6. A punch for a punch

Males who hit females are cruel, sadistic and barbaric.

VER DROPS HER TRAY of food on our table with a loud thud as she sits on the chair.

"Guess what, I've got good news and the bad news for you. And you of all people prefer hearing good news first, before the bad."

I put the slice of pizza on my plate, and arche an eye brow at Ver who carries on smiling like a dummy. "What?"

"The good news is, some kids here in our school obviously witnessed what you did to Tristan yesterday. They videotaped it and had it posted on LAHS blog."

"Poor Tristan, he'd have to walk around the whole school, with his head hanging down in shame."

I shoot Maggie a glare, and she giggles.

"And the bad news is that, he's plotting to do something terrible to you, him and his soccer teammates. You've got to be careful Kate." I notice the smile she had worn earlier on, had deflated. Ver who practically jokes around with everything, look serious this time.

I scoff and chew on my pizza.

"Don't you worry Ver, douchebag can do nothing to me."

Everywhere quiets down in the cafeteria that instant, the chattering, laughter and everything. I turn around and see all the Mckenzie siblings together, with Max leading, heading towards our table with their food.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

No one knows their Mom is married to my Dad, that we all live together in the same house and they're my supposed step siblings.

It's their duty to stay the hell away from me.

"Woah, wait, are they heading towards Kate's and her minions table?" Someone whispers.

"Looks like it." Another person tisks.

"Hey, Maxie! You sure don't wanna get germs in your food right, there are empty seats here for you and your siblings!" Ivy's voice sounds around the cafeteria and bounces through the walls.

Students around us erupts in laughter, followed by whispers.

I intend to rise to my feet and give her a good comeback but Ver places her hand on mine to restrain me.

"Ignore her, that's what she wants, you getting furious."

I push Ver's hand away, fuming in anger. My fingers curls into a damn hard fist, restraining my self from going over to the dumbass bitch table and smack her across both cheeks with my two hands. A loud breath of air escapes my lungs as my heart hammers loudly in my chest. I snort and vibrate in anger.

The Mckenzie siblings take their seats on our table, there is one person left standing because all the seats where occupied. It's Max. Being the eldest of them all, he made sure all his siblings were seated first before he scan around the cafeteria with his eyes, for a vacant seat.

What he did for his siblings, is... Nice.

He is already attracting stares and attention.

Clad in all black clothings, he looks like a fallen god, who turned Satan's ally when he landed here on earth. I hate to admit it, but Max is the most good-looking out of his siblings. He's tall, not too skinny with broad shoulders, he's taken off his hoodie and his well defined abs stand out on his black shirt that stick to his body.

He bears a strinking resemblance to the young Leonardo Decaprio who played the role of Jack in Titanic.

The only difference is, this isn't the 90s, but the 21st century which makes him much more handsome than the young Leonardo Decaprio.

"You can have my seat, I'mma go..." The girl's voice trails off as Max flashes her a grin. She stands up, with wide eyes and quivering lips as she ogle at Max.

"Thanks luv." Max walks over to her seat, winks at her and drag her chair to our table, rendering the girl, and her seatmates dumbstruck.

Silence erupts as everyone watches Max and his siblings on our table.

"Well, well well. If it isn't the little Katie we have here and her puppets." Max breaks the silence on the table, eyes twinkling with mockery and amusement.

"Stop it!" I growl.

Everywhere practically becomes noisy as the kids resumes eating and chattering, but some pairs of eyes still remains on us, most of them belongs to Ivy and her League.

"Care to introduce us?" Evans adjusts his collars, flicks his hair backwards as he feasts his eyes on Maggie who's now red like a tomato.

Ver bites on her pizza, chews and refuses to swallow out of embarrassment.

"I'm-I'm- I'm Margret, M-m-maggie for s-short." Maggie stutters, looking anywhere but Evans.

"M-m-maggie for s-short." Miranda mimicks Maggie, earning chuckles from her siblings.

"Don't fucking talk to her like that!" Miranda, I hate her talking to little, insecured Maggie like that. She has no right to. Although, I'd never admit to Maggie that I care deeply for her, but I do. I always stood up for her when kids wanted to bully her.

"I should go, uhm...to t-the convenience, yeah. The c-c-convenience." She abruptly stands up, picks up her tray, dumps the remnants of her food into a nearby trash bin and dashes out of the cafeteria in shame.

"That's unfair, Sis." Unbelievable, because this came from Sarah

"Whatevs." Miranda brushes her words away, exchanging sneers with me.

"H-has she ever h-heard of tt-therapy? She l-looks like one s-suf-fering f-from depression." Sam feign sneezing, stuttering just the way Maggie did, earning laughter and snickers from his siblings and the kids around us, who'd perhaps heard everything.

The only persons who didn't laugh is Ver and suprisingly Evans.

"Why are you here, on my table?"

I ask them curtly.

"Last time I checked, this isn't your table, or did you bring one from your Dad's restaurant?"  Max requires, sarcasm dripping from his British tone, earning more laughter from the kids.

Anger bubbles inside of me as I glare at the shithead. He glares right back with clenched jaw. His eyes are a dark green shade as glower so hard at me with disdain, that I shudder.

And boy, the tention between us is so thick and hot. I need something to fan myself because my fingers can't do the job.

I mentally slap myself when I realize what I just thought.

"Okay, that's it you guys, enough with the glaring contest." It's Miranda, snapping her fingers in my face because she's sitting opposite me, and I shove her hand away.

Her eyes flash in irritation when I do this and Evans scoffs, suprising us all.

Max clears his throat, and arches a brow at me as if he didn't just glare at me. "As an order which I don't even give a fuck about anyway, Stevie instructed-"

"Wait, back the hell up, who's this Stevie?" I interrup the deepshit as confusion stuns my brain.

"Steve Jones?" Sarah points out, unsure of her reply, which produces her answer like a question.

The rest of the siblings roar in laughter, and Ver only shakes her head at me, in pity.

"How dare you nickname my Dad Stevie?

Who gave you the right to?" I bite the inside of my cheeks so hard that it hurts.

Red flashes through my vision as Max laughs so hard, clutching his stomach.

I stand up, smack my pizza on his face and throw a punch.

Students gasp at this, and it takes me a moment to realize that Max stands up, walks to my side and pulls me up.

"Just because I don't hit girls doesn't mean I'd let this slide." He grounds out, nostrils flaring. "Eat this, you bitch."

And he slams his fist on my face, which sends me flying away from my seat.

"Oh my God, no. Are you alright, Kate!" Is what I hear with the sound of the bell which was rang to notify the students that lunchbreak had ended, plus the sound of footsteps running towards the table, where I have my back on before I finally loose conciousness.