Just Another Man

“Oww,”

“Shh sweetie,”

“Oww,” Jimmy whined again his eyes closed and head leant back on the sofa Niki held ice against his nose.

“Rhian how ya feeling?” She asked looking over at an extremely pale, more than usual, British girl sat on the floor her head between her knees. “The blood’s gone,”

“I know,” She mumbled. “I just, oh god, I think I’m gonna be sick again,”

“Fucking hell sug, it was a bit of-”

“Don’t say the word,” Jimmy muttered pushing Niki’s hand off his face and sitting up slowly. “Rhian?”

“Stay laying back Jimmy,” She replied.

“Shut up women,” He muttered sliding off the sofa and sitting down by her side. Jimmy put an arm round Rhian’s shoulder and pulled her into him. “Such a wimp,”

“It was blood Jim,”

“Wimp,” He smirked as she sat up and leant against his shoulder. “Brian fucking punches me and you collapse, great girlfriend you are,” He chuckled kissing her forehead.

“Yeah Rhian, he’s right,” Niki sighed sitting down on the sofa and grabbing her phone. “I mean you should have jumped up and defended him!”

“Took the bullet for me!” Jimmy added smirking at her. “You said you would,”

“I am not ever taking a punch from Brian for you, he can actually do damage,” She mumbled quietly. “Where is he?”

“Stormed out,” Niki muttered. “After you collapsed he said he’d had enough drama and was going out,”

“To find Matt?”

“More than likely,”

“I hope Matt has better defences than you love,” Rhian smirked at Jimmy who just glared at her.

“He could of broke my nose and that’s all you have to say,” Rhian shrugged and looked towards Niki.

“Shouldn’t we go find him?”

“Probably!” Niki agreed with a sigh. “The boy does damage when he’s angry!”

“Reckon he went for Matt or Scarlet first?” Jimmy asked the girls who both looked at each other.

“Matt!” Niki and Rhian said together looking towards Jimmy as if that was the most ridicules question ever.

“He’s with Zack!” Jimmy added. “They went to the gym together,”

“I’ll phone, warn them that Brian’s likely to be out for blood,” Niki sighed getting up slowly and searching for her phone.

“Don’t rush women,” Jimmy muttered. “Not as if this is an emergency or anything!”

“Do you want a black eye to go with that nose?” She snapped, Jimmy just shock his head. “Didn’t think so!”

“Okay, everyone breath, Niki phone Zack! We’ll get in the car!” Rhian sighed standing up slowly. “Why can’t things be less drama filled!” She added with a huff. Jimmy just shrugged following his girlfriend out of the house.

His nose hurt but he was well aware how much pain Matt would be going through right now.

“Brian!” Zack shouted going to pull him off Matt, but it failed miserably. He slipped and fell to the floor in front of Sarah.

“Ducky, you’re only going to get yourself hurt!” She sighed pulling him up and starring towards the drawling guys. “Oh dear, we really have to do something about those two!” She winced as Matt slammed his fist into Brian’s ribs.

“Haner fucking stop it!” He snarled.

“No you fucking touched my little sister!” Brian shouted back, swinging his fist at Matt who finally managed to block a punch. He stepped back quickly putting a table between the pair.

“Scarlet and I, we are, or at least were an item,” Matt said calmly, he had no need to be scared of Brian now, he was bigger and was not being fuelled by anger.

“You touched my little sister?”

“Brian it never went that far, it’s just starting!”

“I don’t care you fucking know what I said! No one touches my-” Brian paused and locked eyes with Matt. “You’re the fucking reason she’s been in this mood?” He snarled at Matt edging closer.

“No! Well no, I don’t-” Though it was too late, for some reason Brian thought he could fly, and launched himself across the table at Matt tackling him to the floor. The pair landed with a loud crash

“Right that’s it!” Sarah shrieked as the table Brian leaped over caught on his foot and fell on the brawling pair. “I will not have this, it’s not right, it’s just not normal!” She screamed, her boyfriend stepping away slightly. “You two I demand you quit it right now!” Neither of the guys were listening to Sarah’s ranting though. “NO! Not the cake stand!”

