Chapter 207: Friday at the Auditorium (part 2)
They were standing near the auditorium, talking.
Micah’s foot tapped on the pavement. The memory of that stupid bet burned in the back of his head. "Where is Archie?" Micah snapped, voice low but seething. His eyes darted around the venue like a hawk searching for prey. His fist clenched at his side. "Did he crawl into a cave or something, hiding from me?"
Russell gave a nervous laugh, his mouth twitching as he tried to keep things light. "Please don’t explode here. Let the tournament end before you two act out again! My brother’s name might not survive it."
"Oh? His reputation matters? Not mine?" Micah shot back.
Russell’s eyes widened. "No, no, I didn’t mean that!" he stammered, hands up like a shield.
Darcy tilted his head, brows drawn together as he processed their words. "Wait. What acting out? Did something happen between you and Archie?" he asked. His voice was calm, but there was real curiosity there. And a hint of concern.
Micah exhaled sharply through his nose and glared sideways at Russell. Then he turned to Darcy, forcing a tight smile onto his face. "Nah. Nothing serious. We had just a misunderstanding. And I wanted to clear that up."
"Hah! With a punch!" Russell blurted before he could stop himself.
Micah’s expression went flat. He took a single, deliberate step toward him.
"Okay! I’m sorry!" Russell yelped and immediately ducked behind Elly like a frightened rabbit. "Don’t come any closer, man."
"Tsk," Micah muttered, rolling his eyes.