Beneath The Lies

by Riann C. Miller

  “Hey, Lis, who’s your new friend?” An evil smirk crosses Alyssa’s face before she answers.

  “Oh, Craig, this is Kate. Kate, this is Craig. Berkeley’s Mr. One and Done. Keep that in mind if you decide to spread your legs for him, because no matter how amazing he claims it was, he...will...not...call you.” Everyone standing within hearing distance goes silent except for Craig.

  “Alyssa, I wasn’t lying. You were an amazing fuck, but you’re too high maintenance to be anything more than a good time.” Craig laughs with all of his friends while Alyssa glares at him. Once the laughter dies down, it’s clear that she’s out for blood.

  “Oh, no worries, Craig. I wasn’t looking to start a relationship with a man who has a three-inch penis. It just pissed me off that you said you’d call and you didn’t. But now that I think about it, that’s probably why you don’t call a chick afterwards. You’re worried that she’ll tell you the truth, that you wouldn’t know how to get a girl off even if you had an instruction manual and the best vibrator money can buy.” Muffled laughs come from every direction except from Craig, who seems beyond angry.

  “Come on, Alyssa. We’ll find a drink somewhere else.” I tug on her hand until she finally turns and the two of us walk away from the cackling group of guys that obviously found her comment hilarious. I’m really shocked that Alyssa would even give Craig the time of day. He appeared a little too unkept for her taste, but I haven’t known her that long.

  After wandering for a while, she finally stops us in front of a bathroom and that’s when I give her my best what-the-hell look. “Ugh. I screwed him freshmen year. I had one too many drinks and he said all the right things. Before I knew it, I was naked and allowing him to do whatever he wanted. However, I wasn’t kidding. The guy doesn’t have a small dick, but it’s not huge either, and at least with me he didn’t seem the least bit concerned if I got off. That was two years ago so who knows...maybe he’s figured out his way around a clit, but he made a lot of promises. Promises a guy shouldn’t make if all he wants is to get in a girls panties. For a few brief moments, he reminded me of a different time in my life and that made me...happy. Until the next day when it was clear he had no plans to ever call or see me again. I felt cheap and used, but I have no one to blame but myself.”

  Whatever happened between them apparently marked her, which makes me instantly dislike Craig. While I haven’t known Alyssa that long, I’ve known her long enough to believe she’s a good person.

  “There you two are.” Alyssa looks over my shoulder and I turn to see Gabby. “Kyler just got a call from his brother. Everyone is going to The Hill tonight.” I have no idea what Gabby is talking about, but the information clearly excites Alyssa. “Yay. I’ve been dying to go back. Let me use the restroom really quick then we can get out of here.”

  After the bathroom door closes, I turn toward Gabby again with a questioning look. “The Hill is an old building in east Oakland that some guys use as an underground fight club. Usually by the time Lis and I hear about the fight it’s too late for us to get down there.”

  The bathroom door opens and I see the excitement dancing in Alyssa’s eyes. Whatever funk she was in moments ago appears to be gone. “Thank God we were with Noah and Kyler. Seems like forever since I’ve been to The Hill,” Alyssa says, clapping her hands together.

  “Noah complains all the time about how rare it is for The Hill to host a fight. But it looks like we’re finally going to see one tonight,” Gabby replies.

  I’m standing here watching the two of them, feeling like an outsider, as Noah and his friend Kyler walk up to the three of us. “Ready?” Noah asks.

  “We gotta jet now.” Gabby nods and Alyssa lets out another girly squeal. “Lis, chill the fuck out or my brother is going to kill me for letting you tag along.”

  Instead of answering Kyler, Alyssa rolls her eyes and mumbles a whatever. We push our way through the partygoers until we make it outside. Everyone except Kyler jumps into Gabby’s car, Noah behind the wheel. The car is deadly silent for a few minutes until Noah finally speaks up.

  “Kate, The Hill can be a rowdy place. All sorts of people show up to watch and place bets. The fight itself is anything goes, and more times than not they can be pretty brutal to watch. Are you sure you’re okay with tagging along?”

