SHOWDOWN

The howling chilly wind that followed soon after the rain had ceased falling down on the city, came brewing violently around the cityscape of Geneva that lay covered in the dense darkness in the night and upon the quiet neighborhoods that lay situated in large numbers within the suburban areas of the city where the most of the inhabitants had gone to sleep inside their homes except for a few skyscrapers and some retail outlets as well as roadside pubs including notable noisy clubs whose usual frequent routine of housing party guests every night after sundown had been the major reason for illuminating a fair portion of the road linking where they were structurally erected to each streets nearby, with their colorful electronic lights built on the exterior alloy wall of the club especially the colossal club from which two stranded fellows were kicked out without giving them a chance to make a lucid explanation for their actions though the hasty penalty seems satisfactory to the baldheaded men who executed the sentence right in front of the very eyes of the guests despite not having substantial evidence to enforce their duties of dealing with anyone caught trying to wreck havoc inside the club by distracting the guests in an unruly manner that might sabotage the event for the night. After the two fellows were tossed out of the club into the streets into the night which still hovered around the city an hour before midnight, Max had decided to trace his way home through the dark streets alongside his old pal who found it a bit dangerous to walk his way to his house rather than entering a taxi which would have been much easier for the two stranded men to find their way home faster than finding themselves trekking on the sidewalk around the western side of town and eventually got to a closer neighborhood some blocks away from Max's abode.

While they doggedly strolled past several quiet streets in many neighborhoods that they came across, the cold air which became prevalent in the darkness of the night almost froze them with the chilly wind and almost kept them from walking alone in the shadows a longer distance away from the club especially Max who got the coldest share of freezing wind than his buddy since his clothes hadn't fully dried yet the entire time he was still in the club carrying out his duties before he was kicked out along with Jeremy whose impregnable outfit greatly reduced the effects of the cold but added more frustration of not being able to take a ride home in a taxi and the fact that he had no choice than to succumb to the uncomfortable condition which he found himself in.

"I can't believe you ruined my date with Vanessa",

Jeremy broke the silence which had engulfed them for more than half an hour.

"it's not my fault that you happen to spend the evening together with that chick at the same club where I work",

"That's a lie. Both of us know that we got kicked out because you wanna pick up a fight with me for no reason",

"No reason, huh? Really, Jeremy?",

Max questioned feeling his temper rising a bit inside him which luckily gave him some warmth within the cold sinews of his flesh.

"Yes. You did that for no reason other than to sabotage my date with my girlfriend",

Max chuckled and smiled maliciously with every bit of anger gathering inside him.

"And what would you do about it now that you are getting cold out here while she's dancing with someone else inside the club?",

Jeremy felt dejected and dumbfounded the moment he heard Max's question which did not occur to him during his private reflection of why they were thrown outside like a piece of garbage the entire time they were trekking on the sidewalk at an odd hour in the middle of the night, that his girlfriend would probably be having so much fun and enjoying the music without him around, maybe with some other guy who wouldn't refuse to keep her busy.

"You tell me",

Jeremy frowned trying hard to get the thought out of his mind as he kept his pace, walking alongside Max despite the cold which seemed not to affect him more than the thought of his girlfriend rocking her behind in front of someone stranger at the club.

"Well, you can do absolutely nothing about it. So, forget her like you always do and think of going home to get some sleep",

Mac suggested with a spiteful remark and savored Jeremy's displeasure which was now fully pronounced on his face and compelled him to stop walking all of a sudden in a fit of rage unknown to Max.

"Max, I ain't that bastard anymore. So, if you are still upset with me leaving you behind six years, then let's settle our differences, right here and now",

"You can't be serious",

"Oh, yes. I am damn serious about it. Besides there's no one else on the streets right now to bother us. Isn't that what you wanted, huh? To be alone with me, so that you beat up my ass, right old friend?", Jeremy questioned trying to bait Max to fight him which seemed to be working but Max knew his intentions and drew closer to him after he had fallen behind on purpose. Jeremy was almost ready for a showdown but as for Max, his energy had depleted a lot ever since they left the club several minutes ago. Even the cold made his muscles feel a bit stiff and rigid enough for him not being able to bend for a good stance against his unmatched opponent. In spite of his current predicament, Max pulled himself closer to Jeremy who felt a lot happy with himself for having cajoled Max into having a brawl eight outside the vicinity of a tall skyscraper near the road.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?",

