“Before you even say anything, Maddy, you’re not going, either,” Carter says, without even looking up from his plate.
She holds her hands up in surrender, “Hey, I wasn’t even going to try. Good luck, though, Shawn.”
“Thanks, Mads.”
“Well, since I don’t have to answer to either of you cavemen, maybe I’ll go.” Carter and Jason’s heads both swing in Holly’s direction.
“Like hell you are,” Carter says. He’s always been really protective over her—we all have. She’s like a little sister to all of us, no matter how old she is.
She narrows her eyes at him, clearly ready for war. “You are not my father, Carter, and you can’t—”
“I may not be your father, Holly, but there is no way in hell you are going there, even if I have to tie your ass to a chair.” Knowing him, he probably would.
Holly starts laughing and we all look at her like she’s losing her mind. “Chill out! I wasn’t really going to go, I just wanted to see you freak out. If I did want to, though, I would.” She stands up from the table. “However, I have a date tonight.”
I think Carter’s mouth drops open and almost hits the floor. “With who?”
“None of your business.”
“It definitely is my business. Who is he and how do you know him?”
“Jesus, Carter, you really need to calm down. His name is Josh and I met him online.”
That’s it. His face is so red I think he’s actually going to burst a blood vessel, or have a heart attack. “Online? So you don’t even know him? Are you stupid? Don’t you know what could happen?”
“Ugh! God! I’m not meeting him anywhere. It’s an online date—we are just signing on at the same time to talk.” Carter and J both look at each other and start laughing hysterically. “What is so funny?”
“Hol, you know his name probably isn’t even Josh, right?” Jason barely chokes out the sentence in between laughing. “His name is probably Marvin, and he is a forty year old man with a beard and a beer belly.” With that, everyone at the table starts laughing with them, and Holly starts to walk away. “Come on, I’m sure it’s a really nice beer belly!”
She flips us all the middle finger as she reaches the door and leaves. Everyone else slowly makes their way out, leaving just Christen and me. “Well, that was interesting.” She smiles at me and then I remember her mentioning she wants to go tonight. “Listen, can I ask why you want to go tonight?”
“I want to go and support you. I know it isn’t something you’re proud of, but if it’s something you’re going to do, then you should let us be there for you.”
“I’m going to say something but feel free to let me know if it’s out of line.” She nods. “We barely know each other, except for sharing mutual friends, and you could probably have any guy you want on campus. Why would you want to start something with me? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely interested in you. I just don’t have much to offer you.” I know I should be more confident, but Christen is the first girl I have ever met that intimidates me.
She looks really annoyed and I instantly regret what I said. “I’m guessing this is because the boys told you my family has money?” She stands up from the table, “You know, coming from money doesn’t define a person or dictate what they want. I didn’t think, considering the situation you’re in, that you would be so judgmental and so quick to place stereotypes on people.”
She starts to walk away and I feel like an asshole. I didn’t mean to offend her, I just don’t understand why she’s interested in me. I really have nothing to offer her. I get up, follow her out of the building, and catch up to her just as she’s reaching her car, “Christen, wait.”
She turns around and stands there, waiting for me to say something. I rub the back of my neck and shuffle my feet as I try to come up with something to say. I feel like an idiot just standing here, but I really can’t think of even one intelligent thought. After a minute, she opens her car door, gets in, and drives away.
I’m such an idiot.
Chapter Four
Christen
I slam the front door and walk into the living room, only to find Nicole sitting on the couch with a pint of ice cream, “You look like you need to join me.”
“I do, I’ll be right down.” I go upstairs to get changed, grab some ice cream, and sit down on the couch. Nicole looks over at me as if to ask me what is wrong, “You first.”
“Nothing, just Jason being damn unreasonable as always.” I raise my eyebrows at her. “What? This one was so not my fault! All I said to him was that maybe he should come home with me this weekend and try to work shit out with his mom. Then he got all pissed at me because I was even going home at all. I mean, what does he expect me to do, go on strike till my dad dumps the wicked witch?” Jason and Nicole had discovered that her stepmom was in reality Jason’s mom who had abandoned him as a kid. This revelation almost tore them apart.
I don’t envy their situation at all. “Nic, you have to understand this is something that he isn’t ready to deal with.”
“I get it, but that doesn’t mean he gets to order me around like he’s my keeper. He even did it earlier at lunch when he told me I wasn’t allowed to go to the fight.” She groans in frustration.
“Stop pretending like you don’t love him acting like an alpha male.”
“Oh, I definitely love the alpha. I just want him to be one and still let me win the arguments.” We both start to laugh. “What’s up with you? Rocky Balboa screw it up already?”
I eat a huge spoonful of ice cream. “You know how long I’ve been into him, but I don’t know if it will work. I’ve had a thing for him since the first day we met last summer, but all he can focus on is the fact that my family has money. He keeps saying he doesn’t get why I’m into him and everything, but why does he have to get it? We are drawn to people based on feelings, not logic.” I have never been one to judge someone on appearances or what they have. That’s the way my parents are and I hate it.
