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“I don’t give a fuck what you think, Cody. Stay out of it,” I shout at him, and he doesn’t look the slightest bit shook. I don’t intend to come off so pissed, but I have enough shit to try and figure out. I don’t need or want anyone else’s opinions or advice on the matter.
I just want Hollis, and I can’t have her right now.
“No, you know what?” Cody pushes himself to stand and steps closer toward me. “Fuck that. I can tell you’re fucking miserable, dude, and I don’t like it. You've been drowning yourself in beer, sometimes by noon, and you only wake up to go to work and be an asshole. I mean, I get it, but it’s like something crawled up your ass and died and honestly, that shit’s not cute.”
“Oh, like you know me so well, Cody.” I cross my arms over my chest trying to calm the rage rumbling deep inside me.
But he's right, I've been drinking a lot more than I care to admit lately and my emotions are really eating me alive. The disappointment. The betrayal. The anger. The need.
“Ididknow you. And I like the old you better.” Cody brings the level of his voice down, trying to make the mood lighter but it’s too late.
“Well, I’m not the old me, pal. Sorry ‘bout it.”
“I can tell. Maybe you need to move on then. Silently moping about a girl you can’t have isn’t cute either.” He tosses his wrench on the ground and it slides toward my feet.
Fury ripples through me like a crack of lightning and I feel like I'm about to fucking explode.
“Shut the fuck up!” I shout at him, allowing some of my aggression to escape in the way I raise my voice.
“Why? What are you gonna do about it? Cry like a baby because you can’t have some chick you haven’t seen in over ten years. Sounds practical.” He steps a bit closer to me, and I pray he's not looking for a fight because I have just enough energy in me to not give a fuck and let him have it. Might relieve some of this stress.
“Cody, stop.” Mason steps out from one of the offices and looks between the both of us.
Cody stands with his arms crossed all smug like and paints a stupid smirk across his face.
“No, he needs to hear how pathetic he’s being. I mean, Jesus. He doesn’t even know what her pussy feels like and he’s acting like he-”
The straw that breaks the camel’s back.
My fist connects with Cody's jaw.
There's a crunching sound as he stumbles back into the hood of the car he was working on. My knuckles immediately start to ache. Cody holds his bloody lip.
“Feel better?” he teases with the same smirk never wavering.
“No, you wanna say something stupid again so I can break something next time?” I step up right as Mason interjects, holding his hands out to each of our chests.
“Jax, what the fuck dude?” he says in a disappointing tone.
“Me? He’s the one who won’t shut his good-for-nothing mouth.” I point my finger at Cody like a goddamn child as I take a step back.
“Grow up. We’re not in fucking high school anymore," Mason mentions and I go straight into the memory of being hit in my jaw for the first time. I can guarantee it didn't hurt the way I know my blow to Cody’s jaw feels right now. I don’t know if that makes me feel proud or pissed off at myself.
“My point exactly," Cody says after he spits out some blood. His lip is already fat from where I hit him.
“Cody, shut it.” Mase gives him an incredulous but threatening look as he turns around for the first aid kit. “Jaxon, Cody’s right. Your attitude sucks. You think you’re doing a good job at hiding it too, but everyone feels it and you either do something about it or leave it behind all together.”
My knuckles burn and my heart is hammering in my chest. I don't know why I get so angry when someone brings up Hollis. Especially when they point out that I'm acting like some kind of sore loser, because that’s exactly what I am.
I came back to Texas hoping to find my best friend again. Hoping to learn about what she's been up to while I was gone. Figure out why I was exiled from her life. Hear her laugh again. Do anything with her, but instead I find her dating the one person I never expected, and even worse…she won't even look at me anymore.
I broke her.
“What do you want me to do? She asked me to leave. I'm giving her the space she asked for. How the fuck is that any of y’alls business anyways?” I try to defend myself, but I don't really know how to right now. I know what I want, they know what I want.
“We’re the ones who have to suffer from your sour-puss ass.”
“Cody, shut it!” Mason shouts at him again, giving him a sideways glance before bringing calmer eyes back to me.
