Delusional Love

Chapter 5: The truth comes out

Kyle barely had a second to react as he was decked, throwing him to the ground. Chris stood over him, fists clenched.

"What did I do?" Kyle asked calmly despite the clutching of his stomach.

Chris just grimaced, his foot reeling back for another swing.

"Did I fucking say you could speak?"

Kyle groaned again, pain shocking his system as the high tops met his ribs.

Kyle glanced back over Chris's shoulder, staring easily through the crowd. He could spot one familiar face.

DaKarie was standing there, watching it all unfold. Watching as his best friend gave Kyle the beating of his life. And for no apparent reason. At least none that he could think of.

His hand was held out, halting his friends as they muttered on with the crowd forming around the fight.

They looked about ready to join in after the few hits Kyle had landed, wanting to back their friend. DaKarie wouldn't allow it though.

He wasn't sure how all this had started. One moment he was walking, the next he was here. No confrontation, no disagreements.

Kyle had no clue what he'd done to the man but with the way it hurt, he could only assume it was personal.

Don't do it, Kyle wanted to tell him. I can handle a beating, I'll be fine.

It used to be stressful in situations like this. Painful even. But now well..he had no reservations about DaKarie.

Kyle knew he would drop everything in a beat if it was what they wanted. The man had told them straight up and proved it time and time again.

But that didn't mean Kyle wanted him to.

DaKarie may not have realized how big of a hold the status and the reputation had on him, but they could see it was important to him. A big part of him.

His friends, his sports, his social life. It brought out the best parts of himself, made him confident and assured.

Kyle could handle a beating for a day, it wasn't a big deal. But he sure as hell wouldn't have DaKarie go fucking it all up.

Kyle gave him a serious look, telling him to keep back. DaKarie just glared in annoyance.

Chris was a fucking asshole, no denying that. But as DaKarie had always preached, so was he. And they gave him a chance anyway.

Chris had always been in the man's life and despite their ups and downs, he always would be. And that Karie wanted them all to get along, one day.

Which would be implying that they had a 'one day'.

Kyle and Jaime had fought to ignore that fact during his whole lecture. But it was..nice to hear.

Intense. Kind of heavy. But nice.

His eyes went back to Chris as he screamed for his attention.

The man was a beast. Kyle looked out into the crowd of high school students again and his locked unexpectedly with brown ones.

He should've looked away then. Nothing was to come of it except old drama. The past was the past. Max. He was the past.

He stood there among his group, anger and worry clear in his features but yet he didn't move. As if his feet were too heavy to carry.

Both Max and DaKarie had had the same problem. Yet both made two different decisions. And were in two completely different places.

He forced himself to turn from Max.