“He’s an idiot, but I went through the same shit with J. Hopefully, Rocky wises up faster than he did. It took me forever to nail that boy down.”
She takes the movie she was watching when I walked in off pause. “What is this?”
“Girl, I have no idea, but it has Channing Tatum in it and that’s good enough for me.”
After about a half hour, we hear the door open and look up to see Jason standing in the doorway to the living room. He doesn’t say a word to us, he just stares at Nicole.
“Take a picture, it will last longer.” I look over at Nicole and she sticks her tongue out at him. I have to laugh at how juvenile they’re acting. Before she knows what hits her, Jason stalks over to the couch, picks her up and throws her over his shoulder. She screams and reaches out for me to help her, but there’s no way I’m getting involved. She curses at him the entire time he carries her up the stairs, and a few seconds later, I hear her bedroom door slam.
I just laugh to myself. I swear, I think the only thing those two like more than fighting is making up. My phone beeps, and when I look down at it, I see a message from Shawn.
Shawn: I get it, I was an ass. I should have never made assumptions about you. Do you really want to come that bad?
Me: Kind of, I want to see what it’s all about.
Shawn: Alright, I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty.
Me: Okay.
I smile to myself, gloating at my small victory. I really am excited, and if I’m being honest, I can’t wait to see him with his shirt off again. What am I going to wear? I mean, last time I had no idea where I was going, so I didn’t put much thought into it. Now that I’m going, I’m completely over-thinking it.
Holly comes home in the midst of me emptying out my entire closet. “What are you doing?”
I’m currently sitting on the floor in defeat, surrounded by clothes and shoes. “Shawn is going to take me with him tonight, and I have absolutely no idea what to wear.”
“I don’t know, Holls, I just don’t want to seem out of place. I think it’s because I’m really nervous, too.”
“Nervous about what? The fight?” She sits down on the floor next to me.
“Ugh, no. I’m nervous about how things will be with me and Shawn. You know I’ve had a thing for him for a while, and I guess I just want things to go well.”
She stands up, pulling me with her, “Stop stressing out, Chris. Just be yourself, and if Rocky doesn’t like it, then he’s an idiot.”
“Rocky? What is up with you guys calling him that?”
She laughs and starts to walk out of the room. “Nic said it earlier and I think it’s funny.”
I just shake my head and start to put away all of the clothes scattered everywhere. As I get dressed, I can’t help but think about what I’m getting myself into tonight. What if he gets hurt or the fight gets out of hand?
Shawn
On my way to pick up Christen, I start to regret saying she could come. There are constantly fights breaking out in the crowd because people get way too carried away. I have no idea how I’m going to be able to keep an eye on her during the fight and manage to not get my ass kicked. I’ve never lost, which has been great, but I have also never had to worry about anything other than the fight.
I pull up outside the house and am about to get out, when I see the door open. Jason comes out and starts to walk toward me, “You’re really taking her there tonight?”
“Yeah, why?” I shrug as if it’s no big deal, when a second ago I was second guessing it.
He shakes his head, “You know if anything happens to her, Holly will kick your ass, right? Then Carter will kick your ass if Holly hurts herself doing it.” I laugh and he raises his eyebrows at me. “Seriously.”
I hear the front door shut again and this time it’s Christen. She has on jeans with a few rips on both legs, and they hug her so that every curve is on display. I’m definitely regretting taking her now. Her shirt is a pink v-neck that makes her skin look really tan.
Jason looks back at me with a smirk, “Good luck.”
Christen and I get in the car and she smiles at me, “Hey.”
“Hey, you ready?” She nods her head and I start the car.
The car ride is quiet, and now that we’re sitting in the parking lot, I really don’t want to go in. I’m trying to get into my, ‘I don’t give a shit’ frame of mind, but it’s hard with her here.
“Is something wrong?”
“Um…I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with all of this.”
“All of what?” I can tell she’s confused and I don’t know how to say what I’m thinking to her. I have never really been good with words.
“I don’t know—you being here, me feeling like I won’t be able to concentrate, worrying that a fight is going to break out and that you’re going to get hurt.”
“I’ll be fine; I was there at your last fight.” The difference is, I didn’t know she was there last time. I look at the clock on my dash and see that the fight is starting in fifteen minutes.
“Alright, come on.” We get out of the car and head through the back entrance of the warehouse. As we work our way through the people in the hallway, I grab Christen’s hand. I have this overwhelming need to stake my claim and let everyone know she is with me. Guys here can be really forward and I want them to know she is off limits. I see every guy we pass eyeing her and I want to kill them all. A couple days ago, Christen was just Holly’s friend who hung around sometimes. Now it feels like something has changed.
