Dead Boy Walking

15 - C O L L I S I O N

"You take that back!" He yelled at the car, pointing a finger now and narrowing his eyes.

Taron pulled me behind him and walked forward. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his need to protect, or rather control, me.

We neared the car and the anger that radiated from Atticus was clear and burning. What I didn't expect to see was who was in the car. Hadiyah Kammal.

She looked beautifully tragic. Her eyes were red around the edges and cheeks swollen with mascara running. Her hair had been pulled into a neat bun at the nape of her neck while soft tendrils cascaded down at the sides of her sharp face.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Taron called, the unnecessary swear made me wince. It was as if he was trying to be his father, forcing it in as a way to show some authority. He stepped between the pair and threw a glare at Atticus, Taron's abnormally tall height towered over.

"I'm being accused of some outrageous shit," Atticus pointed over Taron's shoulder and to Hadiyah.

"I'm not accusing because I know you damn well did it!" She retorted, voice equally as loud and piercing.

"Oh yeah? Have you got any proof of that, bitch?" Atticus took a threatening step forward, bumping into Taron's chest. Taron responded by placing two large hands onto his shoulders and pushing him away.

Taron ducked his head down to look Atticus in the eyes. "Let's calm down, yeah?" He urged in a dark voice.

I turned my head and met Hadiyah's gaze. Her eyes were heavy with tears and I felt my face soften. Now she'd lost Kingsley and Felix, she didn't deserve it.

"What are they arguing over?" Kingsley asked from beside me but I didn't dare ask.

The air was tense around us and I didn't want to break the scene in front of me too early.

Atticus shook his head back and forth lazily, his fists clenched and eyes trained up into the sky. His chest heaved with breaths to calm himself and it seemed to be working.

Slowly, as if I were a deer in front of prey, I tiptoed to Hadiyah's window. She still faced forward with a blank look on her face while letting her tears fall freely.

"Hey," I began and my heartbeat wildly. "Are you alright?"

Unlike at the party, this time when I talked to Hadiyah, I was being genuine.

Hadiyah opened her mouth to answer when Atticus beat her to it. "She told me that it was my fault Felix killed himself."

I ignored his calls from behind me and placed a shaking hand onto the girl's shoulder. She looked up at me with glassy eyes and my knees wobbled. The emotions today were at an all-time high and dealing with them was painful.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered. "I'm alright."

Then, a hand grabbed my shoulder, pulling me around to face Atticus.

"I know you!" He roared. Something in my chest cracked, he remembered me.

"You were the one from the gala, weren't you? The night when Felix mysteriously 'fell' leaving the whole back of his head bleeding out." He bared his teeth at me. "That was you, wasn't it?"

For once, I was speechless. This wasn't a conversation I was ready to have, especially caught so off guard. His brown eyes, almost black, bored into mine and I felt him crawl into my thoughts, poisoning them. Time seemed to slow as he waited for an answer; an answer I didn't have.

"This bitch is blaming me for the death but it was probably you who's to blame," he bit out and Taron shoved him. It was harder than he had last time, causing Atticus to stumble backwards, winded.