Now, all I have to do is draw her close to the edge and entice her to leap off. Because she needs this. I don’t care what anyone says, sometimes violence helps. Hurting someone, and letting them hurt you right back, physically at least, can be the best way to work through all the shit in your head. She’s hurting, and there's nothing she can do about it. She can’t make Tom pay or suffer for his actions, so why not channel that emotion and unleash it here? A controlled environment where you’ll be stopped if you go too far, and I know that one for a fact.
“I texted ahead, there’s clothes in there for you if you decide you want to get your hands a little dirty. The choice is yours, Little Mouse. You’re the one who has to live with the way you’re feeling right now. But remember this.” I grip her waist, digging my fingers into her skin, and she stares up at me with her jaw clenched tight. “He might not have lied, but he still recorded every moment you shared, what if it wasn’t only a voice recording? What if he recorded all the intimate things you two did together? Who knows how many people may have seen your amateur porn by now?” Her nostrils flare as my voice lowers, my words nothing more than a caress on the wind. “Enjoy the show.” I wink before turning around and walking out to the ring, with my tongue in my cheek and revelling in the darkness and anger that I saw lurking behind her icy blues.
26
Split Lips and Broken Hearts
Luna
I watch as he pounds guy after guy into the ground. His ribs are a mottled purple color, and his face is a mosaic of bruises, cuts, and blood. God knows who the blood belongs to though, although some of it has to be his. These guys aren’t playing around. The thing that really gets to me though, is his smile. No matter how hard they hit, how many times he hits the ground, his smile never seems to fall.
“Are you fighting?”
I drag my eyes away from the scene in front of me to stare at a girl with tattoos covering her arms, neck, and chest. Her hair is shaved on one side, and spiked up on top.
“Debating it. I’m worried I won’t be able to stop once I start.”
“Come on, pretty girl. Someone always stops it before any real damage can be done. Don’t worry, I won’t mess you up too much.” She smirks and I shake my head at her.
“I’m not scared to get hurt,” I bite out.
“No, probably just worried you’ll break a nail. Fuck off, poser. We don’t need spectators.” She moves into the other ring swinging her hips as she moves. She draws a few tapes, and I crack my knuckles as I push to my feet.
I’m sick and tired of being underestimated. She wants a fight? She can have one. I walk into the ring and we nod our heads at each other before she sucker punches me right in the jaw. I shake my head before I land a blow to her abdomen. We trade blow after blow. Neither of us hit too hard, I think we’re both just feeling one another out. We start to circle, she smirks but I keep my face neutral, not wanting to give anything away.
Her right shoulder pulls back slightly, right before she moves to strike me in the face. I grab her wrist, before I twist her arm and force it behind her back. I drive my elbow into her neck and she downright grunts before she breaks free and kicks out at my knee, sending me down.
“Careful, you might break a nail, pretty girl.”
“Bite me,” I growl, as I swerve out of the way, narrowly dodging an uppercut.
Her elbow hits me in the lip, and the taste of blood fills my mouth. I seize her wrists, right as I drive my foot into her stomach. She grunts and I hear whooping and hollering but I’m in the zone.
“You’re the most exciting thing in this place.”
“You have given me something, you just don’t realize it yet.”
Tom’s words swim in my mind, as pain spices through my chest. Right as her fist connects with the side of my temple. My head whips to the side, and I half expect to see stars spinning around my head.
“Well, you can definitely take a punch, I’m impressed, pretty girl.” She laughs this throaty sound as I stumble forward. Her hand connects with my mouth once more and blood floods my mouth.
I hold my hand up as my vision swims, and I blink rapidly trying to clear it.
“We don’t take breaks. Either concede or fight. Choice is yours, pretty girl.”
“Stop calling me that, first one down loses.” I hold my hand out and she shakes it with a smirk.
“Sure thing, you’re making this place pretty exciting.” She laughs again but it’s not her voice I hear. It’s Tom’s.
The guy who I fell for, the one who had me breaking all the promises I made to myself. The one who fucked over the guys who trusted him, and threw my love right in my face.
I launch myself at her, right before my fist flies into her eye. Her head flies to the side, as I keep punching, she grips my wrist and kicks out at my ankle, sending me down, but I drag her with me.
We use our fists and knees and I just miss being put into a headlock. I manage to flip her on her stomach, before I get on top of her. I grip her back the back of her head and pull it back, ready to smash it into the ground.
“Who fucked you over?” she chokes out, and my hands fall away as I climb off and lie down.
She rolls onto her back with a groan, as Thallon appears and pulls me up. I stop myself from crying out, as I sink my teeth into my split lip.
“That bitch is crazy I like it,” the fighter says from the floor, as someone helps her up and carries her over to the chairs.
“Sorry,” I croak out, and she waves me off with her hand.
“Forget about it, but when I’m healed, I’ll definitely be up for a rematch.” She gives me a toothy grin, her teeth stained with blood as coughs wrack her system and Thallon carries me out.
We sit in the car, with an ice pack on my face and a bandage wrapped around my ribs. I have so many questions that I want to ask him, but I don’t know if I should. I mean, it’s Thallon. Who knows how he's going to be once we get back to the Academy?
“Feel better?” He stares into me, but it hurts too much to turn and look at him, so I look straight ahead instead. Only moving my eyes to glance at him slightly.
“Yeah… I guess so,” I hesitate to reply, not sure of how to feel about, well, the way I feel.
He unclips his belt and shifts until he’s leaning right in front of me, I swallow over the lump in my throat as I wait for him to say something to make me feel worse about myself.
“What’s the matter? You stopped yourself, didn’t you? You didn’t go too far, and the chick will heal in no time. So, explain.” His eyes are like pools of melted dark chocolate, but I can’t stare into them for too long.
“Do you ever worry about the way fighting makes you feel? That maybe it means you’re not a good person? That’s all I’ve ever tried to be, someone good and honest. Someone who will make my mama proud. I don’t think she will be if she could see inside my head right now.” I pick at the fabric of my jeans and his hands fall down on mine, crushing them against my thighs.
“No, I don’t worry about that. I don’t care if I’m classified as a good guy or a bad guy. In all honesty, I like the way it feels when I beat on someone, I even like it when they beat on me. It’s why I didn’t want to fight Tom at first, I like a challenge and he’s a fucking pussy. But enough about that, tell me how it made you feel, how you’re feeling right now.” It feels like he’s moved in closer, but I’m probably imagining it. The car isn’t exactly huge, and with the way we’re sitting, there isn’t a lot of space between us anyway.