Breeze Through the Blaze

...

The place fell silent. Nobody expected that turn of events.

I showed them the payment code, insistent.

Joyce glanced at Colin, but he was dazed. She bit her lip and transferred the money.

"Enjoy your happy lives together," I smirked, turning to leave.

Colin grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?" I yelped, knocking off his hand.

He stared at my ring. "Are you so desperate to get married? Wearing a fake ring? If it's real, I'll be thanking you for finally leaving me alone. You know how annoying you've been? Like a dog that won't go away."

His mockery hit hard. His friends burst into laughter.

Before, I'd squirm with embarrassment.

In a good mood, Colin would smooth things over. In a bad one, he'd insult me even more harshly.

This time, I didn't hold back. "If I'm a dog, what are you? Poop or a cheap bone nobody wants?"

My sarcasm got under his skin, and the laughter around us died down.

Some tried to defuse the tension.

"Why is this getting so serious?"

"It's just a joke. Don't make it a big deal."

"We're friends, right?"

I looked at their faces, disgusted by their hypocrisy.

All this time, I had put up with them for Colin's sake. With that grit, I could've done anything.

"Forget it. I'm not fit to be your friend," I said, continuing to walk away.

Colin chased after me, but Joyce suddenly cried out, crouching down.

The cat in her arms yowled and bolted.

Colin rushed back to help her up. "What's wrong?"

She held up a scratched hand, sobbing, "Queenie has never hurt me before. I could tell something was off when I held her. I don't know what she went through in the fire."

Colin's brain short-circuited, and he yelled at me, "What did you do to Queenie?"

There he came again, acting like her puppet and blaming me for everything. No matter how flimsy her lies were, he never doubted her.

I looked at him like he was an idiot. "What would I do to a cat that I risked my life to save? It ran off from her arms, so why don't you ask what she did?"

I walked away, done with these dumbasses.

Colin grabbed my wrist and yanked me to the ground. Gravel dug into my wounds, and I grunted in pain.

When I struggled to reach my phone, he kicked it away, demanding, "Apologize to Joyce! You stressed out the cat and got her hurt. You owe her an apology."