Page 48 of Hits Different

“Don’t worry”, I say quickly. “We’re just leaving”. Before I can grab Parker, one of the older guys grabs a bottle and hurls it across the room.

There’s deadly silence as it flies through the air. It smashes directly at Parker’s feet, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

There’s a split-second pause.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Chapter 18

Blackout

Parker

I know what it looks like, but I swear it wasn’t my fault.

Carlucci’s isn’t my kind of place. The glares we attract as we take a small booth suggest that it’s very much a locals-only kind of joint. Archie lasts five minutes before taking a taxi home with a pretty brunette, and Will bails soon after, citing an early start.

That leaves me half-heartedly making out with Kelly, whose hand is welded to the upper part of my inner thigh, much to the amusement of her remaining friends. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m not into this. At all.

I keep thinking about Brandon and why he didn’t want to come out with us. Or why he didn’t reply to my text to check that he made it home safely.

I’m about to tell Kelly that I’m going to call it a night, when someone slams into our table. Hard. My beer goes flying, and one of Kelly’s friends almost gets knocked off her chair. The offenders lurch past, chuckling to themselves.

“Watch it!” Kelly shouts after them. One of the guys stops immediately, and slowly turns round. I recognise the sneer on his face immediately. He’s looking for trouble.

“Just forget about them”, I say to her, but it’s too late.

“What’s your problem?” The taller of the two takes a step forward. He’s got half an inch on me, but he’s skinny. It’s his friend, shorter but stocky, making no bones about the fact that he’s sizing me up, that presents the threat.

“No problem”, I say evenly. “Just enjoying our night. Not looking for any trouble”.

“That’s funny”, the shorter one snickers, “Cos it sounded like your girlfriend had a problem. What about it, blondie?”

“Don’t talk to her”. I tense, ready to slide my chair back. “Just talk to me”.

“I just want to know what blondie’s problem is”.

“You are, jackass”, Kelly replies. “Hey, Jack!” she calls over to a baby-faced guy who’s shooting pool with his friends, “This guy wants to know what my problem is”.

Jack, a baby-faced guy in a t-shirt and backwards cap, crosses the room in two strides, bringing his cue with him. He wastes no time getting in the drunk douche’s face. “You wanna start something?”

“You better watch your mouth”.

Just slip out. You don’t need to get involved.

“It’s cool”, Kelly whispers. “Jack can handle this. He wrestles in the local high school”.

“He’s inhigh school?” I do a double take, before a more alarming thought occurs to me. “Please tell me that you’re not in high school too”.

“Sweetheart, I’m older than you are. Need to see my ID?”

I slide off my bench and position myself between the two of them. “Listen, boys, I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding”. I fish in my pocket and find a crumpled twenty. “Why don’t I just buy a round—non-alcoholic foryou”. I aim at Jack. “And we leave it there?”

“Keep out of this, pretty boy”.

“You have no idea how much I want to”.

By now, a couple of guys I vaguely recognise from Summit have stood up and walked over. But then, so have a couple of local fellas. “Trying to be funny?” The short one sticks his face in mine. “You look like you know how to fight. How about it?”

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