Page 21 of Stray
Just to pour a little fuel on the fire, I laughed at the next silly thing Danny said, touching his arm. He took that to mean more than it did and caught my hand in his. Maybe it wasn’t fair to use him like this. We all knew anything that happened at these parties didn’t mean much in the light of day. Right? Regardless, I needed to stop. I searched the party for any sign of my friends. I needed an escape.
Like anyone else at this party, Danny was looking for a fun night. He made that abundantly clear when he pushed the hair back from my face and leaned in to kiss me. He never got the chance.
Stray was suddenly there, grabbing him by the back of his jacket, jerking him hard off the bench and onto the ground. “You and me, asshole. Right here. Right now.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
STRAY
Codie gaped at me. Shocked. Dramatic as fuck. She knew exactly what she was doing when she started flirting with this idiot. Now she was going to sit there and pretend she was innocent. This girl was manipulative as hell.
That didn’t stop me from dragging Danny to his feet by his shirt. I gave him a shove, raising both my hands. “Let’s go. Are you just going to stand there and look stupid?”
Confusion furrowed his brow. He glanced at Codie, seeking an explanation. She sat there in stunned silence, not saying a word.
“What’s your problem, man?” he asked, shoving me back.
“Right now my problem is you. I really didn’t want to have to do this. Apparently, I need to make it known. Codie Edwards is off limits.” I followed up by slamming my fist into his face.
Codie let out a little shriek, leaping off the bench as Danny fell toward it. He caught himself, coming back at me with a heavy fist. As stars exploded behind my eyes, I inwardly cursed my devious little vixen.
I hadn’t meant to acknowledge her tonight. After how stone-cold she’d been at the grocery store, I’d decided to let her sit and stew in her own nasty vibes for a while. It was obvious to me that Codie put up a front. She wanted to seem like atough bitch to keep me at a distance. I knew it was an act. But I could act too. I’d intended to act like an aloof jerk, ignoring her existence. Then this jock motherfucker made his move.
Fights were a common occurrence at our parties. I’d enjoyed myself several times in the past, throwing a few good punches and taking some as well. Not over a woman though. I’d never met one worth fighting for.
Is that what I was doing? Fighting for Codie? Son of a bitch.
Danny had several pounds on me. I kept myself in great shape, but I was no football player. When the large bastard tackled me to the ground, my breath escaped in a whoosh as pain shot through my spine. Maybe if this dick broke me in half Codie would be happy.
Not that I planned to let that happen. People began to gather, drawing close enough to watch the fight without getting in the way. I was vaguely aware of Rebel shouting for me to fuck this guy up. Thanks for the encouragement, bro. Trying to not get my head punched in here.
“I didn’t know she was seeing anyone,” Danny snarled, his heavy fist landing on my face over and over.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about her.” I caught his next punch, twisting his arm until he yelped with pain. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Taking advantage of his pain, I rolled us over so I was on top and began to drop shot after shot into his face. Someone grabbed me from behind, dragging me off him. I jerked free of them, landing a kick in Danny’s ribs as he struggled to his feet.
Aware of Codie watching with a hand over her mouth, I grabbed Danny by the hair and slammed his face into my knee. He managed to get an elbow up, nailing me right in the nose. Fuck that hurt.
Danny’s injured arm prevented him from hitting me hard enough to matter. That’s when his football player buddies stepped in, pulling us apart. Rebel and Casper were quick to insert themselves into the situation.
Rebel was a loudmouth, demanding that the football players keep their hands off me and get the hell out of our party. Like usual, Casper didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to. His violent aura spoke loud enough.
Blood dripped from my nose and split bottom lip. Maybe other places. Once the commotion died down, I stormed over to Codie, grabbing her arm, dragging her with me into the trees. I had a few words for her. We needed to be alone for this.
Her eyes were wide. She blinked furiously as she took in the damage done to my face. My back ached as well. That was nothing a few drinks wouldn’t fix.
“Are you happy?” I pulled her close, making sure she got a good look at my face. “Don’t manipulate me like that again, Codie. Not unless you’re willing to pay the price.”
The small patio lanterns hanging from the trees to light the party didn’t quite reach us. Codie pulled out her phone, using the flashlight to scrutinize my injuries. I squinted against the bright light, jerking the phone from her grasp and turning off the light.
She dug around in her small purse, producing a tiny packet of tissue. “Why would you ask me that? Do you think I wanted you to fight? You chose to do that all on your own.”
She pulled out a tissue, dabbing the blood on my lip before wiping the stains from my nose. Her actions took me by surprise. There was something caring and attentive about the way she gently wiped my face. A direct contrast to the way she usually acted toward me.
“What are you doing?” Still amped up from the fight, I snatched the tissue from her hand.
“What does it look like? Trying to clean you up. We should probably find some ice for your nose.” Slapping my hand, she snatched the tissue right back. “You don’t have to be so difficult about it.”
