“You bitch!”
“What’s wrong with you?” she shouted. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me. You know how broke I’ve always been.”
“I’m broke too!” he yelled, glaring at her. “And I can’t afford this fucking house by myself.” He lifted his hands up.
“That’s not my problem!”
“When Paul told me he was moving to this side of the state, I wanted him to take the second bedroom. Thenyoudecided you two should move in together, and then all of a sudden I had a whole mortgage to pay without him.”
I glanced at Hazel to see her reaction, and her mouth fell open.
“Are you fucking serious, Callum? Paul literally moved out here with me. We werealwaysplanning to live together. Get other roommates, you freak! I’m sure it’s not that hard, especially with how nice you keep the place.” I winced, wishing she could refrain from the sarcastic digs while Callum was so red-faced and angry.
He took a step toward her, but I placed myself between them. I was not going to allow him to touch her again.
The room was small, and Callum and I were completely up in each other’s faces. I’d never been in a fight before, and I didn’t want to start today, but it was quickly becoming clear I had no other option.
“We’re leaving,” I said firmly.
Callum scowled, his jagged front tooth sticking out. “The fuck you are.”
“Hazel, go,” I said.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I got this.”
I did not have this. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but I knew that I needed her out of here.
Before I could process what was happening, Callum reached back, wound up, and socked me right in the eye.
I cursed, clutching my face. My glasses sat crooked on my nose, one lens fractured with a jagged crack.
Without thinking, I lunged forward and punched him straight in the gut.
He made a retching sound and doubled over. I had never hit someone before in my life. I shook my hand out, in shock. I flexed my fingers a few times to make sure I hadn’t done any real damage.
Hazel sprang up behind me. I tried to pull her back, butshe was too fast. She kicked him right between the legs with more force than I’d have thought her capable of.
Ouch.
“Fuuuckk,” he cried out, grasping himself, eyes squeezed shut.
I wasn’t about to wait around for him to right himself.
“Let’s go,” I hurried Hazel out the window. I steadied her as she slipped through, her feet landing softly on the patch of grass below. She shouldered the bag with Vermont, and I swung one leg out the window before ducking and squeezing the rest of the way out.
I glanced back to see Callum limping toward the window, his face basically maroon. My left eye blurred and I swiped at it before realizing I was bleeding a little.
Callum kept shouting obscenities after us, but we were already gone. I gave Hazel a boost over the fence, then scrambled after her, and together we tore down the sidewalk, hearts pounding and feet slapping the pavement.
“Run,” Hazel yelled at Jackson as we passed him.
We sprinted down the street, and the next one, not stopping until Callum’s screams had completely faded away.
THIRTY-THREE
Hazel