  Noah’s eyes flicker toward mine in the rearview mirror. He doesn’t sound irritated or annoyed that he’s taking me, but he evidently doesn’t think I’m cut out to attend. Even in slutty clothing, my sheltered life is obviously not hidden.

  “I’ll be okay.” I hold Noah’s stare until he has to look back at the road. I have no idea if I’ll be okay or not, but it’s just a fight. I’ve watched a few on TV before, but I get the distinct impression that tonight is going to be very different.

  We arrive at a building that looks like it’s been abandoned for years. If it wasn’t for the amount of cars parked along the streets, I wouldn’t have guessed anyone was around. Noah and Gabby are acting cool and relaxed, but Alyssa is struggling to contain her excitement. I’m acting calm and casual, even though my nerves are actually at an all-time high.

  We walk down several sidewalks until we enter a building through a side door that I didn’t even notice until Noah opens it. We travel down a long, dark hallway until we come upon a man who looks to be in his mid-twenties blocking our path.

  “Kyler said you’d be coming with some chicks, but I wasn’t expecting you to pull three at a time, bro.” Noah shakes his head no while pulling Gabby closer to him.

  “One is more than enough for me, dude. The other two are friends of Gabby’s.”

  After Noah’s remark, the guy starts to check Alyssa out from head to toe. He licks his lips, appearing pleased with her then turns his gaze toward me. I turn my face away but I can still feel his eyes burning a hole into my skin.

  “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? What’s your name, beautiful?” I look over at Alyssa, who is beaming with pride at the fact that I’m currently the center of attention.

  “Maybe I’ll call you green eyes since you won’t tell me your name.”

  Without meaning to, I roll my eyes. How original. The color of my eyes is always a topic when I’m around new people. Do you wear contacts? Are my parents’ eyes that color? My answer is always no and no, even though I don’t really know the answer to the last question. I don’t want to add to the conversation by mentioning my adoption to people who are practically strangers.

  Instead of acknowledging him, I step toward Noah and Gabby. Noah takes my cue that I’m not interested and starts to lead us down another hallway where Kyler is waiting on us. “I got here just in time to place our bets. My fucktard of a brother waited forever to text me.”

  “The girls don’t need to bet, anyway, so we’re good. Let’s roll.”

  Kyler opens the door and leads us down another long hallway and into a large and very loud room filled with people. In the center of the room is a boxing ring. Along the walls are dilapidated bleachers. Everyone appears to be fighting for a spot up close to the ring, leaving the bleachers almost empty.

  “Baby, I want you and your friends to sit up high so I can see you the whole time.” Noah brushes a lock of hair out of Gabby’s face before he gives her a kiss so hot I can almost feel it from where I stand.

  “Ohhhkay.”

  Alyssa isn’t nearly as agreeable. When she speaks up, her voice is almost whiny. “But I want to watch the fight down here.”

  “No, Lis. Stay with Gabby and Kate, and stay up high where we can see you. I mean it.” Gabby smiles at Noah then we start making our way up the bleachers. As soon as the guys have walked off, Alyssa pulls back. “I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

  “Lis, don’t. You just used the restroom. This isn’t the place you want to sit your ass on a toilet seat, anyway.”

  Alyssa clears her throat before adding, “I’ll be just a sec.” With that, she disappears into the crowd.

  “Goddam
n it. Next time Noah won’t even consider letting her come.” Annoyance at Alyssa is rolling off Gabby in waves. “Lis thinks she likes bad boys and being here is like being dropped off at the gateway to bad boy heaven.”

  My eyes widen as I start to take in the people around me. This is not an event my parents would ever want me to attend. For the most part, the men here are huge, almost mean looking with big bulky arms, and most of them are covered in tattoos. But what I find strange is how comfortable everyone seems. This is their normal, and I definitely feel like an outsider.

  “How did Noah hear about this place?” I ask as my eyes continue to scan the area below us.

