When I reached the house, it was already beginning to get dark outside since I had stopped to shop for some groceries. I’ve been eating takeout lately and I knew it was because Mom didn’t have anything to cook. So I decided to be a good daughter and get same things for the woman to humor herself with. Or you just want to consume something other than takeout. My conscience corrected me. I amused myself with the thought of me being that good of a daughter to my mom. I didn’t bother shout out that I’m home, they wouldn’t have heard me anyways. Their rooms were further back in the house while mine was closer to the door. I dropped the grocery bags in the kitchen, sorting them out into the cabinets before going up to my room and changing into more comfortable clothes. I put on a worn out shirt and a pair of shorts that stopped at my mid-thigh. I went to my parents’ room and there they were, laying on their bed,
The professor stood in front of 50 or so students. Her voice was surprisingly loud, louder than what her petite frame should have been able to project. She looked to be in her late 20s, her hair was straight and a fiery red and I found it hard to not imagine it as a curtain from how it swayed whenever she moved. It was very distracting and sort of hypnotizing. I was completely out of it today which was not very Casey-like. I snapped out of it when my phone started ringing. My heart beat crazily in my chest and panic filled me as I quickly scrambled my bag to search for my phone to shut it off. Thankfully, the professor pretended that nothing happened and let the disruption slip while she continued her lecture. I looked at the caller ID and saw Preston’s name. I sighed quietly and opened my phone to text him quickly. “Can’t talk now, call u later.” I put my phone on vibrate instead and turned it off to make sure there&r
“You’re losing your edge, Case.” Dom sneered at me. I turned on my heel, feeling my blood boil at the sound of the despicable man’s voice. Glaring daggers at the mocking smirk he had on, I felt the strong urge to slap it off his face. Dom straightened himself from previously leaning on a tree in a shadowed spot. My body screamed in objection when my muscles tensed up at the sight of trouble. I’ve used almost all of my energy on the fight I just got out of no longer than a few minutes ago. Nonetheless, when Dom had walked close enough for me to reach him, I made an attempt to land a hit on him and successfully landed one on his ribs after faking a straight punch to his face. He staggered backwards to put space between us before hunching over and groaning. This time, there was no guilt that followed. There wasn’t any bitter bile rising at the back of my throat, unlike when I kept on trying to land deathly blo
“Tell me what you know, I can’t help you otherwise.” I told Adam, trying to use my most reasonable voice. Adam’s eyes were glued to the wall above my head but he didn’t argue. I guess he had started to see sense. “When I was in the hospital, after you stepped out of my ward, Dom appeared.” I clutched the cushion and forced myself to listen even though I knew I wasn’t going to like how the story was going to end. “I was wary of him at first but he made it seem like we were the best of friends. It was difficult not to start warming up to him. I was lost and he was there, willing to be my lighthouse. He told me things, filled me in on the blank memories I have lost. He told me that my mom had been ill but she was recovering well until you came along.” When he came to that part of the story, he finally averted his eyes and looked at me. I saw a trace of hatred in them and willed myself t
I woke up fairly late the next day to the pleasant chirping of birds. Ha. I wish. I woke up to the yelling of the boys. I groaned and cursed the barbarians. Couldn’t they just let me sleep in peace for once? I stretched on my bed, my body feeling sore everywhere. My back started cramping up while I was rolling on the bed, making me immediately stop stretching. I went into the bathroom with a set of fresh clothes to change into after washing myself. I quickly brushed my teeth and got out of my room. The voices were getting louder, as if the two of them were trying to out-scream each other; which was ridiculous. I thought these people were supposed to be adults. “People! Shut up!” I screamed at the top of my lungs when I finally found them. They were standing in the middle of the living room, facing each other off. Adam’s finger was digging into Preston’s chest as if he was trying to push the point he was tryin
I stared into the guarded eyes, only seeing hatred and anger seeping through them. The chiseled jaw locked in place, showing how determined he was in beating me, in avenging his brother. I felt my resolve and the determination that was swirling in my pit dissolve for a split second when I remembered why he was doing this. Don’t I deserve to be beaten to death? Wouldn’t I have done the same for Bryant? Was what I did to Bryant, killing him, not big enough of a sin on my part? Am I even worthy of any redemption? Do I even have the right to walk on this Earth for all the things I’ve done? I hesitated for only a split second but that was all the opening Cole needed to slam me down on the ground. He kept me fixed on the spot with his bare hand. “You took everything away from my brother. Do you not have a conscience?! Don’t you feel any remorse?!” He screamed at my face and I can feel some of his spit hit the side
It was safe to say that I was not emotionally stable the night that I was supposed to fight. But I don’t really have a choice, do I? I was standing right beside the stairs that led to the fighting ring, the crowd’s roars ringing in my ears. It repulsed me how excited they were to watch such violence and it repulsed me even more when I remembered I was providing them that entertainment. It made my stomach churn but I quickly got a grip of myself. I’ve made the decision that I can’t let myself get killed. Too much was at stake. I was so close to having my family and all the people I love within safety. I just needed to beat Cole. But I have to climb my way up that ladder first; by fighting every guy I have to fight to get there. I needed to do whatever it took. Anyone who took a good look at me would see how unstable I was. The scorning looks I got from the woman who called me out from the dressing room was proof of that. Sh
I woke up the next day with swollen eyes and hair sticking up everywhere. I had a blocked nose and a limp in my steps from that kick I delivered during the fight. I felt like complete and utter shit. I decided that a hot chocolate with some marshmallows might help. I got out of my bed to make myself the drink, grabbing my phone with me to check my notifications. Monic’s message was the first one to catch my eyes. She wrote a whole paragraph asking how I was doing. I knew she had been busy with her finals and she had the whole drama with Jake. Apparently, there was a girl hitting on Jake. After she discovered Dom’s betrayal, I guess it made her develop serious trust issues towards everyone. It was affecting their relationship and it hurt me to see how much Dom’s betrayal was disrupting her happiness too. I didn’t want to worry her even more so I decided to build an image where everything was under control and that every
The car had toppled over and had landed on its side. Casey was under me. I could feel the liquid that drenched my eyelids, preventing me from cracking my eyes open. I felt the pressure on my arm that laid under Casey's head to protect it from the jostling that happened as the car swerved and fell sideways. I couldn't feel my lower half either but from the movements that Casey made under me, I knew that I've successfully cocooned her.Through the blinding pain, I heard Casey's cries and screams over a faint hissing noise. Every movement she made that nudged any part of my body would flare a new set of pain that threatened to knock me out. But amidst the unbearable pain, I felt relief in my heart.My little sister was okay. She was alive. She was moving.That was all I needed.
