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Chaz sat up and moaned, which given the state he was in, was a heroic feat. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” He wiped at the mess on his chin, but it was like trying to stem the tide. His blood was absolutely everywhere. “Your mom told me what he was like. A con artist.”
Shep pointed at Chaz, who crumpled back against the ground again to play dead.
“Why would you believe her?” I raised my hands and shook my head.
“Look at what you’re doing now!” Chaz spit blood onto the grass. “She was right, man. You just can’t fucking see it.”
Tav huffed. “We loved each other. Still love each other. She drove us apart. She wasn’t a good person then or now.” He jutted his chin, and I thought maybe if Chaz wasn’t already dripping blood, Tav might’ve been tempted to smack him.
Chaz stared at me with hurt in his expression, but I just shrugged because Tav was right.
Shep stepped closer to Tav and asked him something quietly. I was torn between helping Chaz and demanding that Tav tell me what the fuck was happening. The crowd around us started to disperse now that their free show was over, and relief slammed me.
“Fuck!” Chaz shouted, wiping at his face with both hands. “It just won’t stop!” He dragged the bottom of his shirt up and held it to his nose.
“I hope you fucking drown in it,” Shep screamed at him.
One of the older bikers slapped his back. “Let’s go, kid. We don’t want to hang around.” He stared at the crowd, glaring, daring anyone to say anything to them.
“See you, Tav. Take care,” Shep said, shaking his hand.
My stomach fell.
Tav shook with him as if one of the most fucked-up things I’d ever seen happen in real life hadn’t gone down less than two minutes ago. Maybe Tav was different from when we were younger. That Tav wouldn’t have been able to see this sort of violence and be fine with it. Right?
“Be good,” Tav called after Shep. He tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels.
Shep laughed and nodded, and the bikers with him joined in.
Chaz took his phone out of his pocket, which was awkward because he was still on the ground, then snapped a photo of the bikers. My heart almost stopped as the meanest looking one with the skull tattoo on his throat turned back and slapped the phone out of his hand. The biker ground the screen under his black leather boot, cracking it into pieces. He grabbed Chaz by the shirt and lifted him up until Chaz was on his tiptoes. Chaz’s neck turned red and he strained, holding the biker’s wrist.
“If that photo ends up anywhere that we wouldn’t want it, say, with the cops?” He leaned in closer to Chaz. “I will slit your throat and let the clubhouse dog piss down it so you can be yellow on the inside and outside.”
Chaz shook his head hard.
The biker dropped him on his ass before walking away like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Chaz whimpered.
“He won’t,” I called after the biker.
The man only nodded and didn’t bother turning around. I guess he figured he’d proven his point.
Chaz stared up at me with watery eyes, and fury pelted through me. I was beginning to build a mental picture of what had happened here, and it must’ve started with Chaz saying something shitty, which wasn’t unusual.
“What did you say to Tav? And if you lie to me, I’m going to be the third person to fuck you up today.” I stepped toward Chaz, and he flinched.
Chaz got to his feet, although, it took a few tries, and coughed, rubbing his neck. The cascading blood that was still pouring from his nose glistened in the sunshine. From this angle I could tell it was crooked.
He flipped me off. “If you want your money hungry boyfriend so bad, fuck it. I was trying to be a friend!”
Tav grunted and put a hand in the center of my back like he might have to hold me up.
“No, if you were trying to be a friend, you would’ve told me your worries to my face. You were being a passive-aggressive asshole, just like when you fucked with Eric’s relationship. You were being a jerk behind my back.”
Tav took my hand in his, staring out at all the people nearby. We were gathering a new crowd. Jesus, why did this have to happen on such a busy day?
My stomach lurched as I saw someone filming me. Fuck.
