Their quiet moment didn't last.
The sound of heavy footsteps crunching over gravel broke the calm.
Darian strode onto the small playfield, fury in every step. His gaze locked on Vanessa like a predator spotting its target.
"So this is where you ran off to," he said flatly. "Let's go." He didn't even acknowledge Vince standing there.
Vince rose from behind the swing, his expression hardening.
"What are you doing here?"
"Move," Darian said, his voice low but dangerous, eyes narrowing.
"No," Vince replied, stepping directly in front of Vanessa, his stance unyielding.
The air between them thickened. Neither blinked. Neither budged.
Vanessa's heart pounded. She knew both of them—neither would back down. If this went any further, they'd turn the quiet park into a scene.
She shot up from the swing, her small frame darting between them.
"Stop!" she said sharply, her arms outstretched against both their chests. "You're not doing this. Not here."
She looked from one to the other, her eyes fierce despite her size.
"Darian, leave. Vince, don't."
But both of them were still glaring past her, their silent standoff far from over.
"I'm not leaving without you," Darian said, voice sharp, anger brimming in every word. "Make up your mind. I told you—keep acting like this and I'll make your life at school a living hell."
Vanessa's breath caught. Before she could answer, Vince stepped forward, his jaw tight.
"Did you just threaten her? You think I'm gonna stand here and let that slide, asshole?"
Darian's eyes narrowed.
"And what are you gonna do about it?"
The air between them was electric, seconds from breaking. Vanessa could feel it—the weight of two stubborn wills about to collide.
"I swear to God," she snapped, stepping between them, "if you start fighting, I'm done. I'll leave the damn school."
But Darian barely looked at her.
"You can't just leave," he said, and in one sudden motion, he grabbed her wrist.
That was the breaking point.
Vince's fist cracked against Darian's jaw, the sound sharp in the quiet park.
"Let go of her!" Vince shouted.
"You fuck!" Darian roared, swinging back and catching Vince hard across the face.
And then it was chaos.
The two of them clashed, fists flying, the swings rattling violently behind them. Gravel kicked up under their shoes. The quiet park was shattered by the thud of blows, the sharp grunts, and Vanessa's voice shouting for them to stop.
People nearby started turning to look.
But neither Vince nor Darian was stopping.
Not now. Not until one of them was on the ground.
From across the street, Dale and Theo spotted the fight and sprinted toward it.
"Vince! Knock it off!" Dale shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. Theo hooked an arm around Darian, trying to pull him back.
But before either could separate them, Darian's friends burst onto the playground. They saw him being restrained and instantly assumed he was being ganged up on. Without a word, they lunged in.
Suddenly, it wasn't just a fight—it was an all-out brawl.
Fists and shouts collided in the quiet park, turning it into a war zone. Vince swung at someone he didn't even recognize. Theo was dodging blows. Dale nearly got knocked over as he shoved a guy away.
Vanessa stood frozen.
The sound of bodies hitting the ground, the sharp cracks of fists, the shouting—it all blurred together. And in her mind, it wasn't just here and now. She was back in the past, watching her father and his men beating desperate people for the money they owed him.
Her stomach twisted. Her breath caught.
Then—
The piercing wail of police sirens cut through the chaos.
The fighting stuttered to a halt.
"Shit—the cops! Let's go, Darian!" Luma yelled, grabbing Darian's arm and dragging him toward the street.
Across the park, Vince turned. Blood streamed from his nose, but his eyes locked on Vanessa.
He reached for her hand.
"Hold my hand and don't let go!" he said, and before she could answer, they were running—Theo and Dale right behind them.
They bolted through side streets until they reached the nearest bus stop. A bus hissed to a halt, and they piled inside.
In the back seat, Vanessa sat in the middle. Dale and Theo took the window spots, still catching their breath. Vince slid in beside her, still holding her hand, his grip warm and firm despite the sting of his split knuckles.
She didn't pull away.
Not once.
"What the hell just happened?" Dale groaned, rubbing his cheek where Luma's punch had landed.
Theo sat back, arms crossed, barely winded. He'd dodged most of the blows, unlike the rest of them.
Vince, though—Vince looked rough. Bruises were already forming along his jaw, his lip was split, and blood still smeared under his nose. Darian hit hard, and Vince had taken more than his fair share of punches.
Vanessa stared at him, guilt tightening in her chest.
"I'm... sorry," she said quietly.
All three of them turned to look at her.
Then, suddenly, Dale burst out laughing. Theo joined in, and even Vince cracked a faint grin.
Vanessa blinked. "What's so funny?"
"This?" Dale said, motioning to his swollen cheek. "This is nothing. Not our first fight, definitely not the last."
"Yeah," Theo added with a smirk, "you should've seen the time Vince got tossed through a cafeteria table. Now that was bad."
They were joking, smiling through split lips and sore ribs, as if the fight back there had been nothing more than a rough pickup game.
Vanessa didn't know what to make of it. She couldn't understand how they could laugh about something that still made her chest feel heavy.
But when she glanced at Vince—really looked at him—she noticed something.
He wasn't laughing just to act tough. He was laughing so she wouldn't feel bad.