Hello, It's Me.

Part 14

Lucas felt his blood boil underneath his skin and his insides beginning to churn with the news Charlie had just gave him. He snatched the front of Charlie's jacket and rammed him onto the wall next to them. He pressed him roughly onto it and Charlie's eyes widened briefly registering the situation he had gotten himself into. He regained his composure swiftly, his eyes taunting Lucas.

Lucas's nostrils flared and his face was flooded with color and rage. All he saw was red. His hands twitched as he tightened his grip on Charlie. His jaw clenched with fury as he set his eyes on Charlie's mocking face.

"What baby, Gardner?" Lucas snarled.

Charlie's lips turned into a smirk and he let out a forced chuckle. "My sweet, darling Riley hasn't mentioned our child?" He watched as Lucas's face went scarlet and his eyes lost a little bit of light, he nearly felt sorry for him.

"You're lying," Lucas growled.

"There's a reason we chose such an early wedding," Charlie said calmly. "How does it feel to know that you will never marry Riley and you will never father her children? You thought you and her would end up together, you were wrong. She could never love--"

Lucas's fist connected with Charlie's jaw. He dropped Charlie like a rag doll before grabbing him again, only to punch him in the gut. His brain was clouded with emotions--anger and jealousy--igniting a hostile part of him he tried to smother. That side of him woke up like a fiery dragon waking up from its century long slumber, only to burn everything in its path.

Lucas wasn't in control of himself anymore, it was like a part of him disconnected and all he felt was the contact of his own hand smacking into Charlie's body. He was caught off guard when Charlie threw a punch at his face, he staggered and Charlie took advantage of that and tackled him.

Lucas rolled away from Charlie and pinned him to the ground, letting all the anger boiling inside him erupt. He kept punching Charlie--who was struggling to shield his face with his arms from Lucas's attacks--and didn't notice Farkle, Zay, Maya, Josh, and Riley run up to him.

Riley was screaming, but all he was focused on was hitting Charlie--making him feel the pain he felt inside. She tried to reach for him. Her hand barely grazed his shoulder when Farkle yanked her away and Zay and Josh shoved Lucas away from Charlie.

Lucas could see the tears stream down Riley's face, he could hear her struggling to breath as she fell onto her knees trying to wipe the blood off Charlie's face with her shawl. The look in her eyes was what broke him completely. She was afraid, afraid of him and what he could have done had they not gotten there in time. He couldn't hear anything other than her shaky gasps and her broken voice as she worried over Charlie's state.

He hadn't fully acknowledge that with the help of security, Farkle, Zay, and Josh had shoved him into Zay's car and were currently driving him back to the apartment. He turned in his seat to see the city lights reflect onto Josh's stoic face, he hadn't spoken once since they left the restaurant. Zay and Farkle were both speaking in hushed tones up front, while Josh and Lucas were stuck in a state of silence and confusion.

"Have you always been this violent?" Josh's voice surprised him. Not necessarily the question, but the fact that he was actually open to having a conversation, especially since Josh wasn't Lucas's biggest fan right now.

"In Texas I was," Lucas stated his voice low. "I changed. I worked really hard to suppress that part of me, I got help, and everyone around me was so supportive, "His mind flashed a picture of Riley clutching on to a stunned, bloody Charlie. "Riley especially and now I think I've completely jarred this image she has of me. This perfect image."