by Jenika Snow
“Hello?” She grabbed her stuff while balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear, and started walking out of the library in quick steps.
“Hey.” Lance’s voice was calm and unhurried, so all of her anxiety vanished. If something was wrong surely he wouldn’t be so collected. But then that thought was followed by why her ex-boyfriend was calling her in the first place. She must have paused a little too long in responding, because he cleared his throat and started talking again. “I know, you’re probably wondering why I’m calling you.”
Yeah, she was. She found an empty bench outside and sat down, waiting for him to get to the reason he had called her.
“I was just seeing how you were doing.”
Mary felt her eyebrows knit. There were a few students down the way laughing rather loudly, a dog barking somewhere in the distance, and the noise of someone’s bass beating an angry tempo, but none of those things even held a candle to the loudness of her heart pounding in her ears.
“You called to see how I was doing?” Now it was his turn to be silent for a moment, but that might have been because her tone was a bit crass. Mary pressed forward, because this conversation had gone on a little too long. “Why exactly did you call me, Lance? I know it wasn’t just to check up on me.”
It had been over two summers ago since she had last spoken to Lance, and the memories were less than favorable. Anger, hurt, and betrayal mixed inside of her, and she was pissed at herself for still feeling this way. Those unwelcome emotions had been buried deep inside of her, and she thought she had moved past all that, but hearing his voice had brought up the memory of how he had pushed her away so easily, and made her feel like what they had shared was really nothing at all. He sighed dramatically, and she heard the sound of sheets rustling in the background. Had he called her right after he screwed someone, or maybe she was still lying beside him in his bed? It wouldn’t have surprised her either way. She should hang up, yet she didn’t.
“I did call to see how you are doing. It’s been years, Mary. I still care about you.” Mary didn’t bother hiding her snort. She should have been way past this, had in fact, but then all it took was one little phone call to drag her bag to that place. “We are adults, have matured and all that.”
Dead air filled the space between them, and she glanced at the ground. A pigeon landed a few feet from her, pecking at the cement and then fluffing out its wings.
“Are you there, Mary?” She gritted her teeth, not about to let him gloss things over. She might have been a pushover back then, let him get away with things that were inexcusable on every level, but not anymore. She didn’t need to prove herself to him, his family, or even hers. Mary was now standing on her own, and living her life, and because of that had grown in more ways than one.
“Yeah, I’m here.” She didn’t bother hiding the iciness in her voice. “To be honest, Lance, I don’t have much to say to you. I think your parting words back then were adequate.”
He sighed again, which pissed her off even more. He had left her heartbroken and humiliated in front of all of the people she had thought were her friends, yet here he was trying to act like that had been so long ago, and it wasn’t even a big deal.
“Listen, I already apologized for how I acted back then, and don’t really know why you haven’t moved past this. That was so long ago. There isn’t any reason we can’t be civilized to each other. Our parents are best friends.”
Mary pinched the bridge of her nose. Why she was still on the phone with him was beyond her. She should have just hung up already. “Lance, I’m not getting into this with you, especially on the phone. You calling me out of the blue doesn’t do anything but piss me the hell off.” She felt her face heating at how angry she was getting.
“God, Mary, going to a public university has changed you. Here you are swearing like some kind of sailor.” She rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. He had a lot of nerve thinking he could talk down to her. Had he thought she’d forgotten how he used to treat her? The time that had passed was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Right when she was about to tell him she was done talking he started to speak again. “Your mom told me you’re coming down before the wedding. I was thinking we could get together, maybe before for lunch on Saturday? I know you have the rehearsal and all, but for old times’ sake?”
She wasn’t surprised he knew when they were having the rehearsal, not when he probably knew every aspect of what was going on in her family’s life.
“No.” The word came out so quickly and harsh that she was surprised with herself, but then again she was furious that she was still talking to Lance, and that she allowed herself to continue to do it after everything that happened between them. “Things are done between us. I don’t need or want to be your friend, even if our parents are close. I’ve moved on, started my life, and am not thinking about the relationship we had. You decided on what you wanted to do back then, and so did I.”
She could practically hear him gritting his teeth on the other end. Lance may appear calm and socially perfect when others were watching, but she knew the real him. Get a few drinks in him and it was like watching a grotesque science project. Her quickly morphed into Mr. Hyde. Of course that wasn’t why their relationship had ended so badly, although she should have dumped his ass for that alone. She should have left him the first time he yelled at her while he was drunk, and said some very hurtful things, but back then he was all she knew, and she was such a naive teenager that his apologies had smoothed out things that should have not been fixable. Since starting at OSU she had come to realize a lot of things, mainly that she didn’t need a man in her life to feel whole. She supposed that was the only thing she had to thank Lance for, because if they hadn’t broken up the way they did things would have been very different in her life, that she was sure of.
“I’m not asking for anything more than you’re willing to give. I just want to be your friend again, like we were before everything happened.”
What pissed her off the most was the fact Lance had never once told her he made a mistake. It was bad enough she had caught him screwing her best friend, but even worse when she found out all of their “friends” had known about what was going on. So there she had stood, watching in disgust as the boy she thought she had loved had sex with someone she had thought was her closest friend. Hell, she thought a lot of people cared about her, but it was funny and depressing to realize she had been wrong in all of that. He had apologized, begged her, and promised her that he would never do it again. In the end she had walked away, and she would be eternally thankful she had been strong enough to do that back then. No longer would she be everyone’s verbal punching bag. No longer would she allow a man to walk all over her, and smooth it out with a simple “I’m sorry”. The only thing he had been sorry about was the fact he had gotten caught. That had been the last time she saw any of those so called “friends”.
