“Crawl to the bed,” he told my mother.
My mom rose to her hands and knees. Loud body-wracking sobs escaped her mouth.
“Stand up, take down your pants and panties, then bend over the bed,” John instructed my mother as he walked over to her.
He took off his black belt and started hitting my mother on her rear with hard, violent lashes. My mother screamed out in pain. He took down his pants and started fucking my mom right in front of me.
At the time, I had no idea what was happening. I pissed on myself. He beat the shit out of me that night and made me scrub the floor afterwards.
I was a scared little boy, afraid for my mother and myself. My small body was shaking so violently that my teeth clanked together. The room was big and filled with strange looking things. It wasn’t until later that I found out what those things were. The instruments he used to torture his victims. I remember the look on his face when he inflicted the pain—he loved it. I still have nightmares about that night.
When John left bruises on my mother after a severe beating, he would lock her in the room until she healed. My mother was a housewife, so her absence wasn’t noticeable most of the time. When someone did inquire about her, my father would say she was sick, visiting family, or some other lie.
The older I became the more John’s control over me slipped. Now, I’m completely out of control. John knows not to fuck with me. I’m now the monster he always wanted me to be.
I make my way to my room. I’m restless. It’s going to take me a while to fall asleep tonight. I need to release some of my pent-up energy and anger. I want to hurt somebody tonight.
Cocoa’s image materializes in my mind.
I’m already wearing a t-shirt and the black basketball shorts I changed into after my shower at school. I call Dee.
“Can you spot me tonight?” I ask.
“Come on, you can’t be serious.”
“Are you coming or not?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Call Nix and tell him to be ready.”
I grab the bag I need for my night-time excursion and then leave the house.
I pull up outside the abandoned warehouse two towns over about an hour later. There are plenty of cars out here, tonight. Dee, Nix, and I exit my jeep to make our way to the entrance.
Travis stands from his stool when he sees us approaching.
“Hey Mav, haven’t seen you here in a while. Go on in, Hugh will be glad to see you.”
We walk inside to the stench of sweat and blood in the air. The shouts from spectators, who form a circle around two men beating the shit out of each other, is deafening. I make my way through the crowd to Hugh who stands at the front of the crowd. A big smile forms across his lips when he sees me.
“Follow me.”
Hugh runs the fight club. We follow him over to the guy who announces the fights. I always make a couple of grand, sometimes more, when I fight, but for me, it’s not about the money. It’s the adrenaline rush, the pleasure I feel breaking a motherfucker’s bones, inflicting pain.
“Mav the Merciless is here, tonight. Add him to the books now. After this fight is over, put him on next.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Hugh walks back into the crowd to resume his spot.
“You haven’t been here in a while. What brought this on?” asks Nix.
I don’t answer him. Dee and Nix exchange looks. They know that, if I don’t want to answer a question, nothing they do or say can make me respond. My reasoning is not something I want to discuss. They both know how fucked my childhood was. They know my father is a deranged lunatic. They get me, so they don’t judge me.
I walk over to an empty chair to the left, throwing my bag to Dee. I pull my shirt over my head as I sit down. Dee takes the empty chair next to me and places it directly in front of me, then sits down. He wraps my hands, pulls on my boxing gloves, puts a mouthguard in my mouth, and then slathers my face in Vaseline.
“Next on the books are Mav the Merciless and Herb the Hurricane,” says the announcer over the speakers.
I rise from my seat, walking through the crowd to meet my opponent in the middle. Herb is a big burley motherfucker, with wild, thinning red hair and a mustache. This should be light work, but I never underestimate my opponent. When the bell rings, we circle each other. He swings, connecting with my jaw. I shake my head to regain my focus.
Shit, he caught me sleeping.
I need to clear my mind and get in my zone. I deliver a jab to his ribs and a combo to his torso.
He swings, I duck this time.
A left jab followed by a right to the face, then an elbow to the throat. After a right to the temple, he falls to the ground. I know he’s not coming back from that. The crowd goes wild.
The next day, I arrive in physics class on time. When Maverick walks in, I do a double-take. He has a busted lip and a cut above his left eye.
Did that happen during football practice?
“What the fuck are you looking at?” he asks as he sits down.
“Let’s get one thing straight, we’re partners, so we have to work together, whether we like it or not. I tried to persuade Mr. Barnes to assign me a different partner, but he refused. This project is thirty-percent of our grade, that’s a big deal. We need to get together to figure out what we’re going to do.”
“I’m not doing shit, just let me know when you’re done.”
“Excuse me? I’m not doing this project alone.”
“Yes, you are, or you’re getting a zero.”
“You fucking bastard.”
“No. I’m not just a fucking bastard, I’m a motherfucking bastard.”
He’s right, I won’t risk getting a zero, and I really want to get into a good college. I won’t let this jackass ruin my opportunity. I’m going to complete this project alone, not for him, but for myself. I face the front of the class, planning to ignore him.
After a while, I can see Maverick watching me from the corner of my eye, so I look over at him. “Stop staring at me.”
Before I can figure out what he’s about, he jams his hands between my thighs, forcing them apart underneath the table, his fingertips brushing my cotton-covered vagina.
