Heartbreak Lover (Broken Hearts Academy #2) - C.R. Jane Page 0,35

was intentionally looking to incite a fight with a perfectly cool head.

I had tunnel vision by the time I parked outside the apartment where he stayed with two others from the team. I knew there would be consequences.

But I couldn’t fucking care less.

I ran up the stairs and pounded on the door, adrenaline coursing through me.

Derek, a second-string wide receiver on the team opened the door.

“Oh hey, Jackson,” he said, reaching out to give me a high five.

I ignored him and pushed my way into the apartment.

Caiden was in the living room with two others from the team, all of them drinking beers and holding Xbox controllers.

Caiden looked up, and our gazes locked.

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise—” he got out before I walked over and grabbed his shirt with two hands, hoisting him off the couch and giving him a hard shake.

I could hear my teammates yelling faintly, but everything else was white noise.

There was only Caiden and I.

“I’ll kill you,” I murmured right before I let him go and slammed my fist into his face.

“Fuck!” Caiden yelled, holding his nose that I hoped was broken. Blood was trickling down his face.

“What the fuck, Jackson? What is wrong with you?” he yelled.

“I know about everything with Everly, Caiden. I know what a spineless worm you are.”

“Everly? I don’t know what you’re talking about?” he tried to say, but I was on him again, laying my fist into his face again and again.

He roared in pain and then slammed into me.

We fell to the ground. Caiden was able to get a few good punches in before I was able to roll him on his back. My hands enclosed around his neck, squeezing until his eyes started to bulge. He still hadn’t regained his full strength from the coma, and he was no match for me.

Caiden suddenly landed a punch to my chin, and it knocked the wind out of me for a moment, giving him enough time that he could roll us again as he tried to return the beating I’d just given him. His face was swollen and bruised, and I savored the sight of it, wishing inanely that Everly was here to see it. I’d read about her injuries. I wasn’t sure I could pull off giving Caiden a ruptured spleen, but I’d love to try.

Who cared if my parents disowned me and I went to jail?

I was brought back to the fight when Caiden hit me right in the left eye and my eyebrow split open, sending blood splattering all over my face.

I suddenly rolled again and pinned him down with one hand on his chest. I drew my fist back again and again, punching him. It was cathartic really how good it felt every time my fist connected with his face.

A pair of arms grabbed me from behind, and I began to struggle, able to level one more hit right at Caiden’s throat that had him gasping for breath.

“Jackson, what the fuck. Get ahold of yourself.” The yells of my teammates filled the air, and I took a deep breath, trying to control myself from hitting one of them.

The four of them were looking at me like I was a monster. Little did they know the biggest monster they would encounter in their life lay on the ground in front of us. I grinned savagely as I saw that I’d beaten him almost unrecognizable. I’m sure I was a sight. I could taste the coppery blood swirling in my mouth, all over my teeth.

Caiden groaned something unintelligible from his place on the ground.

I kicked him in the stomach, laughing when I heard the sound of his rib cracking. I think that had been one of Everly’s injuries as well.

Two of my teammates grabbed me again and forced me back.

Caiden lifted his head up and stared at me, cold fury written all over his features, and his face looked like ground hamburger as he groaned again.

“Man, what the hell is wrong with you?” my left tackle, Freddie, snarled at me, staring at me like I was a stranger.

“That asshole right there likes to abuse girls,” I responded, giving him the short version of what was a very long story.

Freddie gaped at me. “Caiden? Dude…”

“I don’t remember anything,” Caiden mumbled, the words hard to make out.

“That’s convenient,” I snarled. “You seem to know exactly what I’m talking about though.”

“You think I don’t know something happened with Everly? You think I don’t see how she looks at me like