“Then don’t take it, Athena. Stand up for yourself,” I urge, reaching out to touch her arm. She sees my movement and steps away. Ouch. I drop my hand, curiosity peaking. Those brief spouts of feistiness would probably be enough to stand up to Lucas and her sister- stepsister. It’d probably also help get the other students off her back, not to mention Mr. Richards.
“I can’t,” she whispers, her bottom lip quivering. If she’s about to cry, I don’t know what I’ll do. From previous experiences, I found I hate when girls cry. I never know how to get them to stop.
Ice cream? Cookies? Hugs? Talking? Not talking?
I have no clue.
I take a step closer, but before I can do anything, she turns and rushes inside. I stand there like an idiot as I stare at her front door. A minute later, her brother comes barreling out of the house with an angry expression on his face.
“What’d you say to her?” He demands, getting in my face.
I hold my hands up in surrender. “Just- nothing. I said she should stand up for herself at school.” His anger level goes from red to green as he shoves his hands in his hair. He backs down, looks at me, and stands up straighter.
“She doesn’t need you to tell her what to do. She gets enough of that from everyone else. If she doesn’t ask for your help, don’t give it to her. She has trust issues, so if she wants to be friends or more, then she’ll come to you,” he rants, surprisingly giving me excellent advice. “Until then, just stay away.” And like Athena, he goes back into the house.
Annoyed and aggravated, I stomp back to the house to find the guys all in the kitchen. Maybe I could ask my mom how to deal with this. I don’t talk to my parents as much as I probably should. I shove the thought away.
I’ll just deal with it.
As I enter, my friends turn to me. “Where’d you go in a hurry?” Alec asks, looking away from his homework. The guys watch me as I hop up onto the counter again.
“I went to apologize to Athena. I said something that upset her. I told her we’d give her space. Then she said something about the kids at school picking on her. I told her to stand up for herself, and now she’s more upset than she was before I apologized.” Girls are so confusing. I’ve never had this problem before, and now, I have to make it better. Though, by trying to make it better, I made it worse. So now I have to start over.
They all laugh, which makes me more aggravated. “Stop laughing!”
Chase steps forward. “Dude, she seems like she’s all of us mixed into one small girl. She’s nerdy, smart, caring, funny, brave, and reserved. I don’t know what has you so worried over a girl you just met, but you need to figure it out before you do something you’ll regret,” he tells me, and I nod. It’s probably the most he’s said in a while. Chase is our most silent, reserved friend. He went through some tough times before we met at the orphanage and has come out with reservations.
I’ve only known her for two days, and he’s right. When I first met her, she spit out a sarcastic comeback like it was natural. Then she got quiet and reserved.
Then, she has the sarcastic/feisty side, but she doesn’t show it much. She’s nerdy. Not in the cliche way- more in the dedicated, straight-A student who is so obviously working hard to reach a goal kind of way.
She cares. I’ve seen how she takes care of her brother. She’s brave at school. I wouldn’t be able to face every day with people picking on me, calling me names, and pushing me around all the time.
Lastly, she’s reserved. She doesn’t talk to anyone, but if you get a conversation going, you can see she considers her words, so she doesn’t give away a lot of information.
“I know, man. Why is this cutting me up?” I ask. If I ever have a problem, I know I can go to Chase because he always gives the best advice. I think it’s because of his past. He may have a stern glare on his face, but when you get to know him, he’s influential.
He slaps his hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eye. “I think you have a crush on Athena,” he tells me honestly.
“What? How can I have a crush? I’ve only known her for two days!” I repeat, and he chuckles. He leans back against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Dude, I don’t know, but you want to help her, protect her from the bullies, and you’re worried what she thinks of you,” he explains with a shrug. “That’s the basis of a crush.” I think about it.
With the way kids at school treat her, why wouldn’t I want to help her? I helped her pick up her things when that jerk, Lucas, kicked them out of her reach. Am I overly protective? I think back to PE and how Lucas hit her; that made my blood boil. I saw her red cheek. It made me want to rip his head off for laying a hand on her. Plus, I saw him eyeing her while we were playing dodgeball, but she got mad when I wanted to help her. Am I worrying too much? Who am I kidding? It’s all I’ve thought about since I met her.
