by Blair Young
I clenched my cup as the fight began, hoping now that it would be over quickly. I didn’t want to see the blows being laid, and suddenly the sound of the punches landing made me feel sick. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like it at all, and more than anything, I just wanted it to be over.
Instinctively, I reached out and took Abby’s hand, looking for any form of comfort I could find.
We both sat back. I wasn’t sure if I was excited to see the fight, or nervous. Chad and Damon immediately started yelling at each other when the ref told them they could begin, and it was clear how mad both of them were. But, it wasn’t long before the blows started coming.
Fists flew in the air faster than I could keep up with, and there was a time when I found it hard to know who had the upper hand. I wanted to believe Damon did from the beginning, but Chad was the bigger guy overall, and he did know how to throw his weight around.
More than once he nearly had Damon on the ground, but Damon was fast. He knew how to get out of the way and use his speed and skill to his advantage. It only took a couple of well-placed punches for him to have Chad on the ground. And once that happened, I knew the fight was all but over. In an instant, Damon was on top of him, pinning him to the floor as the ref counted down.
I nearly leapt to my feet when he was announced the winner and the ref held his hand up, but with Abby next to me, I had to be chill about it. Still, it was hard not to squeal and clap my hands together for him, seeing Chad on the ground with his nose bloody and a black eye.
Damon had promised he was going to stand up for me over the milk, and I felt like this was his way of doing it. And it felt good. Never in my life had anyone stood up for me like that, and I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him fiercely.
But, I had to also remember what I knew was the right thing to do, and I couldn’t keep making this harder than it already was. I went back and forth so much in my own mind, it was hard for me to really think about what was right and what was wrong – and what I really wanted.
All I knew was that Damon made me feel on top of the world, and he wasn’t afraid of what others thought. He would pin a guy to the floor for my honor if he had to, and he did.
And I was more grateful than I could say.
Chapter 16
Damon
The din of the crowd filled my ears, along with the sound of my fist striking Chad over and over. And I didn’t want to stop, either. I could have happily beat the guy to a pulp. If I had my way, that’s exactly what would have happened.
But, if there was one rule that was strongly upheld in Louie’s, it was to stop fighting when the ref blew the whistle, and he stopped me a lot sooner than I wanted to be stopped. Of course, Chad didn’t look like he was doing too great lying on the ground with his face covered in blood.
But even that wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted to do so much more to him. I wanted to make him feel the fear and pain that he had inflicted on Sutton that night. He might not have harmed her physically, but after all that she had gone through, and the fact that he had been so willing to force himself on her, I was enraged.
I wanted to kill him. I happily would have, too, if I could have gotten away with it. But, I remember what it was like the last time I nearly killed a man, and I couldn’t say that it was a feeling I much wanted to experience again.
There had been such power in the moment, and a lot of adrenaline that had gone into the fight I’d gotten into that night so long ago, but I didn’t feel good about myself the next day. It had taken a long time for me to feel good about myself again.
To even fight again, for that matter.
But, I did. I pushed through and I did. Now, it was hard for me to stop at times when the ref told me that enough was enough. But with Chad, it was personal. This wasn’t just some guy who wanted to come fight me. This was a douche bag who had crossed a line too many times.
And I wanted him to feel the pain that he caused others. I wanted to be the one to put him back in his place, and I wanted to prove to him that he had no power over anyone else. He might be popular at school, and I had a feeling I was going to get a lot of flack for this, but I didn’t care.
I was also one of the most popular guys there. At least, I had been when I was with Molly. I let a lot of that go by the wayside when I broke up with her. And I had to admit, I didn’t miss any of it. I was more than happy to blend into the crowd like Sutton and her friends did.
Even Abby, popular enough as she was, didn’t throw herself into the center of attention like so many of the other girls did. She didn’t need to be praised. She was a good friend to Sutton, and I really appreciated that about her.
Now, I wanted to be the knight in shining armor, and I really didn’t care what the consequences for that were. The school wasn’t going to suspend me. At least, I didn’t think they would since it was an underground fight that had taken place at Louie’s, but, even if they did, I would take it in stride.
Sutton had been suspended, and she had held her head high when it happened. I would do the same thing. I was proud of what I had done, though I still was angry with the fact Chad thought he had a chance in the ring with me.
Still, it was better than if he had tried to get me to fight him behind the school or in some alley somewhere. I had to admit, it was smart of him to choose somewhere there would be a ref to call it off when I had the upper hand and wasn’t stopping, I would give him that.
He might not be the smartest guy in the world, but he was smart enough to realize he was going to need some sort of backup if things didn’t go his way. And, of course, they wouldn’t. He might be a big guy, but that was all he had going for him, and I had the skills to take it.
I knew how to bob and weave, and I knew how to get out of the way before landing a blow that would send him right to the ground. And I was happy to do it. Even better that Sutton got to see it happen. I wanted her to know that I meant it when I told her I was going to stand up for her.
