Page 17 of Apathy
I mocked him, because if I didn’t rein in my emotions, everything we planned for would burn in flames, and we would be done before we could even start.
I winced as Skylar dug her nails into my arm, but I couldn’t look at her now. Violent people were unpredictable, and whatever had him upset obviously had something to do with her. Not to mention, the amount of drugs he must have taken already mixed with alcohol and a foul temper, it could all lead to a disaster. I kept my eyes on him, shielding her from his sight.
I counted on him hating me at first sight. I counted on him feeling threatened by me, but I didn’t count on him getting violent.
Was this the first time he was getting violent with her? My heart squeezed thinking about it, because no matter what, no one should lay their hands on those weaker than them. I loathed men who couldn’t handle real life and whatever was bothering them—the men that would take their frustrations out on their families or their friends.
“Fuck you!” Kane bellowed as Skylar started pulling my arm, trying to take me with her.
“Ash,” she pleaded. “Let’s go. Leave it be.”
I took a step back, grinding my teeth, because while a part of me knew that I couldn’t start waging wars without a proper strategy, the other part of me wanted to rip Kane’s throat out.
You can’t be reckless, my uncle said.Patience is a powerful tool. We waited this long; we can wait a little bit longer.
Patience.
I was many things, but I wasn’t a patient person. Dozens of schools and a record with more stains than blank places could attest to that, but I would have to rein in my temper until the time was right. I couldn’t do anything until all the pawns on the chess board were placed properly. Our time was coming, and this little town wouldn’t know what hit them.
Turning toward Skylar, I failed to see the fist flying to my face, and before I could react, I was on the ground, with Kane straddling me. I could hear the screaming all around us, but I focused on the fists coming closer to my face.
“Kane!” Skylar screamed. “Stop it!”
But this motherfucker wasn’t stopping. If anything, he increased his pace, and just when I thought he was going to stop, he wrapped his hands around my throat, cutting off the oxygen supply. The promise of obliteration was written all over his face as I started fighting back, trying to push him away. My hands connected with his face, forcing his head backward, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins was propelling him further.
Patience. I had to be patient because this was what I wanted. To see Kane crazed, jealous, livid. To see him fall apart in front of everyone he cared about. I just had to survive this, tonight.
“I’m going to kill you, fucker,” he sneered. The position he was in gave him an advantage over me, and as black spots started dancing around the periphery of my vision, I knew I wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
Out of nowhere, a mass of blonde hair and a tiny body knocked him off of me, going to the ground in a heap of limbs and screams.
“Skylar!” a feminine voice shouted. I wasn’t sure if it was Hailey or Lauren. I started pulling myself off the ground, coughing, inhaling more air than necessary.
“Are you okay?” A voice filtered through my mind and as I looked up, I realized it was Hailey. I focused on the loose strands of her chocolate-brown hair, controlling my breathing and clearing out my mind.
“Here.” She pushed a bottle of Jack Daniels in front of me, shaking it slightly and waiting for me to take it.
I lifted one eyebrow, slanting my head to the side, and looked at her. “Really?”
“What? It’s either this or pool water. I’m pretty sure you would rather have this.”
She did have a point, but I would rather have a glass of water than this. The ghostly feeling of Kane’s hands around my throat was still ever-present in the forefront of my mind, and as I took the already uncapped bottle and took one large sip, I could feel the burn stronger than it usually was. I pressed a hand against my raw throat, trying to swallow past the pain, trying to shake the dizzy feeling from my head. I wanted to get up, wanted to check up on Skylar, but I didn’t have enough strength in me to get up now. Faraway voices trickled through the air, and I turned my head to the side, seeing Skylar’s back going inside the house.
The amber liquid sloshed in the bottle as I threw it to the ground. As I wiped my mouth, I noticed that Kane was nowhere to be seen.
“She went home,” Hailey answered as I started looking around, hoping to see Skylar coming back. “Lauren took her.”
I leaned back, seeing Danny and Rowan talking animatedly. “And Kane?” I asked her as I looked back at her. “Did he go back with her?”
Hailey took a deep breath and sat down next to me, taking the bottle from the ground and draining the rest of its contents in one sip.
“I honestly have no idea where he went, and I don’t really care.”
“I thought he is your friend?”
She scoffed at my remark and threw the now empty bottle away from us.
“That’s like saying that cats and dogs are friends. Kane isn’t my friend. He never really was and I don’t want him to be.”
