The Fight
1115 Words
The party should have ended after Tyler walked away.
But it didn’t. If anything, the atmosphere became worse because now everyone had seen Jace defend me.
And people at Blackwater loved drama more than oxygen.
The whispers started almost immediately.
I could feel them following me through every room.
Every hallway-sized gap between groups, every glance, and every smirk.
By the time I escaped the kitchen and stepped onto the back patio, my patience was hanging by a thread.
Cool night air hit my face. Finally some silence and silence.
Well, almost silence.
Music still pulsed faintly from inside the house, but it sounded distant enough to ignore.
I leaned against the railing and closed my eyes briefly.
I had only been at Blackwater for one week and somehow my life had already become a mess again.
The back door slid open behind me.
I didn’t need to turn around.
“You following me now?”
“Depends.”
Jace’s voice sounded far too amused.
“On?”
“Whether you’re about to do something stupid.”
I opened my eyes.
“Your confidence is concerning.”
Jace moved beside me, resting his arms against the railing.
The porch light caught the sharp angles of his face.
Everything about him felt dangerously a lately especially when we were alone.
For a moment neither of us spoke. The silence felt easy and comfortable.
Which was honestly becoming a problem.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said eventually.
“Done what?”
“Defended me.”
Jace frowned slightly.
“Why?”
“Because now people will talk.”
“They already talk.”
Fair point.
I hated when he was right.
“They’ll assume things,” I said quietly.
His gaze shifted toward me.
“Let them.”
My heartbeat stumbled, and the answer came too fast and natural.
Like he genuinely didn’t care.
That scared me more than I wanted to admit.
“Easy for you to say.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“You think I care what people say?”
“You should.”
“Why?”
“Because you have something to lose.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Scholarships. Reputation. Future opportunities.
Everything I had already watched had disappeared from my own life.
For a second, something unreadable crossed his face.
Then he looked away.
“I’m not worried about myself.”
The honesty in his voice caught me off guard.
Before I could respond, shouting erupted somewhere inside the house, loud and angry.
The peaceful moment was shattered instantly.
“What now?” I muttered.
The back door burst open.
Mason appeared looking alarmed.
“Uh…”
Neither of us liked that tone.
“What?” Jace asked.
Mason rubbed the back of his neck.
“Tyler’s drunk.”
“Okay.”
“And he’s talking about Naomi again.”
My stomach sank. Jace went completely still.
“Where?”
Mason sighed heavily.
“That’s exactly why I didn’t want to answer.”
Too late Jace was already moving.
“Jace,” I called.
He ignored me.
I followed him through the house.
The crowd parted automatically as we pushed through the living room.
The noise grew louder there were arguments, and laughter.
Voices overlapping then I saw Tyler.
He stood near the staircase surrounded by students.
Holding a drink and running his mouth as usual.
The second he spotted me, he smirked and that was a big mistake.
“Look,” he announced loudly.
“There she is.”
The room went quiet.
My pulse immediately sped up. Tyler raised his drink casually.
“Tell me something, Naomi.”
I already hated where this was going.
“Did you get bored ruining one school?”
“Tyler,” Mason warned.
“Or are you planning to ruin this one too?”
The crowd shifted uncomfortably.
Nobody spoke or intervened they all just kept watching.
Exactly like always.
Tyler laughed.
“Maybe Jace should be careful.”
That did it. I felt it happen before anyone moved, the change in Jace.
The snap. One second he was standing beside me the next he crossed the room very fast.
“Jace!”
It was too late.
His fist connected with Tyler’s jaw.
The sound echoed through the room, and gasps exploded instantly.
Tyler stumbled backward, and a drink crashed onto the floor.
People started shouting someone screamed there was absolute chaos.
“Oh my God!”
“Holy s**t!”
“Break it up!”
Tyler recovered quickly enough to swing back.
Jace dodged it and then grabbed the front of his shirt.
The crowd surged forward, students scrambled away from the fight, furniture shifted, and music stopped abruptly.
“Enough!”
Nobody listened.
Tyler shoved Jace hard Jace shoved back harder.
For one terrifying second, I genuinely thought somebody was about to get seriously hurt.
Then Coach Daniels’ voice exploded through the room.
“What the hell is going on?”
There was immediate silence. Coach stood near the doorway looking furious.
The kind of furious that made athletes fear for their lives.
Tyler immediately stepped back, Jace released his shirt, and nobody breathed.
Coach’s eyes swept across the room.
There was broken tension, spilled drinks, and terrified students.
Then finally landed on Jace.
“Outside.”
Uh-oh. Even Jace looked annoyed.
Coach pointed again.
“Now.”
Nobody argued.
Five minutes later, the party was effectively dead students started leaving, and rumors spread faster than wildfire.
And somehow the entire fight became my fault again.
I stood near the front yard while people slowly dispersed.
The night suddenly felt exhausting.
“You okay?”
I turned it was Jace.
A small cut sat near his lip now, and my stomach twisted unexpectedly.
“Seriously?”
He frowned.
“What?”
“You got into a fight.”
“He deserved it.”
“That doesn’t make it smart.”
A tiny smile appeared despite everything.
“Since when do you care?”
I opened my mouth then closed it.
Because that was the problem. Wasn’t it? I did care way more than I should.
The realization hit hard enough to make my chest tighten.
Jace watched me carefully, like he was waiting. He was so close to me.
Finally I looked away first.
“You’re impossible.”
His smile widened slightly.
“Probably.”
The night wind shifted around us.
For one long moment neither of us moved.
Then my phone buzzed it was a new notification.
Blackwater Gossip Page.
JACE DONOVAN PUNCHES TEAMMATE AFTER INSULT ABOUT NAOMI BLAKE.
My stomach dropped.
Because I already knew.
Tomorrow was going to be a disaster.
- Writer
