"Say it again, repeat what you said!" I shout at him. My voice sounds loud and sharp, filling the room with anger. Every muscle in my body is tense, ready for action. My fists are clenched so tightly that my nails dig into my palms, but I barely feel the pain. All my attention is fixed on Stas, who is standing in front of me with a smug grin.
"Oh, and who is this here? Did you come to defend her front place?" he says with such contempt, and his words are like a spark that ignites the gunpowder inside me. I don't think, I don't calculate — I just act.
I approach him and strike him hard right in the face. My fist slams into his mug, and I feel his head jerk back sharply. He staggers but doesn't fall. At that moment, his friend Peter rushes at me, trying to pull me away by grabbing my shoulders. But I'm not going to give up.
"Scumbag. Hold him, Petka," Stas wheezes, wiping blood from his lips, and I know that he won't stop.
Peter holds me while Stas starts landing blows on my stomach. Each hit is painful, but I'm not going to give up. I'm not a fool to just stand there and take it. Gathering all my strength, I push Stas away with my foot into his chest. He flies backward, hits the table, and loses his balance for a moment. That is enough to break free from Peter's grip.
While Stas is coming to his senses, I turn to Peter and hit him right in the face. My fist slams into his jaw, and he crashes to the floor with a thud. But I don't stop — I continue hitting him in the stomach, feeling him writhing beneath me. My mistake is that I got carried away. I don't notice how Stas grabs a cutting board and hits me on the head.
The blow is deafening. My head is spinning, and the world around me is swimming. I fall to the floor with a crash, pain piercing my head like a red-hot knife. My ears are ringing, and I can barely think. But I know that one shouldn't feel sorry for oneself. I must continue the fight, no matter what.
They start kicking me. Each blow is painful, but I try not to pay attention. I clench my teeth and try to stand up, but my body won't obey. All that remains is to defend myself, covering my head with my arms. But I know I can't just lie there and take it. I must find a way to strike back.
Grabbing Stas's leg, I pull sharply, knocking him to the floor. He falls with a dull thud, and I immediately sit on his chest, starting to punch his face with rage. Each blow is filled with the anger that has accumulated since his insults. My fists clench and unclench, and there is only one motive in my head: to protect her, to protect Rebel Girl, even if it means becoming a monster in the eyes of others.
It is right then that the girls burst into the room. Their faces are distorted with horror at the sight: Peter on the floor, groaning in pain, and Stas, whom I am beating up. I realize that from the side, I look like a villain. My bloodied hands freeze in the air when I realize what they are seeing.
I look at Katrin. Her face is pale, her eyes are full of horror and bewilderment. She is looking at me as if I were a stranger. I've ruined everything. Everything we were building, everything that was between us — all of it is crumbling in a single instant. Now she definitely won't talk to me, and we won't even be able to remain friends. My heart constricts with a pain I cannot express in words.
I get off Stas and stand up. My body is trembling, and my head is ringing. The girls standing behind Rebel Girl gasp and step back, their eyes full of fear. They are afraid of me. Katrin doesn't move. She stands as if rooted to the spot, her eyes looking straight into my face, and only one word can be read in them: disappointment.
I became a disappointment and a disgrace to her. This word, like a knife, pierces my soul. I want to shout, to explain that I am not to blame, that they started it themselves, that they were insulting her and deserved it. But I know — it is useless. When they entered, they didn't see me being beaten, but me, beating the guys. I cannot prove my innocence. In their eyes, I am an aggressor, a monster who lost control.
My hands drop, and I feel how the weight of guilt presses on me. I stand before her, bloodied, trembling, and I realize that everything is over. Her eyes, which used to shine with warmth and trust, now look at me with coldness and disappointment. I want to say something, but the words stick in my throat. All I can do is stand and watch as she turns away from me.
