Simple Lies

by Amanda Bennett

  “Declan Hunter, I don’t know how your mother raised you but you don’t just text someone in the middle of the night and leave practically no explanation. I’m not sure if you care, because obviously you don’t if you’re sneaking out in the middle of the night, but what the hell am I supposed to tell the crying girl in the other room, who thinks she is the reason you left. I swear to god if you don’t call me back when you get this, I will take my happy ass down to Arizona and kick your ass myself.”

  As soon as PJ’s message ended, I clicked on the next one that was left, literally ten minutes after the first.

  “You better hope you’re dead somewhere, because when I get a hold of you, I am going to kill you for doing this to her.” There was a good thirty second pause, and I had to check my phone just to make sure that there was still more message to listen to, then PJ’s voice continued. “Just at least text me back when you get this, please.”

  I knew if I didn’t text her back soon she would worry even more, so I quickly sent a text message explaining.

  Hey, I’m sorry. I was on

  a plane. I just landed and

  I’m fine. Please do what you

  can to calm Hadley down,

  my intention was not to

  hurt her, but obviously

  that didn’t work so well.

  I have something I

  HAVE to do for my

  friend. Trust me, I

  wish I didn’t have to

  but it’s unavoidable.

  Please don’t say anything

  to Hadley about it.

  Thanks,

  D

  I hit send and told the cab driver the quickest way to Tommy’s house. He sure as shit wasn’t going to be happy with me showing up at this hour, but I really had no other option. I had less than seventeen hours to get ready for a fight that I was in no shape to be in. I swear if I didn’t come out of this shit okay, I was going to kill Braxton myself. That’s when it hit me.

  “Um sir, there is going to be one stop before the place I told you.”

  “Sounds good, son.”

  “Thanks.” Just then my phone alerted me to a new text, and I knew it was PJ before I even opened it.

  What the hell are you

  about to do? You better

  tell me now, or I’m on the

  next plane…with Hadley.

  PJ

  Shit! The last thing I needed was for her and Hadley, of all people, to come out here and be forced to deal with my drama. So even though I didn’t want to, I told PJ exactly what was going on, why I was doing it, and that I promised that I would text or call her when everything was all said and done. All I got back from her was an, OK, so I assumed all was good. Now if I could just get this shit done and over with, then I could go back to fighting for the girl I knew I needed in my life.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Hadley

  “PJ, I swear to god if you don’t tell me what he fucking said, I am going to kick your ass.” I was beyond livid now, and PJ still thought this was a fucking game.

  “Bring it on, skinny ass. I’m not telling you.”

  “You suck.” I shouted as I went stomping down the stairs to get a cup of coffee.

  I let my head fall down on the counter as the pot finished brewing. My mind was beyond overwhelmed with thoughts of Declan and what the hell he was doing, and the fact that Ryan had been all but ignoring me since yesterday. Who would’ve known that saying no to sex would get his panties in such a bunch. After dinner, I tried to talk to him, but he just pulled away and said he had some things he had to do. Unfortunately, I was beginning to think that it was someone he had to do, and not something.

  I heard footsteps coming up behind me, and I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with PJ and her secretive ass anymore this morning. She had been talking to Declan, I know she had, but yet she was still trying to lie to me. Without even turning around, I went off. “I don’t need your shit anymore this morning. Just leave me alone.” I waited for PJ to give me some smart ass remark, but the kitchen was dead silent, and when I lifted my head…I was instantly embarrassed.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Tate. That wasn’t meant towards you. I thought you were Pamela-Jo.”

  “You speak to your friends that way?” She huffed as she pushed past me, and filled her mug with the coffee that I had just brewed for myself.

  I opened my mouth to defend myself, but I just couldn’t take it anymore…I was fed up. “Yes, yes I do.”

  “Come again, dear.”

  “Don’t dear me, in your condescending tone. You know, I’ve tried to be nothing but nice and respectful towards you, but I’m done. You are a nasty woman. Nothing I do is ever good enough in your eyes, and now I get the feeling I know what it feels like to be your son. You treat him like something you stepped in, yet you treat your nephew as though he’s God. Who the fuck do you think you are?” I snatched the coffee pot out of her hands, and filled my cup to the brim just so she couldn’t get anymore, and then I started to walk away with my head held high. “Oh and by the way, your son and I called off our wedding. Have fun explaining that to Mr. Tate and the partners.” I smirked.

  I was about to be home free, but when I turned the corner to head upstairs, I came face to face with my infuriated other half.

  “How could you talk to my mom that way? And where do you get off telling her we broke up?”

  There was no way I stopping now, I was on a roll. “How can you let her talk to me the way that she does? That’s a better question. From the minute you asked me to marry you, for a promotion from your Daddy I might add, you have let your parents and their friends treat me like I’m nothing more than some silly girl off of the streets. I deserve better than you and your family, Ryan. I deserve someone who will stand up for me, and make sure that I’m treated with respect, and not just use me as some pawn to get a better job.” I stepped around him and headed to my room to pack, but his next words sliced through me like a knife.

  “You mean someone like my cousin?”

  Shit! “I don’t know what you mean.” I feigned innocent.