“If you call attention to us, I’ll tell the teacher that you asked me to play with your pussy in front of the whole class. You’ll be labeled a slut.”
My hands are digging into the flesh of his arm, drawing blood.
“There’s a lot of heat down here between your thick thighs, hiding the treasure I know is there,” he whispers in my ear.
We’re in the back of the classroom, so what’s happening is going unnoticed.
His finger burrows beneath my panties to press against my clit causing me to whimper.
“Are you wet?”
“Stop it, Maverick.” I close my eyes. “Please, stop.”
“When you beg, I get turned on more.”
When the bell rings, I jump up and run from the class. I look back as I walk through the door to see Maverick sucking his finger.
At lunch, I’m still on edge from what happened in physics class today. I would be lying to myself if I said what he did to me didn’t feel amazing. I’m not a virgin, but I’ve never felt so overwhelmed just by a touch. I shouldn’t have enjoyed his hand on my clit. He’s a racist bully.
A touch from the fucking devil.
“Where’s Lucy?” I ask.
“She left her book bag in second period, so had to go back to get it,” says Jamal.
“Oh, here she comes now,” says Kate.
Lucy stops at the lunch line to get some food. When I turn my head, my eyes connect with Maverick’s from across the cafeteria. I quickly avert my gaze. Lucy is walking across the cafeteria. Victoria and her bitches are walking from the right. They’re going to cross paths, but Lucy doesn’t see it, because she’s looking straight ahead, walking towards our table. I get a bad feeling. Victoria can easily avoid bumping in
to Lucy, but I know she won’t. When Lucy steps directly in front of Victoria’s path, she pushes her hard. Lucy crashes to the floor, dropping her tray. All chatter in the cafeteria stops.
“Stay out of my way, bitch.”
I jump up from my chair, walking over to Lucy. Jamal and Kate follow. I help Lucy up. She’s so timid, her bottom lip is wobbling, and she’s on the verge of crying.
I turn to Victoria. “Try that with me, right now. I dare you.”
“Cocoa,” Jamal warns.
“You better listen to your faggot friend.”
Victoria and her bitches walk away.
“Thank you for standing up for me, but I don’t want you to give them a reason to go after you,” says Lucy.
“They’re already after me. Come on, I’ll walk with you to the line for more lunch.”
I’m almost positive that Lucy was targeted because of me. I know they saw me sitting and talking with Kate, Lucy, and Jamal yesterday.
Lucy asked me to go to the football field so that she can photograph players while they practice. I really wanted to say no, but I think she’s a little afraid to be here alone after what happened at lunch. So here I am, watching Maverick while he practices. The way he runs across the field in a burst of speed, the way his muscles ripple as he jumps in the air to catch the football, and the way his tight ass moves…
It’s always the assholes who look that good.
Maverick occasionally looks at me from where I sit on the bleachers, probably thinking of ways to make my life a living hell. My thoughts drift back to this morning in physics class, but that’s dangerous territory, so I shut the thought down. After Lucy takes all the pictures she wants, I head to my car to drive to work. Harry is as creepy as I thought he was going to be, way too touchy-feely. I thought I was going to have to talk to Mary about it if the behavior didn’t stop, but after his break last night, he didn’t come near me. I’m hoping that’s the way it stays.
I was a fucking beast at practice today, giving one-hundred-and-ten-percent. I saw Cocoa sitting in the bleachers and didn’t want her to see me as a fumbling ass during practice. I have to get her out of my system. Fucking her is inevitable, and once that happens, something tells me both our worlds will be fucked up. My body is still sore from the damn fight and my ribs are bruised. I’ll need to put an ice pack on them when I get home, but I like the pain, it keeps me from going to a dark place. I don’t want to remember the hotel visits with the prostitutes. I don’t want to remember the hell that my childhood was.
Maverick kept his hands to himself in physics class on Thursday. That probably had something to do with me crossing my legs in a death grip. A crowbar couldn’t have pried them apart. During lunch, I learned more about my new friends. Kate is a foster child, her parents died in a car crash when she was only eight years old. She has no other family members that she’s aware of. I can’t imagine losing both parents. The untimely death of my father nearly destroyed my mother and me. Lucy doesn’t know who her father is. Her mother works as a manager at the local grocery store, and Lucy works there, too, a few days a week after school. Jamal’s parents are both drug addicts, so he’s been living with his aunt, uncle, and little cousins for the past few years. I’m happy I made at least a few friends in this hell. I received the same snide remarks from Queen Bitch and her minions in P.E, but I was quick with my responses, which pissed them off.
After school, I plan an impromptu trip to the mall in Charleston to do a little shopping. I ask Jamal, Kate, and Lucy to go with me, but Lucy has work.
“You guys can ride with me. I’ll stop by the school to drop you guys off by your cars on the way back.”
I send my mom a quick text message, letting her know to expect me home late today. As I’m driving down the highway, Jamal, Kate, and I loudly sing “Time of Our Lives” Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo. It feels so good to let loose and have a great time with good people. Music helps me to release tension in my body.
