by Raathi Chota
“You’re fighting,” I stated as we walked past the cage where two guys roughed each other up. Axel told us to get a good spot while he got ready. Since it was Keene and me, it was easier to get space in the front. We managed to squeeze right in front, a few feet away from the cage. I didn’t like it one bit. The guy who lost was knocked out, and I barely saw his face from all the blood. People cheered, and I turned my head to see Axel enter the cage. He was shirtless as he put the mouthpiece in. I looked at his opponent, and my eyes widened. The guy was twice the size of Axel. His veins stuck out of his skin to show how muscular he was.
“Go, Axel!” I cheered as they approached each other. As the referee spoke to them, Axel glanced at me and winked. The referee raised his arm as Axel and the other guy took their positions. I let out a shaky breath when the referee lowered his arm and backed away. Everyone erupted in roars and threw profanities at the competitor.
The other guy punched Axel in the face. He was about to hit again, but Axel dodged it and punched him in the stomach. It didn’t seem to affect the guy as he instantly hit Axel’s temples, left and right.
“Oh my God,” I breathed out when I noticed the blood drip from Axel’s mouth. The guy wrapped his hand around Axel’s neck, then shoved him against the fence. People went wild as they hit the fence too. I watched in horror as the guy continuously punched Axel.
When the guy was about to knock him again, Axel dodged it and hit him in the hip. Using his other fist, he punched the man in the jaw. Axel raised his leg and put his foot on the guy’s chest, then shoved him away. The guy did an overhead kick, but Axel dodged it. Keene and I cheered as Axel jumped up and kneed the guy in the face, making him fall to the ground.
Axel continuously punched the man as I cheered. The man dodged one of his punches, then pushed Axel off him. He got up, and Axel marched toward the guy, then threw him against our side of the fence. Keene took my hand and pulled me away as the man sat against the fence. Axel held onto the fence for support as he kneed the guy in the face. It was tense since the guy had his back to us, and I watched the blood splatter everywhere. When the guy had enough, the referee pulled Axel away. He walked around the cage and cheered; people shook the fence and praised him.
“Come on,” Keene yelled over the noise as he took my hand. We walked out of the crowd and toward a room. Keene opened the door, where we found Axel on a chair with his feet propped up on the table. “Dude, congrats,” Keene said as we entered the room. Axel turned to us with a smile plastered on his face.
“Especially when you jumped and kneed him in the face, it was awesome!” I exclaimed as I stood in front of him.
“So do you feel better?” he suddenly asked.
“Well yeah, a bit. I still have the flu, though, but I-I don’t know. It was just exciting.” I smiled as he cleaned his face.
“Well, you look better,” Axel pointed out, then smiled.
“I’m gonna get the car, so when I honk, you guys must come,” Keene said as he took Axel’s car keys. I watched as he walked out of the room, then shut the door. When I turned to Axel, I noticed he struggled to clean his face.
“You need help?” I asked. He lowered the towel and gave it to me. I took it from him and slowly patted the cuts on his face. I sniffled, which made a weird noise from my nose. My eyes widened in embarrassment as Axel laughed.
“Here.” He took a tissue and covered my nose. I gave him a strange look, but he insisted. I blew my nose in the tissue while he held it. We laughed at the noise, then Axel put the tissue in the trashcan. A car honked in the distance, and I straightened my posture, then gave the towel to Axel. He stood up and smiled at me.
“Where are we going now?” I asked as we walked out of the room.
“I’m hungry, and Momma’s making dinner.” He grinned, then swung his arm around my shoulder as we walked to the car.
“What about the money Uncle Griff gave you?”
“Pumpkin, Momma’s food is ten times better than takeouts.”
***
We arrived at the Gunner household, but I didn’t want to be here. “I’m home, beautiful family!” Axel announced as he turned on the living room light. Blake entered the room, and his eyes landed on me. I noticed his left eye twitched. He looked at Keene and Axel, then approached his brother.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Blake demanded as he stood right in front of his brother.
