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Thirty-Four
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I left and waited outside for only a minute before the guys showed up. They 'oh'd and awe'd' at Julie's new living situation, but moved past it as soon as the club was brought up again.
I was shoved into the back seat of the car, and we were off. We ended up driving downtown to an old warehouse. We parked a block away and walked in. There was a huge crowd of people yelling and cheering around a fighting cage.
Adrenaline started pumping through my veins, and I wasn't even fighting. This was my kind of place. I loved being here and enjoying the rush of the crowd, the loud music, and the show of aggression. It all just worked without being too much. I could watch this kind of shit and not have to think about anything else.
Julie would so not approve of this. She was just talking about needing anger management help before everything happened at her house. Coming to a place like this would probably fuel her.
Wait! Snap out of it! This is guy's time.
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KNOCKOUT Thirty-Five
Jessie wasn't in third hour either, so I just laid my head down on the desk and closed my eyes. About five minutes after the bell rang, something hit my head and my head snapped up off the desk. I looked around but no one was even looking at me. I was about to put my head back down when I saw the ball of paper on the floor by my desk and curiosity got the better of me. I reached down and picked it up. Quietly unfolding it, I tried to straighten the paper so it was readable. Julie, Congratulations! Even God hates you! Why else would he let what happened to your family happen? I really hope that your foster family hates you as much as your birth family did. You don't deserve Jessie, and he doesn't want you anymore. By the way, I heard that you were the reason your mother was murdered. How do you sleep at night? Love, anonymous. I stood up quickly and grabbed my bag ignoring the tears that were threatening to spill over. "And, whe
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Six
It was only a couple hours later when my phone started ringing. I was surprised because everyone should have been in school still. I looked down at the collar I.D. and saw it was Mike. "Hello?" "Hey, Julie. I heard something happened at school. You holding up okay?" He sounded nervous, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the topic he was approaching or if it was something else. It was weird enough that he was calling me for the first time. We were friendly because of Jessie, but we weren't direct friends. "I'm doing fine. I just had a lot to deal with and wanted to get away from it all. Have you heard from Jessie?" I said calmly. "Yeah, we had a guys' night last night, and uh, he got a little drunker than we expected. He is really hungover today." He spit the last part out in a rush, but the waver in his voice and the tone he was using didn't sit well with me. "Mike? Why do I have the feeling that there's something you are hiding from me? I
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Seven
I was running through the dark forest, branches, and bushes scratching against my arms and legs as I pushed through the foliage. The sound of crunching leaves and rapid footsteps to my right had me looking over, only to see Chris. I stumbled when I saw her, the small nagging in the back of my mind telling me that it wasn't real because she was dead. But, that didn't stop the dread weighing my stomach down. I knew someone was chasing us. I didn't need to see them or hear them to know they were there. The tickle in the back of my mind from their close proximity had the small hairs on the back of my neck standing up. As I turned my head to get an idea of what beast was after us, I saw the looming shadow of a large figure creeping closer. I pushed myself faster and looked straight ahead of me, praying Chris would speed up as well. If we didn't get to the tree line, it would be over. We would be trapped. "You're a liar!" I screamed,
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Eight
"Does Terry and Ryan give out allowances?" I asked timidly, embarrassed that he just got back from working for his money, and I was just asking for a handout. He nodded his head, "They do, but you have to set up a chore plan with them to earn it. Do you need money?" I shook my head, and redness filled my cheeks. If this continued, I would need to get a job. I was grateful enough that Ryan added me to their phone plan and contributed to my gas, but it was embarrassing not being able to pay for things. As soon as I got my cut from the estate once it was settled, I would be more comfortable. "No, not really. I was thinking I could take her to iHop for lunch. I used to love going there with my dad, but we can go another time. I'll talk to Terry about chores when she gets home." "I wouldn't mind getting iHop. We go there pretty often actually." He scanned me over before nodding and moving forward to pull the sleeping Bri off my lap. "Go get dressed, and we can all
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Nine
"Julie, I'm not hiding anything from you." He swallowed hard but moved forward to place his hands on my hips. Jessie pulled me to him by my waist, and I blushed as our bodies pressed together. The heat and comfort felt vanished as soon as I looked into his eyes. He looked tense, worried. Something was going on, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I pulled away from him reluctantly. A flash of pain crossed his face. It only confirmed my suspicions. "Well, Mike was acting really weird on the phone. That and the fact that it was him who called me. Tell me why you could contact him, but you couldn't even send me a text. It makes me feel like you were avoiding me. Even now, you aren't acting like yourself." My hands started to shake, so I pressed them down against my thighs. "Because I knew you would disapprove of me drinking on a school night." I nodded with my lips pursed. He was right, I would disapprove, but that didn't change the way his v
