They were smart.
They knew how to send their message.
They could have hit me hard enough to really hurt me.
But they didn’t.
It was enough to knock me down again.
“See you tomorrow, Barr,” Mac said. “Give Melody a big kiss goodnight for me.”
I jumped up to my feet and looked back at Pres and Kip.
All I had to do then was nod.
* * *
I dove at Mac and drove him against the front of the SUV.
I instantly had the rest of BC on top of me.
My help came when Pres and Kip joined the fun after laying out the two guys who were supposed to be guarding them
It was an all-out brawl for about a minute. Fists thrown in any and every direction possible. I hit Les in the mouth. Aric hit me in the stomach. Pres was tangled up with Taz. And Kip was tangled up with Raf.
I tried to get to Mac but he just hung back, smiling.
I grabbed Pres and Kip and pulled them to get them away.
That’s when Mac let out a quick whistle that ended the fight.
I kept my arms out and walked backward, pushing at Pres and Kip.
Mac nodded. He put his hands together and clapped for a few seconds.
“Still got it, Barr,” Mac said. “Still fucking got it.”
I took a few deep breaths as Mac and BC got into their SUV and drove off.
I turned and faced the Rulz.
“That was fun,” Kip said.
“That was just the beginning,” Pres said.
“Tomorrow,” I said. “The ditch.”
Nobody said a thing to me.
I walked back to Pres’s SUV, got inside, and lit a cigarette.
Pres and Kip stayed silent on the ride back to my house.
They knew what I wanted and needed.
When we got there, Tinsley, Ruby, and Mel were waiting just inside my bedroom.
Tinsley ran to Pres and hugged him.
Ruby ran to Kip and hugged him.
Mel just stood there and stared at me.
“You okay?” Pres asked me.
I nodded. “I’m fine.”
I hit fists with Pres and Kip.
I hugged Tinsley and Ruby.
But my eyes never left Mel’s for a second.
When the room was down to just Mel and I, I locked the door and I walked toward her.
Her eyes looked at my face.
I probably had a few marks from the little brawl.
She didn’t ask a question.
Instead, she jumped into my arms.
“I’m not losing you this time, love,” I whispered.
“Good,” she said. “I don’t want to know what just happened. Or what’s going to happen.”
“Fine by me,” I said.
“All I want is you to carry me back up to that loft. I’m not done with tonight.”
I grinned at her. “I’m not done with tonight either, Mel.”
Chapter 20
We all ditched BFH and spent the day on the beach.
I couldn’t remember the last time I was inside Bay Falls High, which meant I needed to make an appearance sooner rather than later.
That was the last thing on my mind though as I held Mel’s hand and walked barefoot in the sand with her. This was the shit she did to me. I looked like a douchebag, which only made me want to smoke more to keep my image alive and well.
Kip showed off on his surfboard.
Nobody watched.
Not even Ruby.
When Kip was done surfing, he snuck up on Ruby and picked her up and carried her into the ocean. That got him a nice fat lip because Ruby punched him good.
They agreed to never talk to one another again but somehow ended up kissing five minutes later.
I stopped walking and pulled Mel toward me.
We faced the water and I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she asked me.
“Look at this,” I said. “Right back where it started. The night I came to get you.”
“Oh. Standing at the water. Right.”
I looked at Mel. “I meant everything I ever said to you. Back then, I mean. I would have gone with you. If things hadn’t gotten so messed up.”
“Messed up?” Mel asked. “You weren’t there the night I needed you.”
“I know.”
“And then I found out later what had happened. What Mac did. You never told me.”
“Nothing to tell, love,” I said. “I’m not going to make excuses. I knew something bad was going to happen. Maybe not that night, but soon. I could have stayed there with you. Watched you pace for another few hours. I should have.”
Mel hugged my right arm and shut her eyes. “I still don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“How it all started. How it all fell apart.”
“You started it by hitting me,” I said.
Mel laughed. “And I thought that was going to make you stay away.”
“You were the first person to ever stand up to me, love,” I said.
“And I wish I never did.”
“You don’t mean that for a second.”
“I know,” Mel said. “I… whatever. So what’s with this secret music club thing?”
“Did you enjoy it?” I asked. “I mean… the beginning at least.”
“I enjoyed it all,” Mel said. “I can’t believe Carl was there. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“He won’t be back again,” I said. “Hank owns the place and keeps it really quiet. And Alex will vouch for me. And you.”
“Alex… is she…”
I grinned. “Nah. She’s too sweet for me.”
“So what am I?”
“What’s the opposite of sweet?” I asked.
“Sour?” Mel asked.
“Yeah. You’re sour.”
“Fuck you, Barr,” Mel said.
“I love sour. Sour’s my thing. I’m a cigarette smoking, piano playing, asshole kind of guy… of course I love sour.”
Mel shook her head and sighed. “I guess I’ll take that as a good thing.”
