Read Online When We Collide by A. L. Jackson - Free Book Online

head up, looked at me, his eyes
narrowed as if he couldn’t believe I was talking to him.
    “The girl asked you to stop.” It came out a sneer,
rippled over the crowd, and coalesced as a silent, collective gasp
as everyone turned their attention to me. Silence stretched on as I
stared Troy down and Troy sized me up. I could feel the girl
begging me with her eyes. Could almost hear her silently pleading
with me to let it go. Could almost taste how much she thought she
wasn’t worth it.
    I refused to look away.
    Clenching my jaw and fists, I struggled to control
the shaking, to cover up my nerves that were all over the place
that I really had no clue what to do with.
    Troy glared at me with cold, light-brown eyes. A
jeering smile suddenly split his face, a taunting laugh erupting
from his throat. “You really wanna fuck with me, Marsch?”
    I was on my feet before I knew they were below me,
happy to fuck with Troy if that’s the way he wanted it, but
Blake was between us before I could take two steps. Blake slammed
his palm against my chest, holding me back while he angled his body
to face Troy, who had jumped up and was standing three feet
away.
    Blake pointed at him. “Don’t even think about it,
Troy. We don’t need any of your shit tonight.”
    Troy leaned to the side, leering at me. “Come on,
Marsch. What?” He jutted out his chin. “You still need your big
brother to protect you?”
    Raging against the restraint of Blake’s hand, I was
desperate to feel Troy under my fist, to unleash the rage that had
come out of nowhere, but Blake struggled against me. “Come on,
Will, knock it off.”
    I tripped over my feet as I floundered backward and
landed hard on my back, the air knocked from my lungs.
    “Why don’t you go back to California where you
belong, you whiny little bitch?” Troy laughed and spit in my
direction, the wad landing in the ash next to my face.
    I roared and struggled to get back on my feet.
    Blake caught me just as I stood, fisting his hands
in my shirt. “He’s not worth it, Will.”
    No, Troy wasn’t worth it, but she was.
    I wrestled against Blake and tried to break
free.
    Blake tightened his hold and jostled me across the
field, shoving me against the side of his truck. His voice was low
and full of force as I came into contact with the smooth metal.
    “Calm the fuck down, man.” When I thrashed against
him, Blake slammed me back again. “I’m serious, Will. Cool it. Are
you trying to get yourself killed?”
    Troy was still throwing insults from near the fire,
the girl at his side begging him to stop.
    I made another attempt to break free when Troy
yelled at her to shut up.
    “Are you really just going to stand there and let
him treat her like that?” I flailed a hand in their direction.
    “It’s not any of our business.”
    Narrowing my eyes at Blake, I shook my head in
disgust. “How can you say that?”
    Blake reached over to wrench open the passenger
door, didn’t meet my eye. “Just get in the truck, Will.”
    I looked back and forth between Troy and Blake,
unable to believe my older brother, felt something rip open when
Troy dragged the crying girl toward the truck they’d arrived
in.
    I cried out in pain and fury when I twisted and
rammed my fist into the side of Blake’s truck, having nowhere else
to inflict my anger.
    This was complete bullshit.
    Begrudgingly, I flopped into the cab of Blake’s
truck, laid my head back on the headrest, and closed my stinging
eyes. The door slammed shut beside me.
    A couple of seconds later, Grace climbed in through
the driver’s door, Blake right behind her. I didn’t open my eyes,
just stared at the blackness behind my lids.
    The twenty minute ride back into town was taken in
silence, the only interruption when Blake whispered, “I love you so
much, Grace,” into the darkness.
    “I know,” she answered, so quiet I could barely hear
her, though I could tell she was crying.
    Grace squeezed my knee when we stopped in front