KNOCKOUT Forty
Julie's P.O.V. I curled up in a ball with Bri was next to me, sound asleep. She had joined me in bed at Liam's insistence that I needed cuddles. To be fair, I did. When I woke up to a light tapping noise, Bri was still curled up to my stomach. "Julie," I heard whispered. I looked around, careful not to jostle Bri and wake her. Liam was standing in the doorway. He gestured with his head for me to join him. I looked back at Bri, before climbing out of bed and tucking her back in carefully. I tip-toed over to Liam, where he handed me a ponytail. I looked at him confused but then put my hair up. He smiled in approval, and led me down the stairs and out back. I shivered when the cold air hit me in short sleeve shirt I was wearing. He guided me over to his punching bag and then stood in front of me. "You need to take all of the emotion you keep bottled up and do something productive with it. Between you fighting everyone who looks at you wrong and how fuck
KNOCKOUT Forty-One
We spent Sunday laughing and playing at the park. Liam and Bri were the best family I could ask for. It was kind of funny when a guy came up to me to try to flirt. Liam ripped him a new one. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself at the poor guy's reaction. He looked like he wanted to hide under a rock. We talked about school, Liam has dropped out and got his G.E.D instead, and Bri was about to start second grade. He made me promise him that I would go still try to go to college after high school, which meant I had to start going to school again so I wouldn't be truant. He made it clear that he wanted assurance that I was going to have a good future. When we got home, we ate lunch, and then Bri fell asleep while watching television. As soon as she was out, Liam and I went out back for our daily lessons. We only work with the punching bag today, because he said I wasn't ready to fight him yet. It only made me more eager to learn. I was exhausted by the end of
KNOCKOUT Forty-Two
He smacked his hand down on the ground three times with a proud look on his face. "You win! I'll let you fight. The fights in the cage won't end like this. It will be by knockout only so be prepared to finish it." He let out a breath as we sat on the grass together with our arms resting on our knees. After we caught our breath, we got up. "Damn though, Julie. You're fucking impressive." It felt good to make him proud after all the work he had put in to teach me. I smiled. "I'm a fast learner with a good teacher." He chuckled. "How do you feel right now? You didn't take too many hits." He scanned me over, and I jokingly flexed at him. "Good enough. Tonight I'm going to take you to your first fight." My jaw dropped. "Really?" I asked in a small voice. This time he chuckled harder. "Really. They'll make you fight three people. If you beat all three, they'll let you be a fighter there. You don't have to sign any contracts or anything, but they do expect y
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KNOCKOUT Epilogue
"Bye, Julie!" The ten-year-old screamed with laughter as she ran into her bedroom, slamming it behind her to prevent her older brother from getting to her with his can of silly string. A smile stretched across my face at the sight of my family celebrating Bri's birthday. It had been a relaxing day enjoying the barbeque and pool party with all of her friends and family. Ryan and Terry had been present, and while we were civil for the sake of Bri, we tended to avoid each other at these types of events. Ryan held a grudge against me for being such a troublemaker and reflecting negatively on their family name. Meanwhile, I held a grudge against them for trying to put me back into the foster system to find a new family after I was released from the hospital. I knew it would happen eventually, but that didn't make it hurt any less. They never made it that far. I had been able to petition for my independence and emancipation as I was only a few months from turning 18. Luckily for me, this
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Nine
I woke up as the door slammed open, and the lights came on, peaking in from the edges of my blindfold. I would have tilted my head back and looked over to see who walked in from under the fabric, but I still couldn't move."Please! Why are you doing this? Why can't you just kill me? Don't do this please! Don't do this to her!" Mark's voice would have been calming if it wasn't full of panic and fear.The sound of someone approaching was followed by the blindfold being ripped off my face. I could see three men pulling Mark into the room from the corner of my eye. I wanted to tell him I would be okay, but couldn't. He had to know that I was stronger than anything they threw at me."She had nothing to do with it! If you're going to kill me, just kill me! She wasn't even there! Please, I'm begging you! Don't touch her!" He was slammed down into a chair that another man dragged in behind them, and was quickly tied down to it.A hand wrapped around my ankle, but
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Eight
Julie's P.O.V.I took a deep breath to relax as I felt the SUV pull to a stop after at least half an hour of driving. I heard doors opening, and I tensed back up. Someone grabbed my legs while another pair of hands reached for my arms.I squirmed and struggled. They had pulled me halfway out of the car, and I started screaming. A cloth was shoved into my mouth, but I kept hitting and fighting with all I had. I felt a sharp pain in my leg. Not even thirty seconds later, my leg went numb, followed by my other leg, abdomen, and everything else as it worked its way up my body until I couldn't move or speak, but somehow felt everything.I collapsed onto the ground with a thump. My limp legs were lifted up off the ground, and I could feel my back and hands scrapping against the hot concrete as they pulled me to our destination. I heard the door open, and I was dragged once again.My back held a searing pain, and if I could, I would have screame
