HIDDEN CREEK KISS: a hidden creek high novel, page 11
He swung back at me but I didn’t even feel any of the punches that landed.
I grabbed him by shirt and pulled him away from the workbench.
“Hey!” Jett’s voice boomed.
I turned my head for a second and saw Jett running toward me.
I didn’t have much time left.
Wes stood just a few feet away, arms crossed.
When my eyes met with his, he nodded.
“What the fuck is your deal, asshole?” Tony asked.
I picked him up and slammed him onto the workbench. Then I threw him to the hard concrete floor and dropped down, swinging both fists.
“You don’t ever talk about Nova like that,” I said.
I knew it probably sounded weak and pathetic, but I made up for it with my punches.
Jett wrapped his arms around me and got me off Tony.
I jumped right back up and went for Tony again.
Jett put a fist to my chest. “Stop.”
“Fuck off,” I said, knocking Jett’s hand out of the way.
His other hand then had a handful of my shirt.
“I’ll fucking hit you too,” I warned Jett.
“You touch me, Elijah, and I’ll put your head through a fucking window.”
I looked down at Tony, his face smeared with blood.
I pushed away from Jett and showed my hands.
“The both of you get in the goddamn office right now,” Jett ordered. He looked at Wes. “You get towels and clean up the blood. This isn’t some place to fight. It’s a fucking business.”
“Yeah, tell him to keep his mouth shut,” I said, nodding to Tony.
“I’ll wrap a tire iron around your head, kid,” Tony said.
“Try me,” I said. “You can’t even get up off your ass.”
“Elijah, shut up and get in the office,” Jett said.
I walked away.
When I opened the office door, I slammed it shut behind me.
Pop turned in his chair and looked at me. “What happened to you?”
“Nothing. Disagreement with Tony.”
“Hope you got him worse,” Pop said.
“I did. You’ll see.”
I started to pace the office.
Pop stood up. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Pop slammed his hand to the desk. “Don’t play that game with me.”
I froze in place. “He made comments about my girl. Talking about her ass. I lost my cool. Nova’s been through enough already. Last thing she needs is some greasy asshole like Tony eye humping her.”
“He said something about her ass and you attacked him?” Pop asked.
“Yeah. That’s right. I wanted to break his fucking jaw.”
Pop nodded. Then he smirked. “Well…?”
“Well what?” I asked.
“Does she have that nice of an ass?”
* * *
I had my back against the wall as Jett stood next to Tony. He had a towel to his mouth.
“Little fucking bastard came out of nowhere,” Tony said.
“Like you stood a chance anyway,” I said.
Tony took a step and Jett pushed him back. “That’s enough of that.”
“Tony, you said something about another man’s girl. And her ass.” Pop shrugged his shoulders. “You deserved it.”
“He’s not a man,” Tony said. “He’s a kid.”
“If that’s the case, then you got your ass kicked by a kid,” Jett said.
“Whatever,” Tony said.
“What do we do here?” Pop asked Jett.
Jett looked at me. He shook his head. “Can’t have that here. The tension is too much.”
“No worries then,” I said. “I’ll leave.”
“Wait a second,” Pop said. “Before we make any final decisions.”
“I’m not apologizing for anything,” Tony said. “I shouldn’t even be in this office right now. I’ve worked here how long? And everyone knows who this fucking kid is. Who he belongs to.”
I pushed from the wall. “I’ll fucking gut you, asshole.”
“That’s enough!” Jett yelled.
“Hold on a second,” Pop said to me. “We’ll make this right. Tony. You said what you said. You got smacked around. I would have done the same to you.”
“This is a place of business,” Jett said. “And we’ve had enough happen lately.”
“It’s still my garage,” Pop said.
Jett rubbed his jaw.
“Elijah,” Pop said, “Jett is right. Can’t be trying to take down long time employees. Hell, if anything, hearing someone say something good about your girl… that’s good for you then. He can think and talk. You get the real thing.”
“What the hell are you doing, Pop?” Jett asked.
“Let’s be men here,” Pop said. “Elijah, you get to make the call on your fate.”
“Meaning?”
“You can go back into the garage and work. Forget this happened. You and Tony stay apart. Forget about it. Business as usual.”
“Or?” I asked.
“Or you take Tony out back and finish what you started.”
“Pop,” Jett growled.
“I’m in,” Tony said.
“Wait a goddamn second,” Pop ordered. “If you do that, Elijah, then you’re fired.”
“What about the asshole?” I asked, nodding to Tony.
“He’s a long time employee of mine,” Pop said. “He stays. You go. It’s your call. Forget this happened or finish it. But if you finish it-”
“Okay,” I said. “I’m good.”
“Good,” Jett said. “Tony, take the truck with Rhyno and help him-”
“No,” I said. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m good, Jett. I’m going to finishing beating the shit out of Tony.”
Jett looked at me but didn’t say a word.
“A man of honor,” Pop said. “I respect that.”
“See you out back, kid,” Tony said.
He opened the door and walked out of the office.
