35. Serene Sleep

TRACE

After I gave the uppercut to Elliot in response to the punch he gave me, he staggered back. I hate the fact that he's tough in a brawl. He came straight at me to retaliate for my punch, and I stepped forward to block him from advancing.

As I was about to give Eut a right hook, I suddenly saw Ezekiel, Elliot's older brother, approaching me, and I didn't give him a chance to throw a punch. I faced him and pulled his necktie, slamming him onto the nearby table.

I heard screams from women at the party, and some moved away to avoid getting involved with Elliot and me. Ezekiel fell to the ground after I kicked him to prevent him from getting up. The other guys were trying to help, but they were ineffective. It's Elliot's face that I wanted to smash, not Ezekiel, who's just trying to look good.

"Stop that, Trace!" I heard Papa shout, but did he really think he could stop me? If he tried intervening, I'd be even more determined to cause a scene.

I saw Elliot coming, so I grabbed a