The Symptoms of Love (boyxboy)

Chapter Four

>>>>Image: Zelena<<<<<

         >>>>>Video: Midway by the Bad Bad Hats

Hunter's POV-

When I walk out of my house the next day, I smile at Zelena who is already in Owen's car with a rather distressed and angry looking Owen and an amused Issac. I frown. I get that Owen is a quiet and rather stoic guy, but right now he is showing more emotion than he's shown all day yesterday. It's worrying.

Zelena greets me when I enter the car, before going back to rubbing her thumb over the back of her boyfriend's hand in an attempt to calm his nerves.

I turn to Issac, "Did I miss something?"

"Nah," he dismisses, "Tanner, Zelena, Owen, and Giselle went to a local illegal boxing thing last night and Tanner got beat up pretty bad." as he says this Issac sounds sympathetic, amused, and proud.

"Who beat him up?" I ask.

"Dayton." he says, like it's nothing and not uncommon knowledge. I raise my eyebrows in surprise and shock. Dayton illegally boxes? It would explain why he's built like a tank, but illegal activities? That surprises me that a small town like this would have something like that.

"How does it work?" I ask.

"How does what work?"

"The boxing."

"Oh. People from this town and a few other nearby towns come and bet on people who leap into the rink and just start boxing without the kind of gloves they have boxers use on TV. They go in and start hitting each other until one of them is uncontious. Dayton cane do that in less than 5 hits, which makes him a lot of money. And those gloves he's always wearing? That's to cover up the scarring and bandages he needs after fighting all night. Don't tell anyone I told you this shit, alright? I'm only telling you since you seem trustworthy." he warns at the end. I nod, not wanting to get on this guy's bad side.

Issac, like his brother and Dayton, is also well built and could easily take me down in a fight and possibly -and ligitly- kill me. So, I'll just go with it and not get on his bad side...ever.

We arrive at the school, and today something seems off. I look around before exiting the car to try and figure it out, and find what I'm looking for rather quickly.

Dayton is already here.

"Dayton's never here this early," Zelena whispers, sounding scared. Seeing us arrive, he starts walking towards us with Dawn flanking his side. Although she's surreal and really pretty, Dawn is well built, too, and would be dangerous in a fight.

Owen straightens his posture to seem taller, but Dayton still beats him by a few inches when he reaches us. Zelena clutches Owen's arm tighter. Owen and Dayton stare each other down for a second, all sound in the front of the school has decipated.

"How's Tanner?" Dayton finally speaks, his voice husky from lack of sleep and disuse, making me shiver. God, just hearing his voice made me feel this way? I'm such a wimp.

"Fine. He'll loose the stiches in a week."

"Good," Dayton says, seeming satisfied with the response. He glances at me for a second, before he moves his head to Issac who nods and flanks Dayton's other side before walking away.

When they're out of earshot, Owen scowls. "I hate that guy. I don't know how Issac managed to befriend him just by punching him in self defense."

Zelena shurgs, and starts walking away to meet Giselle, Josiah, and Cora. When Cora -a girl almost as pretty as Dawn- smiles at me and waves, I notice Dayton tense from a distance away as he spots the gesture. I frown. Why would a simple smile and wave from someone he doesn't know to someone else he doesn't know make him tense?