“Elijah,” Jett said.
“No,” I said. “I don’t need any more of your pep talks. If there’s one thing I know and can believe in, it’s Nova. And what that fucking scumbag prick said about her… I’m not letting it stand.”
I walked by Jett and he quickly blocked the doorway.
“Hey,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Tony’s got a wicked right hook…
* * *
I stepped out of the back door to the shop and Tony was right there. He grabbed me by my shirt and slammed me against the stone wall of the garage as hard as he could. I kept my chin tucked down so my head wouldn’t hit the wall.
This wasn’t my first fight. And I had dealt with guys much scarier than Tony.
The problem with Tony was that he didn’t hit me after that. He just held me there, eyes wide, blood on his face from what I had done. He was trying to intimidate me.
And it wasn’t going to work.
“You little shit,” he growled. “This is what you really want?”
I wasn’t the kind of person who shared a few punches and then talked about it. That was a waste of fucking time. If you wanted to fight, then fight. Settle your shit and walk away. Or run if the cops showed up.
A right punch to Tony’s ribs made him gasp for air.
His hands let me go as he grabbed for his side.
I swung with my left hand, smashing into his cheek.
Blood and spit flew from his mouth as he stumbled back.
I wasn’t done yet.
As I closed in on him, he tried to throw I guess what was his coveted right hook.
I simply just hooked my right arm into his and moved so I was behind him. I spun him around and threw a right elbow, hitting him in the back of the head.
He let out a yell and was stumbling again.
I looked to the doorway and saw Jett, Pop, and Wes standing there.
Jett shook his head.
Wes had his arms folded.
Pop propped himself up in the doorway, a grin on his face.
I went after Tony again, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him toward me. I kicked the back of his legs and he finally went down to the ground.
Tony looked up at me, trying to catch his breath.
From the corner of my eye I spotted Rhyno approaching from the side of the shop.
“You coming to save him?” I called out.
Rhyno looked at Jett, Pop, and Wes.
Then he looked at me.
He showed his hands and shook his head.
“Okay, fuck, kid,” Tony said from the ground. “Okay. You made your fucking point.”
“No I haven’t,” I said.
I reached down and grabbed Tony’s shirt.
I lifted him and swung down with my right hand.
Punch after punch after punch.
His words kept playing in my head and no matter how many times I punched him, it wasn’t enough.
Until I finally released my hold on him.
He was a fucking mess, blood and tears mixing together.
Tony lifted his left hand and curled it into a fist. He swung at me. A weak swing. Hitting my lip. Trying to do it over and over. I just kept knocking his hand out of the way.
“If you ever even think something about Nova again,” I said to Tony, “I’ll come back here and finish this for good. And if you think I’m fucking around, try me. I’m not like anyone in this town. I don’t give a shit about this town. About this garage. There’s only one thing I give a shit about. One person. And you get one chance to say her name.”
Tony looked me in the eyes.
He was quiet for a few seconds.
I brought my right fist back.
He nodded. “Novalee. Nova.”
“And now you’re going to forget her name.”
Tony nodded. “Okay. That’s fi-”
I brought the fist down and it was lights out for Tony.
I stood up and looked at everyone.
Pop gave me a thumbs up and then disappeared back into the garage. Jett pointed to Rhyno and then to Tony. I guess that meant Tony was Rhyno’s mess to now clean up.
Jett didn’t even bother to look at me.
I walked to the other side of the building and stayed outside.
I was now a former employee there.
Which was fine with me.
I stopped at the side of the building to catch my breath.
All I could picture - or hear - were the things Tony had said about Nova. Maybe it was just guy talk or shop talk or whatever, but it was Nova. It was my Nova. My Surfer Girl. I couldn’t let it stand.
I heard a noise and turned my head to see Wes coming from the front side of the building.
I laughed. “Don’t worry, man, I’m leaving. I’m not going to pull some kind of trick and beg for my job back or steal something on the way out.”
Wes just kept walking toward me.
At the last second, he threw something at me.
I flinched and made a fist but ended up catching a towel out of the air.
Wes nodded. “You can clean yourself up first. Don’t think Nova needs to see you like that. Plus, you’ve got a nice set of wheels. Don’t need blood all over the inside.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said.
I started to wipe my hands.
My eyes never left Wes’s eyes.
“I’ve been there before,” Wes said. “I don’t like those two pricks.”
“I’m sure when you fought though you kept your job.”
“Of course I did,” Wes said. “Between me and Jett, this is all ours.”
“Exactly,” I said. “It is what it is.”
I dropped the towel to the ground and started to walk away.
As I moved by Wes, he stood his ground.
“Not sure what you wanted here,” Wes said. “But I hope you found it.”
“I found nothing,” I said as I stopped walking, putting Wes and I back to back.
“That’s the point,” Wes said. “I would own it, Elijah. So would anyone here.”
“Just curious as to how my shit head of a brother got involved with your old man. How that worked. With the money. The parts.”
