Fightin' words

My Body
Ghostwriter

"She doesn't wanna hear it." This big Stranger yells at Anthony as he walks past him to leave the bar.
Anthony nods his head slowly, weighing the pros and cons of addressing the Stranger. "You're probably right." The Stranger drools down his shirt in an attempt to put an exclamation point on the matter by spitting at Anthony.
I see the Stranger and his group of friends on the periphery as we walk out. Immediately, my senses heighten. I hear the fragmented rumblings that prelude a fight. "leave it alone." "yeah, that kid." "who's he with?"
Ant, Bubba and Steve are unaware. I'm glad for this. I don't want them to initiate. They've got food on their mind, so I push them into Media Pizza. I stand outside in front of the door. Head straight, eyes on swivel.
"Get out of the way." One of the stranger's friends is trying to move past me into the shop. He's taller than me, black. Built like a running back. Turns out he is one. Varsity.
I smile and stare at him. "Hey, come on man. Those guys don't want any trouble from you guys." My hands up at my chest. It looks like a calming gesture, but my stance is split. Lead leg forward, rear leg tense to throw my right hand. "They just wanna eat their pizza and go home. There's a cab right there. Why don't you guys take it?"
With that, the door swings open. Ant, followed by Bubba and Steve. They noticed I hadn't come in. The tinted windows of the shop couple with the darkness of the night mean that they can't see me.
The Stranger and his friends have been crowding up to the left. Watching to see what happens between Varsity and I. Anthony and the guys get funneled right into the center of this group.
Before Steve is out the door, I have my jacket off. It sits on the sidewalk in front of Media Pizza. I circle to Anthony's left, a last attempt to stop this before it goes farther. We're surrounded, Anthony and I. The stranger pushes Anthony back. Creates space. He throws a wild right, shifting his weight forward as he does.
Like a flash. He's going to hurt Anthony. It's all I can think. I step in. His punch has not yet completed it's arc. Over hand right.
And then. Everyone stops. No one moves. The Stranger is down. Asleep in the gutter on State street. flooding the sidewalk with blood from his nose and face. Unconscious, and whimpering like a dog does when it has a bad dream.
"Who did that?" "What happened to him?" "Is he ok?" "Somebody get him up."
I grab Anthony and try to pull him out.
From here on, it's just scuffles. No one really wants to fight anymore. At one point, Anthony gets backed into a corner. He's throwing punches from his back as 2 or 3 throw kicks at his legs. Varsity keeps trying to initiate, but I'm too focused on getting my guys out to fight him.
Finally, it's over. As I pull Anthony out, another crew comes out of nowhere and jumps right into the mess we were just in. Drunk and angry, people just want to fight someone. Say they were part of it.
I realize that Bubba still isn't with us. I run back across the street, frantic. As I cross, I see Bub walk out of the bar. In front of him, the Stranger rises. Finally awake from his slumber. Five, ten minutes. I wave to Bub, and he begins to cross the street. Almost in time with the stranger. Neither aware of the other.
They're both halfway across the street when the cops finally get there. "Which one of y'all broke my nose?!" The Stranger yells, his hands covering his face. I wink.
The cops are all over him. Biggest guy in the crowd, and he's covered in blood. "Put your hands on the hood!"
As I turn the corner to the waiting car, I look back. The stranger is bent at the waist. Hands on the car. Painting the hood red as the lights flash. Red and white.