It was the day of the fight, and three ideas ran through her head: to drop dead, get high on sugar, or crawl into her bed and cry.

Not necessarily in that order.

But, alas, she didn't have that luxury. She had made a commitment, a dumb or courageous one, she would never know.

She was leaning more towards the dumb side of things, but she would never admit that to Maddox. She had to go through with this, but the horrendous thoughts racing through her mind weren't doing much to calm her nerves.

She was fighting three people in one night. Do you see how the math doesn't add up to a healthy, in-one-piece, Karmin?

Oh no. It equaled to a bloody and battered Karmin with broken bones and a shattered face.

She needed something to calm her mind but getting drunk or high wasn't exactly the healthiest way.

So, Viola, who was still dead set on coming to her fight, offered to put on a movie. She could channel her anxiety and fear towards a horror movie, instead. Maddox and Rhys had shown up early, so there they were, the four of them squished onto the large sofa, watching It.

"And this is exactly why clowns haunt me in my nightmares," commented Rhys as he hugged a pillow for dear life and leaned into Maddox.

"I just don't understand how Bill Skarsgård, a gorgeous man, turned into that," muttered Viola while she shut her eyes as Pennywise, the clown, bared his teeth.

Karmin stayed quiet, munching on the popcorn bowl that was situated on her lap. She loved horror movies. They even made her laugh sometimes, but today, she couldn't force herself to enjoy it, no matter how much she tried.

"You're thinking about hot people while I'm over here shitting my pants," exclaimed Rhys as he leaned over Maddox to look at her.

"That's how I distract myself, alright."

Viola and Rhys were getting along pretty well, even though they were complete opposites. While he was loud and spent weekends drowning his stomach in liquor, she was soft-spoken and chose to learn how to code on her day off. When Karmin introduced them this afternoon, Rhys thought it was a great idea to flirt, only for him to back off when he found out Viola had a girlfriend.

He decided to respond with, "I bet you get all the hot girls." Viola didn't know exactly what to say but smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

Karmin shook her head at the two of them, watching intently as the kids made their way through the haunted house, her heart racing at the prospect of the clown jumping out any moment.

And it did, and that was when Rhys proceeded to shriek at the top of his lungs.

"Hold me, man!" he shouted, throwing his hands around a fed-up Maddox.

Maddox sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "It's okay, buddy. It's just a movie," he murmured, patting him on the head.

Karmin laughed at them, her anxiety dwindling a bit. Rhys was a big guy with his broad shoulders and muscles, but right now, he was acting like a five-year-old child looking for protection. Maddox looked as if he was the father, tired and attempting to soothe his nerves.

"It's just so real," Rhys whispered as he hugged his legs to his chest, using Maddox to conceal his eyes.

"Then why did you pick this movie?" Maddox asked, shaking his head.

"Because I thought I could get over my fear," he mumbled.

"You always do this. You decide to watch a scary movie, and then you can't sleep."

"Does that happen often?" wondered Karmin, finally speaking up. She peered at him through the dim-lit room, her eyes catching his.

"Every time," Maddox said tiredly, glancing at her. "He calls me asking if I can sleepover in the middle of the night because he thinks there's a demon hiding in his closet."

An image of Rhys with the height of a giant, hiding under his covers to shoo the demons away was a hilarious picture. It was both adorable and endearing.

"I bet the ladies love that," remarked Viola, chuckling lightly.

"Hey," Rhys called out, offended. "I'll have you know that women love sensitive men."

"I don't doubt that for a second," replied Viola sincerely.

"Maddox," hissed Rhys. "Viola is making fun of me. Take her down."

"I am not," she fired back, laughing, the movie now abandoned.

Karmin rolled her eyes amusingly, enveloping herself into her baggy hoodie. "Does Maddox fight all your fights, too?"

"No," scoffed Rhys.

At the same time, Maddox firmly said, "Yes."

"That's not true," Rhys said.

"Um, yeah it is. Remember when you wanted me to fight Bryce in the third grade for your Power Ranger's doll."

"First of all, it was an action figure," emphasized Rhys, shaking his head. "And she was really tall."

"What about the time –"

Rhys smacked him on the head, cutting him off as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Dude, stop making me look bad in front of the ladies."

Maddox huffed, shoving him. "None of them are even interested in you."

"You don't know that," he retorted. Rhys glanced at Viola hopefully with a raised brow.

"Goodbye, Rhys," sang Viola, shaking her head amusedly.

"Karmin?" he asked, gazing at her with a smile.

"I mean this in the nicest way possible," Karmin started, "but no thank you."

"Well, that's because she has a crush on Leo," remarked Viola.

Karmin nudged her, shaking her head. She would see him in class, and usually, she was excited to talk to him, or even be in his presence. But now, she was just tired of trying to get through a conversation with him.

"The tool in our Sociology class?" wondered Rhys. "He is a good-looking guy."

"Right?" she said. If only his personality matched his looks. But she could feel the crush wearing off. If someone had said that to her before, she would have been gushing over his lovely face, but now, her feelings were a mess.

Beside Karmin, Maddox stiffened, folding his arms and sinking deeper into the couch.

"I think you can do way better than him," Rhys commented thoughtfully.

"I absolutely agree," chimed in Viola.

"Well, do you know anyone?" she asked, glancing at him.

Rhys scratched his invisible beard, pretending to think. "I do have someone in mind."

Before Karmin could ask who, Maddox abruptly got up. "I'm going to go get some more popcorn," he grumbled. He stumbled through the array of limbs, only to realize he didn't know where he was going. "Um, where's the kitchen?"

"Through the hallway. The popcorn packets are on the counter," replied Viola.

He nodded and clambered off, disappearing down the hall. Her gaze never left his figure until he turned the corner. What was up with him?

"Don't burn it!" shouted Rhys after him.

"Shut up, Rhys!"

Rhys scoffed. "Rude."

***

Author's Note:

Hi!

So, this was a chiller chapter before the big fight! I hope you guys liked it

Also, quick note, I wanted Maddox and Rhys to be super comfortable with one another. It really annoys me when people say it's "girly" or "weird" when boys/men show affection towards one another.

Until next time - m.k.t