was surrounded by a bunch of Leighton boys.
“Your girl wanted her pussy eaten,” he announced, loud enough for all of us gathered to hear. “You weren’t doing a good enough job, man.”
The girl in question, who was the same girl on his lap a few minutes before, sputtered a half-ass excuse. Her face was bright red, and she hid behind her friends.
I noticed Samuel, Leighton’s Quarterback, charging forward. Ah, so he was the boyfriend. This was also his party, and we weren’t invited.
Yeah, we were trouble with a capital T.
Colton was able to block the first punch, which only served to piss off Samuel more. He was livid as he tried to bring Colton to the ground, quite unsuccessfully.
It was a fair fight…until it wasn’t.
The Leighton boys came forward, surrounding Colton until he was trapped.
“Fuck no,” Brayden growled.
My jaw locked, and the fire inside me burnt like lava, liquid hot and fiery. We cut through the mass of people, the itching need to fight putting all of us on an adrenaline rush.
Without giving it much thought, I yanked one of the boys away, and he fell backward. Weak and useless.
Samuel spun around, his face red and a mask of fury. My fingers curled into a fist, and before he could blink, my fist made contact with his face. Not so pretty face anymore, huh?
He roared but swiveled back around quickly, blocking my next hit. The alcohol was fucking with my senses now, and he caught me in the ribs. The pain coursing through my body fueled me to fight harder and meaner.
He lunged at me, swinging but missing. I could hear the others fighting, the brawl getting louder and messier.
This wasn’t just a fight. It was retaliation. It was a fight based on ego -- who had the bigger balls, who was stronger.
I drove my shoulder into Samuel’s chest, slamming him into the ground. He tackled me back, but I was able to land solid punches into his gut. We were both walking out of here with at least one cracked rib.
My father’s disappointment – punch.
My mother’s lack of care – punch.
My fucked up childhood – punch, punch, punch.
The suffocating darkness, a constant reminder – punch.
My knuckles were bleeding and raw, my left eye was swollen shut, but I. Couldn’t. Fucking. Stop.
Brushed-off and forgotten.
Enraged and lost.
Through my hazy brain, I heard Colton shouting. My head snapped toward him, seeing him rush toward me. My eyes widened for a nanosecond before the bottle cracked against my temple.
My body slumped forward as the ringing of my ears amplified, my chest caving in as I tried to breathe. My heartbeat slowed and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
My vision blurred, and I didn’t see the punch coming.
I only felt it.
My jaw cracked, and I fell back, my head hitting the ground.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Fucking breathe.
The world slowed.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Silence replaced the ringing in my ears as the world went black.
7
Lila
“You’re late, Mr. Coulter.”
My head snapped up at Mrs. Levi’s voice and Maddox’s name. Everyone seemed to have the same train of thought since we all looked up at the same time as Maddox walked into the classroom. Contrary to his usual swagger and smirk, he was brooding and quiet.
Except that wasn’t what caught my attention.
No, it was the fact that his beautiful face was messed up.
His left eye appeared swollen and that side of his face was heavily bruised. He had a band-aid on his eyebrow, and there was a cut on the corner of his full lips. It looked painful, and even I winced at the sight of him like this. Instead of a man bun, his curly hair was left loose, and I had a feeling he was hiding behind them.
People talked; Berkshire’s hallways were never without rumors. There was always something going on. A new break-up, a new student, a bully, someone caught cheating. There was always some kind of drama.
Yesterday, when Maddox didn’t show up at school, we heard there was a fight between Leighton and Berkshire boys. They said Maddox landed in the hospital with a slight concussion.
I had brushed off the rumors and thought it was a peaceful day – finally.
But now, seeing Maddox like this…
He didn’t spare me a glance, taking his seat at the back of the classroom. I waited for the warmth that would always accompany his burning stare, but I felt… nothing.
Glancing over my shoulder, I took a peek. Maddox stared down at his notebook, a frozen statue in time. He didn’t stare