't stand still. He was wavering back and forth, his blood flowing fast through him. "You've probably said enough. But tell me this: whom all have you told this story to?"

         Should she bring up Mrs. Jenkins? Carenthia didn't know if that would cause more problems or not. "No one. It's your business, not mine."

         Zero knew she was withholding something now. "No, Matt said that he overheard you... Jesus Christ!" The gossip factor in the whole ordeal was more than Zero ever liked being around. "Everyone's getting a story based on what they randomly overheard from someone else. But how did he overhear you if you haven't told anyone?"

         He had her there. "Well... I..."

         Zero stood still, barely a foot from her face. He squared his face up with hers and looked her in the eyes. "Who," he asked, obviously wanting an answer.

         She had to go ahead and tell him. She didn't want to. She didn't know what trouble it would start, but she had to. "I brought the conversation up to Mrs. Jenkins last night."

         Zero pulled his head back. "I knew it," he said with a tone that met with finally solving a riddle. "And now, she's already stretched the story and told everyone she knows." Zero knew how the woman worked.

         Carenthia put her head down. She couldn't believe how fast everything was happening. "Zero, I'm sorry..."

         But Zero wanted to know everything. "When you told her, did she say anything?"

         If he wanted to know everything, she had no choice at that moment other than to completely confess, as if it were a big conspiracy that she had intentionally master minded. "Well, I wasn't really sure if what I heard from you and Erica could be true or not. But she had a way of making me believe the story."

         Zero nodded his head. He believed her. "That's how the woman works." He looked at her, as her face showed every emotion in her body. And he knew that it wasn't her fault. It lied in the hands of someone else.          Carenthia raised her head up to Zero. It quivered ever so slightly. "Zero... I'm sorry." She blinked, but the truth in her eyes rang through. "I truly am. I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry..."

         Zero looked at her. He stared into her eyes. Neither spoke for a few moments. But finally, and slowly, Zero's voice spoke softly. "...I believe you."

         Neither spoke for another moment's time. It was just a walk that spoke. Zero turned from Carenthia and began walking to the other end of the apartments. At that end sat Carenthia's apartment, and beside that...Mrs. Jenkins' apartment.

         Carenthia realized this. She started after Zero, knowing that she had to stop him. "Where are you going?" It was a question she already knew the answer to.

         Zero never turned to answer her. He spoke forward as he walked. "I'm going to pay Jenkins a visit."

         Carenthia picked up speed and latched onto his arm to stop him. "Zero, no, wait!"

         Zero stopped and turned around. Their eyes' met. But it was something he had to do. He had put it off for way too long. He looked at Carenthia and pointed back towards his apartment door.

         "Stay back there. This will be between just Jenkins and I."