StarStruck Coffee

'Fuck Them, Fight Me'

Zach's earlier realisation that today was going to be shit, was without a shadow of a doubt correct. After haing coffee spilled down his favourite jumper and then having to borrow Nate's jacket all he wanted to do was go see Beth and get a latte. Sadly, something else came up.

While Zach was meandering down to 'StarStruck Coffee' he realised he didn't recognise the logo on the jumper Nate lended him when his sister's friends spilled Pumpkin Spice Coffee all over him. That wasn't unusual as Nate's fashion sense was very different from Zach's own; but this one didn't look like one of those top-quality, £100 for one hoodie brands that Nate prided himself on wearing everywhere.

The logo on this one was a white circle with a black skull in the centre. The skull was spitting flames , which travelled up the sleeves, just above the cuffs of the sleeve, there were two identical pistols and on the back the inscription read, "Fuck Them, Fight Me" in giant letters that were jagged and also had flames underneath.

"Definitely not Nate's style." Zach said aloud to himself as he shrugged at it off and kept going. He assumed it mustve belonged to one of Nate'd exes or late night booty-calls. Little did he know he was about to meet the owner. In 3, 2, 1-

"HEY YOU!" Zach was grabbed by his shoulder and spun around until he was face to face with an extremely fat dude. "YOURE THE LITTLE SHIT THAT FUCKED MY GIRL ARENT YOU!" The fat guy spat in ZAch's face, pointing to a blonde girl behind him who was talking on the phone, completely uninterested in what was going on, "SHE TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED IN THE BAR THE OTHER NIGHT." How this neanderthal mamneged to land her Zach had no idea. "SHE TOLD ME HOW SHE GOT DRUNK AND FUCKED SOME RANDO BUT WHEN SHE KNEW WHAT SHE DONE SHE RAN AWAY!" This dude was getting played Zach knew that much instantly.

"ANSWER ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!" The man spat again, raising his hand to backhand Zach. "Hey, hey buddy calm down." Zach was scared, he didn't know this girl, but there was no way she'd listen to him. "Listen, i dont know you or your girl, i borrowed this from my buddy, cus my hoodie got coffee all over it."

"Yeah likely story punk." The guy wasn't shouting anymore but he still didnt let go. "Listen here, give me the hoodie and we'll let you go."

Zach knew he should hand over the hoodie if it was actually this guy's, but he promised Nate he would give it back to him.

"No"

The words echoed around the alleyway they'd been dragged into

"What did you say? "The fat man had gone red as a tomato.

"How DARE you say no to me!"

The girl had put her phone down now.

"Joey-"

She looked Zach up and down

"Joey this isn't-"

'Joey' cut her off.

"Bitch I don't care," she flinched at the anger behind his words. "Just stand there and look pretty."

She flinched? Zach assumed this "Joey" was her boyfriend. And she flinched at him?

The hand that was raised in a slap had curled into a fist at this point. Zach looked over at the girl now shaking in the corner. 

She looked like a cornered puppy. It took Zach back to when he was a kid, and he was trapped in the playground surrounded by bullies.

He told himself something that day. No matter how much trouble he was in, he would not let someone else be hurt because of his actions.

Joeys' words were just noise at this point.

The ringing in his ears was growing too loud as he stared at this cowering girl.

She mouthed to him "close your eyes" she was still shaking. "It makes it easier".

This had happened before.

The ringing kept getting louder and louder.

The girls' eyes squeezed shut as joeys fist came down. She waited till she heard the impact to open her eyes. 5 seconds. 10. 30. Nothing.

She slowly opened her eyes. One at a time. The left. Then the right.

What she saw, she did not expect.

*Author's Note- Sorry this chapter is a bit short the next one is going to be longer. I thought the next scene deserved a whole chapter to itself. *