Explosive

23 || The Red Head

When we approach the entrance to the building, people are shouting at each other, rather two people are fighting. They are loud and it's surprising that no one has told them to knock it off yet. Coming closer to them makes it easier to see who they are.

One has red hair and the other is a brunette. I recognize both because they go to Lakewood. The younger kid is furiously pulling at the other kid's arm but his attempts are in vain as the red-head is much taller and stronger. "Mom told me to bring you home!" the dark-haired whines before giving the older kid a soft punch.

Blake walks ahead of me, ignoring the scene between the boys, but I lag behind and watch them. My hand reaches out and grips Blake's sleeve, making him come to a harsh stop. He whips around and raises an eyebrow at me. "You have to stop them," I say to him, gesturing at the two boys that are pounding each other now.

"What. No. I don't even know them." He turns toward the entrance again but I stop him with a tug on his jacket collar.

"You have to stop doing that." Blake takes a step back from me and studies the scene that is unfolding before us.

"They go to our school but that doesn't matter. The red-head is going to kill the other kid." Seeing the two fighting is making me anxious.

"Moore, it's none of our business," he whispers while pointing at the door. Shaking my head, I take a step back. The cold feels like a whip against my bare legs and that is enough to set me off.

"God, Rider. You are so selfish!" I yell, throwing my hands up over my shoulders like Aryan used to do when he would get mad. Today's anger and the hurt from Tamara's betrayal is finally bearing its ugly head. It's unfair of me to get mad at Blake because he doesn't deserve it all but I couldn't help it.

Blake shakes his head slightly, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "Selfish? How the hell am I selfish?"

"If that was Todd and Josh fighting, you would have run to pull them apart." I stab my finger into his chest and place my other hand on my hip. Blake stares down at me but doesn't say a word. Then I shove him to the side, "Get out of my way. I'll do it myself."

Pulling the two boys apart is a much harder task than I had anticipated. I would drag one away from the other, which made it easier for the other one to attack. "Stop fighting, you idiots!" Shouting doesn't seem to be doing any good, which frustrates me even more. Several minutes pass before this painful and tiring game comes to an end when Blake decides to intervene.

He steps in front of the red-headed kid, placing a hand on his shoulder and easily stops him. "Calm the fuck down," he growls and this is enough to make him stop.

"Thank god," the dark-haired boy says. He pulls away from me and bends over while placing his hands on his knees.

"Go home!" the red-head shouts to the other kid. "That's my kid brother," he says to Blake.

"You know what?" the younger brother says, lifting his arms up and backing up slowly. "I am going home. I can't deal with your shit." Then the kid stomps away without giving his brother a second glance, who continues to yell ugly words at him.

The red-headed kid glares at Blake but his gaze softens when it lands on me. "You should take it easy on your brother," Blake mutters to him. Instead of responding to Blake, he side-steps him and comes to stand in front of me. His red eyes and stumbling are a clear indication that he has taken something.

"Hey. I'm Carter. You go to Lakewood?" he asks while biting his lip. My head nods in response, even though I would rather not talk to this kid right now. He is probably a senior at Lakewood. At school, I have seen him walking around wearing soccer cleats. Seeing him like this saddens me for some strange reason. "You're cute. Do you want to get out of here?" His hand reaches out for me and I step back while raising my fists up.

"Okay, hot stuff," Blake mutters, stepping in front of Carter again. "Maybe you should get out of here." At that moment Carter falls forward and Blake easily reaches out to catch him. "Great. The asshole passed out." He struggles to keep Carter from falling to the ground. "I didn't even get the chance to punch him yet," he says to himself.

"Maybe we should take him inside?" I suggest, standing on my toes to see over Blake's shoulder at the boy.

"I kind of want to leave him here," he says before placing Carter on the ground slowly.

"He could get hypothermia," I say under my breath before bending down to study the boy, who seems to be snoring softly without a care in the world.

"Maybe if I punch him, he will wake up?" Blake suggests while he hovers over me.

"Why is that your solution for everything?" Standing up, I turn to glare at him. "I've known you for two months and have already seen you beat up three people."

"It's not my fault people are so annoying," he mutters, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "What should we do about Carter?" That's when Carter's brother returns, a woman wearing a bathrobe is trailing behind him and she doesn't look happy. Without saying a word to us the two pick up the boy from the ground, each grabbing onto one arm and disappear into the night. "Shit," Blake murmurs while watching Carter being dragged away.

"We should get inside and check on Josh," I finally say. The anger has sizzled away, leaving me feeling ice cold and sad. I turn towards the door but then close my eyes, realizing that I was being awful to Blake for no reason at all. "Blake, thanks for stopping the fight. And I'm sorry for getting angry at you."

He laughs to himself, which is surprising because I thought that he would be pissed off. "Nah. You were the one who stopped the fight. I just helped." Someone buzzes us into the building. It's great to be inside again, away from the dreary night. "And don't apologize. You're right. I can be selfish...sometimes."

We leave it at that and ride the elevator up to the sixth floor in silence. Upon entering the apartment, the smell of sweat assaults my nose and sends me reeling backward. I almost ram into Blake but he taps my elbow before I can. There are bodies everywhere, stuffed into the tiny space like sardines and I want to be anywhere but here. But then I remember the painful look in Josh's eyes and manage to shove my way through the crowd with Blake following close behind.