“You think this is about Mia? Oh... Creed, you think you fuckin’ know me so well! This ain’t got shit to do with her! This is about you and me! Been waitin’ for this for a long fuckin’ time!”
Her uncles walked up, hearing all the commotion. Standing next to her parents’. Their eyes all glued to the scene unfolding in front of them. No one said a word, not even Mia. She stepped aside, away from us, watching with a fascinated regard. Waiting for all her questions to be answered, but I never wanted it to happen like this.
Never like fucking this.
“Noah, then you take it up with me! Alone! Not here! You handle your business with me, man to fuckin’ man! Yeah?”
“Why? You scared of the truth? It don’t matter, her family already fuckin’ hates you! And your girl... she don’t even know who you are! And thank Christ for that! You’re nothin’ but a selfish prick! Always have been!”
“Ain’t gonna tell you again, Noah...”
He laughed off my threat. “Was it for me when you went and played G.I. Fuckin’ Joe or for Autumn? The same girl that died cuz of you... pushed her away like you did with Mia. Except, it actually cost Autumn her life!”
Mia gasped beside me, placing her hand over her heart.
“Mia, it’s not—”
“Why don’t you go introduce them, Creed?! Her memorial is only about hundred fuckin’ feet from our daughter’s!”
I was over to him in one stride, getting right up into his face. “You don’t know shit about shit, motherfucker.”
He didn’t cower down, if anything he stood taller. “I know about the drunk ass mother you left me with and the piece of shit father who couldn’t keep his dick in his pants! For what?! So you could play the hero for once in your fuckin’ life! Give me a break... Autumn would have never been there had it not been for you... you didn’t join the military for her! You did it to clear your own fuckin’ conscience! How’d it work out for you? Huh? Feel better? Did pretendin’ like you weren’t the cause of everyone’s demise do it for you?!” he scoffed out, eyeing me up and down with a menacing glare.
“Wanna know what was really fun? All the times I had to help get Ma to bed after she passed out in her own fuckin’ puke! Pops didn’t give a flyin’ fuck about her! It only left me! How about all the times I thought she drank herself to death cuz she wouldn’t fuckin’ move! Havin’ to make her puke so she wouldn’t die of alcohol poison! What other times do you want me to tell you about, Creed? I got hundreds of them just like those. I’m sure these nice folks would love to hear about the scum their daughter’s been fuckin’. Let’s show them the real man behind the cut. The fuckin’ murderer!”
“That’s enough!” I ordered through a clenched jaw.
“What? Truth fuckin hurts, don’t it, brother? But I’m just gettin’ started. Hey, McGraw, you hearin’ all this?!” he hollered, nodding behind him.
I stepped back, away from him and took a deep breath. Remembering we weren’t alone.
“Where you goin’? Turnin’ your back on your brother again? On your fuckin’ family?” He shoved me, but I didn’t waver. “It’s too late for that, you son of a bitch! We ain’t brothers anymore!” He pushed me again, harder that time. “Our blood died the day you murdered my daughter, you piece of shit! But it should have died the day you murdered our brother!”
My fist collided with his face before he got the last word out. His head whooshed back, taking half of his body with him.
Mia gasped, backing further away from both of us. I didn’t know if it was because of everything he just confessed or she was just trying to get out of the line of fire. Knowing it wasn’t going to end here. Her dad ran over to her before I could give it more thought. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her away.
“Fuck,” I breathed out, seeing Noah stumbling around, shaking it off.
It was the first time I ever hit my brother. It was a kneejerk reaction from him provoking me. He wanted me to hit him, and I would learn soon enough why.
Spitting blood onto the pavement, he growled, “It’s on, motherfucker.” Charging me, ramming his shoulder into my torso. Taking me to the ground. My back skidded across the wet assault beneath me, but I was prepared for it and instantly fought back. Ignoring the sting and burn.
“Don’t wanna fight you, you fuck! Calm down!”
He straddled me, grabbing ahold of the front of my shirt, clocking me in the face. “I’ll calm down after I knock you the fuck out!”
We wrestled around for a few minutes, each of us trying to gain the upper hand on the other. Elbows, fists, and legs flew everywhere, intermingling together as we threw down. I heard the women screaming and yelling for their husbands to do something, but none of the boys would interfere. Not that I expected them to. They were probably hoping we’d just take each other out. Save them from getting their hands dirty, wanting to do it themselves.
Noah whaled me in the face, letting out all the years of pent-up anger and resentment toward me, but I knew he was really just hitting me for his daughter. Which was why I wasn’t fighting back as hard as I could have, mostly defending myself from his aggravated assault. I got on top of him, getting a few hits to his face.
He punched me in the gut right where I had been shot one too many fucking times, causing me to fall to the side. Using the momentum of his punch, he flipped me over, locking me in with his weight. I immediately guarded my face, but it didn’t matter. He nailed his fists into my ribs, my stomach, getting another few good hits to the side of my face, too.
“Fucking a!” I roared, blocking another blow.
He didn’t let up, tugging at my shirt, ripping it off. “Fuck you! Fight back, you bitch!”
I finally did, hitting him in the face, in the stomach, and then again in ribs. Over this bullshit. He peeled over while I staggered to my feet, thinking it was done. We were both panting heavily, sweating profusely with nothing but blood and rain dripping off our bodies and faces. Our eyes never wavered from one another, wild and brazen, taking each other in. He regained his composure, standing up straight. Loosening his tie and pulling his tucked shirt out from his pants, bringing it up to his face. Using it to wipe the blood running into his eye from the open gash above his brow. His chest heaved as he threw off his tie, ripping open his bloody collared shirt. Throwing it to the side, too.
It was then I realized it wasn’t over.
It was far from fucking over.
He pushed off the ground and came at me full force. Swinging, punching, kicking, hitting me all over. I fought back, throwing him onto the wet pavement with a thud, knocking the wind out of him. Hovering above him, beating his body and face in. Seeing nothing but fucking red as my bloody fists pounded in to him over and over again.
“This what you wanted, you little shit?!” I roared, hitting him again.