I pulled up at the spot where I dropped Casey off earlier and got out of the car. I jogged to the front door where Casey stood, one of her friends hanging a few feet behind her with what looked like my sister's purse in her hands.I locked eyes with Casey and she started walking. I couldn't read her expression as she looked straight ahead and power walked towards me. I slowed down, ready to spread my arms to give her a hug, but she stepped past me and walked towards the car instead. I turned to look at her back as she continued walking before turning back to her friend, handing me Casey's stuff.Casey's friend gave me a look and shook her head, tipping me off on how bad it went. As I took Casey's bag from her and ran after my little sister who was already walking towards the car, I watched the drag in her steps, as if they were the heav
"Yeah, just drop by any time you feel like it, Bryant. I've got no plans tonight so I'll probably be home. I'll text you my address." General Reeves said through the phone."Thank you, General. I'll call you when I'm on my way there." I spoke into the phone before hanging up.It's been a few days since I last heard from Dom. If our fight the other day didn't happen, I wouldn't have thought much about his silence since we weren't the kind of friends who had to talk to each other every day to stay close but how we left things off the last time we met made me worried.I checked his social media account to see if he was active or had made any posts lately but found nothing that eased my worries. Maybe I was too hard on him..But wha
I shut the front door and locked it before taking off my shoes. Casey was laying sprawled on the living room couch in her pajamas, covered by a layer of blanket. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, head resting on a pillow propped up against the armrest and hands holding a spoon and an ice cream tub. The TV was playing one of the episodes of 'Salvation' on Netflix.When she heard me stroll into the living room, she raised her head and craned her neck to look at me. "You're home early," she commented, looking at the time displayed on her phone screen.It was only 6 p.m. so technically it was early. After staying for a few hours in the park, watching the sunset together, I told Maddy what I was planning and she understandingly agreed without any objections or complaints. I was lucky to have a supportive and understanding girlfriend.
I tilted my head up with my eyes closed, trying to just absorb the fresh air and let it cool my insides and help me relax.I opened my eyes and watched as the wind shook the branches of the tree we were sitting under. Fall was already here and winter was just right around the corner, approaching fast. The branches were already balding, giving it a bare look, making the tree seem almost naked without its green. The leaves that managed to stay on the branches had already turned colors, pulling different shades of orange, yellow and sometimes even a beautiful bright red. The sight made by the tree branches reaching out and creating a web right above us, mapping across the space between us and the sky, was entrancing, at least to me. I could never get enough of it.The sun was nowhere to be seen today, hidden behind some clouds. The air aro
"Leaving?" Casey asked me as she stirred her cereal and milk in a bowl for breakfast."Yeah, I'll be back by 10 p.m. tonight." I told her over the jiggle of my keys as I pocketed them. "Do you have any plans today?"Casey shook her head, "Get home as late as you'd like, I'm not a kid, I'll be alright. I'll just be chilling inside, binge watching netflix and enjoying my ice cream."I didn't want to argue with her about going home later. It was more for my peace of mind than anything else. For the past year, I've tried very hard to never let Casey be alone. Especially in an empty house late at night. Of course she didn't understand where my worries and anxiety was coming from but that's alright. I'll do the worrying and being the anxious one, she can live in blissful ignorance that comes
"You haven't forgotten what day tomorrow is, right?" Casey asked me while she dumped her things on the foot of her bed.I plopped on my bed beside hers and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I hummed in response to her question, laying my arm over my eyes to block the light streaming in through the window by my bed.When she didn't continue speaking, I raised my arm slightly and took a peek at her.Casey stood over me, staring me down with her hands propped on her hips."You totally forgot what tomorrow is, didn't you?" She asked again.I grunted in annoyance, prompting her to stop speaking in circles and just get to the point.I felt a slap l
I rang the doorbell and waited for a few minutes for Dom to answer it and let me in.I had the urge to look around to check if anyone was watching me while I was waiting but I didn't want to tip off the people watching if there were any. I didn't want to give them further reason to suspect that I was hiding something.Because I was, and they're not supposed to know that.It was a Saturday afternoon and it was way too shiny than I'd like it to be. The sun was beating down my back and it was starting to get uncomfortable, so I knocked on the door to rush Dom."Coming! Hold your bloody horses!" Dom cursed from behind the door as the door jiggled and swung open. Dom stepped aside once he saw it was me and let me in. "You're here."
We stepped into the restaurant and told them we had made a reservation under Johnson.A waiter led us to a table where a man in a collared shirt sat, talking into his phone.When he saw us approaching, he waved and said a few words into the phone before hanging up and stashing the device away, smiling widely at my parents."I thought you stood me up!" He joked, standing from his seat to warmly greet my parents with hugs.Dad slightly turned his body to let the man see Casey and I clearly."This is Bryant, my oldest." I smiled as Dad made the introductions, stepping forward and offering my hand.He took my hand and shook it firmly. H