“Oh shit,” Zack muttered watching Brian being hurled into the counter, Rebecca coming out from the back and quickly darting back in as Brian jumped up and charged at Matt. “Shit,”

“That’s it!” Sarah finally screeched.

“Oowww!” The scream from Brian was heard first, as Sarah grabbed the top of his ear and twisted, while Sarah’s other hand grabbed Matt’s ear and she pulled the two apart.

“Oww! Fucking hell women!”

“No, no swearing, no fighting, no nothing in this coffee shop!” Sarah shouted at the pair. “You broke my cake stand with the chocolate cake I wanted at the end of my shift! That was the only thing getting me through my shift!” She hissed at the pair.

“Sarah fucking get off me!” Brian hissed trying to pull away from her.

“Oi Gates don’t talk to my girlfriend like that!”

“Can it Baker,”

“Stop it!” Sarah screamed. “You promise not to hit anyone again, including the cake?”

“Sarah just let me go,” Brian snapped again. “I don’t have a problem with you, but that pedo!”

“Woah hold it!” Matt shouted turning round. “I fucking loved your sister-”

“I don’t want too-” It was too late, Sarah let go of Matt and swung her fist towards Brian hitting him straight in the jaw. Brian was rendered speechless, stumbling back slightly and starring at Sarah.

“That is for hitting Matt, and this,” She turned to Matt, kicking him hard in the shins. “Is for upsetting my best friend!” She snapped. “I’ve had it with the lot of you, she in a mess cause of something and that something my friend,” Sarah waggled her finger at Matt. “That is you!”

“Sarah it can’t be!” Matt muttered. “I haven’t had a chance to do anything wrong,”

“And you fucking never-”

“Oh can it Haner, you wait, you’ll get your chance in a minute!” She snapped at him turning back to Matt. “You honestly don’t know what’s going on?” Matt shock his head and crouched down to sit on the chair behind him. He suddenly became the epitome of a broken man. Matt rested his elbows on his knees, holding his hands out and planting his face in them.

Brian stood their just glaring at him, his best friend went behind his back, broke their trust and loyalty; that was not something he would easily forgive.

“I don’t know why she doesn’t speak to me anymore, she hasn’t spoken to me since Rhian’s meal thign, Sarah I’m not kidding here! If she doesn’t want to be with me fine, but do I not deserve an explanation,”

“No!”

“Brian I mean it!” Sarah snapped. “You will get your say in a minute!”

“Or he won’t,” Zacky muttered noticing Niki, rhian and Jimmy running past the window of the coffee shop.

“BRIAN!” Niki screeched noticing him standing there. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Everyone just stay calm!” Zack intervened standing in front of Niki, while Rhian walked round him and straight towards Brian. She raised her hand and slapped him hard on the cheek, where Sarah had punched him minutes before.

“Ouch fuck-” She then moved back and punched him hard in the gut. “Rhian what the hell?!”

“The punch is from Jimmy, cause he can’t hit his best friend, and the slap is from me, cause if you ever punch my boyfriend, of cause anyone else to bleed in front of me I will set Sarah on you, and I mean it!” She snarled, Brian nodded stepping away from her.

“Fucking English, more violent than-”

“Brian,” Niki muttered walking towards him. “Just leave it, and if you ever hit my boyfriend again,” She turned to Rhian her eyes wide. “I mean it Brit, you’ll regret it,”

“Niki are you honestly threatening me?” Rhian asked rolling her eyes. “Come off it,”

“I mean it-” Niki started both girls walking towards each other; it was stupid because Rhian was never violent and fighting seemed to be what Niki trained for whenever she hit the gym.

“Rhian,” Jimmy mumbled going to grab her hand and pull her back but he wasn’t quick enough.

“Don’t fuck with me Rhian, you’d be stupid too-” As if on cue the café door was opened again, Taylor, Scarlet, George and his friends pilled into the café.

“Wow, what the hell is going on here?” Taylor questioned looking round at the group with a smile that slowly faded; Matt sat on the chair head in his hands, Jimmy holding his nose while standing next to Zack, while Brian was pushed towards the back with Niki in front of him and Rhian facing her. In the middle stood an annoyed looking Sarah.