  “I’m not stupid, Hadley. I see the way the two of you look at each other. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice?”

  I turned around to face him, “Honestly? No, I didn’t think you would notice. Half the time you’ve got your head so far up your dad’s ass, that you don’t even hear me speaking to you. But there’s nothing going on with Declan. Maybe you should take responsibility for the fact that you let me get away. You let someone else catch my attention while you were busy trying to live the good life.”

  “Isn’t that what you want, the good life? I would think a girl like you would want better.”

  I closed my eyes tightly, trying to process what he had just said to me, and then I opened them wide and looked him directly in the eyes. “A girl like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “I just meant, a girl with your past, I mean…don’t you want more for your life now?”

  My hand came up and across his cheek faster than I could even process it. “How dare you use my past against me. You know the difference between then and now, Ryan? I didn’t choose my past, but I do get to control my future. And honestly, I just don’t see you in it.” And with that, I turned and ran up the remaining steps. When I got to the door that led to the room I was staying in, I caught sight of PJ out of the corner of my eye, leaning against the wall in the hallway. “Not now, PJ.” Without saying a word, PJ walked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug.

  “I’m proud of you, Hads. Now hurry up and get dressed and packed, we have a plane to catch.”

  ~~~~

  PJ explained the entire situation with Declan and Braxton on our very long and daunting plane ride. I just hoped that we would get there in time to stop him from making a career ending mistake. There were a lot of things that I could deal with, but Declan losing everything he had fought so hard for, wasn’t one of them. I
t didn’t matter if I ended up with him or not, I just didn’t want him to get hurt…or worse.

  We arrived at the gym that PJ found online in some secret online group that told people about underground fights. Apparently this place required a password and all sorts of sketchy shit, just to get in. Lucky for me, I had PJ to get us in. To say that PJ had a way with words and guys was an understatement. PJ could pretty much get anything she wanted if she showed the right amount of skin, and said all the right things. Tonight was no exception.

  “Password ladies?” The bouncer was huge, and he had the deep voice to match his body. I’m sure he was beyond intimidating to most, but to me and PJ who could handle ourselves, he didn’t scare us, but I still let PJ do all the talking.

  “Well hey there in all your sexiness. Look…John.” She obviously read his nametag as she tried to waste time. “Do we really need a password? I mean, I could understand if we were guys, but we’re just two pretty ladies looking for a good time.” She slid her index finger down the bouncer’s cheek, stopping right by his lips. “So what do ya say, Johnny Boy?” She leaned in close enough that the bouncer could feel her warm breath on his skin, and he instantly caved.

  “Alright, but behave ladies. And I’ll be finding you later.” He slapped PJ’s ass as she walked by and she giggled, feeding into his juvenile crush.

  “Good job, PJ.” I whispered as we neared the end of a long dark corridor. When we got to the end of the hallway, it opened up to a large empty concrete room with no ring or anything in the middle of it all. “Jesus Christ, what the hell has he gotten himself into?” I muttered so only PJ could hear me.

  “I have no idea.” She murmured in return.

  We made our way over towards the back of the crowd so Declan wouldn’t easily spot us, but I had a feeling with all of the people that were packed in here, that there was no way in hell he would’ve noticed anyway. All I could do was hold onto PJ and pray that Declan would be okay, because if he wasn’t when all of this was said and done, I wasn’t sure what would happen to me. I had let myself fall so far for this guy, and I wasn’t quite sure my heart would ever recover from it.

  The lights began to flicker in the place, and everyone began scrambling for their seats. There were more people than there were chairs, but these people were ready to fight to death for the front row seats, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they would do to be ringside at an actual match. PJ and I stayed right where we were, not wanting to get involved in all the cutthroat bullshit that these people were capable of. When everyone who could get a seat, did, then they lowered the lights and an announcer appeared in the middle of the circle of chairs.

  “This is definitely some backwoods bullshit.” I joked to PJ, even though deep down I was freaking the fuck out.

  “Right! I don’t even want to know what these people did to get into this thing.” We both gave each other a sideways glance, and then remained quiet as the announcer began announcing the fighters.

  “Tonight ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you. Not only do we have one of the best underground street fighters, but we have the UFC’s biggest name as of late. To my left, we have…SERGIO…SOUL TAKER…RODRIGUEZ!”

  Everyone began to clap as a huge Mexican guy came barreling out from behind a steel wall. He held his hand up above his head, egging on all of the onlookers to cheer for him. He was massive in size compared to Declan, and I couldn’t help but begin to get a little sick to my stomach.

  “On my right….we have one of the UFC’s top fighters. Welcome…DECLAN…HEAVY HANDS…HUNTER!”

  A few people cheered, but most of them booed as Declan came walking out calm, cool and collected. I watched him intently as he went to his spot in the nonexistent ring, and began punching the air. He was followed in by an older gentleman, and I could only assume it was his coach. How he could let him take this fight was beyond me, but I wasn’t about to start questioning any of Declan’s decisions.

  “You ready for this?” PJ whispered in my ear.

  All I could do was look at her with terror in my eyes. “Don’t really have a choice now, do I?”

  THIRTY-TWO

  Declan

