Never Summer Again

Chapter Forty-Four - The Greatest Game

Score: Apologize - One Republic

Mark

The ringing in my ears is silencing the rest of the world out, while the blinding pain in my temple is making me see dark circles before my eyes.

Suddenly, I am a deaf, blind man.

A second passes, before I can actually feel anything at all. The cold droplets of rain, hammering on my face and my already-soaked clothes, now feel like a balm to my burning skin. My cheek is pressed into the gravel underneath me and I can feel the prickling of the tiny rocks, being pushed into my skin.

I tilt my head slightly, struggling to open my eyes, rainwater trickling inside my eyes. I can see a figure, looming above me. It takes a few seconds to realize who that is.

Motherfucker!

And then I hear it. A scream tears the fog in my brain, piercing through the ringing in my ears, and landing me, literally face-first into reality.

Lydia.

Shit! I hope she's alright!

I lift off the ground, opening my eyes fully and looking up at her.

She's alright. She's fine.

She looks like she's about to faint, her face twisted in horror, but she's OK. She takes a step forward as if to step in between Patrick and me, but then, I see figures moving behind her and Nate's strong arms wrap around her waist and drag her back, lifting her off the ground. She tries to fight him off, but Nate is too tall and strong for her small frame.

Gloria, Liam, and Alex are rushing through the front door, running towards us in the driveway.

Time seems weirdly distorted, as I don't know whether this whole scene happens in hours, or in less than ten seconds.

Then, I feel Patrick's hands grab me by the front of my hoodie and lift me up, to my feet. I wobble, trying to stabilize myself on my feet, but then, another fist, expertly planted into my jaw sends my head jerking backward and I would have fallen to the ground, if it wasn't for Patrick's other hand, holding me in place.

"Patrick, stop!" I hear Lydia's screams coming from up front, but I'm still blinded by the pain, shooting through my face. I can taste copper on my tongue, a tell-tale sign that I have bitten the inside of my cheek on impact.

My vision clears just in time to see Patrick's fist flying toward my face again. I duck my head, avoiding his punch this time.

And then, I feel the adrenaline kick in. My vision clears to a perfect crystal clear, and my peripheral vision expands, helping me take in my surroundings. I feel the blood rush into my arms and legs. My movements become swift and calculated, my shoulders slumping and my hands shooting up to where Patrick's holding me by the hoodie, ripping it off his hold. I duck down and grab him by the waist, pushing us both to the ground. Patrick's back hits the wet gravel and I land on his chest, straddling him.

I swing my arm back, preparing to land my fist right into the motherfucker's face, but then I hear Lydia's scream.

"Please, Mark!"

My hand freezes in the air. I look up just in time to see Lydia take advantage of a second's worth of loss of focus from Nate. She kicks back, her thigh meeting his balls.

Ouch! That looked painful!

He lets her go and drops down to his knees, his hands shooting for his crotch.

Lydia lands on her feet and darts to where I'm still straddling Patrick's chest on the ground. She grabs my arm and starts pulling me, her effort doing very little to move me.