Matt looked up hearing everyone go quiet, his eyes focusing straight on Scarlet; she looked tired and if anything ill. Her skin had lost it’s usually warm glow, her eyes were dark and almost seemed tinted with grey, and her clothes just hung off her. Though what Matt noticed the most was her lips, they didn’t form the beautiful smile, instead they sunk into a bored looking pout. It was as if nothing bothered her anymore, she was totally apathetic.

“Scarlet?” He spoke up.

“Stay away from her Sanders,” Brian snarled. Scarlet heard the anger in her brothers voice, her blood run cold. “And you,” He turned to Scarlet looking at her in disgust. “You lied to me!”

“You know?”

“Of course I fucking know!”

“You told him? What is this some way of getting me back?” Scarlet snapped at Matt her eyes turning back to him.

“I didn’t tell him!” Matt started. “You must have-”

“No, he found out through a photo!” Niki spoke up. “Rhian didn’t check them through-”

“Hold up! They aren’t my photos, Sarah took them!“ The arguments went on and on, everyone started shouting and screaming; defending themselves and each other. Sarah was the only silent one, she gazed towards Zack who was muttering an explanation to George. Sarah sighed realising what was happening, the whole group were fighting each other over something that no one knew about. No one knew why Scarlet wasn’t talking to Matt anymore, and yet this whole fight was about just that.

How selfish could two people be?

“ENOUGH!” Sarah suddenly screamed climbing up onto the table and stamping her foot loudly.

“Yeah guys quit it your making my girlfriend insane,” Zack mumbled earning a smirk from Jimmy.

“I mean it!” She shouted, looking round to see everyone staring at her. Sarah sighed and then turned to Matt. “You and Scarlet are breaking this group apart!”

“Hey I’ve not-”

“Yes you have done something wrong, you lied to your best friend about having feelings for his sister, hell starting a relationship with her!” She snapped. “What did you think? Did you ever see this ending well, if you lied to start with?”

Matt shock his head and looked towards Scarlet who just scoffed.

“No don’t you start as well! Scarlet you haven’t even told us why you’re angry!”

“I’m not,” she muttered just shaking her head. “Can we just-you know what I’ve got to go,”

“No you haven’t!” Sarah snapped. “You are the reason everyone’s fighting, at least let us know what we are fighting for?”

“You already know! All of you, you’ve already heard what Matt thinks of me! That is what your fighting for, you fighting for him to talk about me in public like another one of his girls!” Scarlet voice was starting to raise. “He treated me just like every other guy does! God Matt I thought you were fucking different! Well I guess I was wrong you are just another man!”

The words hit home to every one in that room. Matt’s face sunk, it was his fault she was like this, of course he was none the wiser as to what he’d said or how Scarlet knew, but he was still to blame. The words echoed in Brian’s head, sending his anger into over drive.

While Rhian and Niki stared at Scarlet, feeling sorry for the girl, not just because her boyfriend had upset her, but because Scarlet had not got the guts to even tell the truth to Matt. They felt for her because she was weak.

Sarah bit her lip starring at one of her best friends, hearing her words and seeing the tears form. Taylor stood behind Scarlet her arm going up to squeeze her shoulder.

“Let’s get you out of her love,” She whispered quietly. Scarlet slowly turned round as she did Matt jumped to his feet; he wasn’t going to end it like this. “Don’t even think of following,” Taylor warned him, feeling George move to her side.

“We need to talk,”

“Listen to what she said,” George spoke up his eyes fixed on Matt.

“This is nothing to fucking do with you,” Matt muttered walking towards Scarlet, but George stepped in the way, and within in a second each mans friends surrounded him.

“I mean it Sanders do not follow them,” Scarlet and Taylor were already walking out the building as George spoke.

“I‘m not looking to fight you, move out my way,”

“I can’t do that,” George replied squaring up to Matt, his four friends stepping up behind him. While, Jimmy, Zacky, and even Brian had stood up behind Matt.

“Matt leave it,” He felt Jimmy’s hand on his shoulder. “Give her time,”

“No more fighting in this coffee shop!” Sarah suddenly spoke up, walking back through the coffee shop with a broom in hand. “I mean it, shooo!” She shouted suddenly hitting their ankles with the boom, as if brushing them out. “Out, out, out!”

“Jesus women stop it!”

“OUT!”