Cantankerus

3

Curtis grabbed Aiden by the collar and socked his jaw without another thought.

"Don't ever speak about my mother like that," he said in a dangerously calm voice. By now an intrigued crowd surrounded them, looking with interest.

The hatred the two shared was immense. Curtis didn't know why Aiden picked on him nor did he stuck around to find out why. Either way, no one was allowed to talk about her disrespectfully. Curtis didn't stand it, at all.

But that's what Aiden had always done, ever since the news spread around the town about her disappearance.

"You know when that bitc-"started Aiden but never got the chance the finish the sentence. Next thing you know punches were flying back and forth.

Curtis wasn't himself anymore. All he saw was red, he kept punching him letting out all the pain anger and hate through each blow. And with each shot, Aiden was forced to back against the wall.

All logic was out of his mind, his anger had taken full control of him. And that moment it was like a beast was unleashed.

The crowd was chanting 'Fight', looking at the duo with excitement. It didn't look like Curtis was going to stop nor did it look like anybody was going to cut in.

Until a someone threw a very cold glass of water at him.

Curtis immediately dropped Aiden. The badly beaten up boy slid down the wall, coughing blood out. Curtis looked for the person who dared to throw water at him but by now the crowd had dispersed since the fight was over.

But it wasn't hard to spot her

She stood in front of Curtis holding the glass.

Before he could say anything Jake came swaying, with his arm slung around a girl.

"Yo you won't believe who I-" he started but quietened drinking in the scene in front of him.

One half conscious guy with a bleeding face, his best friend glaring at a girl and a girl with an empty glass looking like a ticking bomb.

Jake ran towards Aiden and helped the guy stand up. Taking in his beat-up face he looked at Curtis with a questioning glance.

"What happened Curtis?" Jake asked very seriously.

Curtis didn't answer nor did he meet his eyes. MeanwhileJake helped Aiden to stand up with the assistance of the empty-glass-holding-girl. Seeing that his best friend wasn't doing any talking he ignored him and went to clean Aiden up.

Once he came back he found Curtis gone.

...

Curtis walked outside to his car.

Tonight he had had enough.

He didn't want to deal with Jake. He sat in his car staring at the steering wheel. Deep down Curtis knew that he went out of the line and what he did was terribly wrong but right now he just couldn't bring himself to admit that.

"Walking away, just like the way your precious. mommy did"

The words kept echoing in his head. It felt as if a knife was plunged into his heart and the wound was still afresh.

His heart ached at the thought of her.

Why me?

Why did she leave?

Was I not enough for her to stay?

Those were the questions that always kept swirling around his head, those were the questions that haunted him at night. Slowly one by one the tears started to slip out of his eyes. He didn't bother to wipe them.

Instead, he started the ignition and just drove.

What he didn't notice was the girl who had been looking at him the whole time.

•••

Curtis went to bed straight away but didn't sleep.

In fact, he despised sleeping. Because when he closed his eyes the memories would play in his dreams, vividly. Dreams were just dreams. For him, they never came true.

So he stayed up staring at the photo that sat on the bedside table.

Suddenly he heard the doorbell ring. Curtis ignored it, thinking it was probably someone pulling a prank but whoever it was, they were hell-bent waking them up.

It was 12'O clock.

Who the fuck is it, thought Curtis before putting on a T-shirt and walking downstairs.

The door was already open and he saw his aunt staring at them: cops.

"Officers, how can I help you?"

"Rose Floyd you are under arrest."

...

Dun dun dun duuuuunnnnnn

Ps.Unedited