Oh my God.
For one suspended second, it feels like the entire beach forgets how to move. Gasps ripple through the crowd. The music cuts off abruptly, leaving nothing but the crash of waves and the crackle of the fire filling the sudden silence.
Jacob groans as he pushes himself up, sand clinging to his palms. The shock drains from his face almost instantly, replaced by anger.
Before I can move, or even say stop, he lunges forward and drives his fist straight into Ryan’s cheek.
“STOP!” I scream. But they’re already going at each other. Fists swing. Sand kicks up beneath their feet. Shouts ripple through the crowd as people rush closer, a loose circle forming around them. Someone yells. Someone else is already filming.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Jacob lands another hit to Ryan’s ribs, but Ryan shoves him back and tackles him hard into the ground. There’s no hesitation in him, just pure rage.
Jacob spits blood into the sand and lets out a breathless, cruel laugh. “Look at you,” he sneers. “Just like your old man, huh?”
Ryan’s grip tightens in Jacob’s shirt and something in his face shifts. Like a wound tearing open.
“Say that again,” he growls, his voice shaking with something far worse than anger.
“Ryan!” I shout, already rushing forward.
I barely register the hand grabbing my shoulder until I turn and see Noah beside me, Liam already pushing past us toward the fight. On my other side, Mel and Kiara’s voices blur together—
“Mads, what’s happening?!”
“What the hell is going on?”
Noah and Liam reach them in seconds.
“Ryan, get off him!” Noah yells.
Liam hooks his arms around Ryan’s shoulders and hauls him back with force while Noah shoves Jacob the opposite way, holding him there as Jacob struggles and swears.
“Let go of me!” Ryan shouts, still fighting against Liam’s grip.
“Calm down, man!” Liam snaps.
The crowd presses closer, voices overlapping, phones lifted high into the air. My heart is pounding so hard it makes me dizzy.
Jacob jerks against Noah’s hold, glaring at Ryan with blood on his lip. “You think you’re better than me?” he spits. “You’re exactly the same—”
“Oh, go fuck yourself, Walker!” Ryan fires back, still straining forward.
I step in front of him, grabbing the front of his hoodie, both hands flat against his chest. His heart is slamming hard beneath my palms, like fucking drums.
“Ryan,” I say, breath shaking—but he doesn’t see me.
“Ryan!”
His eyes finally snap to mine. They’re wild and dark.
“Come with me,” I say, forcing steadiness into my voice. “Now.”
He hesitates, just long enough to glance past me at Jacob, who’s still restrained in Noah’s grip, breathing hard, furious.
“Now!” I repeat.
Something in Ryan’s expression shifts—and finally, he nods once. Liam slowly loosens his hold. And I don’t wait. I grab his hand and pull him with me, straight through the crowd.
