Don't Blink | ✓

058

B L I N K | AGE: Sixteen

"Can you guys stop sucking each others' tongues out of each others' heads?" I pulled apart from Shane long enough to catch Killer's look over his shoulder. He always seemed disgusted by the two of us lately. Sometimes I don't even know why he continued to go places with us when he knew Shane couldn't keep his hands to himself.

"You could always leave" Shane raised his eyebrows at his own suggestion.

Killer, who stood further out on the bank's edge that we sat on, threw another flat rock. All three of us watching as it skipped rhythmically over the glistening water.

"Yeah? And let you and Blink, the most directionally challenged people, navigate your way out of here?" His arms stretched wide as he motioned to the wide body of water and the hundreds of trees that lined its side.

"You hear that baby? Rellik actually thinks we need him" Shane laughed harder just to spur Killer on.

"Stop, Shane" I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Nothing was better than egging Killer on, but he'd seemed a bit down lately. And when he felt down, both Shane and I could tell. It brought a strange dynamic to our group.

"What's wrong Killer?" I sighed, standing from the large rock we were perched on to make my way towards my frowning best friend. Not that he ever made any other expression.

I nearly fell back when I was stopped suddenly, my hand that was by my side being yanked back by the boy behind me. He still sat, a cigarette held between his luscious lips as he looked up at me with conviction.

"Smoke with me." He pulled on my hand a little harder. I put the same amount of resistance into pulling back.

"Let me talk to him first," I motioned over my shoulder to our friend.

I had a nagging suspicion that maybe the two had gotten in a fight earlier today when I was off with Caia. They'd been surprisingly distant all day and on the walk here, Killer had made sure to stray a little behind us.

"He's acting like a little bitch." Shane groaned, refusing to let my hand go. "Let him pout on his own"

"Stop being so insensitive" 

Leaning down to peck a kiss to his lips, I used the small distraction to pull my hand from his and continue my way across the large span of rock to coddle my midnight haired, brooding best friend.

"If I give you my last cigarette will you stop acting like such a girl?" No one could mistake the small smile that pulled at his lips. He was quick to hide it though, sliding his sunglasses onto his face despite the setting of the sun.

"Tell me what's wrong" I bumped my shoulder into his as I sat next to him.

"Nothing's wrong," he turned to face me momentarily and I realized only now that the glasses he'd wore all day were to hide the dark rings around his eyes and not protect him from the harsh glare of the sun. His cheeks looked gaunt too and I instantly hated myself for being so wrapped up in Shane's attention to not notice how twisted things were.

"Rellik," The humor had been knocked cleanly from my voice.

I paused when he coughed roughly and when he was done, I simply slid closer to him, wrapped my arm under his and laid my head to his shoulder.

He hummed in appreciation and just when we began enjoying the serenity of the moving water in front of us is when the commotion started behind us.

It was all happening so fast.

Two boys appeared from the tree line behind us. Two boys that Shane had got into an altercation with the week before.

It was no coincidence. There was no way it could be... we were in the middle of nowhere. It was obvious that they followed us out here and it was even more obvious that Shane liked to fight.

As they both circled around him, chiding each other on, Shane stood calmly. His fingers grabbed at the cigarette still in his mouth, his chest expanded to take his last puff before he flicked it to the ground by the guy's shoes. When he blew the dirty smoke into the other guy's face is when all hell broke lose.

Both of them darted towards him and when I flew forward to hopefully stop this all from happening, Killer stepped in front of me. His halting was enough for me to understand that this was going to happen because Shane wanted it to.

The one with curly brown hair and a strong jawline instantly hit the floor. The sound of Shane's fist connecting with his jaw was completely overshadowed by the boy's loud grunt.

I saw what was coming next and no matter if Killer saw it too, he said nothing when Shane bent down and gripped one of the large rocks right at the base of the trees. It was big enough to cause damage, but small enough to fit in one hand.

"Shane, stop!"

He brought it down on the blond's head so hard that Killer instantly reached out, his hand falling over my eyes and his arm curling to bring me in and hide me in his chest.

I gripped onto him hard, my fingers digging through the fabric of his hoodie so precisely that I was sure he'd have marks the shape of my nails.

It wasn't enough though. No amount of darkness could shield me from the sound of that rock hitting that boy's flesh. It sounded in my ears like a thick boom of thunder and when it continued, I pushed off from Killer, ignoring his grunts of protest.

Flinging myself forward, I gaped in horror at the bloody mess, also noticing that the boy Shane had first struck with his fist was gone. I probably would have left too, if I were him. There was no easy way out of this and as I ran up on Shane, his arm mid-swing, I was surprised when he turned on me as if to strike me too.

He pushed me instead, my foot catching on one of the rocks I had kicked out of my way. I was hurdling towards the ground and if it wasn't for Killer rushing up behind me, who knows how I would've ended up.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Killer's voice was angry and I didn't know if it was because Shane had nearly hurt me or if it was because of the unmoving kid behind Shane with his head dented in.

Pushing my hoodie back down, I gladly welcomed Killer's hands as he pulled me closer yet again. Shane had that look. The look that he'd only gained after a summer in juvie. If death and danger was a warm brown and swelled and swirled, it would surely look like my boyfriend's eyes. The spray of blood on his face didn't help either.

"Am I crazy?" Shane was mocking as he tossed the bloody rock down where it made its last thump.

"Christ, Shane..." Killer's hands roamed through his black hair in controlled panic.

"What are we going to do?" I questioned. I was avoiding looking into Shane's eyes as he stepped closer.

"Stop man" Killer pulled me back even further, the two of us not paying enough attention to the nearing edge that plunged for practically thirty feet before it met water. "Don't touch her"

"Don't touch her?" Shane laughed, his bloody hands slapping to his sides. "She's my fucking girlfriend!"

His eyes turned to Killer then and I grew scared.

Above, I added a scene from the 2004 thriller The Butterfly Effect. I think the temperament and jealousy of Shane is beautifully depicted by the movie's antagonist Tommy. It's only a minute long. Check it out and lemme know if you agree. xx