“Okay. I need to think about something else. Alec, when’s my fight tonight?” I ask. He looks up from his schoolwork.
He glances at his phone, then back to me. “Fights at nine. Gives you five hours,” he tells me, and I groan. Now, I’ve got to fill five hours trying not to think about Athena.
Chapter 6
Athena
“Mason! We need to go!” I yell from downstairs. Thankfully, Alisha and Lexi will be gone until tomorrow night. I grab my leather jacket and slip it on over my black tank top. Bending down, I pull at my silver mermaid leggings, so they reach to my black sneakers. Perfect.
When I stand, Mason is jogging down the stairs.
“You look great, sis,” he compliments, making me smile.
“So do you,” I tell him, flipping my hood up over my silver hair.
“Do you think they’re still at the house?” I ask, looking out the window. Mason peers over my head at Drake’s house. I’m still interested in how four teenage guys live in a house with no adults. Then I take a second to wonder if they’re each emancipated. It’s the only reason I could think of. It also makes me wonder where their parents are.
“I don’t see any lights on,” he says. Shaking off my nerves, I open the front door and step out of the house. Mason and I quickly get our bikes, and like usual, we walk them about a block away, today more to make sure anyone in Drake’s house doesn’t hear. Hopping on my bike, I pull my helmet on, nod at Mason, then pull away from the curb.
When we get to the Underground, I run to the door, excited about tonight’s fight. I need to blow off some steam, and this is perfect. I reach the door and see Ray is in his usual position, arms crossed over his chest with a stern look on his face. He notices us. “Hey, guys,” he greets, opening the door.
I smile and wave at him. “What’s up, Ray? How you doing?” I rarely talk to anyone, but over the years, I’ve come to like Ray.
“I’m doing just fine, little missy. Who you fighting tonight?” He asks, leaning on the open door.
I shake my head. “Don’t know. I’ve been in a foul mood all day, so I really need to blow some steam,” I answer, and his smirk falls. He knows what that means; whoever I fight tonight is getting their butt kicked and kicked hard. I don’t even care because I need it. I just need to stay focused and not mess up. I need to keep my head in the game.
He clears his throat and shakes his head. “Well, I feel sorry for the unlucky fighter,” he says, making me chuckle. I nod and enter the building, hurrying down the stairs. I can feel Mason following behind me, and when we reach the bottom, I turn to him.
“Okay, so tonight, try not to get kidnapped.” He chuckles but nods.
We walk through the second door, and loud cheering fills the room. A wall of smells hit me: sweat, blood, and stale beer. The familiar smells settle my jumping stomach as I scan the room to see if anyone looks like they’d fight me. Everyone is drunk, cheering, or waiting to fight. Probably all three for some of them. I scan the tables, and my eyes land on the familiar brown-haired, blue-eyed boy that lives next to me.
I slide my jacket off and hand it to the barten
der. “Hold this. Don’t lose it,” I order as he takes it out of my hand. He nods his head quickly, fear evident in his eyes.
I look back at Drake. I guess he senses my stare because he looks around for whoever’s looking at him. He takes a minute to catch my gaze, and when he does, I narrow my eyes at him. There’s only one way to get him to leave me, Athena, alone: talk to him as the Cinder Wolf. Maybe it’ll scare him off.
He looks around for a second, trying to see if I’m glaring at someone else, but his eyes widen when he realizes that he’s the target. I slap Mason on the chest, and he looks down at me.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell him, and he gives me a confused look. I put on my scariest glare as I walk- more like stomp- to where Drake and the guys are sitting. Drake slaps Chase’s arm, and Chase looks up to see me at their table. I fold my arms over my chest and glare at them.
“So, I hear that you guys are bothering a friend of mine. Is that right?” I ask. They freeze. After glancing at each other, they look back at me. Chase’s eyes narrow in question. Alec looks confused. Ross looks hesitant. Drake looks to be a mixture of confused and angry.
