Page 96 of Yearning Difficulties

I made a low noise of distaste but Killian merely smirked. ‘You really love that word.’

‘Dave, stop,’ I said, speaking softly so the audience wouldn’t become too nervous.

Dave’s eyes flashed to mine. He clearly felt no such need because when he replied, his voice carried across the whole arena. ‘He’s manipulated you, Zella.’

I frowned and suddenly Killian drew his own sword.

‘Don’t talk to her,’ he said. ‘You’re talking to the freak, remember?’

‘This freak,’ Dave told the crowd, using his sword to point to Killian, ‘has been jealous of me since the day we met. Since the very beginning. But I brushed it off. Why wouldn’t he be? He’s living proof that God can, on occasion, have a very crude sense of humour.’

‘Dave!’ I barked. ‘Enough.’

He ignored me. ‘He acted out whenever we crossed paths. Always one-upping me in class. Tackling too hard during sports. Correcting me in front of people I respected.’

He suddenly lunged at Killian, the clang of their swords earning a collective cry from the crowd. Killian had parried at once, deflecting the attack.

‘I would ask myself,’ Dave went on, as he and Killian began to circle one another, ‘why the animosity?’

‘Possibly because of the ableist slurs you like to throw around, my lord?’ Killian said dryly. There was hatred in his voice but I knew him well enough to detect the underlying current of agitation.

He was nervous. And that made me very afraid.

‘But I soon worked out why,’ Dave went on, thrusting once more and cursing when Killian easily parried him. But Killian’s footwork was a little unsteady, I noticed. Dave’s attacks were unrehearsed and impulsive, making the whole thing feel dangerous.

‘Why?’ yelled a random man from the crowd, clearly swept up in the drama of it all.

Dave smiled triumphantly, pleased to see how enraptured everyone was.

‘Shall I tell them, Freak?’ he asked Killian, as they continued to stalk one another. ‘Shall I reveal your dirty little secret?’

It was Killian’s turn to lunge. He made three quick strikes against Dave, who only just managed to defend himself from them.

‘Someone do something,’ I said quietly. But people were watching the car crash, too intrigued to remember to do the right thing.

‘I overheard the whole thing with you and your brother!’ Dave barked at Killian, the two of them continually trying to land a blow. ‘It’s exactly what I fucking thought from the very start!’

‘Shut. Up,’ Killian spat, kicking up dirt as he fought. ‘You don’t know anything.’

Dave danced away from Killian’s sword and addressed the crowd again. ‘You see, the freak’s in love. Isn’t that adorable? Has been for over a year. Fell in love last Halloween, on the spot. Like a lightning bolt, right? According to what he told his twin.’

I turned to look at the stands. Chris was sitting in between Anderson and Claire. He looked gaunt with worry. His eyes suddenly flashed to mine and they were full of regret. I scanned the crowd for Dave’s family.

They weren’t there. And then I realized something. They’d never been there. Not once. They hadn’t made it to a single show.

My heart sank. It was all so awful. Every bit of it.

But Dave wasn’t finished.

‘Who knew the freak with the cruel tongue actually had a heart?’ he went on, and I could tell he’d been dwelling on that line for a while. ‘But it does.’

I glanced back at Claire, devastated for her. She looked mortified by the whole show.

‘But here’s one of the fun parts.’ Dave climbed up onto a barrel. ‘The freak called into my radio show. Of course, he waited for the one time I wasn’t hosting. Confessed his feelings for his lady. But he pretended to be his twin. Couldn’t face being honest, not even about that.’

I felt my throat go dry. Like sandpaper. My gaze swung to Killian, expecting to see derision or indignation on his face. Instead, he was coldly blank. It sent a chill through my heart.

‘Killian,’ I said, my voice uneven. ‘Tell him that’s not true.’