Chapter 6

I opened the file folder, my hands trembling slightly.

Inside was all of Kyle's information.

His class schedule, his dorm room number, the restaurants he frequented, even his new girlfriend's name and photo.

The level of detail shocked me.

"What do you want to do?" Jax asked.

What did I want to do?

I wanted him to taste what it was like to fall from grace.

I wanted him to lose everything he now had.

"I want to ruin his reputation," I said, every word deliberate.

Jax’s face showed something akin to a smile for the first time.

"Good," he said. "A goal gives you motivation."

He stood up and picked up a baseball bat from the corner of the room.

It was the same bat Brenda used to break my leg.

I didn't know when Jax had picked it up.

He handed the bat to me.

"There are many ways to get revenge. The stupidest way is to be like the person who broke your leg – only knowing how to use brute force."

He walked to the table, picked up a photo of Kyle, and taped it to the wall.

"First lesson: precision."

He looked at me: "See his right knee? Put all your strength into it, and hit."

I gripped the bat and walked to the wall.

Kyle in the photo smiled brightly, a smile bought with my suffering.

I took a deep breath, swung the bat, and with all my might, slammed it down!

"BANG!"

A deafening crash.

The bat didn't hit the photo; it struck the wall beside it, making my hands sting.

"Worthless," Jax's voice was icily cold. "You can't even hit a stationary target, and you want revenge?"

Shame and fury engulfed me like a tide.

"Again!"

I raised the bat once more.

"BANG!"

Missed again.

"Again!"

"BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"

I didn't know how many times I swung, each time with all my strength, each time fueled by endless hatred.

Until I collapsed to the ground, exhausted, my arms trembling, unable to lift the bat anymore.

The wall was riddled with holes I'd created, but that photo remained untouched.

Jax walked over and took the bat from my hand.

He barely wound up, just a casual swing.

"CRACK!"

A crisp sound.

The bat landed precisely on Kyle's right knee in the photo, wood splinters flying.

He dropped the bat on the floor.

"Remember that feeling."

He turned, picked up an envelope from the table, and tossed it in front of me.

"This is A-State's campus map and his schedule for this week."

"He's going to the movies with his girlfriend this weekend."

Jax looked at me.

"As for what you want to do, that's up to you."

The movie theater on the weekend was bustling.

I wore a black baseball cap, pulled low, blending in with the couples lining up to enter.

According to the information Jax provided, Kyle and his girlfriend had tickets for the 7:30 showing, a romance film.