Peace in a Storm

18 - Max

"Busted!" I yelled as my sister crept through the front door. Despite the twelve o' clock hour on a school night, I was wide awake. For some reason, I just couldn't sleep. After school, I'd worked a busy shift with Audrey and came home to a small pile of homework. I should've crashed the minute I lay down. But, I just couldn't get comfortable. I tried smoking a small blunt to summon the weariness, but it just made me hungry. So, I went downstairs to grab a snack and ended up playing on the PlayStation 5. I was just about to head back upstairs when she waltzed in.

"Oh my God, Max!" Cat exclaimed. She held a hand to her chest. "You scared me. What the hell are you doing sitting here in the dark?"

"What are you doing home so late?"

"I was just hanging out with some friends," she murmured.

I raised an eyebrow. "With Tommy?"

"No," she replied quickly. "Tommy and I are over."

I tilted my head, noticing the slight tremble in her arms. "Who were you out with? What's wrong?"

She moved towards the steps. "I was at the library with Noah. I'm fine, really. I'm just tired."

"We both know Mr. Goody Two-Shoes would've had you home by eight." I rose from the sofa and hurried towards her. Gently, I grabbed her wrist before she could run upstairs. Under the light at the top of the stairwell, I quickly spotted the bleeding cut on her lip. My brows came together, and my grip unintentionally tightened on her wrist. "What the fuck happened? Did Noah do that shit to you?"

"What? No! Noah wouldn't hurt a fly." She tried to push past me, but I refused to let her go.

"Then who did?"

Her eyes bounced everywhere except my face, searching for a lie I might believe. "It's not a big deal. I just got into a little tussle with some girls from school."

"A little tussle, my ass." I raised her hand, showing her still fresh manicure. When she fights, her nails are the first things she bites off. "Your nails look fine to me. Now, tell me what happened."

"Max, it's not a big deal, I swear."

"Cat, look at me," I said firmly.

Reluctantly, she raised her tear-filled gaze to me.

"Tell me the truth."

"Noah offered to drive me home after we finished our study session at the library. I was going to accept his offer, but Tommy was outside waiting for us. He promised he just wanted to talk, so I...I told him I'd hear him out. I left with him, and we talked for a little while. But, when I told him I didn't want to get back together, he...he was mad and he..." She couldn't finish her sentence, the words choking up in her throat.

She didn't need to finish for me to get the picture. I was going to kill that fucking son of a bitch.

Silently, I released my sister and darted up the steps.

Cat followed me into my room. She watched me slip into my socks and sneakers. "No, no, no, Max. Please don't do anything reckless. It's late, and there's no need for this to be handled right now."

Ignoring her, I grabbed my black hoodie and slipped it over my head.

Cat blocked the doorway of my room, whispering so she wouldn't wake Cristian. "Max, I'm begging you: please do not fight him. He's a Crip now, and they don't fight fair."

"And our father was a Blood who taught us how to fight dirty. Now, move." I shoved past her. "I'll be right back," I promised.

With my hood pulled over my head, I practically ran down to Tommy's apartment building. Red rimmed the sides of my vision, pulsing to the beat of my heart. Fiery flames flared through every inch of my body, itching to be released. My hands curled into fists at the sight of Tommy and some of his friends lingering outside of the apartment complex. Smoke from their blunts filled the air around them, and music blasted from the portable speaker on the ground near them.