Page 99 of Lyrical (Academy of Stardom 2)

“Zayn, don’t. Please. I don’t want this. I shouldn’t have—” I whisper. I don’t want anyone to be forced into admitting how they feel about me, good or bad, and by the look on Xeno’s face, it’s bad. Really, really bad.

But Zayn doesn’t seem to hear me. Instead, he turns me in his arms and clasps my face in his hands. His obsidian eyes gleaming with passion and determination. “If he isn’t man enough to say how he feels, then fuck him. I am.”

“Zayn—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“Three years ago you walked away with Jeb. You fucking broke my heart, Pen. I fell to pieces and Xeno, he held me together. He heldustogether. We vowed from that moment on, that no matter what, the Breakers would come first. Always. We vowed to look out for each other, protect each other. No matter what. But Xeno forgot one fundamental thing. We all forgot.”

“And what was that?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You, Pen. We forgot that you were a Breaker too. From the moment you stepped into the basement of Jackson Street, you became one of us. You became our beating fucking heart, and I refuse to let those two fuckers forget that,” he says, jabbing a finger at them both. “You were always ours, Pen. You were always mine, and I refuse to deny what my heart wants. I don’t give a fuck what’s at stake.”

Zayn doesn’t give me time to respond, he just crashes his mouth against mine and kisses me like a desperate man. He kisses me like the floodgates have been opened wide and the past three years of loss, hurt and anger are nothing but painful memories that no longer belong to us anymore.

Our kiss is interrupted by slow clapping. Zayn jerks away, leaving me breathless and wired. I have to blink back the fog of lust in order to concentrate on just keeping upright. This is all too fucking much.

“Nice speech, Zayn. Never thought you’d turn into such a pussy-whipped bitch.”

That’s all it takes to fan the flames of Zayn’s anger. He runs at Xeno, tackling him to the ground, his fists meeting Xeno’s face, the sound of his aggression echoing around the room. Xeno doesn’t fight back, he just fucking lies there and takes every punch to his head.

“Stop it!” I shout, launching myself at them, but York steps in my way and grasps me around the waist before I can break the fight up.

“No, Titch. Let them fight this out. It’s been a long time coming.”

I struggle against his hold, flinching with every punch that lands with a loud smack.

“Don’t fight over me!” I scream and Xeno snaps.

Roaring loudly, he flips Zayn over and straddles him, landing a hard punch against Zayn’s mouth that throws his head to the side and splits his lip. Blood spurts out from the cut, and I lose it completely.

“Stop!” I scream, but they don’t hear me. They don’t fucking hear me. York yanks me backwards, but still I struggle.

“This needs to happen, Titch.”

“No, York, it doesn’t. It doesn’t!” I turn to look at Dax who is watching the fight with a blank expression. “Please, Dax, stop this. Stop this insanity!”

Dax meets my gaze and grits his jaw.

Now I’m the one who snaps.

I scream.

Loudly. Piercingly.

I scream in frustration. I scream with every last bit of hurt. I scream until I’m fucking hoarse.

My fists beat at York’s arms and he holds me tighter. I don’t stop. I don’t hear the words York is saying in my ear. I hear nothing but the unravelling of my soul.

I let out all my anger. I let out every last drop of hate for Jeb and my brother for causing this, for leading us to this point. I scream and scream until finally my anguish gets their attention.

Xeno’s raised fist stops mid-air, as if his own rage has been tempered by mine. He snaps his head around, looking at me over his shoulder. A rivulet of blood runs down his temple and over his cheek from a split in his eyebrow as he breathes heavily. Beneath him, Zayn’s eyes widen with concern, his anger draining away with every second that passes. I sag in York’s hold.

“Stop it. Just stop it. I’m not worth this. I’m not worth it.”

I’m sobbing now, huge tears track down my cheeks and I can’t fucking stop them.

I can’t.

If this uncorking of my emotions makes me weak, then so fucking be it.

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