“I did say that, didn’t I?” He nods his head. “Here’s the thing, I tell all my boys they are stars. I mean, you all put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into these fights. I figure it’s appropriate. However, you’re not the main event.”
It’s like he reached his hand inside my chest and squeezed his big hands around my heart, draining every last drop of blood from it. For the last four months, this is all I’ve thought about. Fighting brings life back into me. It gives me purpose. When I first talked to Blaze, he was pumped to have me fighting for him. Made it sound like, together, we would take this place to the next level.
“I’m confused. I was under the impression that I would be the main event, twice a month.”
He clicks his tongue on his cheek. “You assumed wrong. Come on, Axel, I’ve never even seen you fight. You’ve got to work your way to the top. Show them you are the event, before we give you that title.”
“He’s got a point.” Kips shrugs, with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Shut up,” I quip, throwing him an evil eye.
“Don’t let it get you down. You’ll get there. Once you earn it.” Blaze pats a hand to my back. I wanna push him away, crumple this paper into a ball and tell him to go fuck himself. But, I don’t have many options right now. Blaze has already established himself here; I’d crumble if I tried to start my own ring as his competition.
I feel defeated.
I feel like fucking some shit up tonight—a need to invite everyone to my misery, because it’s lonely as hell.
6
Harper
I’ve always believed in forever. That you meet the right person, who you share an undeniable connection with—your soul mate, and no matter what life throws at you, you always have that person. Watching my parents love each other so deeply is what gave me that unrealistic fantasy. And that’s all it is, a fantasy. If they can’t make it, we are all screwed.
“So, when are they moving?” Taya asks, as she lays on her side on my bed in a sports bra and biker shorts.
I close my eyes at the thought of giving up my childhood home. Our house was nothing fancy. My parents don’t have the money that half the town does. I wouldn’t even be at this school if it weren’t for the scholarship I earned. It was still home, though, and the only one I’ve ever had. I thought it was filled with love and a happily ever after; apparently, I was wrong.
“I don’t know. She didn’t say. Just told me that Dad will be staying at a hotel until further notice. I’m hoping she will decide to keep the house.” I shake my head in disbelief. In a matter of hours, everything I ever believed in came crashing down.
“It happens, Love,” Taya says, as she rests her head on her shoulder and gives me a comforting smile. “Some people just aren’t meant to be.”
“My parents aren’t just some people. They were so in love, Taya,” I choke out, feeling like I’m on the verge of another breakdown.
“It’s possible that they only let you see what they wanted to show you. Parents don’t usually involve their kids in matters of their marriage. Mine never did, then again, I was four when they divorced.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I need a distraction.”
“Come with us tonight. Nate is still gone. You don’t want to sit home and wallow alone. Come to the game. It’ll be fun.”
“And see Axel again. No thanks. Besides, Nate should be back in a couple of hours.”
“I’ve got an idea.” She jumps onto her knees in excitement.
“Oh no,” I draw out, “your ideas are never good.”
“Bring Nate. Shove him in Axel’s face. Shit, give the boy a blowie in front of him. Get him back for what he did to you last night, or this morning—both, I guess.”
“Not really my style.”
“It’s time to revamp your style. If you want to hit Axel Thorn where it hurts, you need to step it up a notch.” She drops back down in discouragement. Taya lives for drama.
“I’m perfectly content just living my life and pretending that Axel doesn’t exist. Thank you very much.”
“Oh yeah. How’s that working for you? He didn’t shoot his demon babies on you at all while he was getting off on the girl next to you in bed, did he?” She grabs my pink and white checkered throw pillow and tosses it at me. I see it coming and catch it mid-air.
“Touché.” I throw the pillow back at her, hitting her square in the face. “In my own defense, I thought it was Knox’s room.”
“Not the point. He’s everywhere, and he will continue to be everywhere—taunting you, breaking you down, until you put him in his place.”
I don’t respond. She actually has a good point. Axel tries to get a rise out of me, and I let him. Just to clear things up, I am not weak; I’m just too nice.
Taya continues, “Yesterday, you told me that you were taking your life back. What happened to that girl?”
“She woke up with her first hangover in the bed of her ex and saw the first vagina that was not her own. I’m pretty sure she’s hiding under a rock somewhere.”
“Well, climb out from under it, Baby, because you are going tonight.” She jumps off the bed with her eyes still on me and a sinister look. I don’t even want to know what she’s planning.
I drop my shoulders in defeat, closing my eyes. “What should I wear?” When I open them, she’s gone.
“Taya,” I holler. I walk out into the hallway, and she’s already coming at me steadily with clothes in her hand, shoving them into my chest with a grin.
“Get dressed, Sunshine.”
“I still haven’t even asked Nate if he wants to go,” I yell, as she walks away with her back to me, doing a little strut like she’s the shit for talking me into this.
Holding up the clothes Taya grabbed from her own closet, I look them over. High waisted cut-off jean shorts and a white crop top with enough fabric to cover both breasts, but nothing else. No thanks. Taya and I are almost the same size. I’m just a bit bustier than she is, though.
I drop them to the floor in the hallway and go back into my room to wear some of my clothes. I have my own style. It’s mostly pink and dresses. When it’s not, it’s comfy casual. I grab one of the boxes on the floor marked t-shirts and shuffle through them until I find the Bruins shirt that I got when I toured the university with Mom and Dad last fall.
Originally, I had planned on trying out for the cheer team, but even with eight years of experience, I didn’t feel confident enough, once I saw the girls practicing. It’s like they all stepped out of an Inside Cheerleading magazine. It’s better this way; it gives me a chance to focus solely on my schoolwork.
I dig into another box and pull out the first pair of jean shorts that I find. They are similar to the ones Taya gave me, but these ones will actually fit.
Once I’m dressed, I grab my phone from the nightstand and drop down onto my stomach on my bed to call Nate. After a little persuasion, he agrees to come tonight. We make a plan to only stay for an hour because he wants me to meet some of his friends, and, apparently, he’s not too fond of mine. Unfortunately, he’s basing his judgment solely on Axel who is not my friend and hasn’t been in quite some time.