We start sparring easy enough where we can still talk. I tell him about last night expecting him to be mad that I went to Colman’s house by myself but all he says is, “I don’t know why you keep helping that girl. You don’t owe her anything. She is not your problem.”
His words spark a burst of anger in me and I give him a right hook that would knock out most men. Hunter of course is not most men and recovers quickly.
“Jesus dude, maybe we need to keep the little girl around here tonight. Let you get really mad before the fight.”
The thought of Elisa in this place scares and excites me at the same time. I want her by my side at all the times so I know she is safe but imagining her down here is like seeing a white dove in a sea of ravens.
“I don’t need someone to get me mad, I have enough build up anger to last me a lifetime.”
Hunter nods, he knows I’m right. That's why I am the only one of us still fighting. We used to all fight, that's how we made all our money. Once Hunter and Colt started losing, they moved into other lucrative business, all of them illegal of course. Hunter mostly loans out money for a hefty interest rate and combines that with high stakes poker games. Colt does what we like to call the dirty work. He sells every drug known to men and has a high-class escort service with a wide selection of girls. The most lucrative aspect of everything we do, is that we have dirt on about everybody in town. Favors and information is more valuable that money nowadays.
“Did Colt talk to you yet about tonight?” Hunter asks in between punches.
“What about?”
“Him betting against you and you throwing the fight.”
I shake my head.
“This shit again?” He has asked me at least fifty times over the years and my answer has always been the same. Hell no.
Four Years ago
The metal door locks in place behind me and the crowd around us roars in excitement. This place smells of sweat, blood and alcohol. I turn and look at the guy in front of me. We are about the same size but he is older than me and has experience fighting. He steps forward and throws the first punch, hitting me on the side of my head, making it throb in pain. I put my hands up closer to my face and move back a little. He comes at me again. This time landing two punches in a row. The crowed is cheering on the other guy. People screaming at him to take me out. I move to the side, twist around and hit him twice, I make contact but not enough to cause any damage. He reciprocates with a right hook into my stomach knocking the breath out of me. When I bend over a bit to catch my breath he jabs me a few times in the back of the head. I stagger to the side, almost falling over but catch myself on the metal bars and pull myself up. The crowd is going wild now. The noise is making my ears hurt, the sweat running down my face is burning my eyes and the smells surrounding me is making my stomach churn.
I face him again, take a step towards him and throw a right hook myself, he dodges it and grabs me by the neck, throwing me against the side of the cage. I look into the crowed. Colt and Hunter standing a few feet away looking alarmed. Everybody else is laughing, cheering and yelling at us. It the middle of the crowd I see a blond-haired girl staring at me with her big blue eyes. She looks older than I am, but she somehow reminds me of Elisa. It has been eight years since I saw her last and I still think about her frequently. I wonder if she would ever be in a place like this. I hope not.
The guy strengthens his grip on my neck, pulls back my head and slams my face into the siding of the metal cage. I try to push myself off but his grip is too strong and he is pinning me down with his body weight. When he pulls my head back once more, I brace myself for another face slam. The crowd reached a new level of wild, insane would be a more accurate term. Even the girl that made me think of Elisa is shouting now. That’s when I feel the blood trickling down my forehead. The picture of a little girl sitting in my tiny room, with blood running down her face, enters my mind. That’s when it hits me. Anger, sadness, loss, helplessness and fear all flooding me at once. A surge of strength I didn’t know I had, powers me and I push him off my back. I turn back to face rival. He is wearing a smug smile, proud of his victory. Then he looks into my eyes, his smirk fades and turns into something. Fear.
I can’t smell anything anymore, I stop hearing and seeing the crowd. All thoughts disappear from my mind and I operate on pure instinct. My body and mind have gone numb. My fists are hitting my opponent with staggering accuracy and great force. He gets in a few punches in between, but I don’t feel them and they don’t slow me down. I keep hitting him until he goes down to the ground and then I hit him some more. I hit and hit, until he stops moving under me completely.
