I shot my hand out and caught him on the shoulder to stop him. “Don’t worry about it.”
Chancey hesitated. “Don’t you want to beat his ass?”
I sighed. Sure, I didn’t like Edwin much, and he was getting on my nerves, but I’d learned long ago to brush these comments aside. “He’s not worth a trip to solitary.”
Chancey stepped back and whispered lowly, “Edwin’s a jerk. You should punch him, or I will.”
“I’m not going to punch him,” I said.
Chancey sounded amused. “I bet you have one hell of a swing.”
“Get back to work!” a guard yelled in our direction.
Chancey’s axclangedas he picked it up and swung it against the wall. He made it look like he was working, but he mostly ignored the guard. “Charlie’s got enough eyes on him,” he announced to Edwin. “I hear the girls talk about him all the time in the hall. Apparently, it’s a big deal to them that he came so close to winning the Games. What place did you come in again?Last?”
Edwin scoffed. “Like your place in the Games matters if you don’t win. The only girl Charlie can attract is one as mental and broken as he is.”
I lowered my ax and turned to him, nostrils flaring. “What the hell did you just say?”
Edwin chuckled. “Everyone knows you and Ava are screwing around. I’ve seen her visiting the nurse. We all know she’s on meds for whatever loony weirdness she’s got going on in the head.”
“Ava’s notloony,” I growled.
“Then what’s she doing withyou?” Edwin laughed. He was obviously amused by how angry I was becoming. “How many run-ins has she had with authority now? First that…creativeuniform stunt last semester. And let’s not forget the time she was nearly strip-searched in the hall.”
“That proves nothing,” I snapped. “Say one more word about Ava, and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Edwin taunted, taking a step forward until he was mere inches from me. I could feel the heat coming off him in waves. He was a few inches shorter than me, but judging by the way he swung his ax, I’d bet he had just as much muscle on him. “You’ll use your elemental powers on me? Good luck down here in the mines, surrounded by all this noxite. Or maybe you’ll swing your ax at me. You’d like it down in Cellblock 9.”
My hands shook at my sides the longer he talked. I didn’t know what the hell Edwin’s problem was, but I suspected he was jealous that a blind guy had done better than he had during the Games. I was never going to get this asshole off my back if I didn’t teach him a lesson.
“Your girlfriend may be mental, but she’s a hot piece of ass,” Edwin continued. “With you down in Cellblock 9, I bet she’ll be looking for some relief. She’ll be screaming my name so loud, you’ll hear it down in your cell—”
Clank! Thwack!
First came the sound of my ax dropping out of my hands, then the crack of my fist across Edwin’s face.No onespoke about my pidge like that.
“You go, man!” Chancey cheered. I was sure Thaddeus said something, too, but I was fuming and didn’t hear him.
Edwin stumbled back a couple of steps, but I didn’t give him a chance to react. I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall.
“You take it back!” I growled. “You take it backright now.”
Edwin only laughed, and the stench of his breath filled my nostrils.
I was so fucking pissed that I grabbed him around the throat, instantly killing his laughter. “If I ever catch you anywherenearAva-Marie, so help me, I will suck the air out of your lungs so fast, you won’t live long enough to regret it.”
“Get off me!” Edwin yelled, shoving me backward.
The guards began shouting, but I was too riled up to make sense of it. Screw the consequences. Edwin deserved one hell of a beating.
I lunged at him and clocked him across the jaw again. He retaliated immediately by tackling me to the ground. He tried to wrestle me down, but I elbowed him in the nose. It gave me just enough time to gain the upper-hand, until I had him in a headlock. I bit down hard on his ear, until I tasted blood.
“Holy shit, Charlie!” Chancey cried, though he sounded more impressed than anything.
Then came the sound of footsteps as the guards came rushing closer.
“That’s enough!” Chancey insisted. He swatted my arm before he started yanking on me, as if begging me to let up on Edwin. “Charlie, that’s enough!”
