The tension is palpable now.The air grows thick with unease as the brothers murmur, some exchanging worried glances.I can feel the weight of their stares, but I don’t care.
“Someone call Blaze, now,” Mike orders sharply, his tone uneasy.
Carter takes a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke out lazily before looking at me.“Relax, man.I’m just visiting.”
“Visiting?”I snap.“You’re not welcome here.”
Carter’s smirk widens.“Oh, I’m just here to let everyone know that Fox Wilder—their fearless leader—is a faggot.And not just that.You’ve been shacking up with your nerd roommate.What’s his name again?Cameron?”
The room buzzes with murmurs, but I don’t hear them.My vision narrows, my chest heaving as anger consumes me.
“You think this is a joke?”I say, my voice sharp and cutting.
Carter exhales a puff of smoke, shrugging nonchalantly.“What’s the big deal?You’re the one who decided to shack up with—what was it you called him the first time?Oh, yeah—a faggot.”
The word hits like a punch to the gut, but the fury that rises in me eclipses everything else.
“Watch your mouth,” I growl, stepping even closer.
Carter laughs, low and mocking.“Or what?You’ll hit me?Face it, Wilder—you’re a fucking hypocrite.You used to throw words like that around all the time, and now you’re getting bent out of shape because someone’s saying the truth?You’re pathetic.”
The room goes dead silent.
“What did you just say?”My voice is low, dangerous.
“You know,” Carter sneers, leaning back like he owns the place, “I always thought Blaze was the gay one between you two.But you?A fucking cocksucker?And that nerd roommate of yours—”
Before he can finish, my fist collides with his eye.Hard.
The impact echoes in the room, and Carter stumbles back, clutching his face in shock.I don’t stop.I grab him by the collar of his shirt and slam him against the hard wall with enough force to rattle the nearby picture frames.
“Fox, stop!”I hear voices shouting around me, but their words are distant, drowned out by the blood pounding in my ears.
I keep punching.Each strike lands harder than the last, my knuckles splitting open, but I don’t care.Carter grunts, trying to fight back, but he’s too slow, too weak, and I’m far too angry.
How dare he talk about Cameron like that?
“You,” I snarl, landing another punch directly on his jaw, “fucking—” another strike, “piece—” my knuckles crack against his cheekbone, “of—” Carter’s head snaps back, “shit!”
He slumps against the wall, dazed, but I don’t stop.The memory of his sneering face, and his disgusting words, fuels the fire inside me.
“How,” I growl through gritted teeth, punctuating each word with another blow, “dare you—talk—about—my—boyfriend—like—he’s—a—fucking—joke!”
Blood smears my hands, Carter’s face a mess of red, but I don’t care.I’m not done.People are yelling now, their hands grabbing at me, trying to pull me away, but I shake them off like flies.
“Fox, stop it, man!”Mike yells, his voice breaking through the chaos.“You’re gonna kill him!”
Two guys manage to pry me away, their arms locking around mine as I thrash against them.Carter collapses to the ground, coughing, his face a swollen, bloody mess.Even in this state, he tries to look smug, but his swollen lips ruin the effect.
I lunge forward, kicking him hard in the ribs.He groans, curling into himself, and finally goes still.The room falls silent except for the sound of my heavy breathing.
Everyone stares at me, their faces a mix of shock and fear.My chest heaves as I glare at them, daring anyone to say a word.
“What?”I bark, my voice raw.“Anyone else have something to say about me?About Cameron?”
No one answers.They just look away, their gazes dropping to the floor.Good.Let them be afraid.
“You better fucking listen,” I growl, pointing at them.“If I hear one more word—one more fucking word—about me or Cameron, I swear to God, I’ll make sure you end up like Carter.”
