The second those words left the guy's mouth, something inside Ace shattered.
It wasn't just what he said. It was what it meant.
That she was some kind of joke. That Max was just playing with her. That her tattoos, her passion, her feelings were all just some meaningless side quest for a girl like Max.
She saw red.
Ace lunged.
Her fist connected with his jaw so hard, her knuckles exploded with pain.
The guy stumbled back, eyes wide with shock, but Ace wasn't done.
Not even close.
"You think I'm a joke?" she snarled, shoving him against the wall. "You think I don't know what people say? That I'm some messed-up, wannabe tattoo artist with nothing to show for it? That I'm just some dumb lesbian following Max around like a lost puppy?"
He barely had time to answer before she hit him again.
Someone shouted her name, but she didn't care.
"You don't know shit about me," she growled, slamming him back. "You don't know what it's like to want something so bad it eats you alive. You don't know what it's like to feel like you have to prove you deserve to exist every damn day."
Ace's voice cracked on that last word she hated that, hated him for hearing it.
The guy laughed, breath shaky, blood already at the corner of his mouth wrong move.
"That all you got?" he spits "Relax Ace it was a joke everyone knows Max just likes the drama. You're just another phase."
Something feral snapped loose in Ace.
She drove her forearm into his throat, pinning him hard enough that the wall rattled. Her vision tunneled, the party noise dissolving into a low roaring hum. This was the monster she kept buried, the one that never forgot an insult, never forgave humiliation.
"Say her name again," Ace said quietly too quietly" I dare you."
Hands grabbed at her shoulders Leon, Kyle and someone else. She shook them off like they were nothing.
"You think you can talk about me like I'm disposable?" she continued, voice trembling with rage. " Like I'm not real, like i didn't carve my way out of hell with my bare hands just to be standing here breathing?"
ACE STOP!
That did it
Her hands were shaking now with adrenaline flooding out, leaving that hollow ache behind. The familiar crash, the aftermath of the fury were everything felt too loud, too sharp, too much.
Ace stepped back chest heaving, staring at her knuckles Split skin, Blood and ink stains smeared black and red together.
Art and violence always tangled
The room had gone quiet, people stared, phones were out and whispers slithered through the air. That was when she saw Max
standing near the doorway frozen, eyes wide, not laughing, not impressed.
Hurt.
That hurt cut deeper than any punch she threw.
Ace's stomach dropped the rage drained out of her like a pulled plug leaving only shame and that old bitter certainty clawing up her throat.
She turned away before Max could say anything, before she could see the full weight of whatever was in her eyes.
"I'm done, Ace muttered, grabbing her jacket. "Party's over for me."
Leon tried to stop her. "Ace, wait your bleeding."
She didn't slow down. "Good."
She shoved out into the night lungs burning pulse still screaming the cold air hit her like a slap grounding her necessary.
Behind her the house swallowed in noise again laughter resumed like nothing happened.
Ace leaned over the curb, hands braced on her knees fighting the urge to scream cry throw up or punch something else so she could feel solid again.
her eyes were wild blood on her hands and cracks she could no loner hide.
The beast wasn't sleeping anymore
And the worst part?
She wasn't sure she wanted it to be.