She was the woman I loved, and I wasn’t going to let anyone treat her any less than the princess she was in my world. And that included former buddies, as well as my own foster mother. Of course, when the word got out that I was fighting Chad of all people, I was sure the lecture was going to be even worse than before.
Susan didn’t understand my need to fight, I got that, but she had to respect it. I wasn’t going to let her tell me what to do when I felt that it was something that I had to get out of my system. I knew she only wanted the best for me. Well, she acted like she did, but it was hard for me to take it sometimes.
I was my own person, and I wasn’t going to put up with anyone telling me what I could and couldn’t do.
“Hey man, that was quite a fight,” Vic, one of my good friends, came pushing through the crowd. “I thought you were going to knock his brains out.”
“I would have if the ref hadn’t gotten in the way,” I said bitterly. “And I’m not sure how I’m going to get this one past the mom in the morning.”
“Forget about her,” Vic said. “You did good tonight, and you should be proud of it. Besides, you said it was personal, and I’m not sure if there’s anyone in school who really likes Chad anyway. We just all like his house.”
I laughed. “That’s true. But, still. You have to stay on his good side if you’re going to get invited to any more parties.”
“So I’m guessing you got yourself tossed,” Vic laughed again. “You should get some ice on that if you want to keep the damage down, but the busted up knuckles are going to be hard to hide.”
“She already knows that I’m into this sort of thing, so I’m sure I’m going to get the lecture anyway,” I said with a shake of my head. “But when she finds out that it was one of my former best friends, I’m sure all hell is going to break loose.”
“Just tell her you were out defending a woman’s honor,” Vic said elaborately.
I laughed again. “I’m sure she would guess who this woman was in question and it would onl
y add to the drama.”
“Let me know how it goes. This sounds far too interesting to just walk away from,” he teased. I knew Vic had his own fair share of stories, but he always enjoyed swapping what I was up to. He came from a broken home himself. And, in fact, he was hardly home.
He liked Chad because of the nice house Chad’s parents owned. It was a place for him to hang out as long as he wanted because they were rarely home, often on vacation or doing something that cost a lot of money. It was part of the reason I was so convinced Chad got away with half of the stuff he pulled.
But, I was happy to hang out with Vic when I got the chance, and I hoped that he and I would get to catch up soon.
“Anyway, nice fight, I’ll catch you around,” he said.
“Later,” I replied. I headed for the bathroom, eager to get some ice on my hands and get some of the blood washed off before it dried. There were times my mom stayed up and waited for me when she knew I was out fighting, as if arguing with me right when I got home was going to do anything to make me stop.
But still, I did my best to clean up as good as I could when I was done with a fight, even if it did mean I had to stay at the sports bar longer than I would have wanted.
“You want a hand with that?” A familiar voice said.
I turned, surprised to find Sutton standing in the doorway.
“Sure, I didn’t think you would still be here,” I said.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay after taking down Chad like that,” she said.
“I would have to say he is the one who needs to be checked on,” I said with a teasing grin.
“It’s not that. I mean, he was a good friend of yours, and I wouldn’t want you to feel torn up about it or anything,” she continued. “I knew I was hurt when Molly turned on me like she did.”
“The key word is that he was a friend of mine, and he didn’t turn on me, I was the one who broke the things off with him,” I replied. “He disrespected you more than once, and the way he thinks that I’m just going to brush it off really irritates me.”
“I just hope that I’m not the full reason why you broke off your friendship. I mean, the three of you were pretty tight when I came to town, and now you’re strangers,” she said.
“People change,” I shrugged. “It happens, especially when you’re in high school. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure we aren’t going to have to worry about him again after this. I can’t imagine he’s going to want to come after me again when there’s no ref to pull me off when I have him on the ground like that.”
“What if he comes back to you in the ring?” she asked.
“Then he better wear a helmet, because I’m not going to hold back. I nearly killed a man once, and, while I’m not proud of that, I’m not going to stand by and watch these men railroad these woman and act like they don’t need to be taught a lesson,” I dried my hand and she looked at me with wide eyes.
“I told you I had a few secrets,” I said with a shrug. “I hope that one doesn’t make you afraid to sleep on the other side of the wall from me at night.”
Sutton smiled. “I’m just glad you’re okay. That was pretty intense. I mean, it was clear that he had no formal training, but the way you held yourself in the ring when he was throwing you around was incredible.”
“You just can’t lose your nerve is all,” I assured her. “When you know you have the upper hand, then you know you can take your opponent no matter what. And when I saw him come out of the locker room I knew I had the upper hand. I had been waiting for this chance for a while, and when I saw that I was going to get to finally prove to him how I really felt, I’ll tell you something broke loose in me that hasn’t broken loose in a very long time.
Sutton took the washcloth from me and started dabbing at my shoulders. “At least you didn’t take as many hits to the face tonight. That might help with your mom tomorrow,” she said optimistically.
“I’m hoping,” I said with a sigh. “I know she can’t control what I do, but it’s a lot easier when these nights pass and I don’t have to explain to her where I was or what I was doing.”