First, I find a spa for a Brazilian wax – hopefully there’s an opening.
“You get a Brazilian wax?” asks Kate.
“Yes, I started getting Brazilian waxes my junior year.”
I laugh at the horrified look on Kate’s face.
“Doesn’t it hurt?” she asks as I open the door to enter the spa.
“Sure, at first, but the pain lessens with each wax.”
I walk to the front desk to see a very beautiful associate. She has perfectly styled hair, manicure, makeup, and expensive clothes.
“Hello. How may I help you?”
“I would like to know if there’s an opening for a Brazilian wax today.”
“I’ll have to check the schedule first. Please give me a few minutes.”
“Absolutely.”
We each take a seat in the waiting area.
“Kate, you should try a wax today. Start off with a simple bikini wax where they just clean you up a little down there.”
“Maybe next time, I want to think about it first.”
The associate looks up from the schedule. “It looks like our Esthetician, Shelby, has an opening at 5:15 p.m. Can you wait for fifteen minutes?”
“Sure.”
Forty-five minutes later we arrive at the mall.
We walk around, each of us making purchases before heading to the food court for dinner.
While we’re at a table eating, a group of boys walk over.
“So, you guys go to Montgomery Academy?” asks the boy with the black hair and gray eyes.
“Yeah, so? What’s your point?” I ask.
I notice Jamal and Kate have petrified looks on their faces.
Jamal, Kate, and I are still in uniform.
The boy laughs.
What the hell is going on?
“May we sit down?”
“Sure, it’s a free country.”
Jamal and Kate look even more alarmed.
Black hair and two other boys sit at our table.
“My name is Jake. This is Matt and Joe.”
Matt has sun-kissed hair with two shades of blond, and light brown eyes. Joe’s hair is dark brown, and it’s tied in a ponytail secured at the nape of his neck, and he has blue eyes.
“My name is Cocoa, that’s Jamal and Kate. Do you attend Montgomery Academy?” I ask.
None of these boys look familiar to me. They’re not wearing school uniforms either. They’re big and muscular, so I’m assuming they must be football players. All three of them are really good-looking.
“Fuck no,” says Matt as he laughs.
“What’s funny?” I ask.
“We attend Louisville High School,” says Joe.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
I swear Jamal and Kate are sweating bullets.
“We’re a part of the Jaguars football team,” says Jake.
I’m getting exasperated. “Again, is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“You really don’t know?” Jake asks.
I’m losing my patience. “Know what?” I snap.
“We’re Montgomery Academy rivals,” Joe says.
“Am I supposed to care?”
“You don’t have the school spirit?” asks Jake, chuckling.
“I’m here to get an education. I don’t want any part of any rival bullshit. By the end of the summer next year, I won’t even be here and none of this bullshit will matter.”
Jake looks intrigued.
“Is this your first year at Montgomery Academy?” asks Jake.
“Yep. Is Louisville High a private school?”
“No, we’re just regular common folk,” answers Joe, sarcastically.
“Trust me, I’m common, too.”
“Where are you from?” asks Jake.
“Los Angeles.”
“How do you like small-town life?” asks Matt.
“Not much, I’m used to a fast-paced lifestyle. Small-town life isn’t for me. Is the Spanish Inquisition over?”
“I like a fei
sty girl,” says Jake.
I roll my eyes at him.
“Well, we have to get going,” I tell him as I stand up to dispose of my garbage.
“Do you want my cell phone number?” asks Jake.
“Why would I want your cell phone number?”
“I can be a friend to you. I always have a few parties during the school year, and you strike me as an outgoing girl who likes to have fun,” answers Jake.
He’s right. I doubt any of my peers at Montgomery Academy will invite me to any of their parties. There’s nothing wrong with making a few more friends. I take out my cell phone.
“What’s your cell number?”
I key his number in.
“I’ll send you a text so that you can have my cell number, too.”
As soon as we walk out of earshot of the boys, Jamal starts talking. “You can’t hang out with them.”
“Why?”
“Montgomery is a football town. They take games and rivals really serious. It’s like the town’s lifeblood.”
“If you’re seen with them, a target will be put on your back by and every student at Montgomery Academy will be after you,” Kate adds. “You’ll be seen as a traitor who consorts with the enemy.”
“The enemy? Jesus, it’s just high school football.” I laugh.
Jamal and Kate don’t find humor in my comment.
“Come on, I know you both mean well, but I’m going to do what I want. I don’t dance to the beat of other people. I have my own rhythm. It’s not like I’m going to advertise that I’ll be going to Jake’s parties.”
We leave the mall to head back to Montgomery.
When I arrive home later that night, my mother is sitting on the sofa in the living room. She stops working on her laptop when I enter the house.
“Hey baby, did you have a good time at the mall?”
“Wonderful. I met a few hot boys, had a Brazilian wax, and bought a few things.”
“Good. I wanted to make sure we had a few minutes to catch up today. I feel like I’ve been neglecting you since the move. Things have been hectic. I want you to know that I’m here if you need to talk.”
I LIKE THE WAY YOU HURT: A Dark Interracial High School Bully Romance Page 6