“Not sure about that,” Wes said. “But it’s done. My father wanted to take down the shop. Get his piece. Or all of it. He wanted to sell. That can never happen here.”
“Right,” I said.
“So let’s say you find out who did it,” Wes said. “Are you going to kill that person? Ruin your life? Ruin Nova’s some more?”
“That’s my fucking business, Wes.”
I looked back just as Wes looked back.
The girls we loved were best friends. And they were struggling to keep that friendship going because of us.
In actuality Wes and I were both pieces of shit for that.
But we both were too stubborn to fix it.
“Thanks again for the towel,” I said to him.
“Hey, Elijah.”
“Wes,” I said.
“When you go to BFH, let me know. I’ll make sure we all go. Send a clear message to everyone there and the Rulz.”
I didn’t respond.
I just walked away.
As I walked by the front of the shop, I spotted Jett out front, smoking another cigarette. He finally acknowledged me, giving me a small wave but a look of disappointment on his face. Just inside the garage, Tony was sitting on a stool, his head back, Rhyno holding towels to his face.
I got into my car and looked in the mirror.
I saw Wes again.
I appreciated him getting me a towel and talking to me.
That was a good thing.
For the sake of all of us.
But… still…
For good measure, I stuck my hand out the window and threw him the middle finger as I peeled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 10
Nova
We all sat outside to eat lunch, taking in a beautiful day.
My eyes kept gravitating to Wes, wondering what he was actually thinking. The news had spread like crazy about Elijah beating up some old mechanic at Wes’s grandfather’s shop. The stories took a life of their own, even though we were the ones that knew the truth. Elijah wouldn’t even talk to me about it. He just said some guy named Tony had been running his mouth and had it coming.
I asked Wes if that was true and Wes said it was.
Wes told me he and Elijah talked for a few minutes and that was it.
I guess in a way it was better than the two of them beating the crap out of each other, which everyone figured was going to happen sooner or later.
“Here, catch this,” Flynn said.
“Ow!” Charlotte yelled. “You just hit me with a baby carrot.”
“Is that what he nicknamed it?” Wes asked with a laugh. “Or did you name it the baby carrot?”
Charlotte’s cheeks turned red. “It was a real carrot, Wes. Not his… thingie.”
“Thingie?” Emma asked. “You just called it a thingie?”
“What do you want me to call it?” Charlotte asked.
“The Monster,” Flynn said. “No… The One Eyed Monster…”
“Yeah, right,” Wes said. “More like a worm.”
“How about just being human,” Kailey said. “It’s a co-”
“Don’t say it,” Emma said. “I don’t want that word associated with Flynn. It’ll ruin it for me.”
“Oh, poor Emma,” Charlotte teased as her cheeks still burned bright red.
“All this over a carrot?” I asked.
Everyone slowly looked at me.
“I’m on her side,” Leo said.
“I mean, Flynn literally threw a baby carrot at her,” I said.
“Well, so sorry,” Kailey said. “We literally didn’t know today was literally don’t have any fun day.”
“Literally,” Emma said.
I fake laughed and waved my middle fingers at them.
“What’s wrong, Nova?” Flynn asked. “Want me to throw a baby carrot at you?”
“No thanks,” I said.
“Or maybe you want to see The One Eyed Monster…”
“What?” Charlotte snapped.
“I’m kidding,” Flynn said.
Charlotte grabbed her bottle of water and threw it at him.
“Damn,” Flynn yelled. “That hurt.”
“Hey,” Wes said. “Does that count as Charlotte squirting?”
“What the hell is wrong with you all?” Leo asked.
He stood up, shaking his head.
“I’m going with him,” I said as Leo started to walk away.
“Oh, come on,” Kailey called out, “it’s just a little fun.”
“And actually,” Aira said as she turned to look at Wes. “I don’t want you thinking about Charlotte squirting.”
“Stop saying that!” Charlotte yelled.
“Don’t be ashamed of it,” Flynn said.
“Like you ever…”
Charlotte didn’t finish.
Everyone started to laugh.
I caught up to Leo and nudged my elbow to his.
He looked at me and grinned.
“They mean well,” he said. “Horny pervs.”
“I don’t get it,” I said. “They’re all getting some.”
Leo shrugged his shoulders. “What’s on your mind today? I can tell you’re distant.”
“I’ve been distant for a while, Leo.”
“No shit. It doesn’t show.”
“Is that sarcasm?”
“My second language.”
I let out a slow breath. “This thing with Wes and Elijah… it reminds me of Wes and Ryland. And the ending to that…”
“No, don’t say that,” Leo said. “It’s not like that at all. You know Wes had nothing to do with what happened to Ryland.”
“I know.”
“Nova, look at me,” Leo said.
I looked up at him. “What?”
“I’m being serious,” he said.
“So am I,” I said.
“I just want to make sure there’s something between all of us we can agree on.”
“I never thought for a second that Wes had anything to do with what happened to Ryland. And I never thought for a second Elijah would show up.”
“And I never thought for a second that Elijah was actually here to figure out who killed his brother,” Leo said with a grin.