“I’m sure she can guess,” Sutton said as she gave me a look. I shrugged. I had a feeling she was right. My mom was good at guessing where I was and she knew me well enough to know what I was doing, but that didn’t change the optimism I felt when I didn’t have a lot of injuries on my face.
“Does it hurt too much?” Sutton asked.
“I’ve hurt worse. Don’t worry about it. It’s something that comes with the trade,” I said with a grin. “Worth it to get to do what I did tonight.”
“It was worth watching, I’ll give you that,” she said with a smirk of her own. Then, without warning, she lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to mine. I felt myself getting aroused, but I knew we were in the wrong place for me to do anything about it.
For the first time in a long time, I would have done anything to be back at home at that moment. Home without my mother around to intervene.
“It was a good fight, like your friend said,” she told me.
“I won, so I guess you can’t say that it was a bad fight. Though there was a lot more I wanted to say to him before the punches started flying,” I said with a shrug. “Some of it I probably couldn’t have said in the ring though without a violation of some kind.”
“I didn’t know you would get those,” Sutton said in surprise.
“You do have to follow a form of etiquette,” I said with a shrug. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on, then I grinned down at her. “So are you going to stick around for a while, we could shoot a game of pool or something.”
Sutton shook her head. “I’m going to find Abby and head out. I want to get home before Susan knows that I’m missing. Oh great.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Speak of the devil,” she said as she held up her phone and pointed it to me. Susan’s name lit up the screen, and neither of us needed her to answer it to know what my mother wanted.
“You don’t have to answer,” I told her.
“I should though or she’s going to wonder where I am,” Sutton replied.
“I’m sure she’s probably figured it out by now,” I told her. She gave me a look that told me I wasn’t helping the situation, so I said nothing as she put the phone to her ear.
“Hello? Yes. She did? No, Abby is here with me. I told you I was going out with Abby. Yes. I’m not! I’m on my way,” Sutton hung up the phone and swore under her breath.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Or, should I say, how bad is it?”
“Abby’s mom called wondering where Abby was. I’m sure you can imagine how that conversation went,” Sutton shook her head. “She said she thought I would be a good influence in your life to get you to stop doing this, but now I’m supporting you.”
“I’ll take all the support I can get. It’s not like supporting me in doing something I love is a bad thing,” I tried.
Sutton gave me another look. “First, she makes you and me break up, but now she wants me to avoid this, too. I’m not sure where to draw the line with this woman.”
“You’ve got to stand your ground if you want things to go your way. She’s stubborn, and when she’s got it in her head that something isn’t right, she doesn’t shy away from it until she’s convinced she has the whole thing fixed.
“If by fixed you mean doing things her way,” Sutton said with a sigh. “Well, I guess you know what that means. I better find Abby and get home. Though, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Abby’s mom didn’t call her.”
“Maybe she did and Abby didn’t answer. Abby strikes me as the kind of girl who does what she wants a little more than she likes to let on,” I said with a mischievous wink. Sutton gave me a look and I put my hands up defensively. “I’m not saying that you don’t, I’m just saying you don’t always have to do what your parents say.”
“If you recall, Susan is not my parent,” Sutton said
as she skimmed the crowd for her friend.
“All the more reason for you to tell her where to shove it and do life your own way,” I encouraged. Sutton sighed. I knew she felt torn. She wanted to live the life that I lived, but she also wanted to get along with our foster mom. I knew it put her in a rough position, and I felt bad at times for pushing her to do things her own way.
“I’ll see you at home,” Sutton said. “Don’t stay out too late. I’m sure Susan is going to wonder where you are shortly after I walk through the door.”
“I’ll deal with my mother when I’m ready,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’m going to stick around here for a while longer and probably play a game of pool or two. Then I’ll come home and face the music.”
“Good luck,” Sutton replied as she headed to meet with Abby.
“You too,” I muttered under my breath as I watched them head out the door together. “You’re going to need it.”
Chapter 17
Sutton
I did my best to smooth things over with Susan when I got home from the fight, but I was having a hard time knowing if she was more angry with the fact that I was at the fight and supporting Damon, or if she was mad at me for lying to her about where I was.
I tried to tell her that it wasn’t a lie – I had, in fact, been with Abby like I said I would be, and I had been vague when I told her what we would be doing with our evening. I knew she didn’t buy the story, and I was surprised when she didn’t ground me or yell at me more because of it.
Then again, I had a feeling Damon himself was going to take most of the heat for the situation, though if he did he had done so when I was in bed. I was exhausted from the fight, and I just wanted to go to bed and pass out.
It didn’t help that I hadn’t been sleeping well overall lately, and it was nice just to slip into bed and let the course of the evening rerun through my brain as I drifted off to sleep. I was still rather shocked that Damon had fought Chad that night, and I wondered what it would do to school for both of us.
Abby didn’t seem to think there would be much change. Though she kept up with the locker room gossip a lot more than I did, she was convinced there wasn’t anything going on between Chad and Molly, and that was my best guess in the situation.