A Hater's Gamble (BxB)

TWENTY-FOUR

"I should be over all the butterflies."

M I L E S

The November chill was enough to make me extra irritated. Not only was I cold, but I was insanely tired. I wanted to repress last nights events, never talk about them-with anyone. Not even my sister, who sobbed halfway to the hospital.

I had to hold it together for them, for my mother and my sister. Someone had to.

I had harsher things to worry about, if that was even possible. Grace plopped down next to me at our lunch table. Her nose was pink from the icy air and her teeth chattered.

"Guess what?," she said, eyes glittering.

I arched a brow. "Finally don't need me to help you with your physics homework?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved me lightly. "Don't be an ass. Just guess!"

I huffed out a laugh and shrugged tiredly. "I don't know, Grace. Did you score concert tickets?"

She shook her head persistently with a wide smile on her chapped lips. "Nope!"

"Then what?," I asked, rubbing at my eyes.

"I met a guy!," she squealed.

And just like that, my tiredness had completely evaporated. "What? Who?"

"His name is Hector-and we're dating now," she said, bashfully.

I turned my full attention to her. "I want to meet him then," I said coldly.

"Miles, he's a good guy," Grace said, patting my hand. "I promise."

"Where'd you meet him?"

"At Stacy's party," she mumbled.

An alarm seemed to sound in my brain. Carl's daughter. At his house.

I chuckled darkly. "Absolutely not. Those guys at the party were no good. None of them."

She clicked her tongue. "Not true, you were there."

"Everyone except me," I amended. "But I stand corrected, I still want to meet this Hector person."

"Miles, it's really not a big-," Grace was cut off.

From behind me, icy cold water doused my head, my jacket, my pants. Everything. I gasped and shot up from my seat, my heart beating frantically.

If there was one thing I hated more than Liam Coleman, it was being wet. I turned around and met the snickers of Diego, Sam, and Frank. Diego was holding a now empty, red water jug in his hands as he held a daring expression on his face. Liam was beside him with a look of amusement as Daisy held his hand. She laughed manically at my drenched form.

I shivered.

"Ah, my bad, Miles. I wasn't watching where I was going!," Diego taunted, smirking.

Rumbles of laughter.

Grace stood up to intervene, but I held up a hand to hold her back.

"Maybe you should fucking watch yourself next time," I growled as water dripped from my hair to my eyes. Freezing.

"I should?," Diego said, taking a step toward me.

Liam let go of Daisy's hand and tensed. I wanted to carve his heart out. Starve him.

I wasn't thinking properly, not with the icy water sticking to my clothes.

"Yeah," I growled.

"Should I see if your sister-," he began, a sparkle in his brown eyes.

Lightning flashed before my eyes, filled my veins, fueled my lungs. I lunged at Diego and effectively tackled him to the ground. I heard him crack his head against the concrete. Good.

Over and over, my fist connected with Diego's face. He struggled beneath me, but all I could think of was the blood gushing out of his nose. A gleeful sense filled me, and I realized, I could've stayed like this forever; punching Diego Cervantes in the face.

A harsh force pulled me off of Diego, and I kicked forcefully. "Let me go! Let me-," I managed, but I was turned around and roughly gripped by the collar of my jacket.

Liam's cold, blue eyes met mine. In my fit of rage, they offered me a moment of calm. His hair was ruffled slightly from the wind and his lips were a rosy pink. Liam's scent was like a force of wildfire, warming me, bringing me relief. My ragged breathing stopped, now I gulped at the deadly look he gave me.

It was probably the unsteadiness that made me long for him to kiss me again.

My head throbbed.

When I looked at Diego's bloody face on the ground, my mind finally registered what I had done. I made a mess of him and I didn't flinch once. Who was I becoming?

My father?

Perhaps my mother?

No, no. My hands trembled violently. From the cold, or from fear?

"Go," Liam whispered, eyeing me from head to toe, "Before I kick your ass."

There were no words that aided me. So, I ran.