“You probably would have lost if I had continued playing,” I teased. I took the Popsicle away from my nose and wiggled it around to restore some feeling, relieved that it didn’t seem broken.
“Good as new,” Nic said. He leaned closer to get a better look and I noticed a small sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of his nose. “It’s perfect.”
“What is it about you boys and your incessant need to assault me anyway?” I asked. “Have you got it in for me or something? You could at least be more subtle about it.”
“Must be something about you.” Nic flashed me a roguish grin. “We’re usually very discreet.”
“Four boys and discretion. Those terms don’t exactly go together in my mind.”
“Well, actually there aren’t just f — ” Nic fell away from his sentence when something behind me caught his attention.
I looked over my shoulder.
At the edge of the riverbank, past the last court, I could just make out a ponytailed figure shoving someone with short blond hair behind the trees. Alex and Gino. It was hard to see, but they looked like they were fighting.
Nic sprang to his feet. I tried to keep up, but he was much faster than me.
Within seconds he was at the riverbank, pushing through the trees and pulling Alex off his brother. When I caught up with them, I found Gino doubled over, unmoving, with his head clutched loosely in his hands. Nearby, Nic was pinning Alex on the ground, and the two were trading insults.
Alex jerked his body to the side and kicked out at Nic, making him fall back onto his haunches.
“This has nothing to do with you!” Alex shouted as they both clambered to their feet.
“You just knocked my brother out!” Nic yelled, thundering into Alex and tackling him at the knees. He slammed him into a small tree that bent under their combined weight.
“Stop!” I tried to pull Nic away from Alex, but he wouldn’t budge. I stumbled backward just in time to avoid Alex as he surged forward, head-butting Nic and knocking him clean over into the dirt.
“Alex!” I screeched. “Have you gone insane?”
“His brother started it!” He came to stand over Nic. “You’re a family of dirty cheats! Go back to wherever you came from!”
Nic spat a puddle of blood on the ground. “Don’t talk about my family,” he threatened. He stood up with great effort, squaring himself against Alex’s attempts to shove him back down. He righted himself and swung out. Alex ducked, leaving him grappling at the air. When Alex shoved him again, Nic didn’t budge. Instead, he flung his arm out and pulled Alex into a headlock, dragging him to the ground again.
As Alex cursed and pummeled his hands into his sides, Nic plunged his fist into his back pocket and pulled something out. With a flick of his wrist it doubled in length. He tightened his grip and hunched over Alex until the two were almost nose-to-the-ground. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I registered the glint in Nic’s hand as he moved it between their struggling frames, and I screamed as the realization took hold.
“Nicoli, smettila!”
I jumped at the sound of Luca’s voice. He appeared from behind me, running toward his brother. He grabbed Nic by the back of his neck and tore him away from Alex.
The color in Nic’s cheeks faded as his brother whispered urgently in his ear. I scanned his open hands — the knife he had been holding was gone.
Beside us, Gino was slowly starting to rouse himself. He got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. He regarded the scene groggily before nearly knocking me over as he stumbled up the bank toward his brothers.
Alex had gotten to his feet as well, and was shaking with anger. He started toward Gino.
“Don’t even think about it,” said Luca. “Just walk away.”
“Two on one isn’t fair,” said Alex, starting to circle the brothers, two of whom were completely spaced-out. Nic hadn’t said a word since Luca pulled him off Alex, and Gino was still having trouble standing upright. I could see Alex sizing them up, zeroing in on their injuries. “You should fight your own battles next time, Gino.”
I came between them. “Alex, just go home,” I said. “This doesn’t need to get any worse.”
He narrowed his eyes at Nic and then Luca, considering his options. Then, reluctantly, he relented. “Fine. Are you coming?” he asked me.
I glanced at Nic. Not without an explanation. “In a minute.”
“They’re bad news, Soph,” he said, his voice laced with confusion. “Why are you taking their side?”
“I’ll just be a minute,” I repeated, trying to ignore the sense of betrayal in his expression.
“Suit yourself. I’m out of here.” Alex started walking away, but not before adding a pointed “You’re lucky!” over his shoulder. I wasn’t sure which of the brothers he was talking to.
“No,” said Luca. “You are.”
Once Alex was out of sight, I turned my attention to the Priestly brothers. Nic was breathing hard, his expression unreadable as he scanned the grass around us. Beside him, Gino’s hair was falling unevenly around his ears, like a lopsided mushroom. He held that same crazy look I had seen out on the court: darting and unfocused. Luca was regarding me calmly.
“We’re going to go now,” he said, as if he were leaving a party, not a brawl.
“What the hell was that about?” I asked, ignoring his flippancy.
“He called me a cheat,” said Gino slowly, like the memory was just dawning on him. He was obviously concussed, but I couldn’t tell what was wrong with Nic, who was still uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes downcast. “He said I played dirty on the court.”
“So what?” I asked.
“So I had to shut his stupid mouth up!” He raised his voice and I registered his pronounced lisp for the first time. It must have been the effect of his chipped teeth.
Luca rolled his eyes. “Relax, Gino.”