“Hey, you don’t have to be there tonight,” I said. “I plan on swinging until it’s done. And I mean done.”
“I’ll be there, Barr. And that scares me. Done…”
“Yeah,” I said. “But it has to be done. Settle this between Mac and I for good. It won’t change a thing with BC.”
“I wish they’d go away forever.”
“That’s what they want everyone to feel,” I said. “Believe me. I was the one who loved it the most.”
“I fucked it all up, Barr,” Mel said. “I’m not stupid. I was in your life and things went wrong.”
“Not even close,” I said. “You’re the one who saved me. You gave me a sense of what I could do in life without Brooks Crest. My parents kind of just dropped me off and wished me luck.”
“I wish we could just stand here forever,” Mel said. “Go play piano together. Then come right back here. And just be done.”
“Ah, damn, love, are you getting sweet on me now?” I asked.
Mel looked at me and touched my face. “Never, Barr. I’ll forever be so fucking sour, it’ll look like you’re kissing the air all the time.”
Now if that wasn’t romantic, then I wasn’t sure what was.
* * *
It wasn’t like any other time I’d been at the ditch. And we invented the ditch. Kip was the one who first brought up the idea of fighting. Pres tossed in the idea of money. I said we needed a quiet spot to make it work.
We always ran the ditch.
But tonight was personal.
Mac, Taz, Raf, Aric, and Les were all lined up on one side of the ditch.
On the other side, it was Pres, Kip, me, Tinsley, Ruby, and Mel.
When Mac saw Mel, he winked at her.
She lifted both of her middle fingers.
“Don’t let him get to you,” Pres said to me.
“
That shit?” I asked. “It won’t. Mind games. Mac loves them.”
“I’m going to fucking fight someone too,” Kip said. “I can’t keep calm for long.”
“Let me finish this,” I said. “Then we can have a fight night for you, Kip.”
Mac walked into the middle of the ditch first.
“Let’s go, Barr!” he called out.
There were plenty of people there to watch this. And there wasn’t a penny on the line.
It was all personal.
I walked forward and didn’t stop until I was nose to nose with Mac.
This wasn’t how BC did business.
And it wasn’t how the Rulz did business either.
“Brother, you love this,” Mac said. “Letting all those memories run through your head.”
“You know what I’m thinking about?”
“What?” Mac asked.
“Pissy Chrissy,” I said. “You really liked her, huh? Did you get to fuck her? I mean, she was open for business to anyone, right?”
“Fuck you,” Mac said.
“Come on, Mac. It was all fun and games. Right?”
Mac pushed at me and I pushed at him. We were bouncing off each other. It probably looked really stupid from the sides, but whatever.
“You couldn’t finish what you started,” Mac said. “And not just at Brooks Crest.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But I always get what I want.”
“So do I,” Mac said.
He stepped back and made a fist.
I nodded.
And we both swung at the same time.
* * *
We stood and went punch for punch for a good ten seconds or so.
The feel of Mac’s knuckles cracking against my face didn’t hurt. I felt no pain. The only thing I did feel was my hand hitting him right back.
I wasn’t sure who bled first.
His nose started leaking blood right about the same time I tasted blood.
I grabbed his shirt and he grabbed mine.
My head snapped back when he landed a solid punch to my nose.
I threw a punch down and clipped the edge of his jaw.
That got him to turn his head for a second.
I brought up my left hand, still holding his shirt.
I got him under his jaw.
He returned the same punch to me though.
We both let each other’s shirts go and stepped back.
Both of us taking deep breaths, nodding at each other.
“Take him out,” Raf yelled.
“Give me one of the others, Mac,” Taz yelled. “So we can take the girls home. Nest night!”
The Rulz didn’t know what that meant but I did.
I pointed back toward the Rulz and I didn’t need to look to know Kip was running faster than Pres.
“Fuck yes,” Raf said.
He and Taz came out into the ditch as I swung at Mac again.
He slipped back and knocked my hand away, then jumped forward and landed two punches. One to each side of my ribs, leaving me jumping and losing my breath.
Then Mac wrapped his arms around me and threw me to the ground like we were wrestling.
The ground was hard on my back.
Mac jumped up off me and scrambled to his feet.
Pres and Raf were trading fists.
Kip had Taz in some weird looking headlock, but Taz had hard fists and they were slamming against Kip’s chest and face.
I kicked back and got to my feet again.
“This is how it goes, Barr,” Mac said. “Round and round. No end in sight.”
“I’ve got nowhere else to be, Mac,” I said.
“Not even inside Mel?”
I came across his face with a left hook.
He turned and stood there. He smiled, exhaled, and spit blood to the ground.
I went after him and he threw his elbow back and caught me in my chest.
I stumbled back and he lunged at me again, two hands on my shirt.
He opened his mouth and I brought my head forward, shutting my eyes, knowing it was going to hurt.
And it did.
My head slammed against his face.
He let me go and dropped down to one knee.
I took a quick breath and went right back at him.
