Match

38: Stoke The Fire

TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE

Summer has opened its doors in June with longer days and a drier climate. A majority of the soccer fields are exposed to the scorching heat now, as the sun towers high above its usual hiding spot. Tonight, Jonah brought two water bottles to practice. As he shuts the door to his car and locks it, his eyes catch Ethan leaning against the gate to the field's entrance. His posture is sly, tapping his foot with pursed lips. Jonah knows he can't maneuver around him like a tiptoeing mouse.

"Hey, Ethan."

Once Ethan's name is called, he pulls himself out of deep thought, turning to him in a confused state. He realizes it's his brother's friend and sheds a wave with inattentive effort. Jonah passes by him, carrying a heavy bag clanging against his back with every stride. He plops it on the ground beside his other teammates' bags. In the middle of the field, the team are already doing warm-up stretches. Before he joins them, he unzips his bag to pull out one of his water bottles. But then he realizes, as he's combing through his belongings, he forgot one of them. Shit, he thinks. I must've tossed it in the backseat.

He knows that in no time the searing air inside his car will turn the cold water into a hot springs sample. He sprints back to his car, clutching his jingling car keys. As he's about to unlock the door, he hears a commotion nearby. It takes a moment for his darting eyes to locate the source of the sound.

Wedged between two faculty buildings, a heated debate spills its noise into Jonah's eardrums. The anger in one of the person's voices tells his gut that it's not good. He shoves his car keys into his pocket and decides to investigate what's going on. As soon as he turns the corner, he sees two people fighting.

"You son of a bitch!"

One guy is shoving another guy aggressively. The two young men happen to be Tanner and Joel, although Jonah is unfamiliar of them both. Tanner lands a punch on Joel's face. The impact causes him to collapse to the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!" Jonah shouts.

Tanner halts his approach to Joel and glares towards his direction.

"Mind yourself," Tanner says in a sharp tone. "This is between me and this asswipe."

Jonah glances at Joel, who's caressing his cheek, wincing in pain.

"I told you, I didn't steal anything!"

"Bullshit."

Tanner moves closer, but gets blocked by Jonah stepping in between the two.

"Just because it's the summer break doesn't meaning there's security still around campus," he says. "So quit fighting."

"Fuck off," he spits. "Like I can tell security what he did."

"Then what is it?" Jonah points to Joel. "What the hell did he do?"

"Rummaged through my dorm and stole my last stash," he shoves Jonah out of the way. "Now fuck off."

Jonah catches his balance. He knows that he has no time to alert anyone else. He shoves Tanner back. The force makes him even more enraged.

"You wanna go??"

Jonah bends his knees. Now all of Tanner's attention is directed to Jonah. He throws a fist at him. He dodges it, then pushes Tanner farther away from Joel.

"Stop!" Joel says. "Both of you, stop!"

Jonah grapples both of Tanner's shoulders, while Tanner does the same. He goes for a knee to Tanner's stomach. He coughs and refuses to let go.