BLISS

by A. R. Breck

  I’m so damn confused.

  We pull into the driveway, and as Aric pushes the garage door opener and the garage starts lifting, revealing Aeron’s car sitting inside.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He mumbles.

  I close my eyes, letting out a defeated sigh. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my gut, and it make me want to run for my life.

  We hop out, and as Aric goes to open the door, Aeron starts opening it from the other side. They end up face to face.

  Super awkward.

  Aeron looks me over, raising his eyebrows ever so slightly. The other week comes to mind, when he flipped me over and slapped me in the ass.

  My cheeks heat.

  The corner of his mouth lifts in a knowing smile.

  “Well, you guys have been gone a while. Where have you two been off to?” Aeron asks, turning towards Aric.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know. Move out of my way, Aeron.” Aric gruffs, scowling at him in irritation.

  “Whoah, what’s going on with you?” Aeron takes a step back.

  “You know what’s wrong. Get out of my way Aeron. I’m not in the mood for your bullshit.”

  Aeron laughs. “Okay. Well, I have no idea what you’re talking about. But, anyway, you can go ahead and be a dipshit. Mercy, you want to go to a party? I’m heading to The Pit.”

  Aric’s eyes widen.

  “What’s The Pit?” I ask.

  “No.” Aric cuts in. “Absolutely not. Have fun, Aeron. Mercy isn’t going there.”

  “What? What’s The Pit?” I try to butt in, but right now it looks like a battle against the brothers. One of them always needs to get a rise out of the other.

  “It’s down in the cities. There’s a party there tonight. You want to go? I’m driving?” Aeron twirls his keys around his finger, giving me a wink.

  I melt.

  What should I do? Sit here with Aric, who seems like he hates me right now? Or go somewhere with Aeron and forget about all of it?

  I just want to get lost for a while.

  “I’ll go.” I say, just above a whisper.

  “Mercy, no. The Pit is a hellhole full of drugs, crime, and fighting. Aeron dragged me down there one time when I was a freshman. It was literally one of the worst nights of my night. Not only was the place shady as fuck, but Aeron also got arrested on the way home for drinking while driving and I had to wait at the police station for my dad to come pick me up. Yeah, anything with The Pit is not something I’m very fond of. You’re not going.”

  I look up at Aric. I was virtually invisible to him today. What is the point of staying here with him if I’m going to be locked in my room the entire time?

  Alone.

  “I’m going.”

  I turn around, walking towards Aeron’s car and waiting at the passenger side door. When I look up, both brothers are staring at me, one with heat and one with anger.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, Mercy. Come on.”

  “No, Aric! I want to go. I don’t want to stay here and sit with you after you’ve been ignoring me all day. I don’t care what you think at this point, I’m going.”

  Aeron gives Aric a look. “Well, there you have it. Looks like we’re going to The Pit. You coming or not, brother?”

  Aric stands there, staring at us with a mix of disbelief and anger until he drops his beach stuff on the ground and walks over to the car. “I’m only fucking going because I know this night is going to turn to shit, and I’m not going to let Mercy be subjected to your fuck ups!” He shouts, brushing past me and getting into the back seat, slamming the door shut behind him.

  22

  Mercy

  An hour later, we finally arrive at The Pit. I have to admit that I was slightly apprehensive about coming down here after Aric told me about his last time here. It only grew the further we drove into the city. This isn’t the best area, and this warehouse or whatever it is looks abandoned. If there weren’t cars lined up and down the nearby roads and the people going into the lone door off to the side, I would think this place was abandoned.

  We’re supposedly staying at a motel right down the road tonight. Aeron figured we’d all be a little too intoxicated to drive all the way home. Fine by me, although Aric’s face grew red when Aeron mentioned it.

  “Ready?” Aeron asks.

  I glance over my shoulder and look at Aric in the backseat. He looks so unhappy to be here, but nevertheless, I couldn’t be more relieved he decided to tag along. I have a feeling this place is going to be an entire different universe than what I’m used to. Even if I’m pissed at the both of them right now, I’d rather have both of them with me in case something goes wrong.

