Chay, come on. Please.
Jake rushed Muriel. The guy behind us ran to me. So did the guy on my left. I tightened my grip on the strap of my book bag. When they were close enough, I swung it around. It hit the first guy hard on the side of the head, knocking him backward. But it lost momentum and the second guy knocked it away.
He wasn’t very large, no more than a couple inches taller than I was. But he was strong, and his skills were nearly equal to mine. The only good thing on my side was that the other guy was still holding the side of his head. He stumbled backward, hit the bleachers, and fell and hit his head a second time on the side of the seat. Guy number one was so sufficiently dazed that I didn’t have to worry about him—yet.
The second guy jabbed me in the gut. The air whooshed from my lungs. While I was trying to recover from the hit, he hit me hard across the injured side of my face. Stars lit up in front of my eyes. I stumbled backward. My legs wobbled. My entire body hurt from the constant fighting and for a second, a tiny part of my mind wanted to give up. Just let what would happen… happen.
Get it together. Stop being a freakin’ baby. Fight!
And I did. I jabbed him in the side and gave a quick uppercut to the chin. Grabbing his arms, I tried to knee him in the crotch, but he recovered in time and threw me off him, punching me in the rib cage. I was sure I heard a crunch. The pain was blinding, and I couldn’t stifle the scream that ripped from my mouth.
I heard one of the gym doors bang against the wall. Chay ran into the gym. I heard him tackle one of Azazel’s homies. I didn’t have time to look and see which one. My new bestie was advancing on me.
I watched him move around me. Protecting my side with one arm, I held the other ready for the block.
Expecting a blow to the face, his hands were raised to protect it. I punched his crotch several times in quick succession as hard as I could. He bent over, howling in pain. I locked my foot around the back of his leg and pushed him hard against the chest. He fell to the ground, his head bouncing off the gym floor once, like a deflated basketball.
I looked across the room at Jake. He pulled a small dagger from the waistband of his jeans. He watched Muriel while he turned the knife over and over in his hand. He tilted his head to the side, his expression thoughtful. The sunlight streaming through the windows glinted off the metallic blade.
“Muriel!” I screamed, but she was busy fighting a short, fat guy. He looked innocent enough, with his mop of curly, blond hair and deep dimples, but he was strong and faster than he looked. Muriel was struggling to keep up with his constant attacks.
Jake’s gaze flicked to mine when I screamed Muriel’s name. He bounced the dagger in his palm a few times and smirked at me before returning his gaze to Muriel. This time, his expression had purpose. He was focused.
I was too far away to get to Jake before he rushed Muriel. If I didn’t do something, I knew he was going to hurt her. Jake had lost all his morals. He was the personification of evil. It was hard to believe he was the same person who fought alongside us just days before.
He moved toward Muriel. A sneer marred his face. His denim-blue eyes that I’d always loved were clouded with hate. Evil. He was going to stab Muriel. I had no doubt, and I was too far away to do anything to help her. Bile rose in the back of my throat, and I swallowed it down. It burned a trail to my stomach. Panic bubbled inside me and glued me in place. For several precious seconds I stood watching, doing nothing, my head void of any thought as I watched the events unfold in front of me. My heart banged against my chest so hard and fast that I couldn’t breathe. Muriel was going to die, and I had a front-row seat. My hands started to shake. Sweat slithered down my spine and pooled at the base of my back.
I can’t breathe… I can’t breathe… Oh my… Muriel…
A strong wind blew through the gym and hit me. I stumbled. It knocked the panic out of me and forced me to move. My eyes darted around the gym, and my head bounced ideas around like someone was dribbling a basketball inside my skull. I searched for a way to help Muriel. Turning in a circle, I looked for anything I could use as a weapon.
Telekinesis.
“How?” I said through clenched teeth. “I’ve never made it happen on my own.”
I have the power. Telekinesis. I can do it. I’ve done it, but I don’t know how I did it! Information that would come in handy right about now. I need to kiss Chay to make it work!