“What are you talking about? We haven’t bothered anyone,” Drake says, speaking for the group. I let out a dry, sarcastic laugh and slam my hands down on the table.
“Her name is Athena Hale,” I growl out, and wide eyes greet me. One by one, they jump up, shaking their heads.
“We haven’t bothered her. We were trying to be her friends!” Ross exclaims, looking panicked. A little niggle of regret hits me, but I push it away. He was trying to be kind. Maybe if they give the right response, it could help me figure out what to do. Befriend them or continue to ignore them.
Shaking the thoughts away, I raise an eyebrow and look down at them. “You are Drake, Ross, Alec, and Chase. Am I correct?” I question, acting like I don’t know.
“Uh, yeah, but I swear we haven’t done anything to her. We tried to help her with the bullies and stuff,” Ross replies, answering for the entire group. Again, I cross my arms over my chest and roll my eyes. Receiving annoyed and confused looks make me feel slightly guilty again.
“Well, she says you’re bothering her, so I suggest you lay off and leave her alone,” I warn them and walk away.
“Or what?” Drake asks, making me freeze in my tracks.
I slowly turn back to them and narrow my eyes. “Or I’ll bury you,” I threaten, grabbing the collar of Drake’s shirt and pushing him down into his seat. Their faces turn to shock as I stalk away. I return to my position beside Mason, and he gives me a questioning look. “I told them to leave Athena alone,” I tell him simply, looking at my phone, which read 8:57. Fight time.
Again, I try to stop thinking of Drake, the bullies, and my stepfamily. All I need on my mind now is the fight. Winning. I take some deep breaths to focus. If I’m not focused, there’s a chance I’ll miss something or get hurt.
Mason nudges me with his elbow and nods towards the ring. “Your time,” he tells me. I smile. Finally.
The Ring Master sees me step into the ring and grabs his mic. “Fight time!” He yells, making everyone roar in approval. He waves his arms around as I wrap my hands in fight tape, “Okay, the fight you’ve been waiting for all night! The Cinder Wolf versus the Hunter!” The Hunter? I’ve never heard that name before.
I let my eyes wander just in time to see Drake marching this way. He hops up into the ring, and I know my face shows shock for a second, but I push it away. Well, this worked out. He’s the one that made me upset. It only fits that he’s the one I take my anger out on. He strips off his shirt, leaving him in shorts and sneakers, then stops right in front of me.
Let’s be real. I’m briefly distracted by Drake’s shirtless, muscular chest on display. Jeez. The black ink painted across his pecs, down his arms, and across just about every bit of skin create a beautiful canvas.
“Why’d she come to you?” He asks, referring to our earlier conversation.
“She likes to keep to herself. She can’t do that if your boy squad hangs around her,” I say. “If she tells you to leave her alone, do it. If she doesn’t, then hang around all you want.” I shrug my shoulders, “But if she tells me anything negative about you, no one will find your body.” He just stares at me like I’m crazy. There. That’s better.
“Ready for a fight?” The Ring Master yells, and again, everyone cheers. These people are here because they enjoy watching others get hurt or because it’s fun for them. If my parents were still alive and didn’t need money to get away from Alisha, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.
Sighing, I crouch into a fighting stance as the Ring Master yells, “Fight!”
Drake observes me as we circle each other. I wait until he makes the first move- a simple right cross.
I dodge the punch and shuffle away. Drake gives me a confused expression since I’m not fighting back. He sends a kick my way, but I grab his ankle and twist, making him fall. He stands back up quickly and lunges, throwing his fists. I dodge those and kick his side.
Drake staggers back, holding his side. “Dang, that hurt,” he mumbles, making me laugh. He stands back up, and he’s barely straightened when I punch him in the shoulder.
Again, he staggers back, but this time, he gets back up quicker. His right leg shoots out and hits my left side. I stand my ground and hit him in the stomach. He retaliates with a quick punch to the face and another to my ribs.
My eyes widen, and I gasp as something snaps in my already tender ribs. Pain stabs through me. This ends now. I push through the pain and punch him in the stomach again.