  The bump I snorted on the way up here was embarrassing because Aeron saw me do it. I hate to be vulnerable and dependent, and Aeron knows that I am. I don’t think Aric saw me do it. I think if he did, he’d definitely confront me about it. But now I feel jittery and I hope I can play it off to nerves and no one will say anything. “Yeah.” I mumble, feeling my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth. “Stick by me.” I point to the both of them.

  Aric scowls at Aeron and grumbles, “Yeah, sure.” He starts walking towards the door, leaving us in the dust.

  “Aric…” I call after him, although I don’t think I even said it loud enough for him to hear it.

  Aeron walks up to me and tosses his arm over my shoulder. “Just let him be. Once he gets a few drinks in him I’m sure he’ll calm down.” He smiles down at me. We’ve barely spoken since he spanked me on the ass. I don’t know where we stand, and although I think this is the worst place to bring up any kind of serious talk, I feel like we need to clear the air.

  “About the other week…” I start.

  He stops, grabbing onto my shoulders and pulling me around to face him. “What about it?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

  I lose my words. “Um,” I glance towards Aric, then look back towards Aeron. “Are you still mad at me?”

  “No, I’m not mad at you, Mercy.”

  There are so many things that I want to talk to him about. I want to tell him how I feel about him. I want to talk to him about Aric. I want so many things. I want to say so many things.

  I don’t feel like I can do that here.

  I give him a nod and turn around, walking towards the door. The huge man standing at the door gives me pause. “What is this place?” I whisper to Aeron and watch as Aric talks to the man.

  “It’s a bar… and a fight club.” He says, looking down at me.

  “What!” I whisper-shout at him.

  He looks down at me and frowns. “Shh. It’s not what you think. Relax.” He lays a hand on my shoulder, but it does nothing to help. I can feel my heart rate pick up in anticipation.

  A fight club? What the hell is that?

  The gigantic man opens the door, and Aric walks in without a glance back. Aeron and I follow. I don’t look at the man holding the door open, afraid the emotions on my face will give my fear away.

  Because I am, scared that is.

  We walk down a cement hallway, absent of all color besides the yellow lights hanging above us. It gives it a dingy feel to this place. I’ve never felt more out of my comfort zone than I do now. The thumping up ahead beats staccato thumps as fast as my heart is beating.

  I feel out of control.

  Aric opens the door, revealing lights and sounds I wasn’t prepared for. He slips through and the door closes behind him. I grip onto the back of Aeron’s shirt. “Aeron.” I shout.

  He turns around and looks at me with his eyebrows raised. “What is it?”

  “I don’t understand why we’re here. You’re into fight clubs?”

  He presses his finger to my lips to quiet me. “Shh. I’d get my ass handed to me if anyone ever knew I called this place a damn fight club. It’s more than that, but…” He stops and runs his fingers through his unruly curls. “I’ve got to meet up with a couple people quick, but then I’m yours for the night. Let’s
have fun. Forget what Aric told you, this place is fucking awesome.” He smiles a wide smile again and releases me to open the door.

  Aric stands on the other side, watching something out of view with rapt attention. Aeron turns to me and says, “I’ll be right back.” He swipes his thumb across my lower lip. He’s getting bolder, like he knows Aric practically hates me, and now he can finally step in and make his move.

  Aric notices this, and I can feel his irritation build from all the way over here.

  Aeron melts into the crowd, and within seconds I can’t see him anymore. I walk up to Aric, watching his nostrils flare. “Can you not flirt with my brother in front of me? I mean, it’s the fucking least you can do.”

  My eyes widen at his blatant honesty. He’s never been this forward, and it hurts that he’s attacking me, mostly now. Here.

  “Aric—oh my God.” The sight in front of me makes any conversation impossible. In the front of the room sits a ring, and inside of it are two huge men beating each other to a pulp. I cringe and wince as I watch blood and spit fly across the ring.

