Chris curled into a ball, and then Travis kicked him in the back. Chris arched and turned, holding his hands out, allowing Travis to land several punches to his face. The blood began to flow, and Travis stood up, winded.
“If you even look at her, you piece of shit, I’ll break your fuckin’ jaw!” Travis yelled. I winced when he kicked Chris in the leg one last time.
The women working in the cafeteria scampered out, shocked at the bloody mess on the floor.
“Sorry,” Travis said, wiping Chris’s blood from his cheek.
Some of the students stood up to get a better look; others remained seated, watching with mild amusement. The football team simply stared at Chris’s limp body on the floor, shaking their heads.
Travis turned, and Shepley stood, grabbing both my arm and America’s hand, and pulled us out the door behind his cousin. We walked the short distance to Morgan Hall, and America and I sat on the front steps, watching Travis pace back and forth.
“You okay, Trav?” Shepley asked.
“Just … give me a minute,” he said, putting his hands low on his hips as he walked.
Shepley shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m surprised you stopped.”
“Pidge said to teach him some manners, Shep, not kill him. It took everything I had to quit when I did.”
America slipped on her large, square sunglasses to look up at Travis. “What did Chris say that set you off, anyway?”
“Something he’ll never say again,” Travis seethed.
America looked to Shepley, who shrugged. “I didn’t hear it.”
Travis’s hands balled into fists again. “I’m goin’ back in there.”
Shepley touched Travis’s shoulder. “Your girl’s out here. You don’t need to go back in there.”
Travis looked at me, forcing himself to stay calm. “He said … everyone thinks Pidge has … Jesus, I can’t even say it.”
“Just say it already,” America muttered, picking at her nails.
Finch walked up behind Travis, clearly thrilled by all the excitement. “Every straight guy at Eastern wants to try her out because she landed the unattainable Travis Maddox,” he shrugged. “That’s what they’re saying in there now, at least.”
Travis shouldered past Finch, heading for the cafeteria. Shepley bolted after him, grabbing his arm. My hands flew to my mouth when Travis swung, and Shepley ducked. My eyes darted to America who was unaffected, accustomed to their routine.
I could think of only one thing to do to stop him. I scrambled off the steps, wheeling around, directly in his path. I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist, and he gripped my thighs as I grabbed each side of his face, planting a long, deep kiss on his mouth. I could feel his anger melt away as he kissed me, and when I pulled away, I knew I had won.
“We don’t care what they think, remember? You can’t start now,” I said, smiling with confidence. I had more of an effect on him than I ever thought possible.
“I can’t let them talk about you like that, Pigeon,” he said with a frustrated frown, lowering me to my feet.
I slid my arms under his, interlocking my fingers behind his back. “Like what? They think I have something special because you’ve never settled down before. Do you disagree?”
“Hell no, I just can’t stand the thought of every guy in this school wanting to bag you because of it.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “This is going to make me crazy. I can already tell.”
“Don’t let them get to you, Travis,” Shepley said. “You can’t fight everybody.”
Travis sighed. “Everybody. How would you feel if everybody thought about America like that?”
“Who says they don’t?” America said, offended. We all laughed, and America made a face. “I wasn’t kidding.”
Shepley pulled her to her feet by her hands and kissed her cheek. “We know, baby. I gave up being jealous a long time ago. I’d never have time to do anything else.”
America smiled in appreciation, and then hugged him. Shepley had an uncanny ability to make everyone around him feel at ease, no doubt the result from growing up around Travis and his brothers. It was probably more of a defense mechanism than anything.
Travis nuzzled my ear, and I giggled until I saw Parker approach. The same sense of urgency I’d felt when Travis wanted to return to the cafeteria overcame me, and I instantly let go of Travis to quickly walked the ten or so feet to intercept Parker.