Steve saw his girlfriend leave and walk home. She was with a friend and hurried passed, into the darkness. Gronk and Groate were nowhere to be seen. Still he waited. He would not allow himself to back down. Things had gone too far. A big group of people walked out of the doors, making a lot of noise. And then he saw them. Groate was there, looking relatively short against the taller figure of Gronk. There were a lot of people close by. He saw the burly figure of Fathead in the dimming light and assumed some of the others were his group of Posheys. Steve rose from the shadows and scrunched out of the undergrowth to face them. It was twelve against one.
He walked straight up to Groate. “Why did you ask my girlfriend out?”
“Errr… l’ll do what I want,” Groate said, looking at Gronk.
“You’ve got a problem,” Steve said, readying himself.
A posh voice shouted from the back “Go on Barry, hit him!”
Groate swung a looping right fist toward Steve, who ducked underneath. As the punch swept harmlessly into the air, Steve came up ready to fight. But Groate slipped and landed in a heap on the tarmac. Steve stepped forward and stood on his face. The whites of Groate’s eyes dominated his expression.
Steve leaned in, his temper on the boil. “Don’t… fucking cross me again,” he growled. “And you…” he turned to Gronk, “…you’re in the firing line. Back off or I will come after you.”
Gronk jolted with shock. For once he was speechless, as were the gawping group of Posheys. They were stunned that just one person dared confront them. And he was an Outsider. Steve backed away until he was far enough to turn and walk off. He disappeared into the darkness. Fathead helped Groate to his feet. Shaking, he looked over at Gronk, who stared at the ground.
“Th… this is all your fault,” Groate stammered. “It… it was all your idea I ask his girlfriend out.”
Gronk stayed silent. He did not expect Steve Nobody to react like that. In fact, he was convinced his enemy was a coward. Disconcerted, Gronk broke away and hurried home. He would need to rethink his strategy. Scheming, planning and social advancement were his things. A shiver ran down Gronk’s spine. Looking at his slender hands, he could see they were trembling. It was just as well he got out of there as he did not want anyone to see he was scared. Especially as it was all because of that low-life, Steve Nobody. In the safety of his bedroom, Gronk calmed down. I’m above that kind of behaviour, he thought. As he mulled the evening over, his anger knew no bounds. He would avenge the humiliation.
Copyright © 2022 Callum Stanford. All rights reserved.
I like your writing style–simple, easy to read, everything laid out in an orderly way without anything that isn’t needed to tell the story economically.
Thank you, I try to keep it straightforward.