  “What is this?” I say to myself. Surprisingly, Aric hears me.

  “That huge guy on the left? That’s Easton. This is his place. Or, his family’s, really. They call him the Reaper. I don’t know who the guy on the right is, but I think people call him the Snake.”

  “The Snake doesn’t look like he’s doing so well.” I note in sarcasm. Aric looks over at me, and I feel relief fill me when I see a true smile coming from him. For a moment, it’s like all of our problems are forgotten, and we’re finally back to how we used to be.

  “No, he doesn’t, does he.” The Snake is dripping blood and hobbling from one side of the ring to the next. The Reaper doesn’t give him a second to breathe, pouncing on him with every step he takes. I never thought this would interest me, but I can’t deny that what I’m seeing is intriguing. Maybe a little gross, but it’s definitely holding my attention.

  “Holy shit!” I screech when the Reaper gives the Snake one last punch to the face. The Snake falls on the ground so hard that I swear I can hear the thump through the ground from across the room.

  Silence ensues for just a second before loud roars come from all over.

  Wow.

  I see a dark-haired girl off to the side stand up, and the Reaper immediately zones in on her. He walks up to her, grabs her face and smashes his lips to hers.

  Holy wow.

  “That’s his girl, I think. I’ve never seen her, but I’ve heard about her. Her name is Rose, I think.”

  Rose.

  She’s fucking beautiful, with her long dark hair and her jeans and crop top. She’s like a model, and it makes me feel insignificant as I stand here in my shorts and tank top from the beach.

  Ugh.

  They leave through the back of the ring and I stand there, suddenly realizing Aeron has been gone for a while.

  “Where’s Aeron?” I ask.

  Aric seems to come back to the present, remember where we are and why we’re here.

  “Let’s go get a drink.” He says, turning and walking towards the bar. I follow behind him, sticking close and looking around for Aeron.

  I don’t see him anywhere.

  My irritation builds after we get our drinks and we just stand there silently. Awkwardly.

  “Why would he even invite me here if he was going to be gone the entire time?” I whine into my cup. What is he doing?

  I take out my phone and shoot him a text. Staring at it for minutes, I feel like crying when it goes unanswered.

  “Hey.” Aric puts his glass down on a table and grabs onto my shoulders. “It’s fine. I know my brother.”

  “What if something happened to him?” Every tattooed man I see, I think it’s Aeron, but a closer look reveals none of them are him.

  He chuckles, although it not all that friendly. “Like I said, I know my brother. He does this. You know what he’s doing? He’s selling pills somewhere. Probably ended up using with them and has lost track of time. It’s nothing new.” He shakes his head in disappointment. “I was hoping it would be different with you here. Doesn’t look like Aeron will change for anybody.”

  My heart sinks, and I wonder if it’s true. Am I just a joke to Aeron? Something to fuck around with? Aric doesn’t know the extent of what’s happened between me in his brother. I’m betting if he did, he wouldn’t be standing here with me right now.

  Maybe none of this has been real at all.

  “Let’s quit thinking about this shit. If my brother wants to be an idiot and ditch us, then that’s exactly what he is. A fucking idiot. I’m not going to let our drive down here go to waste. Let’s go dance a bit.” He nods his head towards a group of people that are dancing. I contemplate for a second.

  Only for a second.

  I’m not going to ruin my night because Aeron wants to go be an idiot. I’m so glad Aric came. I don’t know what I’d be doing without him.

  “Let’s go.”

  Aric pulls me by the hand out into the crowd. Around me are all types of people, dancing, drinking, and having a good time. The hype in this place is elevated to extreme volumes. The thumping music beats to the same tempo of the flashing lights.

  The alcohol is starting to warm my body as the bump from earlier flows through my system, and I feel boneless as I start dancing with Aric. He keeps it friendly, but the look in his eyes holds a fire that I’m familiar with.

