Page 12 of Muddy Messy Love

I don’t answer Jen, because speaking is too hard. Instead, I stare past her shoulder to the blurry scene playing out front. My head bobbles like a buoy on rough seas, but the image soon clears. Zoe thrashes under the weight of Liam’s knee as he pins her stomach to the ground. He twists her arm higher against her spine, and she whimpers. “Let me go.”

“Not a chance,” Liam grits out with anger I didn’t think him capable of. “I don’t care what that cock-swab does to me. That was bullshit, Zoe.”

“She had it coming. What kind of dumb slut dates someone else’s boyfriend?Months, Liam. They’ve been together for months. Did you know this whole fucking time?” Her eyes plead with him, and guilt smothers me. I preferred her angry and vile, not vulnerable and hurt. Before tonight, she was a faceless inconvenience I could pretend didn’t exist. One that would soon be gone. Like Slade promised.

Liam winces. “Not even Aves knew. You should talk to Slade.”

“Well, I fucking can’t, can I? He’s locked up because of her.”

Her words freeze my blood, and Jen squeezes my shoulder. “Ignore her.”

“She’s right though.” I meet Jen’s frown. “About everything.”

Jen shakes her head. “It’s not that simple, and you know it.”

Two security guards approach, one barking orders into his walkie-talkie as they push through the crowd. I scan the circle of spectators, the eclectic mix of worry and wonder. We’re anamusement to them, a live action show, and one Zoe’s friends didn’t care to see finish. The fact they’ve fled should bring satisfaction, but pity swells instead.

Liam relinquishes Zoe to the guards and rushes to my side. As they guide her away, she glances back over her shoulder, her glossy eyes finding mine over kohl-stained cheeks. The image twists my insides, and I tear my gaze away. Her face will haunt me enough as it is.

Liam squats to eye level, lifting my chin. “Fuck, are you okay?”

“I think so.”

Jen glares at him. “That was dumb. You should have warned us. And why the hell introduce them?”

The colour drains from his face. “I didn’t know she’d deck her. I didn’t want to upset everyone, and it all happened so fast.”

Jen’s lips mash together, and Liam looks at me. “I’m sorry. I knew she was pissed, but I didn’t expect this. She never hit no one at school.” He grips the back of his neck and shakes his head. “I fucked up…”

His words knock around my head, inflaming already tender points, and I raise my hand to silence him. “Not your fault.”

He stills with a sigh, and I peer up at Jen. I won’t let them fight because of me. “Kiss and make up. Please.” She’d grant my every wish in this state, and I’m not above milking it for a good cause.

She grumbles at the ground like a toddler, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Relieved, Liam strokes her cheek with that soft Jen-only smile, then drops his hand and frowns at me. “Can you make it to the car?”

“I think so.”

They help me up, slinging my arms over their shoulders. My head whooshes, but they keep me steady. A park attendant steps in, asking if we need help, but Liam assures him we have it handled.

People detour past with curious stares as we navigate our way towards the exit. A little girl stops to gawk in our path, her tiny lips shaped like anO, before her blushing mother tugs her away, apologising.

With each careful step, Zoe grows more vivid in my mind. Images of her and Slade together, in various sordid positions, violently flicker like an antique film full of heart-hollowing torment. I swallow down bile. “She’sverypretty.”

“Not as pretty as you,” Jen says.

I roll my head towards her. “That still the case? Because my face feels like a bowling ball.” Jen cringes, and I huff. “That bad, huh?”

“Let’s just get you to ice. I’m sorry she hurt you.”

“Like she said, I had it coming.”

“Only one person deserves a smack in the head, Aves, and that’s Slade. I should go tell that bitch a few home truths.”

The protective growl in Jen’s soft voice makes me smile, then flinch. “Please don’t. I don’t want you hurt too.”

She huffs. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She squares her delicate shoulders under the weight of my arm, but we both know it’s true. She and I, we aren’t overly short, but we aren’t built for fighting either. Not in temperament nor frame.

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