Moonrise

Moonrise Chapter One

Oftentimes, human nature baffled me.

Take now for instance.  I was walking down the street with the only three friends I had - two of whom I was friendly with only by association, and instead of enjoying the afternoon heat courtesy of the blazing sun overhead I was too busy watching Dave and Alex rile up a group of girls who were clearly not interested.

It was blatantly obvious the girls wanted to be left alone.  Even if they hadn’t been throwing out noises of disgust and screwing their faces up, there was a giant hint in the way they were backing away across the street at a pace just short of a dead run.  Undeterred by their hostile attitudes and the rude gestures one of the girls was making, Dave continued to chuckle and wolf whistle like all of it greatly appealed to him.

My brow furrowed in genuine confusion over his actions.  Why did he insist on antagonising them?  And why wasn’t he taken aback by their vehement rejection of him?  If it were me and someone I pursued rejected me so thoroughly and callously, I probably would have punched them in the face, not laughed genially like it was all a joke.  Okay, there was no probably about it.  I would have laid the fool out on the ground at my feet and then walked over him like the garbage he was.  My pride would have demanded it, and that tiny sadistic streak wouldn’t have been appeased until I’d gotten my satisfaction.

“- okay, Jacey?”

I blinked at Alex who’d fallen into step beside me, tossing his football into the air and catching it repeatedly.  Lost in thought, I missed most of what he said.

“What?”

“He was asking if you’re okay,” Ryder supplied from my other side.  “You’re completely zoned out, space cadet.”

I immediately snapped open my mouth to hurl a harmless insult right back when a flash of movement caught my eye and I realised Dave was in trouble.

“Duck!” I screamed instead.

Unfortunately it was a wasted word, and really, I should have known better.  Another baffling mystery of human nature was that most times when you yelled out a command, people tended to do anything but what you’d instructed.  I might as well have yelled out “Dancing chicken!” or “Naked lady!” as far as Dave was concerned.  

Because the second I screamed it at him, he defied orders and began whirling about, trying to identify the reason for my sudden outcry.  I cursed his stupidity, watching as a brick flew from the window of a car driving past, aimed right at Dave’s head.  

It was time for some fast thinking.  I snatched the football Alex was holding and threw it with all of my might, even though Dave was no more than forty feet in front of me.  It hit him square in the face and sent him keeling over backwards with a pain filled cry, the stray brick smashing into the concrete wall of the building beside him a second later.

Anger simmered in my veins as I glared at the car turning a corner, fleeing the scene.

The cackling laughter emanating from one of the open windows was unmistakeable.  Raising a hand and pointing in a threatening manner, I knew Gus saw me.  Better yet, I knew he understood the challenge.  I’d be gunning for him, and this time I wouldn’t hold back.  

His cackling increased in volume before the driver gunned the engine and the car sped out of sight, tyres screeching.

“Jesus, Dave,” Alex said, rushing not to help the guy up, but to retrieve his precious football.  I snorted at his lack of camaraderie and beside me, Ryder chuckled.

“Priorities,” he said, and we both strolled over to help Dave up.  Grabbing an arm each, we hauled him to his feet while he cursed like a sailor on leave.  He yanked his arm out of my grip and gave me a venomous glare.  I offered him my most innocent smile.