Page 92 of My Debacle with De Lorenzo

“Tommy, get out!” I shout. We both exit the car. I grab Dylan’s arm and pull him a few steps back. “Just go home. C’mon, I’ll walk you to your car.”

It’s like he doesn’t hear me. He’s raging, his livid eyes boring into Simon. “Say one more word about her.Onemore.”

Simon laughs. “Dude, why are you getting so upset over this chick? You know you’re not actually supposed to buy the cow because this one’s milking cocks for free.”

And then Dylan goes ape. He hurls himself at Simon, tackling him to the ground.

“Dylan, stop!” I scream.

Tommy and I try to pull him off, but Tom is lanky and skinny. We’re no match for him. His fist just keeps going. We stop a few punches and soften a few blows, but we can’t get him off. People are gathering around us, recording the fight on their phones instead of helping. My eyes wildly scan the faces in the crowd, looking for anyone who has the strength to stop him, and then I see him walking to his car in the distance.

“Scott!” I shout. He can’t hear me, so I cup my hands over my mouth and try again. “Scott!”

He turns around to see who’s yelling, and his eyes widen when he sees us. He calls out to someone else and then I see him and Peter racing toward us. They shove through the crowd, each of them grabbing an arm, and it takes all of them to rip Dylan off him. They drag him back to Tommy’s car before they think it’s safe to release him.

Scott is wide-eyed, looking at him like he doesn’t recognize him. “Dylan, cool it.” The cut on Dylan’s lip is open, oozing blood, and Scott’s trying to get a better look at it. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” he replies, pulling his lip into his mouth to stop the bleeding.

With that confirmation, Scott turns to Peter. “What’s the damage?”

Peter half-turns to look at Simon, who’s slowly getting up off the ground. “Broken nose. Swollen eye.Lotsof blood...but he’ll live.”

Tommy puts his arm around me, rubbing my back as we watch them try to calm the situation. The three of them are huddled at the open passenger door, and Tommy and I stay back as they talk some sense into him.

“Dyl, you’re an assault charge waiting to happen,” Scott says softly. “You have some serious anger issues that need to be addressed.”

“I don’t fucking have anger issues.”

“Look at his face, Dylan!” Peter snaps. “That’s anger issues.”

Dylan turns his head and spits out the blood accumulating in his mouth. “He shouldn’t have said what he said to her.”

Peter sneers, lowering his voice. “You know, every time you get into a fight, it’s because ofher.” He obviously has no idea how to whisper because I can still hear him. “That chick is bad news, Dyl, and she’s not worth all this trouble.”

Scott casts a glance in my direction. “Back off, Pete.”

But Peter is undeterred. “You seem to be blinded by a great pair of tits, so you’re not seeing what’s happening here. When you fuck around with rats, you end up dealing with fleas like that douche over there.”

Dylan grabs the front of his shirt and shoves him against Tommy’s car. “I am tapering right on the fucking edge. I suggest you think very carefully about what you say to me next.”

They have a silent stare down for a few seconds, both of them breathing hard. Scott doesn’t say anything, almost like he knows Dylan won’t back down, but Peter will. And he does.

Peter relents, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, Dyl. I’m sorry. I take it back. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

Dylan abruptly releases him before he responds. “I can look out for myself, thanks.”

The crowd has dispersed, and Simon is hobbling toward his car when the huddle breaks apart.

Scott places his hand on Dylan’s shoulder. “That cut looks bad. You sure you’re alright?”

Dylan doesn’t clarify that the cut didn’t come from Simon. Simon didn’t even get a punch in. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow...That’s if you decide to come to school.” He nods his head toward Simon. “Pete, let’s go check on him before you head to practice.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Peter nods, then nudges Dylan with his shoulder. “We’re cool?”

“Don’t ever speak about her like that again.”

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