The physical touch seemed to be all Franky needed to escalate the situation. He started to swing, punching out at Jake’s head and chest. But Jake was faster, stepping backward onto the street, fists up. My heart hurt with how hard it beat inside my chest.

Franky went in again, landing a punch to Jake’s side. He winced. I cried out, shouting at them to stop. Neither listened. It was Jake’s turn to throw a hit. Franky tried to block it, grabbing at Jake’s wrist, but Jake had momentum on his side. His knuckles connected with Franky’s lower jaw, producing an audible crack and sending Franky spiraling down onto the floor, where he broke his fall with hands and knees.

The door to the townhome opened, and out flew Susan, practically leaping down the steps before crouching over her husband. “What the hell did you do to him?”

I was back at Jake’s side. His hand was getting pink from the impact, but other than that, he didn’t seem hurt.

“Gave him a taste of his own medicine,” Jake said, shaking his hand out.

She looked up at us with anger radiating from behind her glasses. Her eyes bounced from Jake to me, drilling directly through me. “Go. Go now. And if I ever see you or Noah here again, I will be calling the police.”

There was no room in her tone for arguing. Acid dripped from her gaze, melting holes into the pavement at her feet. Franky groaned but was beginning to get back up. I wanted Jake in the car and miles away before that happened. I grabbed him by the elbow and turned us around, hurriedly getting into my car. As the doors shut, Frank stood up and started toward us, shouting something that couldn’t be heard without lowering the windows.

I didn’t stick around to figure it out either. I threw the car in reverse and peeled out of their driveway, my foot hitting the gas pedal a little harder than intended. Franky ran into the middle of the street, still shouting profanities, his wife trying to hold him back from chasing after us on foot.

“Are you alright?” I asked Jake as Franky and Susan grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. I realized my grip around the steering wheel was tight enough to snap it in half. I forced in a breath, trying to get my body to relax, to come down from the flood of adrenaline that currently circled around my system.

“Hand’s a little sore, but yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t want it to get to that.”

“I know,” I said, looking over at Jake. The afternoon sun slanted in through the windshield and made his perfect complexion glitter as if he were a half vampire pulled straight out of a Twilight fanfic. “It was kind of hot, though.”