“I wanna go home,” I whispered to Keene.
“Relax, brother. I texted Momma, and she said it’s fine if pumpkin joins us for dinner. Besides, doesn’t she look adorable in that outfit?” Axel asked as they turned to me. Instead of looking away, I stared at Blake and saw his black eye and bandaged nose. He eyed me up and down, then sighed.
“I’m sorry, baby—”
“Don’t you dare call me that. I don’t like it, and my boyfriend doesn’t like it.”
“I like it,” he said blankly. I stepped forward and was ready to lecture him like he did with me, but Axel came between us and Blake smirked. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. Gunner walk in from the kitchen.
“Momma, pumpkin’s here.”
“Who is?”
“Lana Willson, Momma.” Axel frowned, then swung his arm around my shoulder.
“Well, the food is almost ready,” she said as I gave her a kind smile.
“You need help, Mrs. Gunner?” Keene asked.
“Sure, thank you, Keene.” He followed her into the kitchen. Axel let go of my shoulder and stood in front of me. I looked into his brown eyes and noticed the smile.
“I’m just gonna go clean up quick. Don’t kill each other while I’m gone.” He faked a smile at Blake. He walked down the hall, and I folded my arms. Blake walked toward me. As I turned to him, he picked up his pace and forced me against the wall.
“What the hell are yo—”
“Pretty hot that you got balls to hold a gun, GG.” He pressed his chest against mine. He raised his one arm and placed it on the wall as he towered over me.
“I thought you knew by now I’m no good girl,” I muttered.
“Oh, I know. I just wanted you to say it.” He leaned down to my ear. “You’ve been a naughty girl lately, but you’re my bad girl,” Blake whispered as I shuddered. “You might be a nerd,” he said as his other hand went down to my thigh and stroked it, “but you’re a very bad girl.” As I felt his bottom lip flick my earlobe, I shoved him away.
“Food’s ready!” Mrs. Gunner announced from the kitchen. I glared at Blake and pushed myself off the wall. He swung his arm around me, and I tried to remove his arm, but he wouldn’t budge.
“But my brother’s right. You do look fucking adorable in that onesie, baby girl,” Blake whispered in my ear, then dropped his arm. To sit was hard since Blake wanted to sit next to me. We walked around the table like idiots until Keene noticed something was up. He approached the table and asked if I wanted to sit next to him. I naturally accepted since I trusted him. So I sat next to Keene with Axel opposite me, Mrs. Gunner on end, and Blake next to Axel. Even though Blake was far away from me, I still noticed his smirk.
“Lana, I heard what happened earlier today, and I’m sure you’re tired of hearing people pity you, and you seem just fine,” Mrs. Gunner said as I chewed my food. “Have you heard from any of the universities you applied for yet?”
“Yeah, I know from ones here in Illinois, but I’m still busy with my Yale application. It’s the school I really want to get into.”
“All Blake’s applications have been sent in,” she said as we turned to Blake, who stared at his mother.
“There’s a lot of work they want, so I have till next week,” I said.
“Oh, well, hope you get in. You’re a smart girl.”
“Dude, where you going?” Keene asked Blake.
“Minnesota.” Blake grinned and poked his food with a fork.
“Or the University of Illinois, Blake. They really like you,” Mrs. Gunner added.
“I got t
ime,” Blake said as his smile faded.
“Okay now, I’d like to know why my one son looks like he’d been kicked by a donkey several times. I know my other son got suspended, so what happened to you, Axel?” Mrs. Gunner gestured to the bruises that formed on Axel’s face. “Don’t tell me you’ve been in a cage again?”
“Told you, Momma. He’s not my brother. He misses the zoo, so he’s always fighting in a cage with another animal.” Blake sipped his water.
“No! I’m winning, Momma. Even ask pumpk-Lana.”
“Is this true, Lana?”
“Yes, he’s very goo—” I cut myself off as she stared at me. “It’s not good for you.”
