A few seconds later, I can’t tell whose punch is whose anymore. The right side of my face is raw, and my lip is split open. Licking the wound, I hold in my wince at the stinging feeling. Tasting the metallic flavor of my blood only fuels my anger more. Stella’s going to see my face all bruised. She’s going to get upset, and that’s all my fault.
“Fuck, stop it, guys!”
I feel hands grip my arms tightly, trying to pry me off of Leo, but I shrug them off.
“Enough!”
“Fucking piece of shit,” Leo grits out before punching my side. “Didn’t your mother teach you how to talk to people?” he yells.
My blood runs cold.
Pushing Leo off my body, I take a step back as I flex my fists. The pain travels all the way up my arm. He took it too far. He doesn’t know shit about my life. For my entertainment, I should tell him how, instead of my mother teaching me the proper ways to talk, she was showing me how to dope up. How to drink until I couldn’t even walk.
I would love to see his face, see how it would drop, just like everyone else who’s discovered my past.
“Fucking pathetic,” I spit out and move toward him.
He cocks his head to the side, and his chest heaves up and down. “You must be so insecure—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Axel booms, standing between us and putting his arms out to separate us. “Guys, stop before you say something you’ll regret.”
“Says you.” Leo chuckles out, shrugging off his hand. Pointing at Axel, he looks him up and down in disgust. “You started all this shit.”
“And I’m about to end it. I was just trying to be fucking funny, but everyone is so tense!” Axel throws his hands up in the air. “I don’t want your fucking girl, Leo. I was playing around, hoping everyone would calm the fuck down with the evil glares.”
Rowan snorts. “That sure helped,” he notes while looking at me and Leo.
We must look like hell.
I watch as Trinity runs to her boyfriend and grips his arm.
“Leo, let’s go. This isn’t worth it.”
“You are—” he says, but she interrupts, “He’s not worth it.”
She pulls his arm until he starts walking backward with her, and they disappear around the corner, but not before I get another glare from Leo.
My body aches, and I can’t help but wince when I flex my fists. How did our fight even start? Both my bandmates send me looks like I’m an idiot when the only reason I’m bruised up is because of Axel.
Elijah stands, shocked, and looks at his sister, catching my attention as he whispers not so quietly to her, “One day, he’s going to get arrested, and I won’t be the one to pick him up.”
“You know you don’t mean that,” she whispers, touching his shoulder. “You would be the first one to leave.”
Groaning in frustration, he glances up at Axel and scrunches his face. “Next time, keep your mouth shut about Trinity and Amelia. He doesn’t fuck with that. If we all want to be civil, let’s just try to avoid each other now.” Turning around, he calls over his shoulder, “I’ll be upstairs, Amelia.”
He disappears down the same hallway the others did a few moments ago while Amelia stands in the middle of the room.
“I think she’s in shock,” Rowan whispers, looking at her carefully.
“Yeah, from my face,” Axel points out. “It’s too beautiful.”
There he goes again. I swear he’s still an immature thirteen-year-old boy.
Stuffing her hands in her hoodie pocket, she nods. “Bingo. Your face scared me to death, Axel. Better put on more makeup next time.”
“Damn, I thought I put on enough!” He rushes to her in mock panic. “Do you have any foundation? These under-eye bags need to go.”
Pushing him away with a roll of her eyes, she walks past him until she’s a couple of feet away from me. “Mind giving us a minute?”