She sparked my interest the other night when she came after me, and since then, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head. She has this mix of innocence and sex appeal, which is enough to drive me crazy. I want to make her mine and make it known to everyone around. Her hand is no longer enough for me. I pull her beside me and snake my arm around her waist. I glance down at her to gauge her reaction, and when she smiles up at me, I know I’m completely screwed.
Andrew comes walking up to me, “You ready?” I nod my head at him. “Who is this?”
His eyes travel up and down Christen’s body and my hand clenches into a tight fist. What the hell is going on with me? “This is Christen, Christen this is Andrew.”
She smiles at him, and the way he looks back at her makes my blood boil. I can’t believe I’m this damn worked up. I’ve had my share of girls—but never anything too serious—and I’ve never wanted to break someone in half just for looking at them. “When are we starting?”
“They are finishing up one now, and then you’ll be up.”
I walk past him to the room where I usually get changed. I close the door behind us and start to get the tape and stuff out to wrap my hands.
“Do you need any help?”
I look over at her and she’s standing near the door, seemingly unsure of what to do.
“Sure. I need to tape up my hands.”
She walks over, and when she grabs the tape from my hand, it feels like a bolt of lightning shoots through me. I guide her through the process of taping me up, and when she finishes both hands, I glance back up at her.
She’s normally about a foot shorter than me, but since I’m sitting on the arm of the chair, we’re at eye level. When I look at her, she has this look in her eyes that is telling me she wants me. On top of that, the way she’s biting down on her bottom lip is driving me insane. I lift my hand up, freeing her lip from her teeth with my thumb, and then gently drag my thumb across her lip. Moving my hand around to the back of her head, I thread my fingers through her silky hair.
She lowers her head, resting her forehead against mine. I put my other hand on her hip and pull her closer to me, causing her breathing to speed up. When I press my lips against hers, she lets out a small moan, and the last bit of control I had been holding onto disappears. I lift her so she’s now straddling me and she wraps her hands around my neck while her legs grip my waist. I’m so engrossed in her, it’s like even though I have her now, it still isn’t enough.
A loud banging on the door makes us jump. “Come on, lover boy! You’re up!”
I let out a groan, “I’m gonna kill him.” She laughs and I lower her back down to the floor. I grab the bottom of my shirt and lift it over my head. “Will you hold this for me?” I ask as I hand her the shirt. When I notice the look in her eye, I’m tempted to just say screw the fight and take her home with me. “You keep looking at me like that and I will never make it out there.” She smiles and her cheeks start to turn red. I grab her hand and we make our way out to Hell. Her grip on my hand tightens as we get closer. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
I walk up to Andrew as he turns to me, “Hey, it’s about time.”
I turn to Christen, “I want you to stay here. Don’t move from this spot, okay?”
“Okay. Good luck.” I can tell she’s nervous by the way her hands keep twirling her hair and her teeth keep biting her lip. I lean down, give her a quick kiss, and then face the crowd as Andrew is finishing his speech.
Hopefully, I can keep an eye on her and still be able to win the fight.
Chapter Five
Christen
I’m still on edge from what happened a few minutes ago, and now, standing here watching him without his shirt on is definitely not helping. His opponent, Carlos, is nothing compared to Shawn. They are about the same height, but Shawn is definitely more built. The guy keeps throwing punches, but Shawn is moving so fast none of them ever make contact.
After he dodges another one, Shawn swings around and punches him in the side. Carlos backs away, grabbing his side in pain, and it seems as if he’s trying to catch his breath. Shawn takes advantage of this and throws a number of punches, one after the other. Carlos slumps over, and I can see Shawn say something to him, but he only shakes his head. Shawn thro
ws one more punch and Carlos goes down like a brick.
Paul announces the winner and the same look on Shawn’s face that was there the other night is present now. He’s trying to pretend like this is what he wants—like he’s happy—but if you take a deeper look, you can see this is the last place he wants to be. His eyes focus on that same spot in the back of the room, and he never makes eye contact with any of his cheering fans. He walks toward me and I need to remind myself how to breathe. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful man in my life, and it definitely doesn’t hurt that he’s shirtless and covered in sweat, either.
He is stripping the tape from his hands as he walks toward me. He grabs my hand and we start to walk back to the door we used when we entered the warehouse. When we reach the door¸ he takes the shirt out of my hand and puts it on. We make our way out to the car, and the whole time I’m trying to figure out what happens now. Does he need to unwind? Is he tired? Does he want to do something or just take me home? Does he expect something to happen now? I really enjoyed making out with him, but there is no way I’m going to sleep with him already.
He starts the car and then turns to me, “So?”
“So…what?”
“So, what do you want to do?” He looks over at me and I squirm under his intense gaze.
“Um…I don’t know.”
“Okay, well I’m kind of hungry. You okay with maybe going back to the apartment and ordering some food?” I expected him to be wired or anxious after the fight, but he is talking as if nothing just happened.
“Sure.” He pulls out of the parking lot and the entire car smells like him; it’s intoxicating. I lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes.
Fight For Me Page 3
