Cruel Me

Chapter 35: Can't Pretend

Aw, how fucking nice of them to think that way.

"Now that you've stated the fucking obvious," I started coldly, "what the hell are you two doing here?"

Cameron looked at Lawley, then switched his eyes to Scout.

"We know you found out about the fire, man."

Scout's expression darkened, and he looked away from them.

"Dude, we're sorry," added Lawley.

Alfie couldn't take it anymore. He walked towards Lawley, about to lash out. But I put a hand on his chest to stop him. He glowered and bared his teeth, barely in control.

"It's not me who needs your apology," Scout told Lawley, nodding to us. "They're the ones you did wrong to. They're the ones who deserve it. Not me."

They were quiet for a moment, then Cameron took a deep breath and looked down on his shoes. With a sullen face, he spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Lawley's eyes traveled to the hospital building before shaking his head and mumbling, "Yeah, sorry for everything."

"Sorry my ass," muttered Alfie.

Wow. After all this time, they finally had the guts to own up for their shit and fucking apologize. But if truth be told, it didn't make me happy. Not when one of my closest friends was on a hospital bed right now.

"We were drunk and fed up with the rivalry," added Cameron, running a hand through his hair. "Everything just got out of hand super fast."

My eyes narrowed as I listened more.

"I mean, we were only supposed to trash your gym but then Finn got the idea that we should scare you so we set up the thing with the light bulb."

I saw fucking red. Finn McKinley was starting to piss the fuck out of me. I was itching so bad to hunt him down at this damn second.

Lawley sighed and rubbed his face. "We thought it would only create a little spark. We didn't know it would flare up like that. We didn't know that would happen to Adam."

My hands balled into fists, reigning in the surge of rage.

"We were about to turn ourselves in but Finn convinced us not to. He said, what was the point? It was already done. Nobody knew it was us. We were clean," whispered Cameron. "None of us wanted to get in trouble so we kept quiet."

"But we figured it out," I stated tonelessly.

"None of us expected that," replied Cameron, shaking his head. "But see, you had no proof. Nobody believed you – even Snow didn't. So," he paused to let out a shaky breath, "we didn't say anything."

I was so too livid to move or speak anymore. I just wanted to bash someone's face in. I wanted to smoothen the cemented ground using someone's head. I wanted to let this out.

I needed a fucking outlet.

"You were fucking dicks about it!" snarled Alfie, struggling to get past me.

"We were trying to be tough because we knew you were out to get us!" replied Lawley, frowning indignantly.

"What the fuck did you expect, you cocksucker?" bellowed my best friend, lunging for Lawley but I put both my hands on his chest and blocked him to keep him at bay. "You fucking set fire on our fucking building and almost got one of us fucking killed! You deserve to fucking die! Not Frisco! He shouldn't even be in that fucking bed right now. He shouldn't be a fucking vegetable!" I felt his body shook, before he pulled away from me and stepped back.