  It feels backwards. I was once in the opposite situation when I would dance with Aeron and Aric would be off somewhere. I’d feel guilty, feeling like I was doing something wrong with Aeron.

  I should feel the same right now with Aric. But I don’t. If Aeron wants to ignore me tonight, he can deal with the repercussions of me spending time with his brother.

  Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be. At the end of the day, I know Aric wants me.

  He cares about me.

  He’s there for me. Always.

  Maybe we were meant to be.

  We dance for so long, the alcohol mixing with the coke into a delicious mix of ecstasy. Dancing with Aric isn’t as sexual as it is dancing with Aeron, but it’s still hot.

  There’s still the steaming chemistry that hums beneath the surface.

  How long until it spills over?

  Aric looks down at me, his eyes glazed over with his own intoxication. Sweat dots his temples and makes his hair damp. His cheeks have turned rosy with arousal or heat, I’m not sure.

  All I know is I’m feeling the same way.

  Suddenly, this bubble of intoxication we’re in is interrupted by a bang.

  Then another bang.

  I don’t understand what that bang is until people start screaming in horror. I look around, but before I can even turn my head to the side I’m tackled to the ground. I scream at the top of my lungs, and even when I can smell that it’s Aric on top of me, I still scream.

  People scramble around us, and I can feel the occasional foot stomp over me. I can’t imagine what Aric’s feeling, taking most of the stampede. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling right now, with all the chaos on top of him.

  The gun is still going off, but it’s the secondary shots that sound different.

  Then, there’s no more shots.

  People still run and scream, but the air in the room changes from panic to ominous.

  Aric’s weight gets to be too much. I feel like I can barely breathe, and I’m still panicking. I sob and try to block my head as people rush past me.

  “Aric!” I cry.

  When I get no response, my panic rises even higher.

  “Aric!” I scream. “Please, help me!” I scream to someone. Anyone.

  With all my might, I use my elbows and shove him off me. I don’t want to look. I can’t.

  Once I’m able to move out from underneath him, I get up on my knees and turn around slowly. My breath comes out choppy as the chaos surrounds me. No one seems to care the state I’m in. That I’m seconds f
rom shattering into a million pieces. No one cares.

  I know what’s going to happen when I look at Aric, but nothing could have prepared me for actually looking at him.

  “No!” I holler. Blood-curdling cries come from me as I look at Aric.

  He lays there, face down. I don’t need to see his face to know that he’s dead. The back of his head has blood matted in his hair as a noticeable bullet-wound penetrates his skull.

  “Help me!” I look around at all the people running. I feel like I’m in an alternate universe as I cry at every person that passes me, begging for help.

  Help for what? He’s already dead.

  People barely spare me a glance as they run for their lives. There are no more shots fired, but the hysteria in The Pit is nearly sour with nerves.

  I grab onto Aric’s hand, squeezing it and begging for some life. When I feel nothing except a solid hand—no beat, nothing—I let go and slowly stand up. What else am I supposed to do? I can’t stay here.

  But I can’t leave Aric, either.

  Once I’m standing, my eyes instantly lock onto the guy from the ring, the Reaper. He stands in the middle of the room with his arm poised in the air, gun gripped tightly in his hands. He looks furious. Murderous.

  He looks around at every person at the Pit. At this point, the panic has died down and people look at him in worry.

  I glance at the ground, and almost break down at the sight of Aric. The blood around his head starts pooling, making a dark red puddle. Staring at the floor, I watch as the pool slowly grows larger.

  And larger.

  I see a number of other bodies in the same state. I don’t even want to think about how many people are dead or injured around me.

  There is so much blood.

  With that thought, I curl over and vomit, expelling all the liquor I consumed earlier. The smell in this room is starting to grow a metallic aroma. Too many smells and my stomach starts rolling again.

  “Shit.” I sob, looking at Aric again. “Please.” I want him to wake up. I want him to wake up so bad.

  I promise I’ll never talk to Aeron again.