Drake hunches over, and I grab his arm, twisting it behind his back. “Tap out, Hunter,” I growl, trying not to let the burning pain take over. I don’t think he realizes how hard he hit me.
He laughs and shakes his head, “No.” I flip him over and land one punch after the other until he knocks out. When I stand, I can’t straighten all the way, my heavy breathing coming out in a groan from the burning fire in my side. I limp out of the ring, and when I reach the side, Mason helps me down.
“We need to leave,” I moan, holding my side. My brother glances at me worriedly, and I shake my head. “It’s probably just a broken rib. I’ll be fine, but we need to leave before people notice I’m weak,” I tell him. I can’t have any of my opponents catch me weak. Any of them would jump at a chance to fight me while I’m hurt.
We go to the bar and grab my jacket and money. Mason helps me up the stairs, slowly, and out to the bikes. He stops us in front of the bikes, and he looks down at me. “You good to ride?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed and a frown gracing his lips. I move his hand off my waist before climbing on my bike.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I hiss. Mason climbs on his bike, and we take off. I push through the pain as I drive, forcing myself to stay on the road.
When we reach the block before our house, I don’t stop. I drive to the house, not stopping to push the bike. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Thankfully, Drake’s place is still dark, so I know they aren’t home yet. I pull into the shed and turn my bike off. Pushing myself off the bike makes pain, like fire or lightning, shoot through my side, and I fall to the ground.
Slumping over, I wrap an arm around my stomach, groaning as my vision blurs. Mason runs to me and gently scoops me up into his arms.
“Dang, he did a number on you,” he mumbles. I don’t answer or fight him as he carries me to my room. He lays me down on my bed, walks over to my window, and closes the blinds. I haven’t been injured this badly from a fight in a while.
“You need to get cleaned up and looked at,” Mason says, lifting me again. I groan in pain and squeeze my eyes closed. “Sorry, Thea,” he murmurs, but I don’t have the strength to say anything. He gets me to the bathroom and stands me up. “Can you shower on your own?” He asks, and I glare at him. There’s no way I’d let him help me shower. He holds his hands up in surrender.
“Okay, okay. I was just asking.”
Onc
e he’s out the door, I slowly undress. Every movement sends pain through me, so I take forever to shower because I have to go slow and use one hand.
After forever, I finally stumble out, almost falling and hurting myself more, and find Mason laid out a sports bra, a large t-shirt, some panties, and a pair of cotton shorts on the counter. I put everything on except the shirt, but I should have put the shirt on instead of the sports bra because it isn’t as tight.
Limping out of the room, I call out, “Mase?”
“In here, Thea,” he calls. I follow his voice to my closet. Mason walks out with gauze to wrap my ribs. He silently walks over to me, winces when he sees my purple and green stomach, then stops in front of me, handing me a bag of ice.
“Hold this on there, so I can wrap it up,” he tells me. Taking the ice packet from his hand, I place it on the bruises while he wraps my ribs. The pain has dulled a bit since it happened, but it’s still painful. Hopefully, the ice will help.
“I hate him,” I grit through my teeth while Mason finishes with the wrap.
He chuckles and stands up. “Is it because you like him or because he almost won?” Mason asks, making my eyes widen and my mouth drop open.
“I don’t like him!” I protest, then wince. Mason smirks.
“I think you do. You just don’t know it yet. You let Drake know your name in one day. You’re more like yourself when you’re around him, and you blush!” He tells me, a laugh escaping. It annoys me, but it also makes me wonder.
I shake my head and sit on my bed. “I don’t blush, and I don’t like him! He’s annoying and infuriating.” And hot and caring. He’s… no, you don’t like him, Athena. My protests don’t help because Mason continues smiling despite the situation.
“Uh-huh, whatever helps you sleep, Thea, which you need to do. Come get me if you start feeling worse,” he says, kissing my forehead and turning my lights out. Sometimes, I feel like he’s the older of the two of us. I lay back on my bed, groaning at the painful descent. This will be a long night.
Not So Cinderella Page 6