Chapter Seven
Elisa
Imake it through the whole school day without anyone noticing my split lip or noticing me in general. I’m just about to walk out of the door after the bell rings. Unexpectedly, three girls stop me by building a wall in front of me and block the way. They are all older than me, all seniors and part of what I would call the cool kids.
“Where the hell did you get that shirt?” One of them asks in a tone that is more of an accusation that a question.
I just stare at her confused. What an odd question. Why would she care where I got this shirt? It's a simple t-shirt. Unless. A realization dawns on me. Is she his girlfriend? Is this her shirt? I’m trying to think what to say. How could I possible explain anything about last night.
“She probably stole it. How else would she have gotten her hands on it?” Another girl says.
“This is what the waitresses wear and there is no way she works there.”
Now I am even more confused and apparently my face shows.
“See, she doesn’t even know what The Bunker is.” The third girl says sounding annoyed.
“Let's go this is a waste of time”
With that all three girls turn in one single motion and walk off, leaving me more confused than ever.
Today I take my time walking home. I am in no rush facing my foster parents, even though I very much like them. They are an older couple I have been with for the last fifteen months. They don’t have much money but they take care of me as best as they can. The possibility of having to explain to them and maybe even Deneen about what happened in the last twenty-four hours is what scares me. When I get there, my fears are confirmed. Deneen’s little Honda is parked at the curb when I slowly walk in.
“What the hell happened?” She yells at me as soon as I am through the door. I decided to go with the answer that is mostly true.
“Don’t know” I say and give her an apologetic smile. I still really don’t know how I got into this whole situation.
The next ten minutes I am listening to a speech about how this was my last chance and I messed it up. That there is no way anyone is going to adopt me now.
I mostly try to tune her out but I am all ears when she asks me at the end, “do you want me to talk to them one more time? Maybe they will give you another chance since they liked you so much at first?”
I shake my head profusely. No way I’m going back there. She gives me an eye roll with a drawn out “okay”, gathers her stuff and leaves.
I slump back in my chair and take a deep breath. Glad this is over. I go to my room and get started on my homework. I’m almost finished when I am interrupted by a strange buzzing noise from my bag. I realize it's the phone Jaxon gave me. I look at the little screen to find its a text.
JAXON: EVERYTHING GO ALRIGHT TODAY?
ME: YES
JAXON: THATS GOOD
I have never counted written words against my five-word rule and I never had a phone, or someone to text with so I am now faced with a new possibility. I am also dying to ask him at least fifty questions. I start with the most recent thing on my mind.
ME: WHATS THE BUNKER?
JAXON: ITS A FANCY NIGHTCLUB. I’M SURPRISED YOU NEVER HEARD OF IT. ALL THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS TRY TO GET IN.
That explains the girl’s reaction and why I never heard of it. I am
trying not to dwell on how he writes ‘high school kids’ because I don’t want him to see me as a kid. I am almost sixteen and he is not that much older than me. A spark of confidence grabs me out of nowhere and before I can change my mind I write something I would never say out loud in a million years.
ME: CAN’T BE THAT COOL IF I HAVN’T BEEN THERE.
As soon as I hit send, I regret it.
I’m almost certain he is going to either laugh off my responds or ignore it. His answer is what I least expect it.
JAXON: YOU ARE RIGHT, YOU SHOULD COME WITH ME TOMORROW NIGHT AND CLASS UP THE PLACE.
I read his text about 5 times but the words still don’t change. He must be joking.
ME: I WAS KIDDING. I WOULD NOT GET IN ANYWAYS.
JAXON: I CAN GET YOU IN.
JAXON: AND DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT SAYING THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR. WHATEVER YOU HAVE IS GOING TO BE FINE. I’LL PICK YOU UP AT NINE SHARP!
I wasn’t going to say anything but now that he mentioned it, I don’t have anything to wear.
