But I decide to give him a chance and delay punching him right out of the gate by grabbing him by the jersey instead and shoving him against the chain-link fence that surrounds the field.
He brings his arms up in a vain attempt to stop me, but despite the definition he picked up in high school, I have an easy sixty pounds of muscle on him. He’s still a kid, and he’s not getting away until I’m good and ready to let him go.
“What the fuck, man.” His eyes are wide, and I make sure he gets a good look at the fury riding me. “Is she yours or something? Shit, man. She never mentioned having a boyfriend. So if you’ve got beef, take it up with her.” He stops fighting me, both arms raised in surrender. Idiot.
“She’s seventeen,” I snarl, inches from his face.
“What’s your point? We’re both freshmen. I’m only a year older, probably less than that.”
I shake him before slamming him against the fence harder. I can feel the eyes of the team on me, but no one interferes. The only people dumb enough to try are Roman and Emilio, and I made sure both were occupied in the locker room before tracking Deacon down, and that shit took some maneuvering.
“She’s a fucking minor,” I seethe.
“Bro, lay off. It’s not illegal or anything. How do you even know her?”
Shouting comes from the other side of the field. Fuck. I thought I’d have more time, but I guess I’ll have to make due with what I have.
“Whatever you think is going on between you two, it ends now. When you see her in class you’re going to pretend like you don’t even see her.”
His jaw tightens, and I know he wants to smart off, but he manages to keep his mouth shut. Only the flaring of his nostrils betrays his emotions. Maybe he isn’t that stupid after all.
I drop my hold on him and turn, shouldering past the guys on the team stupid enough to have inched their way closer. Fucking gossips.
“Dom—” Roman calls out, but I shake my head. I’m good. Shit is over. Or at least it should be, but then Deacon goes and opens his fucking mouth.
“I’m not passing on her,” he shouts. “If you had your shot and missed it, that’s on you. But I’m not gonna look past a fine as fuck piece of ass for your benefit. Not until I’ve sampled her, at least. When I’m done, I might consider sharing if you still want a taste.” He laughs like he’s some arrogant frat kid.
My head turns almost as if in slow motion. Everything around me falls away, and all I see is the dipshit in front of me, the three meters between us, and the time it will take me to reach him so I can lay his punk ass out.
“Am I right, boys?” Deacon smirks as he looks around him, meeting the eyes of our teammates. No one responds to him and I watch in satisfaction as his smile slips, and then, I’m on him. I have my left hand on his throat, the right clenched into a tight fist and I draw my arm back.
Right as I move to swing, a hand wraps around my fist, barely managing to stop my momentum. I jerk my gaze to my right only to find Roman holding onto me. Emilio not two steps behind him.
“Your hands,” he bites out.
With my left hand still holding Deacon in place, I shake my best friend off. “Fuck my hands.” Whatever damage they might sustain will be worth it, only Roman doesn’t seem to agree.
“You have a fucked-up shoulder and now you wanna fuck your future just to punch this asshole in the face? Come on, Dom, be smart.”
With my eyes locked on his, I ignore Deacon’s failed attempts at escape. His hands swing out in a bid to hit me first, save face in front of the team, but my reach is longer than his and all he manages to hit is air. He realizes that he’ll never reach me and starts pounding his fist into my left arm.
I grunt, but don’t let go.
“Don’t be stupid. You’re better than this. Don’t throw away the season just to punch some punk ass kid.”
“Fuck you,” Deacon weezes, not liking Roman’s names for him. Personally, I like punk ass more than asshole. It fits him.
My arm is numb. He tagged me on my funny bone and the nerve is spasming, but I’m not about to let up.
Without looking at him, I tighten my grip on his neck.
“My hands will be fine,” I snap. “And if they’re not, fuck it. It’ll be worth it to teach this motherfucker a lesson.”
Emilio appears on my other side and both he and Roman work together to shove me back.
I drag Deacon backward with me.
“Dude, let go,” Emilio shouts.
