S.O.S/The Winner Takes It All

Chapter 11

"What am I doing here? More like, what were you doing at the Starbucks today?" Chris asks, his hands pushing against my shoulders roughly.
I wince, trying to pull out of his grip. "We were on a break. I went there for coffee. Is it any of your business where I go?"
"You're trying to sabotage my chances with Courtney. Stay away from her." He slams his fist into my face, and the pain that follows the strike is almost unbearable. But I'm not going to let him get away that easily. Even though my head hurts, my face feels like it's broken, and my shoulders feel like they've been gripped my iron, I grab his upper arm tightly. He stops short, his arm jerking backwards. I am almost blinded by rage, but I somehow manage to keep my voice calm.
"Listen here, Chris. Courtney's my friend. Not yours. So if anything, you need to stay away from her. She's already had two asshole boyfriends. She doesn't need to add to that list. And if you think I'm going to be quiet about this, tough luck. You just ruined your own chances with her. And you know what? She wouldn't want a jealous asshole like you. So get out of my building."

I walk past him before he can speak. As I walk into the main room, I see the squad sitting on the couch. I rub the back of my head, I'm starting to feel dizzy. I lean against the wall, closing my eyes as a wave of nausea washes over me.
I open my eyes when I hear Courtney call out to me. "Shayne, are you okay?"

"Not really. I did just get my head smashed into a wall." I reply, starting to trip over, blood dripping from my nose, and onto my shirt.

Noah rushes over to me, catching me before I fall. He groans as I tumble into his arms. "God, you're really heavy." He stumbles over to the small couch, laying me on it as gently as he can. "Didn't you go talk to Joe?"

At that moment, Joe walks into the room, a bunch of papers in his hand. He stops, staring from me to Noah. "What happened?"

Everyone turns to me. I sit up with help of Noah and Courtney, leaning against the couch. "Courtney's high school friend Chris attacked me. He smashed my head into the wall, punched me in the face, then told me not to ruin his chances with her." I turn to her wearily. "So, as I told you, Courtney, he's a jealous asshole."

Silence greets my story. I reach for a tissue, holding one to my nose. "That really fucking hurt." I state as I feel my cheek gently. Nothing seems broken. I didn't hear anything crack.
Courtney's voice soon interrupts my thoughts. "How did Chris get in the building?"
Olivia pipes up from across the room. "It's pretty easy. All he had to know was what level we're on."
"Well, I told him to get out of here. I don't know if he did." I add, applying a tiny bit more pressure on the tissue.
Courtney shakes her head in anger. "That motherfucker is dead." She launches herself off the couch, making her way down the hallway. I drop the tissue hurriedly, starting to run after her. Noah grabs my arm, hauling me to a halt. "Shayne wait! You could've broken your nose, and now you're going to run off to the guy who beat you up?"
I pull out of his grip, wiping the blood away from my nose. "Courtney can't deal with that son of a bitch by herself. I have to go help her."
I sprint out of the room, down the elevator, and out of the building.

Courtney's right.

That motherfucker is dead.