Jake stepped back to admire his work. Before, the walls were spotless. Now, they were filled with eccentric, carefully-made patterns of graffiti. With a smile on his face, the rebel turned to look at the others. "All right," he said, holding up his hands. "That's enough, gang." He watched as, one by one, his friends dropped their cans, leaving behind works of art.

Except not all of them were Jake's friends.

"Who made you leader, anyway?" a contemptuous voice asked, accompanied by a hard punch to Jake's shoulder. He whipped around to see Spike, an unfriendly glow in his eyes. "Spike," Jake spat out, just as venomously, trying to hold the pain from the blow. Lucy, noticing this, ran up to the rivalling boys. "Now, there's no need for–" She was cut off by Fresh, who held her back gently. "Let them," he said. Lucy took a step back cautiously.

Spike had his arms crossed and had a challenging look to his eyes. Jake was bristling with anger, both not making any move. Silence threaded its way between the two rebels, and neither backed down. The two were never truly friends; neither could tolerate the other for long. Violence was a last resort, and it had been used, too.

In their small rebellion, Jake had always been the natural leader of them all. He had pulled them together, keeping them tied as one. Being one of the fastest runners there, Jake was the ultimate in the gang. However, things changed once Spike came into the picture. The rocker had merely tagged onto the team, somehow bonding with Lucy, Brody, Tricky, King, and the others. And yet he never shown a soft side to Jake. Whenever the two clashed, there was always some unfinished business to clean up on. Spike was a year older than Jake, and that gave him extra points. He always acted as the superior, given the chance, and Jake hated him for it.

Walls of arrogance were built around Spike, especially when Jake was around. Lucy was probably the only reason that Spike and Jake never went into a fight. The worst and most violent incident between them was when Spike had slammed Jake head-on into a brick wall. Lucy had been the one to prevent further damage. Jake suffered minor injuries, and so the rivalry was born.

Now, Lucy broke from Fresh and quickly separated the two. "Come on!" she begged. "Why can't you just settle down, it's like trying to keep two bulls in the same cage!" Her bright hair flailed as she held Jake a distance away from Spike. Jake sighed; his hands were already fists and he would have given Spike a good beating, if not for Lucy. His temper never got the better of him before, and hopefully nothing big would happen.

Of course, his arm still hurt, but he wasn't going to cry like a wimp. This wasn't the first time Spike beat him up without opening a flesh wound. He had bruises, scratches, and scrapes. If only Spike was right and Jake truly was the leader of the gang. That way, they would have left Spike long ago.

Both knew that there was a deeper meaning to this fight they had; Lucy. Jake knew that the only affection Spike had ever shown was to Lucy and no one else. Whenever Spike thought Jake wasn't looking, he'd act like a true gentleman, eyes softened, with a hunger. A hunger that Jake felt too. Spike would never hurt Jake anymore because it would be the same as hurting Lucy. Somewhere within that cold, calculating façade, Spike had a heart of gold. But Jake knew that it would disappear one day, depending on Lucy.

For a moment, Jake loosened his grip on reality and flashbacks appeared in the back of his head. How he and Lucy used to have an unwavering friendship, before Spike showed up with the audacity to flirt with her so openly. Then he blinked, and the memories disappeared. If he was to win Lucy's heart, he'd have to get past Spike first.

Spike finally stepped down, acknowledging that the dispute was over. His eyes were still filled with glimmering hatred, however, and his expression said, This isn't over, Jake. she's mine, and you know it. He glared at Jake. The red highlights on his hair reflected the sinking sun's light, causing ripples of color to dance in the streaks.

Jake's anger level was slowly dropping. He turned back, half-glad that now he could speak to the rest of his team. "Come on." He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over to the dark alleyways where they lived in. Life was never easy out here, but they managed just fine. They were used to these hardships.

While he walked, he let his mind wander free. He thought about the others, too. Was his blind love for Lucy causing him to neglect them? He was paying lesser and lesser attention to them, now that Spike was a threat. If he couldn't take care of one gang member, how was he supposed to hold them all as one? How would he prevent them from breaking apart?

Spike was still a problem. Jake could never understand why. Spike, he was so quiet at times, never revealing too much information about himself. Jake barely knew anything besides his name. Spike never told anyone his real name, nor his origins, nor his hobbies other than rule-breaking. Jake doubted Spike actually had any family or friends outside the rebellion. For a very short while, he felt pity clutch his heart, but he shook his head and banished it away.

Rebelling was a contest; love was the prize. Running was a game; chasing was a quest. Rivalry was a beam of light, with blindness the punishment. If his life was a painting, Jake could create a dynamic masterpiece. For his heart longed for naught but one thing, and that was Lucy.

And Spike was the enemy.

Author's Note: So, this is my first Subway Surfers fanfic. It's obvious that this category needs more stories, so here's a little something to expand the archives. I may or may not continue this; it depends on the reviews and what you guys think I should do. I'm not a first-time writer, but I do take constructive criticism. If you have any tips or ideas, I'd love the feedback :D

Right now, I guess, this will remain as a one-shot until I have the time to continue it. Don't forget; each review counts and gets this fanfic a bigger chance of developing into a multi-chap!

Agent Glitch, logging off.