Rivals For Breakfast

3| You're In

The people here are of a different world. They juggle taunting verbs, and withhold simple pleasantries. The majority of them hide behind the fog of dark tattoos, and the enigma of copy/paste frowns. When they do smile they show keen white fangs. Their lips curl up in lies and it's the very foundation of their reality. They've all ended up here my chance. Strings of unfortunate blips in time have sewn them together like a patchwork quilt. They share hues of red and black mixing misery with misery and darkness with darkness until they find the faintest remnants of a vague light. Their friendships and pairings lie at the cusp of it all. They need one another. It's a matter of survival, their light is an armor and it's only as deep as their brotherhood.

I keep my distance. I watch Cole hold a drawn out conversation with Kai and the brown haired girl. He's at the core of it all, yet with a simple glance it becomes clear that he's in a class of his own. He's of those few and far between. The ones who inspire respect with a simple bat of an eyelash, or twiddle of a thumb. His very essence is intimidation. It's the way he stands so straight, and the way his eyebrows twist when he's subtly belittling you, his lips move slow and certain, there's never a slip in his tone.

The crowds vanish in the blur of thin air, though the room still hums with the energy they've left behind.

"You can go home" Cole addresses the girl. She batters her lashes and gives him one straight nod "be back here tomorrow at 6am." Her smile is like the thin stroke of a pencil mark, small and fleeting, and then she turns on swift toes, boots squeaking in the silence. "Wait for me" she calls after Kai who's already got a head start out the door.

Finally he and I are left alone. The tension in the room is so thick it starts to suffocate me. I watch his every move as if he might strike at any moment. He looks me up and down with those stoic eyes of his. I feel as though I've melted into the wall when he suddenly turns away.

"Come on" He tells me.

"Wh- Where are we going?" My voice falters "I want to go home"

"that's exactly where we're going".

"I can get home by myself" I insist.

"My girls stay with me" he says calmly.

His girls do what! Of all the horrible things I've heard in my lifetime, these five words are by far the most frightful. They echo back in my mind, severing nerve endings and cutting off my breathing at once.

My eyes snap open so wide, they may as well pop out of their sockets. No way on earth am I going to stay with him. I skid to a stop. Goosebumps climb up my bare arms. He tunes in to my absent foot steps and turns hard but smooth like a blade. He frowns and I frown back, though all this attention starts to make me lightheaded. Drawing close to me he balls the front of my shirt into his fist and yanks me forward.

"What? aren't you ready for round two? don't worry next time I won't be so gentle" he smirks, his voice dripping with cruel mockery, then just as fast he shoves me away.

My stomach sinks like the titanic, and my face drains of color. What is this monster? My eyes sting, I'm overdue a good, long sob. I bite down the tears, refusing to show weakness. It's only the beginning, I can't already be cracking under the pressure.

We drive in silence. I sit in the back seat of his S.U.V and thankfully, he doesn't even acknowledge me. Alone with my thoughts, there's enough silence here to be angry at Brent, and angry is an understatement.

٥٥٥

Cole's house is awe inspiring. It's something out of a luxury home catalog. High ceilings, chandeliers, nice marble floors, and decorations fit for the upscale inhabitants of Calabasas. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this.