but

kieran was crushed against

that notice board by his throat, sprawled out

like a carcass, empty of the cocky boy persona. he couldn't bare to

maintain eye contact with my brother,

whose eyes were dark and menacing,

striking fear into all who glimpsed.

"please..." kieran choked out, clawing

at the first clenched around his neck.

my brother was forcing

metaphorical knives down kieran's throat;

his malicious tone violent and implicit.

kieran's laboured breaths were a new

kind of music to my ears. if there were

no other witnesses i would have cackled.

"leave my brother, and his best friend,

alone." he growled, pressing his

face right up to the whimpering

mess of a sixteen-year-old. "or i'll

fuck you up."

you were curling up behind me,

skye,

hiding in the folds of my shirt,

looking distressed.

"make your brother stop!" you

cried.

i grabbed you by the shoulders,

and searched your facade for a

long, blissful moment.

darkly, i told you, "i caught

him cheating on you. i was so

angry. so i leapt onto him,

beating him and kicking him,

and he punched me on my stomach,

arms, legs, ripping at my flesh.

look-" i sheepishly rolled up my

sleeves, exhibiting the patchwork of scratches. "i had to tell my brother."

i look away, feigning sadness.

"i'm sorry i wasn't strong enough."

you had another enigmatic whimsical

teary expression, as you reached up

to stroke my cheek.

"thank you." you let out a heartbreaking

sob and buried your face into my shirt.

"thank you so much. i loved him."

maybe you'll agree with me,

that as kieran was receiving a tumultuous

torrential downpour of powerful kicks,

and i was cradling the love of my life

against my heart, that i did the right

thing, that time.

but it needn't have been violent,

all the same.

kieran was bleeding from every

possible angle,

and my brother got suspended.

"it was worth it. he started

insulting me and this family."

he snapped to my mother,

as she scolded him so fiercely

her face went red.

"what kind of example are you

setting your brother! that every time

something goes wrong, or when

someone says something you don't like,

you beat them up so severely they bleed

on the floor?!"