  The first thing I noticed, was how massive the guy was that I was fighting. There was no way this guy was in the same weight class as me. He was ginormous. Each one of his biceps were the size of three of mine, and I’m sure it was perfectly planned that way. I took a quick glance around the room, noticing all the rich ass mother fuckers just waiting for me to get my ass handed to me, so they could make a nice buck. Boy were they in for a big surprise.

  “Alright fellas, we want a nice clean fight. Touch gloves.”

  There was no way I was leaving myself open and vulnerable to this guy, so I forwent the touching of the gloves and made my way back over to where Tommy was standing. “Tommy, this guy is huge.”

  “You can do this, Dec. Don’t let him intimidate you. Just remember, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

  “Yeah well, this guy could take out a whole village with his size.” I joked.

  “Go get em’.” Tommy slapped me on the back just as the bell rang, and I made my way towards the center of the ring.

  I got in a few good body punches before he came at me, but the minute he landed his first punch, I was in agony. This guy was no joke, and he was gunning for me. I bounced on my toes to the left and dodged his next punch, and then back to the right, dodging his next one. I could tell he was getting frustrated, but if I could keep up my cardio, then he would eventually tire out. Nobody his size had good stamina. All I had to do was wait him out and get in a few good punches, then all this shit would be over.

  I was about to dodge his fist and move to my right, when I caught sight of a familiar blonde in the back corner. There was no fucking way she was here. I dropped my hands for half a second too long as I was preoccupied with thoughts of her, and the fucker caught my chin. My eye sight went blurry, and I found myself struggling to stand straight, when I felt another blow to my left ribcage. I pulled my hands up to protect my face, but it was too late. His right hand came straight at me, laying me flat out on the ground. I could feel him jump on top of me, trying to finish me off, but then he was gone and the room went black.

  “Son, do you think you can still go another round?” The ref was right in front of my slumped over body, and all I could do was nod my head. There was no way I was letting this guy kick my ass. I had worked far too hard to get where I was in the fighting world.

  “Alright, let’s go.”

  I stood and ran straight for the guy, his knees buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. I didn’t waste anytime climbing on top of him and letting my fists fly across his face. He was still moving and protecting himself beneath me, so I kept at it. There was no way I was letting him get up now, I was going to finish this. My hands felt like balls of concrete slamming into a brick wall as I continued to pummel his face repeatedly. I half expected the ref to call the fight when I felt him stop moving beneath me, but he never did. The ref may not have called the fight, but Jack did, and that’s when I knew there was no way he was letting me win this fight.

  “THAT’S ENOUGH!” He shouted as he reached out in front of me to stop me from going on.

  I stood tall, and walked right up to him. “Is it enough? My friend’s debt is paid. You got me?”

  Jack’s laugh echoed throughout the open space as he turned and looked around at all the people who had shown up to watch two guys fight to the death. “Braxton’s debt will never be paid. You see, when you make a deal with Jack Monroe, you make a deal with the devil.”

  I lunged forward, trying to tackle Jack to the ground, when I felt every ounce of air leave my body. I struggled to breathe, and I could feel every bone on my right side practically break in two. I reached out for Jack, but before I could get to him, my body fell like a wet rag, landing on the cold concrete beneath me. All I could hear were sharp intakes of breath as the people a
round us gasped in horror at the sight before them.

  I watched breathless as a million cops in SWAT gear rush at everyone in the room. They caught Jack just as he was trying to duck out the back, and I was thankful that I had made the decision I did before going to Tommy. Every single person in the room was being handcuffed by different officers, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Hadley was really here and getting arrested right along with them. I tried to move, to see if I could find her in all the chaos, but it was impossible. And just as my vision began to fade to black, I saw her

  THIRTY-THREE

  Hadley

  It had been one month, five days, eight hours, and fifty-two minutes since the last time I had seen or spoken to him, and it was killing me. School was back in session, and I was trying everything I could to keep my mind off of him, but nothing was working. I was practically a zombie as I drifted through my days. I woke up, went to class, went to work, and then came home went to bed, and did all again the next day. It wasn’t a life worth living, but was there really another option?

  After the fight, I tried to see Declan in the hospital, but he was refusing me. I was never put on the approved list of visitors, and neither was PJ. I had no idea what I had done, but for some reason Declan wanted to live his life without me in it, and I wasn’t about to force myself somewhere I didn’t belong. On a good note, Ryan had found me at school one day, and after about two hours of profusely apologizing, I finally forgave him for being such an ass. It was still hard to see him, but I knew with each passing day it would only get easier.

  As for PJ, well she found herself a nice guy. The hot guy in her econ class finally asked her out after break, and they had been going strong ever since. She even took him home to meet her family. If anything, I was happy that at least one of us got our happy ending. It was the Friday before school was being let out for Christmas break, and as much as I wanted to be happy like all these other college goers, I found myself being even more depressed than usual. It was my last day at the bookstore for the year, and as I aimlessly put away books and refolded sweatshirts, I couldn’t help but think about how I would be spending this holiday alone. Pathetic, I know.