“But I enjoy doing it.”
“I don’t enjoy seeing my son coming home every second night with a new bruise,” she pointed out as Axel sighed. “Baby, you don’t need that money. You have a job, you’re going to college now, and you have a roof over your head. Why would you still want to fight?”
Axel shrugged and continued to eat. An awkward silence stretched in the room as we continued to eat. Blake didn’t seem phased as he picked at his food while Keene was on his second plate.
“May I use the bathroom?” I asked.
“Of course, down the hall. Second door on your left.” Mrs. Gunner smiled.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, then walked out of the room. I used the bathroom as quick as I could yet it was hard since I wore a onesie. Once I was done, I zipped up the thing again and washed my hands. When I looked into the mirror, I noticed a shadow underneath the door. I closed the faucet and spun around. I looked down at the door and walked toward it. The shadow didn’t move, yet I noticed its legs. I rested my palm against the door and listened. “Blake, if that’s you, you’re not funny,” I said as my breaths quickened. I twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open. I felt paranoid because there was no one. I shook the thought away and walked out of the bathroom. While I walked down the dimly lit hallway, I had a strange feeling that someone watched me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lana
The next morning, Mom made breakfast, then went to work. Dad went to the station but left me in the hands of Linda. I wasn’t in the mood to talk, yet she didn’t mind since she spent the time looking for her cat. Dad was only gone for an hour, then came back. He told Linda to leave since she was obsessed with her cat. I also decided to take a shower earlier since I wanted to get out of the onesie and into a comfy pair of sweatpants and one of Benny’s sweaters. The doorbell rang as I sat down with a bowl of popcorn, ready to watch Footloose. I let out a groan as I got up and walked to the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to find Blake. I gave him a once over; he looked good in his black ripped denim jacket, band tee, black jeans, and combat boots.
“Blake, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be doing co—”
“I need to talk to you.” He cut me off as he backed away. I gave him a strange look, then walked out of the house and onto the porch. Since the sleeves were long on Benny’s sweater, I pulled them as I folded my arms. “Do you like Benny?”
“What sort of the question is that? Of course I do.” I laughed.
“Do you know what he has done to you?”
“Blake, what are you…where are you going wit—”
“Answer the question.”
“Y-yes, but it only happened like three times. Most of it was teasing.”
“Yeah, but he still fucking did it,” Blake hissed as I stared at him.
“He changed for me. He promised he’d never do it again, and he’s living up to his promise, unlike others who just don’t give a fuck,” I snapped.
“I said I’m sorry. What more do you want?” he quietly asked as his eyes bored into mine.
“For you to mean it and let us have at least a week where we don’t fight,” I said. He laughed, bitter and dry, as he placed his hands on his hips. His eyes landed on me, and he stared. His features softened as he eyed me up and down.
“I like you, Lana. I like you a lot; I’m falling for you so fucking hard,” Blake confessed as I stared at him. “Even though when we’re together it’s not in the best situation, I just like having you around. I enjoy your presence. I like it when you push your glasses up, when you bite the inside of your cheek when you’re nervous. Yeah, I noticed that. When you stare at me with a blank look on your face, it…gives me time to get lost in those mesmerizing blue eyes of yours.”
“Blake, I—” He cut me off as he cupped my cheeks and continued.
“Please just give me a chance. I’ll treat you so much better, baby girl. You of all people deserve a happy ending, and I’ll be glad enough to give it to you,” he whispered, then pressed his cold lips against mine. His eyes shut as he kissed me. Mine were open as I looked at his bruised eye and realized what he’s doing. His lips began to move, so I blinked, then pushed him off me.
“No! What the hell? You can’t…you can’t just do that, Blake,” I said as he gripped my wrists and stared down at me. As I looked up at him, his nostrils flared with his nose ring. He breathed hard and frowned.