Jeremy said clenching both of his fist for a perfect showdown but Max stood still, tactically waiting for his unequal opponent to make the first though part of him didn't want to engage in the fight but wanted to get his entire body out of the cold to find some cozy warmth in his house. Without warning, Jeremy recklessly threw the first punch with his right fist which swerved past Max before hitting the empty air while the second attempt ended up like the first only for Max, who had swiftly dodged two unlucky blows from his opponent, to struck two ghastly blows on Jeremy's left chin and lower torso that sent him struggling to regain his balance as he staggered backwards but he narrowly prevented himself from falling down hard on the pavement .

"Phew. That's a nice hit, dude",

Jeremy said, wiping off a little amount of blood off his left lip with the back of his palm.

"That's enough. You'll only get yourself wounded up if we continue",

"Don't care, dude",

Jeremy replied and came rushing wildly at Max while swerving punches in the air but Max wasn't done with him. He skillfully evaded his opponent's fists and dived Jeremy straight at the torso which took Jeremy off balance before hauling him to the ground without mercy. As soon as Jeremy landed on the ground with a loud thud, Max got on top of him and began raining punches on the face of the underdog whose feeble hands hardly prevented five blows to touch his hitting him hard on the face enough for his nose to bleed.

"Please Max!.... Stop!... I admit that you win!... Stop it hurts!",

Jeremy groaned aloud, pleading for the Victor of the fightto stop but his plea wasn't going to stop him receiving bruises on his face till Max reluctantly heard him and stopped the last punch halfway from reaching his face. The entire time Max had pinned the underdog to the ground, he had felt his anger depleting slowly with each blow he kept pounding on his old friend until the pain and tumultuous anger in him slowly gave away for pity for his opponent though he was still a bit upset by it.

Max immediately stood up from the ground and helped Jeremy up from the ground who had no choice but to wipe his bleeding nose with his coat.

"Ouch! Shit!",

Jeremy shouted out, as he tried to straighten his nose which seemed broken after Max had helped get back in his feet again and trudged behind Max who decided to walk away from him the moment he stood on the ground.

"Be careful with it unless you want it completely broken" ,

"You broke it, Goddammit, dude",

That's what you get for getting too cocky",

Max replied without glancing back and kept heading towards a cross road that lay situated in a distance near a bus stop.

"Here's where we part ways",

Max said as they slowly came across the bus stop at the left side of the broad crossroad which had become evermore quiet than before though lights on the streets and lights from apartments nearby aid them to see their way through the darkness.

"But—",

"No, buts, Jeremy. I ain't welcoming you to my house after what you did to me ",

Max rejoined and halted close to the roadside. Then he squeezed himself tighter with his arms to prevent the cold from seeping into his lungs and to keep himself from shivering violently.

"Gosh, I'm freezing out here",

"Yeah, you really don't look too good walking outside. Mind if I help?",

Jeremy asked keeping a tight look out for thieves that might be lurking around the dark alleys.

"Don't worry about me and focus on you getting yourself home",

"Come on, dude. Don't refuse when you're about to freeze to death",

"It's definitely none of your concern if I do freeze. So, shut the hell up",

"Fine, if you say so but I'm not going home by myself",

"Yes, you are and this is where we go our separate ways, you understand me?",

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to go home alone, not when it's almost midnight",

"There aren't no curfew around here any more , dimwit",

"I know that but it's not safe for me to walk home all alone by myself when there's a high probability of not finding any taxi in this area and a high chance of getting robbed",

"You know that I don't care if any thing happens to you, not now or ever will I give a damn about you!",

Max barked out in anger and frustration for having to see the same fellow who almost got him kicked out of his apartment after having depended on the share he was to receive from the large sum of money that Jeremy cheated to win through crooked means.

"Don't do this me, Max. For old time's sake, let me come with you",

"No, I won't let you. You'll be fine all by yourself",

Max replied and walked away from him, crossing the road to the other side of the street while Jeremy stood there watching leave him behind very much alone on the quiet street.