ALL THE RAGE (writer: T.M. Frazier)(40)
Nolan’s hand tightened around mine. He pushed me behind him as the guy approached. “Nobody. That’s fitting. Accurate description of you actually.”
I stepped back out from behind his body, needing to see what was going on and why this guy was calling Nolan out.
“You have fun up there, pretending to be someone you’re not? Your uncle must be real proud you f*cked him over for a f*cking hockey puck and a helmet. Must be real shitty knowing what a f*cking * you turned into, Goon.”
Nolan’s jaw went tight. The muscles in his arms tensed and a thick vein over his bicep pulsed. I recognized his reaction as easily as I’d recognize my own. I could smell his anger as he said, “Shit happens, Griff. I’m back. That’s f*cking that, you want to start with me you’re gonna have to wait for another time, I’m kind of busy right now,” he said, taking a sip of his beer in an attempt to hide his emerging anger. I watched both men in quiet fascination, although if Griff kept pushing Nolan, I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to hold off my own anger that had already started to burn and was threatening to turn into an inferno I wouldn’t be able to control.
“Yeah, I’d almost forgotten about your gimpy leg,” Griff said, stepping forward. “And here I was, thinking you was back in town because you saw me on Instagram, pounding my cock into the back of your girl’s throat.”
Nolan huffed. “Jessica? Not my girl. Never was. You can f*cking have the bitch,” Nolan spat, narrowing his eyes as Griff stepped down off the makeshift bleachers, the dilapidated old stairs creaking under his feet, announcing each heavy step as he made his way down to the sand until he was right in front of us. He flipped his black baseball cap so the brim was backward.
“Oh, I did f*cking have her.” Griff said, smacking his lips, egging Nolan on. “Many many times. She was fun to pass around. Guess she got tired of you up there playing hockey and pretending to be the all-American jock when we all know you’re just plain white trash.”
Nolan muttered something under his breath and clenched his fists. He held me tighter and turned to leave, pulling me beside him as he led our way back into the dark. My pulse picked up as we walked away. A full body heat took over and I struggled to even out my breaths. Nolan was right to walk away. We needed to get far from that situation as quickly as possible because I was seconds away from losing it completely.
Griff called to us as we left, his hatred of Nolan evident in his voice, poking at me and provoking me with every sharp word. “While you’re pretending to be so preppy and polite, the all American f*cking JOKE, you can pass over blondie now, and I can introduce her to the same good face f*cking I gave Jessica. Don’t worry, dude. I’ll totally give her back when I’m done coming down her throat and making her choke on my cock.” A few of Griff’s friends chuckled.
Nolan stopped and completely stilled. He gnashed his teeth together and then slowly, he turned back around, dropping my hand.
In a few running strides, Nolan ascended on Griff, his fist cracking over his rounded face while his head was still thrown back in laughter. I stood there wide-eyed, amazed by the power behind Nolan’s punch, behind Nolan. Griff sailed backward into the sand. Seeing Nolan so in control caused my anger to fade slightly. He handled it. We could go. If we left right now, I could keep the burn under wraps. “Come on, let’s go,” I said softly. Nolan turned back toward me, cracking the knuckles of the hand he’d just used to set Griff straight when two of the guys Griff had been sitting with jumped down off the deck onto Nolan’s back, pushing him down into the sand. One held him down while the other’s fists flew.
That was it.
From that moment there was no more reining it in.
The familiar heat spread through my entire body like an out of control wild fire. My vision shifted from white to red…to black.
I’d lost any control I thought I had, and in the process I showed every person there that Rage was most definitely not short for Regina.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nolan
I barely had time to register what was happening when Oben and Ward, two of Griff’s friends who completed the juvenile delinquent trio, jumped onto my back like the cowards they were. After holding me down and getting in a few punches of their own, Griff stood and shook off the sand. “You’re gonna f*cking pay for that, you prick,” he spat, wiping at the blood dripping from the corner of his nose. I was in the process of shaking off the two little f*ckers when Rage suddenly appeared. A blank expression on her face and an eerie sense of calm surrounding her. Much to my surprise, she stepped right up to Griff.
“Rage!” I called out in warning, but she didn’t respond. Griff wasn’t the kind who cared if she was male, female, or a f*cking toddler. His mama was serving time for killing his dad. His view on women in general wasn’t the best and his hatred toward me went a lot further back than hockey and Jessica. Rage ignored me and continued to walk toward Griff. She didn’t protest or even struggle when he lunged for her, grabbing her by the arms, spinning her around so her back was to his chest, her hands pinned behind her.
“You think you’re hot shit, Nolan? Mr. NHL? Mr. Big man on f*cking campus?” Griff seethed, lowering his lips to Rage’s cheek. “You think you can take shit from me without me taking shit from you, then you’re seriously f*cking mistaken. ’Cause this chick here?” Griff said, running a fat finger down Rage’s cheek. I pulled against Oben and Ward who were struggling to keep me restrained.