  “Kyler’s older brother helps run the place with a friend of his. A couple of years ago fights happened here all the time, but in the last year I’ve only heard of a few here and there. And even then we barely get any notice before the fight starts.” Watching the madness below, I wonder what the big deal is when a booming voice announcing the fighters steers my attention to the ring. That’s when all hell breaks loose.

  The two men in the ring are throwing punches, but they are also kicking, grabbing, and pulling on each other in ways you’d never see in a fight on television. The taller fighter with longish dark hair brings his knee up into the face of the other, slightly smaller fighter. Blood from the guy’s nose sprays everywhere. A few of the females sitting up close scream, but other than that, no one else is affected, as if the blood is a normal occurrence.

  Once the smaller fighter shakes off the blow, he bends the larger fighter’s arm behind his back in a painful way that makes me turn my face away. Even though the room is extremely loud, I still anticipate the sound of his bone breaking. The crowd goes crazy, causing me to look back in time to see the larger guy choking the smaller guy, making my stomach to turn.

  The guy being choked is struggling for air, and when the fighter finally lets go of his neck, it’s only to slam his face back down on his knee. This time I do hear what sounds like a bone cracking, and the smaller guy falls to the ground, knocked out cold.

  Most of the room breaks out in celebration, but a few start swearing and yelling. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gabby waving. I look in the direction she’s waving in time to see Noah tap his watch three times. “Noah’s going to settle up and then we’ll leave. Stay close. This is usually when the place goes wild.”

  My eyes gaze around the room. When they land on a very attractive man, everything inside of me stills...because he’s staring at me. No, it’s more than that. His eyes are drinking me in.

  He’s tall, or at least a lot taller than the guys standing around him. He has dark hair, high cheekbones, and his chin is covered in stubble. He’s too far away for me to tell the color of his eyes—eyes that are still following my every move.

  Gabby is unaware of the attention I’m receiving so I decide it’s best to ignore him. I glance around the room again, looking for any signs of Alyssa, when my eyes find the same man watching me once again—or maybe he never stopped. I stare back, waiting for him to look away this time, but he doesn’t. Someone walks up to him and he answers whatever he’s asked without taking his eyes off mine.

  Gabby pulls on my arm, trying to get my attention, causing the guy’s eyes to narrow. “Noah’s ready and God only knows where Lis is at. Shit. He’s going to be pissed and he’s going to blame me for bringing her.”

  I clear my throat. “I’m ready. I’ll help you guys find her.”

  As we continue down the stairs, I look back toward the guy, but he’s gone. I should be happy he’s done staring at me, but for some bizarre reason, I’m not. Maybe Alyssa isn’t the only one who likes bad boys.

  When we finally make it to Noah, he’s glowering over my shoulder, probably looking for Alyssa. I can tell the second he puts two and two together and figures out she’s not with us. His teeth clench and his eyes flash with anger. “She fucking wandered off after I told her not to, didn’t she?”

  Noah is tall, has dark, wavy hair, and tattoos up and down his arms. While he looks mean, he usually acts like a big teddy bear, but that’s not the case right now. In this very moment, he’s beyond pissed. “Text her. If she doesn’t have her ass in your car by the time we make it there, then she’s walking home. I’m sure it won’t be long before the cops are called, and I’m not about to go down because your friend won’t listen.”

  Gabby told me she met Noah about a year ago. She met him at some college party, but they don’t attend the same school. They’ve been dating long enough for her to admit she’s in love with him. And right now, I don’t envy her situation in the least bit.

  Kyler hollers to Noah, “Dude, let’s get out of here.” Noah and Gabby, who has her phone to her ear, start walking toward Kyler. When I step forward to follow, a guy jumps out and blocks my path.

  “What’s your name?” he growls out, sounding almost annoyed.

  I tilt my head up to take a good look at the man standing in front of me. He almost looks like someone I know, but I can’t place him. I glance around and sigh when I see that neither Gabby nor Noah has noticed that I’m no longer tagging along behind them. “Your name?” he asks again with even less tolerance then he had a moment ago.

