“No! Fuck you, Kane. What’d I do to bring this on? Seriously? And don’t fucking blame Zoe. She did nothing and you know it.”
Then I found it. Kane’s trigger. The button to press to send him into a white hot rage. The spark to reignite the inferno that was Kane’s bitter and twisted thoughts. “You’re an even bigger dumb ass than I thought.” He grinned, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
“How do you figure?”
“Zoe isn’t innocent. Ever since she stepped foot back in this town, you’ve become a pussy whipped asshole. You’ve dropped everything and everyone that’s important to you. Your whole fucking world revolves around that slut…”
I didn’t give him a chance to finish his tirade. I pounced on him, my fury uncontrollable. I swung blows left and right. Some landed. Some didn’t. I felt a knee collide with my ribs and I doubled over, but when Kane lifted his knee again I managed to knock him off balance before he broke my nose. We tumbled to the ground, a mass of limbs and obscenities. I was tiring and I couldn’t help but to hope Kane was too.
“Stop! Please stop,” a soft voice cried.
And as if it was the cure for cancer, world peace, and a ticket to the moon all rolled into one, all the fight left me. I felt Kane’s body slump beneath mine. I didn’t have to look at him to know he’d given up the fight just as quickly as I had.
Rolling off him, I sat on my butt on the wet grass and ran my hands through my hair. What a fucking mess. It took a moment before I found the strength to raise my tired, pounding head and look at Zoe. The truth was I was embarrassed. Sure, Kane had come home itching for a fight and acting like a douche, but I’d sunk to his level pretty quickly. He had an excuse, if there was such a thing. He was completely sloshed.
“Zoe,” I began. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, her hair in disarray, and her clothes dishevelled. Shaking her head slowly, she wrapped her arms around her chest protectively. Stealing a glance at Kane, he didn’t look much better. He had a split lip, sunken eyes, and was covered in a thin layer of sweat, dirt, and grass. He needed a shower and he needed it now. Hopefully it would wash away the foul stench of whiskey while he was at it.
“Seriously, children!” a screech resounded, followed by a mop of brown hair.
As soon as I saw her I knew we were going to get our asses chewed for being such idiots. Part of me wished I’d never texted her. I just hadn’t been thinking about how I’d look when I’d done it. All I’d been thinking about was Zoe. Right now though, regret was hanging over my head like a fucking noose.
“Mum?” Kane garbled as he spat on the grass beside him.
“Don’t you dare Mum me!”
Glancing at Kane, I saw the same fear reflected in his eyes. Mum might be tiny, but she was still Mum, and she’d just walked in on us acting like idiot children.
“It’s okay…” I started, but when her hand flashed up I quickly shut up. It was safer that way.
“Don’t you dare sit there and tell me it’s okay. You two are grown men, for God’s sake. Why don’t you try acting like it? You’re both filthy, and Kane?you reek. Instead of acting like complete morons, shower up and sleep it off,” she commanded.
Climbing to my feet, I suddenly felt every single one of the blows that Kane had landed. And he’d landed some crackers. “Shit!” I groaned as I pulled myself upright.
“Zoe,” I tried to call out but my voice didn’t seem to be working. My throat was dry and when I saw fear in her eyes I hated myself. She’d already been through hell in the past forty-eight hours and I’d done nothing except make it worse by acting like a Neanderthal. The only thought in my mind was wondering how I could take it back. Undo the last ten minutes. Make it up to her. I had nothing.
“Spencer!” Mum snapped, shocking me from my remorse. “Zoe’s staying with me tonight. Honey, go grab a bag and we’ll get you home. You look like you could use a good night’s sleep,” Mum’s voice softened as she spoke to Zoe and I knew she cared. Not that I’d ever doubted it, but there it was.
“But?”
“No, Spencer! No but Mum. Zoe is coming with me. That way she can get a decent night’s sleep and you two can get your shit together. I don’t want to see either of you until you’re ready to act like adults. Don’t even bother coming near the house. That goes for both of you. So Kane, you can wipe that smirk off your face right now.”
She didn’t wait for protests. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Instead, she hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder and stalked back inside. I stood there, rooted to the spot until I heard the car pull away, stewing in my own stupidity.
A deep, dry chuckle broke the eerie silence, “Guess we fucked that up,” Kane offered as he wobbled to his feet.
“We?”
“Yeah, big brother. We. I wasn’t punching myself.”
“You started it,” I reminded him.
“And as usual, you fought back.” Kane shrugged carelessly as he headed towards the house. “I’m going to shower.”
“Fine. Save me some hot water,” I conceded, all the fight gone from me. I’d lost, and lost big. “Kane?”
He spun around as he held open the back screen door. “Yeah?”
“You going to tell me what that was all about?” I asked warily. I wasn’t ready for another round of fisticuffs. I really did want to know what had started that one. I needed to.
“You really want to know?”
Not trusting my voice, I just nodded. Truth be told, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t get any sleep until I did.
“Zoe has turned you into someone else…”
“No, she hasn’t,” I denied quickly, ignoring the niggling in the back of my brain wondering if maybe Kane had a point.
“Yeah, she has, big brother. Since the moment she set foot in this God forsaken town, you’ve been at her beck and call. You’ve become some pussy whipped wimp. You’re not her boyfriend, Spence. You’re her bitch,” Kane added before ducking inside.
I watched him walk away as his words taunted me. I hadn’t changed. Maybe my priorities had shifted temporarily, but I hadn’t. Not really. Zoe needed my help. She needed me to look after her. To keep her safe. That’s all. When she went home tomorrow, things would go back to normal.
