(... continue)
The voice in his skull roared louder. "Finish him off! No mercy!!!"
And then…
BANG!
The door to the showers slammed open so hard it rattled the hinges.
Finally…finally the voice dulled…if only a little…faded into static as the other players poured in, kicking the shower doors open.
"Holy shit!" Matt's voice cracked. "Xander, get the fuck off him!"
Steam billowed out thick…blinding…water still hissing from the shower heads. The scene inside was chaos frozen in heat…Victor sagging against the tiles…his cocky face reduced to a mask of blood…Xander pinning him by the throat, knuckles raw and dripping red.
"What the hell is going on?!" Liam shoved forward, nearly slipping on the slick floor.
Dylan and Chase barreled in right after, eyes widening before they turned feral.
"Yo, he's killing him!" Dylan roared. He lunged, grabbing Xander's shoulder.
Xander swung his arm back like a whip. "Don't fucking touch me!"
The slap of wet skin against skin cracked through the steam. Dylan stumbled, cursing.
"Back the fuck up, Dylan!" Matt growled, shoving him in the chest.
"Oh, hell no," Chase barked, ramming Matt right back. "Your boy just turned psycho!"
"Victor must have started some shit!" Liam snapped, planting himself between them. "You didn't hear what he said!"
"Doesn't matter, man! Look at his face…Victor's leaking like a fucking faucet!This is assault. Attempted murder. " Dylan jabbed a finger towards the blood spilling down Victor's chest.
Victor coughed, gurgling, nose bent sideways, eyes glassy. His hand clawed at Xander's grip on his throat, legs kicking weakly against the tile.
"Xan, bro! Let him go!" Matt shouted again, wrapping both arms around Xander's waist. "You're really gonna kill him, man!"
"Get the fuck off me!" Xander snarled, voice ripping out of him, half animal…almost.He slammed another fist into Victor's ribs…THUD…the sound was like a body bag hitting pavement.
"Damn shit!" Liam shouted, grabbing at Xander's arm. "He's done, man! Done! You're gonna get expelled! Or worse!!!"
It turned into a brawl within a brawl. Dylan shoved Liam. Matt yanked Xander. Chase tried to pry his hand off Victor's throat. Everyone was shouting over each other.
"Let go, asshole!"
"Back the fuck up!"
"You'll ruin your own life, man!"
"He's fucking bleeding out!Somebody call for help!!!"
The steam curled around them like smoke, bodies slipping and shoving, curses ricocheting off tile.
Then…FWEEEET!!!
The shriek of a whistle cut through everything like a blade.
"WHAT. THE. HELL. IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Coach Henderson stormed in, face red, veins bulging, eyes wide as they landed on the scene…two of his best players…Victor a broken heap, blood dripping down his chin…Xander, half naked, fists bloody, chest heaving like a goddamn animal…looked more like inmates at each other's throat than team mates tangled…pushing and shouting.
"Jesus Mary and Joseph," Coach hissed under his breath, running a hand down his face.
"Get the fuck off him, Hale!" His roar shook the walls. "Now!"
For a second Xander didn't move.
His grip lingered like iron around Victor's throat. Then, finally…very slowly…deliberately…he let go.
Victor crumpled down onto the wet tiles, coughing blood.
"Matt, Liam…get Hale out of here before I throw him out myself!" Coach bellowed, his voice breaking through the chaos like a whip.
Xander's friends pulled him back. He was still twitching with rage, eyes locked on Victor like he would kill him all over again if given half a chance.
"Chase, Dylan…get your boy to the damn nurse! Now!" Coach barked.
"Coach…" Dylan started.
"Don't 'Coach' me!" Henderson roared, snapping his whistle in his fist. "The damn state finals are tomorrow and you idiots are in here trying to murder each other? You think scouts are gonna sign contracts for a team of clowns?! Christ almighty!This isn't just about the trophy,it's about all your futures. Move!!!"
He jabbed a finger at Xander, spit flying. "Principal's office. Now. Don't say a word …don't even breathe in my direction…just move your ass!Now! "
Then at Victor, bloody and groaning, barely upright as Chase hauled him under one arm, Coach yelled. "Hurry up to the nurse's office. If you can still walk, that is. I will call the Docs."
The silence that followed was deafening…only broken by Victor's wet coughs, Xander's ragged breathing, and the hiss of the forgotten showers raining down behind.
Tomorrow was the match… damn fuck!
Xander tore himself free from Matt and Liam's grips, his chest still heaving, his knuckles raw and dripping.
"Xan, bro…wait!" Liam hissed, trying to catch his arm.
But Xander just lifted a hand without even looking back. A command. Silent. Final command.
They froze. Didn't even breathe. Because when Xander gave that signal? You obeyed.
The hallway stretched long and empty, lights flickering above. His sneakers dragged heavy on the polished floor, squeaking in broken rhythm. His head hung low, dark hair shadowing his eyes, jaw grinding as if the bones wanted to split.
In his skull…the voice still pulsed.
"Kill… kill… kill…"
A growl followed, pure animalistic, vibrating against his ribs… like a predator trapped in there.
Xander clutched at his ear, fingers digging like he could claw it out. "Shut up…" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head hard. His shoulders twitched, jerking like some faulty wire.
But the voice only swelled, gnawing at the edges of his sanity.
"Should have killed him. Should have finished it. Weak. Weak…"
His steps staggered. He slammed a palm against the wall, steadying himself, teeth bared.
Matt's worried whisper echoed faint down the hall. "He is losin' it, man.What did that Victor even say?!"
Xander shook harder, veins bulging in his neck, breaths ragged, the fluorescent lights above humming too loud for him…too sharp…like needles in his skull.
But then… he felt that breeze.
Cool. Soft. That whisper of spring sliding through a locked corridor.
It wrapped around him, curled into his lungs, seeped into his veins. That scent so faint yet piercing…floral, like petals in rain. Jasmine. Or maybe lavender. He didn't even know anymore All he knew was…
The voice inside his head choked out.
The muttering stopped.
And silence…blessed silence…flooded him.
He exhaled. For the first time since the shower, his chest loosened. His fists uncurled. His mind…absolutely quiet.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze.
The principal's door loomed ahead. Half open. A sliver of light spilling across the hall.
Xander's feet dragged him closer. Step. Step. Step.
And just as he crossed the threshold…
There she was.
That same girl who had crashlanded into him in the morning…sitting right there in the principal's office, her profile caught in the sunlight, her presence painting the room with that exact same spring scent that had just saved him from drowning in rage.
Xander froze, heart punching hard against his ribs.
Slow motion.
Her head tilted, eyes lifting…
And the world…the hallway, the blood on his hands, the chaos of minutes ago…fell away like it had never existed.