  I try taking a step around him but the guy won’t budge. I clear my throat and give him a frigid look. “Excuse me. I need to catch up with my friends.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll allow you to go the second you give me your name.” Before we got out of Gabby’s car, Noah told us we didn’t want to talk to the guys that come to these types of fights, especially the ones that are looking to score with women, which is why I decide to give this guy a fake name.

  “Jamie.”

  “Jamie?” He repeats my fake name like that was the last name he was expecting me to say to him.

  “Yeah, now can I please go?” He stands there staring down at me for a few seconds before Kyler shows up out of nowhere and hits him on the arm.

  Oh crap. Kyler didn’t strike me as the type of guy to pick a fight, but apparently I was wrong.

  “What the fuck, Kiran? She’s with us and we can’t leave until she’s out the fucking door, so move out of her damn way.”

  Ah...now I know why I questioned if I knew this guy. He must be Kyler’s older brother, the guy who also runs The Hill. Once I take them both in, standing side-by-side, you can clearly tell they’re brothers. Both of them have sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and they both appear moody as hell.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know Jamie was with you. Boss man told me to figure out who invited her.”

  “Jamie?” Oh no...

  “Yeah. Her.” Kiran points his finger at me, and I can tell the second Kyler figures out I lied.

  “Oh...Jamie. Yeah, don’t trust anything she says. She’s a liar.” Obviously, Kiran is not the brightest crayon in the box because he didn’t pick up on Kyler’s joke. “Come on, let’s go.” Kyler grabs my hand and begins to walk us back out the same way we came.

  Just as we’re about to turn to walk down the hallway, I take one last look around the room and spot the man who was staring at me earlier. He’s talking to Kyler’s brother but he looks angry or maybe confused. When he looks up his eyes scan the room and he quickly finds mine again, only this time his eyes look harsh, his jaw is clenched, and he’s frowning. I have no idea why I’m getting the one eighty from how he looked at me earlier, but either way I give him my biggest, warmest smile before I enter the hallway, never once looking back.

  ****

  “Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night out with your friends?” Leeta is her normal, bright and cheerful self. A part of me is annoyed that she is acting like my mother and another part of me is grateful.

  “Oh, my night was fine.” I just went to an underground fight and watched my only two friends get into a serious argument. When Alyssa finally showed up at Gabby’s car, Noah was beyond furious with her, wanting to leave her ass even though she showed by the time he gave her, which left Gabby stuck in the middle.<
br />
  Alyssa and Noah stood on the sidewalk screaming at each other until Noah claimed he was done wasting his time arguing with her. With that, we all hopped in Gabby’s car and we silently rode back to the party where Alyssa left her car.

  Alyssa drove me home and told me she’d see me Monday. I have no idea how things will work out between Gabby and Alyssa, but I don’t envy Gabby at the moment.

  “How about we go out and do some shopping today? We could drive over the bay and hit a few of the designer shops that are open on Sundays. There’s a boutique that I can’t wait to take you to.”

  What I want to do is yell at the top of my lungs how much I hate shopping and how Leeta’s question only spotlights how little she actually knows me, but I won’t. I don’t want to risk upsetting the only adult I have left in my life. “Thanks for the offer, Leeta. I actually have a lot of homework I need to catch up on. I was thinking of heading to the library for a while.” Most of that is true, but if I really wanted to find the time to shop, I could.

  “Oh. Okay.” As I watch Leeta’s face fall, I instantly feel bad. I don’t want Leeta to think she can or ever will replace my mother, but she’s welcomed me into her home and her life and I need to make an effort to get to know her better. I silently vow the next time she asks me to do something, I’ll take her up on her offer.

  ****

  I spend nearly five hours at the library. I found I surprised even myself at the amount of work I actually had. At least it lessens my guilt of ditching Leeta. When I get back to Leeta’s, the house is eerily silent. The only thing I can hear is the humming coming from the heating system until I reach the bottom of the steps. That’s when I hear Leeta talking to someone else in her home office. The door is shut, but not closed all the way.