"All three of you, go back to the room!" the girl commands, her voice sounding sharp, but tiredness and tension can be felt in it. Everyone heads there obediently. Well, how obediently... The girls go to help the guys get up and walk to the sofa. Everyone except my Rebel Girl. My? No, not mine anymore. What kind of yours is she now? She will never be yours. This is the end. Final and irreversible.
Peter is carefully placed on the sofa, and Stas, limping, makes his way to his seat on his own. A heavy silence hangs in the room, as if the air is filled with unspoken words and hidden emotions.
"Speak, Max. And nobody interrupt him, I will give everyone a turn to speak," says Katrin, her voice calm, but steel can be felt in it. She is ready to hear the truth, no matter how bitter it might be.
I stand opposite her, feeling my heart pounding wildly in my chest. Everyone else is sitting on the sofa, their gazes fixed on me. I feel how these gazes press on me, as if each of them is trying to penetrate my thoughts, my soul.
"I was walking from the bathroom and heard nasty things about you," I begin, trying to speak clearly, even though my voice is trembling slightly. "Vlad said that if I weren't here, he would get you drunk and sleep with you. And he was also bragging that he had slept with all the girls from your group, and you are the only one who didn't give in to anyone."
I finish and fall silent. It makes no sense to speak further — her verdict is clear enough as it is. A heavy pause hangs in the room, as if time has stopped. I feel everything inside me constrict. I want to cry, but I restrain myself, trying not to show my weakness.
"Stas, your turn. Is it true what Max said?" Katrin asks, her voice as cold as ice.
The guy stands up from the sofa and approaches me. I don't look at them, my gaze is fixed on the floor. I am scared. Scared that he will weave a tale for her, that she will believe him and not me. Scared that she will drive me out of her life, and I will remain alone. Alone with this feeling of loss and pain.
I feel tears welling up, but I try to keep a grip on myself. At this moment, everything I had, everything I valued, might crumble in a single instant. And I am powerless to change anything.
"How can you believe this guy, whom you've known for only a month, and not me, your friend whom you've known for a whole year?"
"I haven't drawn my conclusions yet, I just asked," the girl tries to be fair, but her patience is at the limit.
"Of course he is lying," Stas throws in, his voice sounding confident.
"And what happened then in reality?" Her gaze shifts to Stas. She is waiting for explanations, waiting for the truth that seems to be slipping away from her.
"We were smoking, he walked into the kitchen and started acting aggressive toward us. Bragging about his relationship with you. And then asking stupid questions," his voice sounds convincing, but a strain can be felt in his words.
"What kind?" She isn't going to let him off so easily.
"Well, like, do I want you and in what position. I answered him that he was drunk, and lightly pushed him, and he just — bam — hits me, and then my buddy. We are shocked ourselves by his behavior. Kid, you really shouldn't drink, and in general, how can you lie so shamelessly?" Stas finishes, his voice sounding almost sincere, but a lie can be read in his eyes.
"Yeah, and when did he manage to make up such a story?" I think, feeling everything inside me constricting from anger and helplessness.
"I have made a decision," the girl informs us. "I really thought that you were my friend. I trusted you and didn't think that you could say and do something like that. So, sorry, but it's better for you to leave. Not only behind the doors of this apartment, but out of my life. Goodbye, we won't see each other again."
I am crying. Tears flow down my cheeks, and I start taking a step toward the exit. Everything I feel at this moment is pain, disappointment, and the feeling that the world around me is collapsing.
"Go on, go on, get out of here..." Stas goads me, his voice sounding mocking. He is enjoying the moment, feeling like a winner.
When I want to walk past Katrin, she unexpectedly places her hand on my chest, stopping me. Her touch is soft, but determination can be felt in it. She looks at me, and a mixture of emotions can be read in her eyes — anger, pain, regret, and something else that I cannot understand.
At this moment, I feel that something inside me is breaking. I want to tell her everything, to explain, to prove that I didn't lie. But the words stick in my throat, and I only look at her, feeling how the tears continue to flow down my face.