“Told you to watch the legs,” Mac said.
His arms wrapped around my legs and he pulled and twisted.
I felt a pop in each of my knees and I yelled in pain.
There was no stopping me from going to the ground either.
And Mac wasted no time in dropping down, his knee crushing to my stomach.
“Come on,” I said with faded breath. “I’m not done yet.”
“How many times did we talk about fighting?” Mac asked. “I told you what to look for, brother. I told you to watch the legs. Watch the shoulders. And look at you…”
“And you know what you fucked up at, Mac?” I asked.
“What?”
“You still fucking love me like a brother,” I said.
I made a quick move that I wasn’t sure would work. I brought my legs up and put them around Mac’s face and pulled him down to the ground as fast and as hard as I could.
He hit so hard, the ground shook.
I rolled away and jumped up to my feet.
Mac was already moving again though.
I forgot how crazy tough he was…
I went right for him though.
And we were back at it, going punch for punch.
My right hand started to curl open, hurting and swollen, but I wasn’t going to stop. My head kept flopping to the left side with each punch from Mac. And his head was doing the same.
Kip and Taz were on the ground, rolling around in the dirt.
Pres and Raf were a little more elegant, dancing around each other, trading punches when they felt like it.
Mac and I stopped at the exact same second.
“Done?” Mac asked.
“Fuck no,” I said. “You’re going to taste your own teeth for a week when I’m done.”
“Yeah?” Mac asked. “You can shit yours out and put them under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy.”
Mac laughed.
I punched him.
He punched back.
I threw my arm around his neck and pulled at him.
I wanted to take him to the ground again but he grabbed onto my shirt and we stumbled forward together.
“Barr! She’s running!”
I stopped and looked up.
Ruby was yelling my name.
I looked up a little more and Tinsley was chasing after Mel.
“Fuck,” I said.
I broke my hold on Mac.
He swung again and hit me in the stomach.
I ignored the punch and he grabbed my shoulder. “We’re not done.”
I spun around and grabbed his shirt. “Yeah, we are, Mac. It’s done.”
“Meaning it’s never done,” he said.
“Exactly. Mel took off. I need to find her.”
I pushed away from Mac and he took his turn grabbing my shirt and pulling me to him.
“She always loved you, brother,” Mac said. “And I tried to take care of her. And I tried to fuck her. But she loved you.”
Mac pushed me away and stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled.
The fight was over.
But the war wasn’t.
For now it could wait.
I ran out of the ditch as fast as I could to catch up to Tinsley and Mel.
I saw Tinsley first.
She was standing alone, shaking her head.
“Where is she?” I called to her.
“She ran that way,” she said, pointing. “I don’t know what’s going on. She got a text or call or something. I don’t know. She was staring at her phone, freaking out.”
“The fight is over,” I said as I jogged by Tinsley. I looked back. “Get Pres, Kip and Ruby and get the hell out of here.”
I sped u
p and realized I was chasing Mel from the ditch again.
And I found her again trying to open a door on some random car.
“What are you doing, love?” I called out.
She froze and looked at me. “Barr…”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Fight’s over. We called it. We’ll say it was even. They’re leaving. It’s over. Okay?”
“It’s not okay,” Mel said. She held her phone out. “I just got a call.”
“About what?” I asked.
“My mother,” she said. “She’s in the hospital.”
“Fuck,” I said. “No. What happened?”
I reached for Mel and she punched my hand away. “I need to go now. I need to get to her.”
“Driving?” I asked. “It’ll take a long time to drive. Let’s get cleaned up and I’ll fly us to her.”
Mel looked at me. “Barr… she’s in town… here.”
Chapter 21
Mel handed me a random t-shirt from my bag in the back and I used that to wipe and then hold it against my face on the ride to the hospital.
For half the ride, Mel was on her phone.
Sending and receiving texts.
And taking phone calls that were her just giving one word answers.
The biggest hospital was still a thirty minute drive.
With ten minutes to go, on a road that was dark and quiet, Mel dropped her phone and dropped her face into her hands.
My heart sank, fearing the worst.
I thought about what happened when Pres’s mother passed.
What it did to him…
“Talk to me, love,” I said.
“She’s alive,” Mel said. She picked up her head and laughed. “Maybe that’s why I’m crying.”
“Fuck.”
“She was in town for something. I don’t know what. Maybe she was looking for Carl? Or maybe Carl called her. About me. About us. Barr…”
“Fuck that,” I said. “Why is she in the hospital?”
“Too much to drink,” Mel said. “My mother. So drunk she’s sick. She had to have her stomach… oh, it’s disgusting. I don’t even want to see her.”
“I do,” I said. “You should see her. You know what? Fuck…”
I slammed on the brakes.
Mel screamed and tucked her head like we were going to crash.
The brakes screamed and the car slid just a little bit.
I parked the car in the middle of the road and grabbed Mel.
BARR: a bay falls high novel Page 19