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Seven
As I made my way to the door of the classroom, my eyes eerily glanced to the parking lot on my right. This building was the closest to it, so I was worried. I picked up my speed a little bit when I heard footsteps quickly following behind me at a faster pace than my own.The logical side of my brain was telling me that someone was just late for class, but the panicked part of my brain told me to run. The footsteps grew louder as the person got closer, and I turned my walk into a brisk jog, my backpack bouncing as I did so. The door to my classroom was only four doors away, and it was open. I just had to make it a little further before breaking down and having my panic attack.The squealing of tires caught my attention and sent the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight off of my body. My breathing came out in small pants as I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.A large black SUV came into view and slammed on its breaks not more than 50 ya
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Six
I backed up towards the door. Unfortunately for me, we didn't keep the cleanest room, and I tripped over a pile of clothes landing right on my butt. When I looked up, Mark was smiling at me, the humor of me falling taking away from the seriousness of the situation…for him at least."Mark? W-what . . . what the fuck is going on?" I stammered as my throat closed up. He stood with the gun still in his hand and walked toward me. I started to shake. He stopped a few feet in front of me and looked down at me with his other hand outstretched in my direction, palm up.When I didn't take it, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Julie, I'm not going to hurt you. I would never, ever hurt you." He said as he crouched down next to me. "Why would you think that I would?" He sounded honestly hurt."You just pulled out a fucking g…" He placed his hand over my mouth."Julie, no one can know. Please, just let me explain. Plus, this gun isn't mine. This gun is
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Five
His Adam's apple bobbed harshly, and I met his stare as he scanned my face over as if judging how serious I was. Then, he nodded his head to the side and turned to resume walking. I moved with him, knowing that he needed a minute to collect himself. We made our way back to our dorm slowly, but he stopped me before we reached the front doors."I know what you mean. It was so hard…everything we went through, but we did it together. I don't think I'm ready to let you go yet, but I know I have to. I can't keep holding onto you and what we used to have, because that's gone now." He nudged the tip of his shoes against mine, and I looked down just as he pulled his foot back. "You do seem happy with him. I don't want to be in the way of that.""I really am." My voice was soft, as I didn't want anyone to overhear us.Jessie cleared his throat, and I fiddled with the hem of my shirt between my thumb and forefinger. He gave me a sad smile and let out a chuckle while
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Four
I flipped through the television, rather violently, much to Deidra's annoyance. After several minutes, she got to her feet, announcing that she was going to go visit her boyfriend (who I had yet to meet), and left me alone with my thoughts.Why would he stand me up?Was this payback for me not forgiving him sooner, or was it because of how poorly the conversation went last night?That petty, son of a bit…The sound of knocking broke me from my thoughts, and I turned off the baking show I had landed on.I got up slowly and walked over to the door. I swung it open."Hello?" I looked up, and I saw Jessie in a clean white t-shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans."Are you ready?" He asked with a big grin.I kept a straight face."I'm sorry I'm late. The headmaster called me into his office. I tried to get out sooner, but he just kept babbling." I smiled at him and nodded."It's okay. I'm ready. Let me just grab
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Three
I wanted to pull Mark to the side of the hallway and tell him everything involving Jessie from yesterday to today, but with the crowd around us trying to get to class, it didn't seem like the right time.Maybe, I should wait and tell him after I cleared the air with Jessie this evening and everything was settled. If he knew about my meeting with Jessie beforehand, I figured it would make him stressed and frustrated wondering what we were doing, and if I was being faithful, even though we weren't technically together. As far as I was concerned, Mark was mine whether we placed a title on it or not. If another woman tried to make a move on him, she would have to deal with me.The entire second period, I was flooded with guilt that I hadn't talked to Mark yet, that I couldn't even enjoy the feeling of his hand on my thigh throughout the class.I pretty much ran to World History for third period so I could talk to Chey and Deidra and not have to worry about Mark over
KNOCKOUT Ninety-Two
I burst through the door to my first hour at the last second with my backpack slung carelessly over my shoulder and my half-finished coffee in my hand."Nice of you to join us, Ms. Sanders." The teacher said with sarcasm.I just sent her an apologetic smile, and she nodded as I sat down in my seat."We're going to be studying the magical work of Romeo and Juliet for the quarter." The males groaned, but I had a huge grin on my face. I was still a nerd at heart. Plus, my old school had already covered this curriculum months ago."Two households, both alike in dignity,In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrowsDo with their death bury their parents' strife.The fearful passage of their death-