Chapter Eight
Elisa
The next night I sneak out of the house a few minutes before nine. I feel a bit bad about it because my foster parents, Brad and Christine, would worry about me if they knew I was sneaking out. Of course, I feel perfectly safe with Jaxon who is already waiting for me on the other side of the road. He is leaning against the hood of his Mustang. He opens the door for me as I come closer.
“I see you found some clothes to wear.”
I look down at my old pair of jeans, sneakers and tank top. It is the best thing about having a very limited closet. You don’t have a big choice on what to wear. When all I do is shrug he looks at me with his eyebrows raised.
“So, texting is ok but talking is still a no go?”
I’m not sure how I can explain to him everything that is going on in my head and why I do the things I do.
“I see.” He interrupts my thoughts. “Let's get something to eat before we go to the club.”
He doesn’t seem bothered or annoyed by me not talking, just takes it as a matter of fact without judgment.
When we sit down at the table at a casual restaurant I look up to see his face in the light for the first time today. The left side of his face is swollen and blue.
When he catches me starring at him he says wryly, “You should see the other guy,” and gives me one of his movie star smiles.
I decide to leave that subject alone and look at the menu instead. I try to decide on what to order but I can’t stop looking around the restaurant. There are so many people here, so many unfamiliar noises. I can feel myself getting more anxious by the second while my eyes are wandering. I’m startled when Jaxon suddenly jumps up from his seat, just to walk to my side of the table and sit down on the bench next to me. I have to scoot over all the way to the end of the booth so we both fit but our thighs are still touching. He turns to me and asks “have you ever played tag?”
I nod my head slowly still not sure where he is going with this whole thing.
“You know how before a game you come up with a base? Something where no one can get to you as long as you are holding on to it.” He explains.
I nod again. It has been a while since I played, but I do remember the concept.
“How about I’ll be your base? As long as you are touching me, no one can get to you.”
I stare at him, stunned. I take a breath and really think about what he is saying. Or better, what he is offering. I feel weirdly safe sitting backed up in a corner like this. His body is pretty much hiding me from everybody and if someone was trying to get to me they would have to go through Jaxon first. I have lived with my five-word rule for a very long time and I never even thought about stopping or changing the rules. I also never had a reason to. Now I do. I actually want to talk to him, ask him questions and I want to be able to answer his. It takes me a few minutes of thinking. Jaxon is patiently sitting next to me, waiting. After considering everything, I decide this would be an acceptable rule to my game. “Deal,” I finally answer.
At that moment the waitress come back to take our order. “Wha…” Is the only thing she can get in before Jaxon blurts out as fast as he can, “two sweet teas, two burgers with everything and add fries. Thanks.”
The waitress takes our menus seemingly understanding and leaves. Jaxon turns back to give me his full attention. He makes a “Mhh” sound, taps one finger on his lip and pulls together his eyebrows like he is thinking really hard about what questions to choose. Then he finally asks.
“What's the first memory you have?”
I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t that. Jaxon is staring at me like he is watching the most exciting action movie he has ever seen. I actually had to think about it for a moment before I say. “No one listening to me.”
I talk slowly and quiet, like I’m trying out the words. I’m not used to saying than many words at one time. “I remember talking but no one would listen, or maybe no-one understood me.”
Jaxon seems a little disappointed by the answer but I can’t figure out why. He asked me a bunch more questions over the course of our dinner like, “What do you want to be after you finish school?”
I tell him the truth. “I will be whatever I need to be and take whatever job I can get.” I have no illusions about my chances of making it to college. I have no money and no-one to co-sign a loan. No place to stay once I'm eighteen and I have nothing to offer that would get me a full scholarship.
By the end of the dinner I am stunned to realize how normal and easy talking to him feels like. The words just come out with an ease I have never felt before.
