I spin around just in time to be thrown to the ground, Colby’s weight coming down on my chest as his fists barrel toward me. “You fucking piece of shit,” he roars, hitting me with a face full of spittle. “I’ll end you, and your little bitch too.”
Hudson is the first to reach us, launching himself at Colby and tumbling with him into the grass. He gets one good hit on Colby before the rest of our teammates race in, tearing us apart. Two of my guys hold me back as Roxten pushes himself in front of Colby, blocking him from coming at me. The crowd's noise seems to be closing in, and when I glance up, the field is swarming with people.
Coach Wyld storms in, his familiar tone roaring over the crowd, but just when I think he’s about to bitch me out, I realize his anger is focused on the Hope Falls coach. “Pull your boys in line, August. They’re playing just as dirty as you did.”
August takes a swing at Coach Wyld, and he swiftly puts him down as the referees’ whistles nearly blow my fucking eardrums. The cheerleaders scream, and it’s impossible to tell what the fuck is going on. Fists and insults fly carelessly left and right. Half of my guys are working on separating the fight as the other half try to get their hands on Colby. The whole school has my back on this.
Even parents and teachers are involved, some trying to separate people, others only encouraging the chaos. It’s not until one angelic voice tears through the crowd that I can finally see things clearly. “TANNER,” Brielle screams, barging her way through the horde of people, ducking and weaving between stray punches.
Panic tears through me, certain she’s about to get hurt, and I launch myself forward, yanking her into my chest just moments before Riley falls back into her. “The fuck are you doing out here? You’re gonna get hurt.”
“I had to make sure you were alright.”
Fucking hell. I love her, but she’ll be the death of me.
“I’m fine,” I tell her, trying to get her to move out of the crowd, though thankfully it seems to be easing up. “I’ve taken harder hits from your insults than that asshole is capable of.”
We break out into a clearing, and I take her over to the Bradford sidelines to find Coach Wyld dragging Hudson back away from the crowd. I tear my helmet off and grab a drink from the cooler before taking a quick sip and splashing the rest over my face. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned halftime, and something tells me the cheerleaders are going to miss their performance today.
Brielle looks up at me, her eyes full of concern, looking over every inch of my body as the field finally begins to clear. “You sure you’re good?” she asks. “You could have a concussion or something.”
“Trust me, Killer. It wasn’t as painful as being wrapped around a tree. I’m good. Besides, I didn’t hit my head,” I tell her, glancing over her to see Colby’s coach shoving him into a chair.
Anger flares through me, and seeing that something has my attention, Brielle whips around. She’s like a fucking rocket taking off, and before I can even grab her, she’s gone. “FUCK.” I glance back at the sidelines, knowing I’m going to need backup if I’m walking straight into the lion’s den, especially when Brielle is involved. “HUDSON.”
Hudson’s head snaps up, and when he sees Brielle, he’s on his feet and racing after her with me. Jax and Riley break away from the field to have our backs. We reach Brielle just in time for her to clock the fucker right in the eye. His head swings and she launches herself at him. “You fucking rapist,” she screams, trying to get her arms around his throat. “You should be locked up for what you did to her.”
Colby throws her off like she weighs nothing, and she tumbles into my arms with a squeal. Without missing a beat, I shove her behind my back and into Jax’s arms. Colby gets right back to his feet coming for me again when his coach barges in. “Get the fuck over to your own side,” he spits, looking at us like we’re nothing more than shit smeared across the sidewalk.
Brielle’s not having it through. She launches out of Jax’s hold, his arms too sweaty to contain her. She’s like a little chihuahua with a nasty fucking bite. “Why the fuck is he still playing? You should have suspended him when he was first arrested. What kind of piece of shit coach are you?”
I grab Bri around the waist, dragging her back when Colby pushes forward into my girl. “Watch yourself, whore. I haven’t nearly had my share of you yet.”