I tossed my backpack behind a nearby tree and took off after them. I tried to quiet my breathing as I rounded the corner in hopes of figuring out which way they went. With nothing to guide me, I just kept running straight – if I kept going, I would hit the town square and I would be able to hopefully find someone. My mind raced as emotions raged in my head. I was angry. Angry that Dylan and Lissa felt like they had the power to control my life. But I was also frustrated with Fang – that he had run off to go deal with Dylan. Knowing Fang and knowing Dylan, I had a horrible feeling this was going to end very poorly.
Suddenly, I felt myself slam into something hard and roughly my size. Dazed and confused, I stumbled back. "Iggy!"
"Fang was right – you really do have a problem running into people. Literally," he said smirking. But then the smirk was replaced with immediate concern: "Are you okay? We saw that post on Twitter."
"Uh, yeah I'm pretty sure the entire state of Colorado has seen it. But, that's a later issue. Right now, I'm trying to find Fang. He took off following Dylan in a red pickup truck. I'm worried, Ig – I've never seen him look so angry."
Iggy groaned, "He's going to beat the living shit out of Dylan. We need to go find them before someone gets seriously hurt. There's so much residual tension and anger between them; we all knew it was eventually going to boil over. I just never would've guessed it would be like this."
I shook my head. "I know. That's why I'm worried. Where would they go?"
"I would guess somewhere open. Dylan's antagonizing Fang and probably drawing him out to fight. Let's go get my car."
"Dylan's also in control. Fang was blindly following him down the road – there's no way he can think straight."
"Prospect Park?" Iggy asked.
I shook my head. "Too far. Dylan knew Fang was running, so he would go somewhere closer, so they could have their stupid confrontation."
"The alley behind the dermatology office and the Whole Foods?"
I shook my head again. "Too public." I paused. "Wait. What about that big grassy field off the highway that goes towards the mountains? By that big white barn? It's not that far and it's open space but not central to town."
Iggy nodded. "Easily could be a good spot. Let's check it out."
As we turned onto Iggy's street, I picked up my pace into a jog and slid into the passenger's seat of Iggy's car. "Alright, step on it." We flew down backroads making a few turns until the barn was coming up on our right. I groaned. Fang, Dylan or Dylan's posse were nowhere to be seen.
"Max, right there," Iggy said pointing to a few shadows that were seen moving directly along the far side of the barn. "Come on."
Iggy's car was spitting up dust as we rounded the last corner before he slammed on the breaks and we skidded to a halt.
A million thoughts flew through my head, but no coherent sentences were forming in the midst of the chaos. The car door I had just emerged from hung open on its hinges as I ran through the thicket.
"You're just mad because you know it's true," I heard a voice yell. I could practically feel my blood pressure rise as I shoved my way into the clearing. "Oh, look who decided to join us," he continued with a smirk, "my great friend, Maximum."
"Bite me, Dylan," I muttered, scanning the space.
"Oh, believe me, I would love to," he said with a grin.
Ugh. Gross. What a creep. Meanwhile, Fang had lunged and within a matter of a few strides had pinned Dylan to the white barn behind him with his feet dangling a few feet above the ground. Within seconds, Dylan's cronies had appeared from the shadows and were now surrounding Fang.
"Who's in trouble now?" Dylan asked with a smirk but his voice waivered ever so slightly.
"Fang", I whispered. "Please. Just leave him," I paused. "He's an insignificant piece of trash that felt the need to bring back up to chase someone down." His hold on Dylan lessened and his feet were now just a few inches above the ground. "Come on, let's get out of here. He's not worth it."
Without a word Fang dropped Dylan who crumpled on his ankles and fell to the ground. He swiftly walked towards me but before he had made it, Dylan had jumped up and was about to land a punch to base of his neck. Instinct took over. My fingers curled into a fist and before I knew what was happening, my hand ricocheted off of his jaw and his head whipped around. So much for new fighting at the new school. Oops.
"That's for messing with my boyfriend," I added before spinning on my heel and heading to the car.
I heard Dylan curse me out, but much to my relief, he didn't send his posse after us. Fang slid directly behind my back and surveyed the field, confirming that Dylan was still clutching his face while his crew looked alarmed and slightly bemused.
"Nice right hook, Max," Iggy said chuckling as we started the car.
"Fang, are you okay?" I asked timidly. "I didn't mean to lose control like that," I added with a small smile. It truly was not premeditated, but in hindsight I do think that Dylan will be much less likely to announce he was pummeled by a girl. A girl he'd been making fun of at that.
He glared at the ground, kicking a loose rock with his shoe until it disappeared into the mesh of trees and bushes. "I'm fine," he grumbled.
"Do you want to go?" I asked opening the door to the backseat of Iggy's car and closing the front door I had left open in my haste.
He gave a non-committal shrug.
"Come on," I said gently taking his hand. He followed without hesitation as I slid into the backseat.
"So, where to?" Iggy asked. "The local boxing arena?"
I not-so-subtly kicked the back of the driver's seat, "Time and place, Iggy." I could tell Fang was still seething but was trying, very unsuccessfully, to ignore everything.
"Will you take us to that clearing in our neighborhood? My backpack is hopefully still behind a tree," I decided after a minute.
Without a word, Iggy dropped us off. Thankfully, my backpack lay undisturbed under the shade of a large pine and I scooped it up as Fang shoved papers and folders back into his disheveled backpack. After collecting his items that had been strewn across the grass, Fang made his way to the horizontal tree that provided shelter from the sun and any passerby. I followed suit feeling the rough bark beneath my fingers.
Watching the sun begin its smooth descent behind the horizon seemed like a fitting, yet ironic, close to an afternoon of chaos. I leaned my head against Fang's shoulder, enjoying the feel of taut muscle against my cheek. We sat in a still silence as the sun continued to drop farther and farther away, leaving us bathed in darkness.
"I'm sorry," a voice grumbled.
"Don't be sorry," I muttered.