Adeline|New Hope Club|Blake Richardson|

3: Sightings

The get together was still happening by the time the clock struck midnight. Blake's parents had headed home around ten and taken Abbie with them. Reece had disappeared for a bit but he came back eventually and George had gotten on with Blake's school mates and everything was going great. But then Blake caught a glimpse of a familiar profile. He could feel anger rising from the pit of his stomach as he made his way across the diner. His two bandmates had never seen the expression on Blake's face before and frankly, it scared them. They couldn't do anything but watch, along with the rest of his friends from town. 

Everyone in town knew what had happened. It had been major gossip after Blake had left; no one dared to speak of it to him tonight though. Blake marched over with heavy footsteps and clenched fists. He'd never wanted to see their face again and the first night he's in town, they show up. How wonderful.

"What are you doing here, Brooks," he asked once he'd gotten to the slightly taller figure.

"It a twenty-four-hour diner, mate," the guy who turned out to be Brooks replied, a smirk on his face, "It's not like you own it or something."

"You better leave before I make you," Blake had his teeth clenched and a vein was popping out on the side of his neck; Reece and George stared at the scene with wide eyes and an even wider array of questions.

"You and I both know you can't. You couldn't the first time and you won't this time either," Brooks taunted, finding happiness in the fact that he could still bother Blake this much after so long, "What, you go off, join a band and think you can do whatever the hell you want? How posh and not to mention ridiculous. No wonder she left; there really wasn't anything left for her here, you certainly left her out to dry. What kind of person even-"

Brooks never got to finish his sentence because Blake had swung his right fist into the boy's face. Everyone in the room gasped, including the old cook who'd thought he'd seen it all. There was a moment of silence as Brooks realized what had just happened. He'd deserved that punch, he knew that much. But he would've died before he'd ever admitted it. Brooks had always known he wasn't a good person. He guessed that's what people get when they come from a broken home; at least, that's what he'd been telling himself since he was old enough to venture out of his comfort zone.

He thought about retaliating and making everything worse but thought better of it. There was nothing left to fight for. He didn't have any honor to uphold or girl worth fighting for. She was long gone by now and they both knew it. That was why Blake had so much anger in him; he didn't even know where she'd disappeared to. Brooks knew, but he had promised her not to tell a soul. Brooks was many things, but he knew how to keep his word. Unlike Blake; which was probably another reason the shorter boy was mad. In more ways than one, Brooks had been a better person to Adeline than him and that made Blake furious.

Blake had never felt more hatred for Brooks, especially as his hand was pulsating in pain from it's contact with Brooks' jawline. Blake was mad. He was mad that Brooks had the audacity to bring Adeline up in front of everyone. He was mad that Brooks even stepped into the damn diner in the first place and he was mad that Brooks was absolutely right when he said Blake had left Adeline out to dry. Brooks was completely and utterly right. He'd voiced to everyone what Blake had tried not to admit to himself for over a year now. Blake was mad that he couldn't do a bloody thing about any of it.

"Alright mate," Brooks breathed; he'd been trying to control his temper but Blake was really pushing it, "I get that you don't like me. And you've got good reason not to. But we both know getting into a fight won't make anything change. Let it go."

"Don't you dare," Blake stepped closer to him, so close that Brooks could smell the cologne Adeline always swore she could smell even when Blake wasn't around, "tell me to ever just let it go."