Fallen Crest High(123)

Adam choked out a hoarse laugh. "Are you kidding me, Sam? Someone needs to knock 'em down a step, him and his bitch boy. They think they're gods around here. I don't think so. I don't think so!" He spat on the ground. "He's got nerve to show up on my territory. This is mine, Kade!"

Mason lifted an eyebrow. "She yours too?"

"Mason!"

His eyes went wider and he choked back his retort to lunge forward again. His friends grunted and strained to hold him back. Peter snapped at him, "This is what he wants. You're playing into his hands."

Mark was whispering something to Adam while Peter kept a wary eye on Mason.

"I don't care," Adam ripped out. "I don't care one bit. I want this done. This has to be done. Someone's gotta do it. Everyone else is too scared so I'll do it.

Let me do it!"

Mason's soft chuckle enraged him further.

A knot of dread and fear expanded from my stomach. It was crawling all over me. My legs started to shake, but then I caught movement around us. People were starting to congregate towards us. I cringed when I heard someone yell

'fight' and then a bevy of lockers slammed shut from inside.

"Your sidekick's not here. What are you going to do, man?" Both of Adam's arms were lifted up and pushed backwards by Peter and Mark. They continued to hold him back as they leaned all of their weight on him.

"I don't fight with words." The corner of Mason's lip was curled up. "I'm quite capable of handling Quinn all on my own. Let him go. Come on. That's what he wants."

"Shut up!" Mark glared at him.

The last bell rang and I glanced around. No one was in class. The crowd doubled in size and a loose circle had started to form around us. Becky dodged around a group of guys and started to come to my side. I shot my hand out and shook my head so she braked a few yards from me, but edged in closer.

When she mouthed if I was okay, I shook my head.

No, I wasn't okay. Mason was severely outnumbered.

Suddenly, Adam shoved Mark aside and his elbow caught me in the face.

"Hey!" Mason barked as he caught me and pulled me behind him. "If you want to fight, fight me, not your buddies. Sam just got clipped."

Mark cried out as he caught one of Adam's arms, "I'm sorry, man. Sorry, Sam

—" He was about to say more, but Adam cursed and lunged once again.

"You're a piece of crap, Kade!" He continued to bite out curses.

Mason sighed and motioned for him to come forward. "Just let him go. This will get done a lot faster. I have school too."

Peter lifted his head and yelled, "If you'd shut up, man. You're not helping."

I felt Mason's impatience. The one hand he kept on me was tense, so tense I wondered if he realized he was going to leave a bruise. Then I stopped wondering. He looked like he was amused by the whole thing, but a nerve jerked under his shirt. I saw it through the opening of his shirt. It was his only tell; everything else about him was silent. He was completely still.

I knew he was ready for an opening.

And then something happened. He jerked forward, hooked an arm around Peter's neck and threw him to the aside. Adam swung, but Mason dodged and instead tackled Mark to the left. They both fell to the ground, but he scrambled back up in the blink of an eye. He turned around and it was now him and Adam, no one else.

Adam took a step forward and opened his mouth—

Crack!

Mason punched him between the cheek and mouth, one time, and then he stepped back.