“Oh yeah, you’re so mature. Listen, meathead, let me use small words so a dumbass like you can understand them. She. Is. Not. Yours. She’s staying with me.” Stepping forward, he grabs hold of Claire’s free arm, obviously not picking up on how deep he’s wading into her shit list.
I know I’m making an ass of myself, but something about this little creep gets under my skin like a rash. “Staying with you? Don’t make me laugh. Let her go before I level your ass.”
He sneers at me. “Fuck you, shrivel-dick. You know steroids do that, right?”
“You little shit, I’m gonna—”
Surprising me, Michael’s the one who leaps first. He goes straight for my fucking jugular, growling like a wild animal. He even lands a punch, connecting with my jaw, making my nerve endings scream in pain. It hurts, but not enough to stop me. Just enough to seriously piss me off.
I actually laugh, glad he started it, because now I can do exactly what I’ve been itching for since he came over. My fist impacts his face with a satisfying crunch, the shock of it traveling up my arm.
He tumbles backwards, sprawling into the grass. “You fucker!” He jumps back up but rubs his jaw. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!”
Michael leaps, clawing at me like a girl. It would be hilarious if I wasn’t the one he was slapping, and it’s still pretty amusing. Wrapping my arms around him in a bear hug, I take a step back to regain my balance.
My foot finds nothing but air.
Fuck.
Everything goes in slow motion as we topple together into the pool. Water sprays up in all directions around us with a loud splash, and then we’re under, pushing away from each other. Bubbles rush past me, stirring the water so that it’s impossible to orient myself. My clothes weigh me down as I kick towards what I think is up.
I burst through the surface, drawing air into my lungs. Less than a second later, Michael follows and then we’re both treading water in the deep end.
The small group our argument drew has nothing on the crowd that shows up to gawk at the idiots in the pool. Uncle Chester starts pulling off his tie like he wants in on the fun, but some woman who’s probably his wife grabs him by the back of his shirt and hauls him away.
“Oh my God! Michael, are you alright? What’s going on?” Marie rushes down the steps from the deck.
Ignoring them all, I scan the crowd for Claire. When I find her, our eyes meet just long enough for me to see her hide a satisfied smile, then turn and walk away with determined steps. Shit.
A single stroke, and I’m at the edge, bracing my hands against it to lift myself out, water streaming off me. I can feel it running down the inside of my clothes and sloshing in my shoes. A few feet to my side, several hands are pulling Michael up while he’s still coughing and sputtering, but I have to drag myself out.
I stand, trying to ignore how my shoes squelch when Marie approaches. She doesn’t look any happier than Claire did. “I have no idea what the hell is going on here, but given the circumstances, I suggest very strongly that you remove yourself from our property.” Putting her fists in at her sides, she glares at me, waiting for me to move.
There’s a time for charm, and this sure as shit ain’t it.
Fine, whatever. My only reason for being here just stormed off anyway. I do feel a little bad, but it’s not like I threw the first punch or anything. Still, I doubt Marie’s interested in my excuses. “Yes, ma’am.”
I peel off my suit jacket and roll up my sleeves. Throwing the jacket over my shoulder, I walk out like I don’t give a fuck. The rain is picking up, but it doesn’t matter anymore.
“That’s right, motherfucker. And don’t you dare come back!” Michael yells after me. I give him the finger over my shoulder without looking, then go to find my car. Claire can’t have gotten far if Michael was her ride, busses are few and far between this time of night, and even a cab could take a while.
Popping the door on my Mustang, I hesitate. My car is my baby and it pains me to think of what I’m doing to my seats when I sit down. This fucked up decision of mine to screw up Claire’s date has gone from bad to worse, but after that kiss? The only thing I’d change was where I was standing when that jackass decided to go all Wrestlemania on me.
Pulling out of their driveway, it doesn’t take long before I catch sight of my target. If she’s still pissed, I’m not sure she’s going to want to see me, but one way or another she’s getting in this car and we’re going to start figuring this shit out.
Claire
Testosterone turns the males of the human species into idiots. It’s true, I just witnessed it.