‘Hell was about to break loose’ was all I could think of while I power walked down the corridor to where the ring was, I was feeling so much pent up anger in me and it wanted out. I know a lot of people have said it’s not smart to fight when you're angry but I wasn't feeling particularly smart. I wouldn’t count on coming out of this fight unscathed. They said your focus tends to be blunt when you’re angry. Your ability to predict your opponent’s next move decreases when you're angry. It was probably stupid to still enter the ring, filled with anger knowing all this. But again, I wasn't feeling particularly smart that night. I was risking everything, risking my family’s and my friends’ safety, and for what? For the guy who basically rejected me for a traitorous two-faced bitch, who’s also my brother’s murderer’s accomplice. Well, fuck you, Adam. I was just arriving at the bottom o
My sight tunneled in onto their hands. I tried to monitor my heartbeat because I know the slightest irregular rhythm would probably give me away. When I raised my eyes, I met Kiara’s twinkling ones. She was plastering a smile on her face. I think it was supposed to be a kind one but knowing how much of a snake she was, I saw straight through her act and caught the malice she was masking behind that smile. She was happy to see me like this. I heard the heartbeat monitor speed up as I breathed heavily. I brought the kids that were sitting by my sides closer to me as I glared at Adam in anger. How dare he bring that bitch into this room. Adam seemed unfazed by my glares and continued to lead Kiara and himself closer to my hospital bed. I hugged the kids tighter to my side and I saw Maddison holding Preston’s arm. I narrowed my eyes at Adam when he didn’t stop walking towards me. When I felt that he had reached the borders of my
I woke up early in the morning the next day and immediately washed up and used the spare toothbrush. I wasn’t in a particularly good mood considering what happened last night, but I tried to not to let it ruin my mood this early in the morning. I usually wouldn’t have bothered waking up so early but I simply couldn’t wait to leave as soon as I could. “Good morning,” I chirped to Jerry who was sipping on what I presumed was coffee. The smell that was wafting throughout the kitchen. He was eyeing the newspaper in his hand when I came in and his eyes briefly left the newspaper to look at me. He settled his mug on the kitchen counter and smiled at me. “Had a good rest?” He inquired mindlessly. I tried to make the strained smile into something that looked more genuine as I tried not to think about how I tossed and turned last night. The house was eerily quiet. It was understandable since it was only 6 and
It’s been 5 minutes of complete silence. It wasn’t unbearable - yet. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? Case, you’re officially an idiot. I looked at Adam, feeling bolder for some reason. I stared at how his eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he drove past cars. His eyes flew from the road in front of him to the sideview mirrors just before he switched lanes. ‘I’ve always envied his eyelashes’ I thought as I eyed them from where I was sitting beside him. They were thick and long and they made his green eyes stand out. It’s unfair really; I don’t think boys pay attention to details such as eyelashes and yet it’s like they’re gifted with thick and long eyelashes anyways. It’s such a waste if you ask me; why don’t you just give them to someone who’d appreciate it more. I watched how his lips were slightly pursed, his cheekbones looking slightly more prominent
Afterwards, Adam and I parted ways. I let him have the space he probably needed right now and rode back to my house to grab the things I needed for school. Should probably be pushed to the back of my mind with all these life and death situations popping left and right but my parents paid a hefty tuition fee. I might as well make the most of it while juggling the death threats as best as I could. Funnily enough, my pride might still get bruised if I saw a grade lower than an 80. I guess the nerd personality didn’t just wear off when high school ended. I had some notes to catch up on and to read over but I personally thought I was doing better than most would, considering my circumstances. I switched my bike with the car instead when I got home and tried to pack up a school bag as quick as possible to start my day on time. I tried to cover the bruises on my face with some concealer, but it turns out that a swollen eye was very difficult
My bruises didn’t heal as quickly as I wished they would but thankfully, it didn’t hurt as much anymore. I prayed that the adrenaline that I get every time I’m in the ring would be enough to numb the pain that came with any abrupt movements I make. I was doing the semi-finals today. The roaring crowds threatened to burst my eardrums as I shuffled from foot to foot and shook my hands to shake the nerves away. I was so close to the finals and ending this once and for all. I was so close to a life where I could be free from all this violence. Just two more fights and I can close this chapter once and for all. When my nickname was called, I climbed the steps to enter the ring. This time, I took the decency to glance at my opponent. What I saw was definitely not what I was expecting. There, standing a few feet away from me, at the other end of the ring, was Cole. He had a murderous glint in his eyes as he watched me like a hawk
“Hey, Case.” He greeted with a small smile as he shuffled on the spot where he stood. “You were great up there,” he sounded hesitant, as if he was unsure of whether or not it was the right thing to say. I smiled weakly at him, “Thanks.” I took my bag and hitched it on my shoulder, gritting my teeth as I started walking towards the door. I’ve always thought that the throbbing kind of pain was the most annoying one. “Here, let me help you with that,” Adam offered as he took my bag from me. Normally, I would’ve protested because I was annoyingly stubborn like that but with the state I was in, I didn’t have it in me to argue about something so insignificant. I had my keys in my hand and I clenched my hands into fist. The feel of the keys digging into my skin helped clear my mind from the immense pain I was feeling with every movement. I walked out with Adam through the back doo
Two days after the fight and I still felt as roughed up as I did an hour after the fight. Rolling around and out of bed was not an option because every move I made forced a grunt out of my lips. I still had to go to school today and with the way I was limping everywhere, I’d need a miracle for it to go unnoticed around school. I didn’t want to miss a day of school unless it was a life and death situation so calling in sick was definitely not an option. When my alarm went off, I gingerly stepped out of bed and tried to make as little movements as I could. I carefully made my way to my closet and took some clothes to change into before limping away into the toilet. To say that every movement ached like a bitch was an understatement and I could only pray that it’d all dull away somehow before my last fight. I needed to win, badly. I could only hope my opponent would be in a worse condition than I was. It’s probably
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