Black Smoke

Reasons To Believe

"Your what?"

"My ex!" She repeated. "Logan, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I told you to stay away from him!" Logan exclaimed, stuck in place from Ricky's keys lodged into his throat. "I told you to stay away from him and you didn't listen! Stubborn! He's a nutcase! How could you leave me for a nutcase?!"

"Logan, I broke up with you months ago before I even started to talk to Zayden. Get real!"

"Left you for me?" I asked. "Vanessa and I aren't even together! I'm not even with her! Do you want her back? Have at it! I don't even fit in!" I was outraged. "You jumped me out of jealousy?!"

"Zayden, please!" She yelled back. "I can explain everything if you just give me a few seconds-"

"It's fine!" Ricky called out. "The prick was just leaving. Weren't you, Logan?"

Logan narrowed his eyes at his attacker before switching them over to me. I could tell he wasn't going to let this go soon enough, and if anything, I'd probably have to watch my back for a while longer than expected.

"Yeah! I did! Because you know what? I'd rather Vanessa date anyone else rather than be seen with someone like you! So what? It's not like some little daddy's boy is going to do anything about it. You'll probably run back to the shithole you call home and drink yourself to death just like that deadbeat drunk of a father you have."

My body moved on its own, my balled-up fist swinging just to the level of his face- but it stopped midway.
As much of an insult as that was, why was I trying to defend my dad? It's not like had it been the other way around he would've done anything. But this felt like instinct, something out of nature. Maybe even though I felt my dad was nonexistent in my everyday life...perhaps there was some minuscule bond between us. Nothing more than just being his biological son, and my urge to deck Logan in the face was proof enough that that's all I needed to feel offended.

 Finally, he sighed heavily, disappointed in what had transpired here, and picked his hands up to surrender, his gaze never leaving mine.
"Maybe next time, I'll finish what I started, loser. You and that parasite you have for a best friend."

Now he had done it.

Once Ricky let Logan go, I shot a right hook, connecting with his jaw and laying him out flat on the ground. It was during those four seconds of realization of what I had done that I felt proud of myself and more brave than ever. I heard Vanessa scream and felt Ricky claw at my sides to pull me off the jock, but I wasn't ready to let up. I was seeing red, and the pent-up frustration I had was finally ready to let loose. I punched him again and again, each hit harder than the one before.

"You shut your mouth when you talk about Dante! I wouldn't put it past me that you're going to try and jump me again, but maybe next time! I'll be ready."  Ricky once again tried to haul me away, but I shoved him off, witnessing the swelling of Logan's cheeks in record time. I heard Logan's friends shuffling forward to get involved, followed by the sound of a pocket knife being opened. 

"Stay the fuck back!" Ricky yelled. "I mean it! I'm handling this!"

  "Maybe next time, you'll get your facts straight about me seeing Vanessa! Maybe next time-" I went for the final blow, rising to my feet and sending a boot straight to his face. I didn't care if a few teeth came out, or if he became visually impaired. Chances were there was no way he'd openly admit a scrub like me did this to him. Not to his friends, not to the staff, probably not even to his own family. "You'll be the one put in the hospital!"

He scrambled away from me, seething with anger as all he could do was fight back tears of embarrassment, his jacket now blanketed with splotches of crimson red.