Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

Burn in Water, Drown in Fire ~40~ Hurt Somebody

~40~ Hurt Somebody

(Zac’s POV)

“Can you make this quick?” I asked Joey as I threw my luggage in the bed of the old truck that I was going to use to drive to the airport with; that way I wouldn’t care if anyone stole it and plus, Vanessa would pick it up.

Joey had said nothing when I had turned back to my front door to lock it and grab my last bag. Once the bag was on the bed of the truck, I turned to Joey with absolutely no patience.

“Look. If you have something to say, then say it cuz I have to leave in a short time,” I allowed, already knowing that he was pissed at me for leaving Angel. Or maybe because I went out with her?

He smirked.

“These days, I don’t need to say anything,” he replied before punching me square in the jaw. Adjusting my jaw, I stood back up, ready for another punch, only this time I dared him to do it with my fists on fire.

“I’m really not in the mood to fight and then have to tell Angel that I did so,” I said, contradicting my stance.

“Then she doesn’t have to know,” he said, charging at me and taking my by the waist and pinning me to the ground. He had patted out my flames with the fall, but I decided that I was stronger than him just on strength to beat him. With a couple of punches I straddled him.

“Why do you do this?” I asked him, not at all tired of beating his a$$.

“What’s that exactly?” he asked, struggling, but then he rolled to his side and kicked up his feet, making me roll off of him and he kicked me in the face. Before he could do anymore, I was back on my feet in a boxer’s stance.

“Insisting on fighting me out of hatred,” I clarified as I caught my breath.

“Because I hate you,” he answered bluntly as he started to box and I dodged his swings. I didn’t dodge his knee though. It was sent flying into my gut unpleasantly and I fell to the ground.

“You hate me all because Angel loves me,” I said, clutching my abdomen. I rolled around, thinking that it’d subdue the pain.

“She wouldn’t love a piece of trash like you,” he growled, punching my shoulders and back as I was curled up on the ground.

“Oh yeah? Then why did we go out?” I asked. I rolled up my shirt and pressed a hand of flames to my core to heal the internal wound. I stood up immediately. “And then want me? And then kiss me?”

“She was feeling bad for you,” he insulted. I scoffed.

“Now the only one feeling bad is me, for how pathetic you’re being,” I said before tackling him to the ground once more.

“It’s not pathetic to be fighting for Angel,” he said as we continued to fight and even though I was physically strong, I was starting to feel pain come from each of his hits and blows. I was trained to harness my anger to produce fire, not to heal my wounds. All the while, Joey kept hitting and punching because his care or concern for defending Angel was a bit stronger than actually hating me. And the more he talked about Angel, he gained more strength as I lost it.

“She doesn’t need to be fought over!” I yelled, not because I was losing, but because it was true. Joey pushed me off of him. There was blood running down from his eye brow and lip and a bruise was forming on his cheek.

“Although she means Jack sh!t to you, that isn’t the case for me,” he nearly shouted. “When I hear that she’s depressed because of scum like you, she deserves for someone to fight for her.”

She’s depressed because of scum like me.

I stared at the ground and stood up, feeling weaker than ever with her completely on my mind.

“What? Not happy to hear that answer, brat?” Joey called after. “Well yeah, it’s you. You’re the reason why she’s up in her room crying.”

“I…I know,” I mumbled to myself, feeling worse than ever.

“So where are you going that’s so precious as to you leaving today?” he asked.

“That’s none of your business,” I snapped, looking to him now.

“Well when Angel’s laying in my arms as I’m the one to comfort her, I need to tell her what kind of place your a$$ is going,” he said aggressively. I took three steps towards him and that’s all I needed. I had my fist balled up of all my pure anger towards him. I took one long swing and it knocked him to the ground with the side of his face with a second degree burn.

“She’s never gonna lay in your arms; she’s mine, okay?” I scolded down at him. “Anything to do with me, or anything that has to do with her is none of your business. She broke up with you alright? Get over it!”

“And who’s fault is that?” he said, writhing on the ground. “If you wouldn’t have told Luke about the Drug, she wouldn’t have been kidnapped and I wouldn’t have been so protective—”

“You really think that’s it?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “You didn’t even tell your mom about her!”

He didn’t respond because he was busy trying to control all his pain from the burn.

“You’re pathetic,” I insulted, crouched down beside him. “Get over Angel. She’s not gonna get back with you all because you fought me, in fact, I’m hoping she’ll hate you for it.”

“Why should you care?” he said. “Once you’re gone, you’re gone. She won’t want you either.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said before standing up to leave, but then I noticed the grass’s blade started to elongate and wrap up Joey on the ground. I looked to the doorway of my house to see Brian standing there, shaking his head.

“You had to, didn’t you?” he smirked with his arms crossed.

“I’ll leave you to it now…” I allowed, not wanting a lecture and run down of my whole day to him. I hoped into my dad’s old truck and drove off, putting everything behind me. I had a future to focus on now.

(Devin’s POV)

“D4mn,” I commented. Even using Brian’s plants to heal him, Joey still looked a mess. He removed the bag of peas from his face to frown. Even doing that caused him pain.

“I hate that kid,” he hissed. “I’m fu**ing glad he’s gone.”

Of course. He tossed the bag into my lap and stood up with a sigh of pain.

“Well, I’m gone. I’ll see you at graduation tomorrow,” he said. Sh!t. I had forgotten. He walked toward the door, but to my surprise, Angel was walking in. She examined his face.

“What happened?” she asked, looking between us.

“Ask your boyfriend—”

“What. Happened?” Angel hissed again, this time grabbing his arm.

It could’ve been his order before she repeated herself, or some devious plan, but I saw Joey’s smirk curve onto his face and knew there’d be trouble.