Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(49)

I nodded.

I bit my bottom lip.

Oh, sweet Gi… I’ve been in the cage… with a tiger and a lion… and I want to do it again…

Kip stood in the middle of the ditch and waited.

Then came his opponent.

Same height. Same build. Black hair. Everything black. He was wearing a sleeveless leather jacket, which he quickly slid off and gave to someone dressed the same as him. He paused and slowly peeled off a ring from each finger.

“Who is that?”

“You probably shouldn’t ask,” Gi said.

“BC,” Iris whispered.

“What does that mean? Is that another school?”

“Not quite,” Iris said. “I didn’t realize it was this tonight.”

I opened my mouth but watched as the guy in black went right after Kip.

Kip didn’t move an inch though.

Their bodies slammed together, seeing who was stronger.

They were both the same strength.

“Shit, Nix looks pissed,” Iris said to Gi.

“Nix?”

“The guy Kip is fighting,” Iris said.

“Oh. Right.”

Kip versus Nix.

They bounced their chests off one another more than a few times. It was hot at first but then got to be weird. Their lips were moving but nobody could hear what they were saying.

Finally Kip pushed Nix back.

Without hesitation Nix spit at Kip.

I gasped.

Holy. Shit.

“Holy shit,” Gi whispered.

Kip swung and hit Nix in the jaw.

The gathering all let out an ooohhh! sound.

Nix charged at Kip, driving his shoulder into Kip’s stomach.

Kip planted his feet and lifted Nix up into the air. It looked like a wrestling match for a few seconds until Nix broke free and threw a punch, hitting Kip right in the face.

I had no idea what to really expect. To me, these guys were untouchable. The Rulz. That’s how it was said to me. And how they had proven themselves. But now as I watched blood run down Kip’s face, my heart raced and ached.

I didn’t want him to get hurt. Which was stupid. Because I had no idea what they wanted from or of me.

Kip touched his own blood and laughed at it.

He teased Nix to punch again.

Which he did.

Kip took the hit to the mouth, turning, grabbing his jaw.

I grabbed Iris’s arm and squeezed.

She leaned in on me. “Roar…”

I let her arm go and stepped forward to get a better view.

Kip went on the attack again.

The two started trading punches but Kip got the upper hand on the fight. He knew how to move fast. His punches were accurate and with each one, Nix’s face bled more, looking puffier, and left him more unsteady.

Kip walked Nix to the edge of the ditch and then stopped.

Kip threw his arms open and backed up.

The crowd cheered for him.

That pissed Nix off.

He ran at Kip for some more.

“How long does this go?” I asked Iris.

“Well, when you bet, you choose,” she said. “You can choose the winner and how it’s decided. Someone can quit. Someone can stop the fight if it gets too much. Or someone gets knocked out.”

Shit.

If I was betting, I knew how I would bet on Kip.

He and Nix were tangled up again, throwing each other, also throwing any and all punches they could offer. Now it looked like a brawl instead of an actual fight. There was some bad blood between these two.

From the corner of my eye I saw a few of the guys dressed in black leather jackets standing at the edge of the ditch.

Something felt very off.

No more than a minute later Barr and Pres appeared at the edge of the ditch too.

Staring at them.

Kip landed a hard thud of a punch to Nix’s gut.

He bent over but jumped up, slamming his head against Kip’s jaw.

Kip’s head flew back for a second but Kip was still standing and still fighting.

Nix walked back to his guys, drawing Kip in.

When he got close enough, two of the leather jacket dudes grabbed for Kip’s arms.

They held him long enough for Nix to get one free punch to Kip’s face.

Then they let him go.

Pres and Barr charged through the ditch.

“Fuck,” Iris said.

“We better get going,” Gi said. “If this gets crazy we need to be out of here.”

“What is this?” I asked.

“This is… bad…,” Iris said.

I waited and watched as the dudes in the leather jackets grabbed Nix and got him out of the fight. They pushed into the crowd to get away.

Kip and Barr were ready to go after them but Pres stopped them. He had a handful of Barr’s shirt and a tight grip on Kip’s shoulder.

He said something to both of them and that was it.

“Wait,” I said to Iris and Gi.

Pres turned and looked at everyone. He let go of Barr and grabbed for Kip’s arm. He lifted it into the air.

“There’s your winner,” Iris said. “Since Nix left. It’s a forfeit.”

“Better than what could have happened,” Gi said. “I hate when those guys come around.”

People were clapping and cheering for Kip.

My eyes bounced from Kip to Barr to Pres and back again.