Grinding Side by Side

The hallway felt tighter all of a sudden, like the air was getting thick.

There she was—Ermelinda—laughing with the school headboy. That slick, polished guy who looked like he owned every hallway he walked down.

My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack.

What the hell? My fists curled almost before I realized it.

I stepped closer, heart pounding like a war drum, ready to throw a punch right then and there.

The guy was smirking, thinking he had this in the bag.

But then I caught myself.

Not in front of her.

I couldn't let Ermelinda see me lose it. Not like this.

So I swallowed the fire burning up my arms and forced my voice to stay calm, low but icy.

"Hey," I said, stepping up between them.

The headboy's smile flickered, eyes narrowing for a second.

"Elias," Ermelinda said, surprised.

"Hey, man," I said through gritted teeth, "enjoying the company?"

He laughed, but it was shaky.

"Just catching up."

I looked at Ermelinda, searching her face for any sign that she wanted me to calm down.

She bit her lip, eyes flicking between me and the other guy.

My fists still clenched.

Not now.

I gave a tight nod.

"You gonna introduce me properly, or what?"

Ermelinda looked uncomfortable, but she stepped in.

"Elias, this is Jake. Jake, Elias."

Jake held out his hand like it was no big deal.

I shook it, harder than necessary.

Inside, my blood was still boiling.

But outside?

I played it cool.

Because no matter what, I wasn't going to lose her.