Page 148 of Loved

“One more thing,” the waitress said. “I almost forgot that the person who left the notes also wanted you to have this.” She placed a big bowl of chocolate pudding on the table. “And I was told to tell you that you’ve been servedThe Thanksgiving Special,” she said. “Whatever that means.” She shrugged and walked away.

Chocolate fucking pudding. Rob and I had played a prank on Thanksgiving my senior year of high school. It had involved way too much pudding. And it was what had actually led to my brother and me originally falling out with Caldwells. The prank went way too far. We’d fuckedeverything up. Nothing had ever been the same since. But I’d come tonight trying to put it all behind us. I’d wanted to move forward. And this is what they did?

“Cock suckers,” Rob said.

“I’m so confused,” Penny said. “What’sThe Thanksgiving Special? And who serves pudding at Thanksgiving?”

I couldn’t talk about this right now. “We’re going to Mason’s.” Matt moved around too much. I actually had no idea where he lived right now. And we could handle him calling Rob unfunny later. Right now I needed to beat the shit out of Mason.

Rob stood up too. He cracked his neck to the side. “Only brothers can joke about hooking up with their brother’s fiancée. And the Caldwells will never be our fucking brothers again. I can’t hang out with people with no sense of humor.”

“Wait,” Penny said and grabbed my hand. “I’m sure there’s some kind of explanation…”

“He said he was going to touch you, Penny.” She knew how I felt about that. She knew what I’d done to Professor McCarty after he’d laid hands on her. And Professor McCarty wasn’t my fucking friend. This was a betrayal.

“But he hasn’t. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation…”

“Penny, not everyone is redeemable. The Caldwells are shit and they’ll always be shit.”

“What he said.” Rob tapped my shoulder. “I wonder if Matt will think it’s funny when I shove his head in a toilet.”

“No one is shoving anyone’s heads into toilets!” Penny said. “We’re not in high school!”

Well apparently some of us were still stuck in high school. And if there’s one thing I loved when I was ateenager, it was beating the shit out of someone. I stormed out of the bar.

“Can’t we talk about this?” Penny said as she ran after me and Rob.

“You!” someone yelled from across the street.

I turned to see Matt and Mason standing outside another bar across the street. And they looked just as pissed off as us.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” Matt yelled.

He could try. But I was going to be busy killing his brother.

Matt stepped into the street, ignoring the traffic. A car slammed on its brakes and stopped just in time. Matt hit his fist on the top of the car and ran toward me. And he didn’t stop running when he reached the sidewalk. He slammed his shoulder into me, making my back collide with the brick wall behind me.

If he wanted a fight, I’d give him a fight. I pulled my elbow down. It collided hard with his shoulder.

Matt grunted and pulled back.

I immediately took a swing at him. My fist collided with his jaw.

“Stop it!” Penny yelled.

Matt swung back. And I wasn’t quick enough to dodge it. I had just gotten rid of my black eye that Tyler freaking Stevens had given me. And now I was going to have another. I somehow managed to get Matt into a headlock as I gave myself a second to see straight.

“I’m funny, bitch!” Rob yelled.

I turned to see him punch Mason square in the nose. Mason’s nose erupted with blood.

“You think my parents love you more?” Mason yelled at him as he grabbed his nose.

What was he talking about?

“No one fucking loves you!” Mason forgot his bloody nose and lunged at Rob.

“Maybe no one likes you because you’re a deranged pervert!” I yelled at Mason. I let go of Matt and slammed into Mason before he could hit Rob again. The two of us fell to the ground.

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