Worth The Fight ✓

Chapter Twenty Nine

QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:

  "There was a distinction between lying and telling half-truths, but it was a very narrow one."
― Alexander McCall Smith, The Sunday Philosophy Club

Dedication: @foreversmilin (she's an amazing person & I love making her crazy.)

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CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

I can't sleep that ight.

I sent several messages to Richard but he didn't reply any of them. I am dying to know what they talked and if Calvin knows. I want to send a message to Calvin, and I keep typing down nonsense words like 'What's up?' 'Hi' or 'I miss you' but I haven't sent any of them yet. I know if he knows, it's going to be pointless and he'll more likely to swear me in return. But he wouldn't – Calvin is the last person to lose his temper.

Deep down I know he has found out. I think he might have killed Richard and that's why he hasn't answered me yet. Because Ric would. Suddenly coming up with a smart idea, I decide to call him. (I am being sarcastic – I have been calling him but he doesn't pick up.) After a few rings, he decides to pick up eventually.

"What?" His voice is sleepy, clearly I've just woken him up. It's 3 in the morning. "You've been calling me all night," he hisses hoarsely. Even when he's sleepy, he finds the energy to be pissed off.

"You didn't answer my messages," I state.

"Sorry," he says, "but I had better things to do."

"Like what?" I ask. What in his dull life has he got better than informing me about what's just happened? The fact that Calvin called him instead of me shows how pissed he is and maybe he didn't want to talk to me at all. No, maybe he was just asking something else. Maybe he called to say that he talked to Stella and they can be together now. I shouldn't think of the worst.

"Like cleaning my bruises." Yet this answer proves everything wrong and turns me back to where I start: the worst.

"Shit," I whisper. I knew this was to come but I never wanted it to happen. He knows, he punched Ric. "He – he punched you?" Calvin punched someone. I caused Calvin Gilmore to punch someone. Hurt someone. God, I'm so going to hell for this.

He laughs but it's lack of humour. "Did you expect him to congratulate me?" He groans. "At least he didn't kill me. I'm thankful for that." Then, he laughs softly again. "This boy keeps surprising me with new sides. First, he opened up to you and now, he punched me. You seriously changed him."

Even in an intense topic, Ric comes up with the worst jokes ever. I've changed Calvin for bad.

This gets me thinking about how nothing is one-sided. I was thinking how I've changed and made progress – I felt good and better. He created a better version of me but it wasn't just that. I caused him to get worse. It is as if I've handed some of my darkness into him to get rid of mine. Or it just moved itself. So, it's true what they say: nothing can be completely destroyed, it just transforms.

"You didn't punch him back, right?" I ask worriedly.

"No."

I sigh with relief. "Good." 

"Look, I need to sleep. And I remember your threat – you said you were going to end my life with yours but see? Your boyfriend – or may I say never-to-be – punched me in the face so we are even." He pauses for a while and I assume he's checking himself in the mirror. "Seriously though, my face is a mess. I can't believe I left him untouched." He sighs. "Only for your sake, Jack, only for you."