Page 105 of Puck with Karma
“Hey, look, if it isn’t the losing duo.”
I freeze in shock when I recognize the voice. I would recognize it anywhere. Xander Hamilton is here, and my heart is leaping with joy. He came after me.
“Hey, look, if it isn’t the loser,” Van deadpans. He seems to always have a good comeback at the ready.
I want to run into Xander’s arms, kiss him until we’re both out of breath. I take one step forward, when Mallory beats me to it, her words stopping me in my tracks.
“Xander, what are you doing here? Is Janie okay?”
My mind spins in a million directions. I know Janie is the name of Xander’s sister, but I wonder how Mallory knows her. I had no idea there was a connection between the two.
“Janie’s fine.” Xander’s voice comes out rough and angry.
Mallory smiles nervously, and tries again. “Oh, so you know someone else in this building?”
Xander’s eyes meet mine. The smoldering heat in them makes my heart want to leap out of my chest. I’ve missed him so much, and I can’t believe he is finally here. I never said it out loud, but I guess I always hoped he’d chase me down and beg me to come back to him. Beg for my forgiveness for not believing in me…
“Stop talking to him, Mal,” Bran snaps at his girlfriend, obviously annoyed with her for addressing Xander.
I am still staring at the man I am in love with, but he looks at me as if he hates me.
“No,Mal. I’m here to seeyou.”
The way he says it suggests the opposite. My mouth opens and closes in shock when I watch him walking up to Mallory, the girl I just met, who also happens to be in a relationship with my brother. He stops right in front of her, grabs her by the shoulders and bends down to press his lips onto hers.
The moment is brief but just enough to cause chaos.
Both of my hands come up and cover my mouth, unable to unsee what I just saw. Bran jumps to pull Xander off Mallory. He separates them, pushing Mallory away and into me. That causes me to drop my hands from my mouth and regain my balance.
There is so much screaming from everyone. Bran punches Xander, who falls to the ground. Blood splatters in an instant, making me dizzy on sight. I think he is out, but he manages to move his feet and bring Bran down to the ground as well.
Van jumps in on the action.
“We’re gonna end you, motherfucker,” he yells at Xander.
In the corner of my eye, I notice people have stopped to watch the brawl. Some have their cell phones out and are recording everything that’s happening.
I remain standing in shock for the longest time, only snapping out of it when Mallory shakes my arm.
“We need to stop them,” she cries out, then turns away from me. “Van, help me!”
That gets Van’s attention. He looks at Bran and Xander. They are on the ground, granted more tired now, but fists still flying back and forth. He shakes his head and looks at Mallory.
“That fucker deserves it, Mal,” he tells her. “Bran lost his teeth twice now because of him!”
Out of nowhere, I start crying, and I can’t stop. Sobs wreck my body, making me gasp for air.
“Just stop them before someone calls the police,” Mallory screams at Van, prompting him into action.
I am a complete mess by the time they stop fighting. My eyes are swollen and blurry, I can barely see anything in front of me.
Mallory’s voice echoes around the parking garage when she yells at them.
“I can’t believe you did this. How dare you?”
There’s some shuffling, and I lose it again when Bran yells back at her.
“I can’t believe you fuckin’ kissed him right in front of me! I should’ve known better than to trust you.”