We finish dinner off with some milkshakes that Jaxon insisted on having. He was right, it was delicious but I can’t shake the feeling that he is also trying to draw out dinner. Maybe he doesn’t want to take me to the club anymore or he isn’t sure If he can get me in after all. I’m debating on telling him we don’t have to go. I would be fine with just staying here, but then he asks for the check.
“Ready to go?” He smiles at me eagerly.
“Yup.” I tell him.
It’s an only a short drive to the club. We pass by the front and I can see a long line at main entrance. I let out a loud huff.
“Don’t worry, we don’t have to wait in line to get in,” he snickers from the driver’s seat. He takes a turn into a small side alley and pulls around to the back of the club.
A soon as we get out of the car I can hear the loud music coming from the club. When we get to the back-entrance Jaxon punches in a number on a code pad at the door. “You work here?”
“Kind of,” he says a little bit mysteriously.
Once the door opens, the music is ten times louder. We move through a small hallway that opens up into a huge room. In the middle of the hallway are two huge bouncers blocking the way. There is no way we can get in unnoticed. Jaxon doesn’t seem concerned though and when the bouncers turn to look at us they just step aside and give us a nod. I guess they know each other.
We walk to the end of the bar a little away through the crowd. I'm uneasy with the amount of people around me, but Jaxon stays close to me the whole time. When I am right in front of the bar, Jaxon positions himself behind me, putting his arms on either side of my body so I am wedged in. I relax a lot, feeling the same safety I felt in the restaurant. From here we have a good view of most of the room and I can’t help but look around trying to take everything in. The music is so loud that it drowns everything else out. Most people are dancing, some standing around watching, but almost everyone looks like they are just having fun. I never understood the allure of a club, but now that I am here I can see how this is appealing. This place messes with your senses. Replaces all sounds with music and normal lightbulbs with strobe lights.
“You like?” He says in my ear and the closeness of our faces gives me goosebumps.
I turn my head to him, give him a genuine smile and say out loud, “Yes!”
&nbs
p; All of the sudden his body stiffens next to me. When I look at him, he is eyeing some guys starting a fight in the corner of the room. One of the guys throws some kind of bottle and hits a woman in the arm.
“Stay here, don’t move!” He warns me.
I stand there frozen looking after him as he makes his way through the crowd. I feel exposed and nervous right away. I lean against the bar with my back so I can at least see everything around me. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see a waitress with curly red hair looking at me. She is pushing a glass toward me that is filled with some red and orange swirl drink and a paper umbrella with a piece of pineapple on the rim. I shake my head and wave my hand towards the glass but she leans in and yells in my ear, “It's on the house, don’t worry its alcohol free.”
I give her a nod and mouth the words thank you. At first, I take a little sip to try it. It is very good and I don’t taste any alcohol in it so I take a few more, bigger sips. Jaxon comes out of nowhere slapping the glass out of my hand. I watch as glass shatters and liquid spills all over the bar and the floor. Shocked I look up, trying to understand what just happen. All I find is Jaxon looking angry. His lips are drawn into a hard line and his eyes are a shade darker. He grabs my arm and starts pulling me towards the exit.
“We are leaving,” He growls in my direction and I am taken aback by the sudden and drastic change in his mood.
“This was a bad idea, I should have never let you come here.”
He holds on to my arm all the way to the car. His grip stronger than it needs to be but I’m too scared to say something when he is in this unpredictable mood.
“Tonight, was a mistake.” He adds when we are inside the car.
I’m so mad. Mad at him for saying these things but even more so, I am mad at myself for letting myself get close, for misreading him so badly. For feeling safe. I’m so mad that my hands are shaking and it takes everything in me not to burst out in tears. I look out the window, away from him when the anger suddenly starts disappearing. It doesn’t only disappear, it’s replaced with a new feeling, a good feeling. Warmth and happiness is spreading throughout my body. What was I mad about again? Was I mad at all? No that can’t be right. Why would I be mad at anything when everything feels so good?
The Quiet Game Page 4
