First message
The crunch of my fist against his ribs feels good—solid, like hitting a tackling dummy in practice. Marcos doesn’t even fight back, just curls tighter into himself, that stupid mushroom hoodie swallowing him whole. Pathetic. I yank him up by the collar, His eyes are all wide and wet like some scared animal. It pisses me off.
Say it, I growl. Say you’re a freak. His mouth moves, but nothing comes out. I draw my fist back again—
"What the hell are you doing? The voice cracks like a whip behind me. I freeze. Shit.
I know that tone. You
I drop him so fast he stumbles, but I’m already spinning, that practiced smirk sliding into place. Just messing around. Freak here tripped, right? I glance at Marcos, daring him to disagree.
But he’s not looking at me. He’s staring past my shoulder, blood trickling from his split lip, and for the first time, I see it—not fear. Pity. And that’s when I realize: I’m the one who’s cornered now.