Chapter 52: The Fight

"Can you guys please shift?" Dorah asked firmly, eyeing Max and Jason who were tending to Jace and Ronald's wounds. Her voice was sharp and authoritative, not leaving room for protest. The boys exchanged a questioning glance but moved aside without a word, sensing her fury. Dorah marched toward the two injured boys, her jaw clenched. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped Jace hard across the cheek. Before the sting of shock could fade from his face, she turned to Ronald and did the same, her hand landing squarely on his cheek. "Ouch!" Ronald winced, clutching his face with one hand. His brows furrowed in pain, and for a split second, Dorah's expression softened. But she quickly hardened again, her hands going to her hips. Max and Jason stood frozen, their mouths agape in disbelief. Neither of them had expected that reaction from Dorah. "What did you two think you were doing?!" she shouted, glaring between them. Her voice carried the weight of disappointment and anger. Emma had rushed to call them earlier after witnessing the fight unfold. When Dorah and the boys arrived at the scene, they found a crowd of students gathered, whispering, filming, and watching as Jace attacked Ronald in a blind rage. "How could you do that to her? You know she loves you. You hurt her!" Jace had shouted as he lashed out, landing blow after blow on Ronald, who remained still, refusing to retaliate. Ronald didn't fight back. He understood exactly what Jace meant by those words. This wasn't just a sudden outburst, it had been brewing for a while, ever since that day in the music room. Jace had held back then, probably for Dorah's sake, but now that he had snapped, he let it all out. Ronald took the beating in silence, perhaps thinking Jace needed it..... needed a release. Maybe he even believed he deserved it. "What are you guys doing?!" Dorah screamed, stepping in just in time to catch Jace's next fist midair. Her voice brought everything to a standstill. Max and Jason sprang into action. Jason grabbed Jace and pulled him away from Ronald while Max bent to help Ronald up. Both boys looked battered, their clothes dusty and wrinkled, their faces bruised. 'Let's go," Dorah said sternly, her expression unreadable. They all followed her in silence, Jason already making a call to the school president as they walked. "Please make sure everyone deletes the videos of the fight," he instructed urgently. He knew how fast things could spread in school. Once inside, Dorah stopped and turned to face them. Her frown deepened. "I'm asking a question here. Why were you fighting?" she demanded, her voice sharp with frustration. Jace shot Ronald a lethal glare but looked away, jaw tight, refusing to speak. Ronald remained silent too, lowering his gaze. "Is it because of me?" Dorah asked, her voice quieter now, but heavy with hurt. She didn't want to believe it, but the tension between the boys said otherwise. Still, no one responded. They had clearly made up their minds to stay silent. Dorah sighed and looked at Max, Jason, and Jace. "Can you all leave Ronald and me for a few minutes?" "Why? Why do you want to stay alone with him when all he ever does is hurt you?" Jace's voice cracked as he raised his voice, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Max reached out and patted Jace's shoulder gently. "Hey, buddy, stop. Let's just go. Give them time to talk." "But....." Jace started, his voice tight. Jason shook his head slightly, his eyes urging Jace to let it go. After a pause, Jace exhaled deeply, glanced at Dorah and Ronald one more time, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. "We'll calm him down, okay?" Jason said gently before following Max out. Dorah nodded, whispering, 'Thank you." They gave her a small nod before leaving. "Ba...." Ronald began to speak, but Dorah raised a hand, silencing him. "Why didn't you fight back?" she asked, her voice quiet now but still tinged with frustration. She lowered her hand slowly. "I fought back," Ronald replied softly, avoiding her gaze. Dorah scoffed, folding her arms. "So I'm the blind one here, right? Why are you lying to me?" He sighed. "He's my friend. How do you expect me to fight him back when I know what he was fighting for is right? Besides, I'm not that hurt, it's just a few bruises. As long as there's no anger left in him for me, then it's fine. It's normal for him to react that way to me." "Childish," Dorah muttered under her breath, but her features softened. "I'm sorry," Ronald said suddenly. "For what?" she asked, her tone curious now, and she sat on the chair opposite him. "The video. I swear I didn't know she was going to kiss me. I didn't kiss her back. She tripped, that's why I was holding her. I didn't know she'd come up with that stupid idea. I was just....." "Oh, gosh, Ronald, chill. I never asked for any explanation," Dorah said, chuckling softly. "I just don't want you to....." "See? You're doing it again, explaining," she smiled. "Really? Are you sure? I don't want you ignoring me all over again." Dorah shrugged. "It's fine. I'm fine. I won't ignore you if that's what you're so afraid of. It didn't even affect me that much," she added, emphasizing the last two words teasingly. "I'm sorry. I promise it won't ever happen again," he said with a relieved smile. "It's fine. You're not feeling any pain, right?" she asked, concern flickering in her eyes as she leaned in. "Except for where you slapped me earlier, I'm fine." She winced. "I'm sorry. I was just angry seeing you guys fighting...and with students filming everything." "It's fine. I'm sure Jason already handled those videos. It won't get exposed, so there's nothing to worry about." She nodded, then stood up and walked over to him, sitting beside him this time. She gently began cleaning and plastering the wounds on his face, her movements slow and careful. "Why are they taking so long?" Jace asked impatiently outside after several minutes had passed. He reached for the door just as it opened. Dorah and Ronald stepped out, both looking calmer. "You're done?" Jason asked, and Dorah nodded. "You guys should go on without Jace and me. We'll meet up with you," she said. "Don't take too long," Max added before they left. Dorah and Jace were quiet as they walked to the garden. Jace kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze flickering to her occasionally. When they sat down, the silence stretched. "I'm sorry," Jace said finally, breaking the quiet. "It's fine. You fought because of me. But why did you keep hitting him even when he didn't fight back? Look at how badly you hurt him." "Oh, I've forgotten you like him," Jace said sarcastically, folding his arms. "It's not like that," she replied, gently resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his. "It's just unfair. He should've punched that face of yours you're always so proud of." Jace chuckled. "I'm sorry. I just hate the thought of anyone hurting you... even if it's the guy you claim to like," he said, rolling his eyes dramatically. "I like him, yes, but he also couldn't help what happened. It caught him off guard too," she said. Jace ran his fingers through her hair gently. "You always find a way to defend him, huh?" "I'm not defending him. It's just..." she trailed off, searching for the right words. "See, I'm the one at loss here," he said, dropping his hand to his lap. "How are you the one at loss? You look all healthy while Ronald looks like he got run over by a car," she teased. "But in the end, he still has you all to himself. No matter what I do, you always find your way back to him." "I... I don't..." Dorah stammered. "It's fine. Stop looking like you did something wrong. You're still my baby, no matter what. And I'm not giving up yet, not anytime soon. If he hurts you again and you can't take it, just come running into my arms. I'm all yours." She laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "Why are you acting all cheesy?" "Miranda loves you," she added, smirking. Jace looked at her like she had grown two heads. "What?!" "It's the truth," she said, shrugging. He pinched her cheek gently. "Wake up from your dream," he said before standing up, smirking down at her.