“Look me in the eye so I know that night meant nothing to you. In Benny’s room, in the car, at the pool, and the motel,” Blake demanded as his grip tightened on my wrists. We suddenly stopped, and I stared at him because I knew that nothing happened at the motel. Blake’s facial features softened while he searched my face; he chewed on his bottom lip and nodded. “Well, you know what?” Blake laughed. “They meant the world to me, Lana Willson.” He let go of my wrists. “Why can’t you see that I like you?” He backed away. “You know I’m going crazy for you and everyone else knows that except for you!”
“I do see! I know that you have feelings for me. I see how you look at me and the countless times you try to kiss me. I do see, Blake. It’s just…I don’t feel.” I mumbled the last part, then looked at him. “I’m sorry, Blake. I just…you keep hurting me.”
The atmosphere was tense around us as I stared at the floor. I wanted to get inside and curl up into a ball and cry.
“What is wrong with you, huh?” he burst out as I backed away. “He’s going to end up hurting you, Lana! You’re so fucking blind and gullible!”
“You’re the one who always hurts me! He changed! He cares about me, and he changed for me!” I yelled.
“Fucking bullshit!” Blake shouted, then hit his fist against the wall. My father came outside and looked at us. Blake huffed as I sniffled. We locked eyes, and mine turned glossy as his raged with anger.
“What the hell is going on here?” Dad demanded.
“Blake was just leaving,” I whispered, and he rolled his eyes.
“Hey, don’t you freaking roll your eyes at my daughter! Get the hell off my porch!” Dad exclaimed as he stood in front of me.
“Whatever,” Blake muttered, then walked off the porch to his motorcycle. I folded my arms as I watched him get onto the bike. As he drove off, I looked at my dad. He gave me an assured look, and I nodded, then stormed into the house.
***
The next week was spent in silence since Benny wasn’t at school, so I buried myself in my books. I spent time with Miranda, Melissa, and Tiffany but never told them what happened with Blake. I never told anyone, but I knew I had to tell Benny sooner or later. Blake and Benny came back to school the following week, and everything went back to normal. Especially Blake, since he skipped classes and slept around. A rumor even went around that his house was used to have regular sex.
It was after school and the second to the last day that I could send my stuff for Yale. I gathered all the work to go to Mr. Bronx and the counselor. Benny leaned on the locker beside me and scrolled through his phone.
“You ready?” he asked as I searched my locker for one last form.
“For?” I raised a brow.
“My basketball trials. Coach is evaluating me for this one college. We talked about it yesterday.”
“Oh, I forgot. I’m sorry.” I facepalmed and backed away fr
om my locker.
“Yeah. It’s always that, isn’t it…” Benny nodded and turned away.
“What?” I asked as I gave him a once-over.
“I never see you, babe. At lunch and after school, you’re always busy. The only time I get to see you is five minutes before class.”
“Benny, you know that I can’t help it. I’m busy thinking about my future here.” I pointed to the file with all my Yale stuff.
“Yeah, but what about our future? You never have time for us anymore,” Benny murmured, then pushed himself off the lockers. “But you make time for him…” he added as he leaned on the lockers opposite me. I gave him a questioning look. He grunted and took his phone out. I paled when I saw the picture of Blake and me when we were at the paint party on New Year’s.
“Benny, I was drunk. I didn’t even kno—”
“Do you know how worried I was when you weren’t in my room? Then you sent me a text saying how you’re going home, but no, you went with them.” He raised his voice.
“They took me, and I was dru—”
“Yeah, it’s okay because you were drunk. Out with someone else, but it’s okay because you were drunk. Kissing another guy, but it’s okay because you were drunk. Whenever Lana Willson is drunk, the slut comes out,” Benny hissed.
“Wha—screw you!” I exclaimed as my jaw dropped. “When I was sober, the first thing that went through my mind was you! I wanted to be with you! I never cheated on you. Do you think I’d do that?”
“Well, considering he likes you…I just don’t want to fucking lose you!”
“You won’t. It’s just school is always my first priority, Benny, and it’s not my fault that you’re grounded,” I said. He laughed.