Mary may have gone back home since then, but she made sure to stay clear of the people she used to associate with. These years had taught her a lot, and that was she could only rely on herself, and that people wore many masks.
“Lance, I really do have to go. I’d say it was nice talking to you, but I’d be lying.” He stuttered out something, but she hung up and threw her phone back in her bag. The only thing she could think about as to why he was calling her was because he was most likely not with Brittany any longer. Her whole body tightened as she thought about her once best friend. Last she heard, from Margo because her sister couldn’t stop from gossiping when she came into town, was that Lance and Brittany were still going strong. They both deceived her and deserved each other.
Just stop thinking about it. You’ve gone this long without them intruding on your life, and don’t let them start now. She stood, no longer in the mood to research at the library, and headed back to her place. Mary wasn’t much of a drinker, but she could really use one right now. But maybe a good workout would do her some good instead?
Ten minutes later and she was closing the door to her room and sitting on the edge of the bed. Her phone started vibrating, but when she saw it was her mom she threw it back in her bag. There was no surprise that she was calling right after Lance had talked to her. In fact, she wouldn’t put it by her ex to try to get her mom to talk her into seeing him. That had been a big problem with him when they were dating, well, one of the problems.
Looking back on her relationship with him she realized there had been a lot of things she had been ignorant of. Her phone rang again, but she didn’t bother looking at it. When her mother was angry enough, or desperate, she was persistent.
After changing into a pair of stretch pants and her workout shirt, Mary grabbed her backpack and shoved a change of clothes in it. She headed out of her room and into the kitchen where she stopped when she saw Darcy sitting at the table looking pretty rough.
“Hey.”
Darcy glanced up, her mascara creating dark rings around her eyes and her normally blonde spiral curls looking especially frizzy. It was late in the afternoon, and she knew her roommate should have been in class. “You okay?” Darcy leaned back and ran her finger under her right eye, effectively smearing the mascara even more. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Her normally peppy and outgoing friend looked pathetically sad, and that was the first time Mary had ever seen her this way. Darcy sniffed, and a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes right before overflowing and making black tracks down her cheeks.
“I just got into a fight with Dane.” By the tone of her voice Mary knew there was more, and could only guess what it was that would make her usually lively friend so upset. She looked up at Mary, and the tip of her nose became redder at the same time her nose scrunched up and she cried harder. “I heard from Meghan that he fucked some sorority chick last weekend.” Well, Mary could relate to that, but didn’t say anything until Darcy was finished. “I confronted the asshole, and he didn’t even deny it. He even had the balls to blame the whole thing on me because he said I didn’t get freaky enough for him.” Darcy’s voice was rising now, and Mary leaned back, giving her a wide berth. “I mean, fuck, how much freakier did he want me to get? I let him—” Mary held up her hand and shook her head, stopping Darcy from finishing that sentence.
“Uh, no, just no. I can imagine what the two of you did when I heard the headboard slamming against the wall.”
This had Darcy smiling, but then immediately she started crying again. Crap, she should have just kept her mouth shut. Mary moved closer and wrapped her arms around Darcy’s shoulders.
“I really liked him, Mary, like really liked him.”
“I know.” Mary didn’t really know, but was trying to empathize with her friend. Honestly she had seen more guys come in and out of Darcy’s life in the short time they lived together then she thought was even possible. She didn’t judge, and knew her roommate was enjoying life, which was something Mary wasn’t doing. Darcy angrily wiped at her cheeks.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Darcy pulled away from Mary and sniffed. “I have had a lot of boyfriends, but I thought he was The One. Turns out they are all the same, Mary. These guys only want one thing, and that’s pussy.” Mary was used to the crude way Darcy talked, but never had she heard so much pain and anguish in her voice.
“I’m so sorry. If it makes you feel any better I can relate to what you’re going through.”
“Really?” Darcy sniffed again, and Mary reached in her backpack for a tissue and handed it to her. “Thanks.” Darcy blew her nose, and Mary couldn’t help but smile at how manly it sounded.
“Yeah, I really do know how you feel.” She didn’t go into details with Darcy, but then again her friend didn’t ask her to elaborate. “It sucks, but I can tell you that it gets better over time, and you’ll find someone that treats you the way you deserve.”
“Yeah, I know.” She leaned back and looked at Mary. “To think I’m crying over some pompous prick.” She shook her head and heaved a big sigh. “Maybe you’d want to go out with me this weekend, help me forget how shitty men are by getting drunk and dancing like no one is watching?”
“Uh.” Mary wasn’t really into that kind of scene, but by the way Darcy puffed out her lips, gave her a wide-eyed stare, and all but begged her without words to go with her, she knew she couldn’t say no. Mary hadn’t had anyone to talk to or help her forget about what Lance did all those years ago. If she could help Darcy forget about what an asshole Dane was, then she was all for it. “Okay.”
Darcy’s whole demeanor changed. She clapped her hands together and stood. “I’m excited now. Fuck that asshole, and fuck the guy who broke your heart.” Darcy couldn’t have said it any better.
Chapter Six
Alex slammed his fist into the red, scarred punching bag. His knuckles were sore from hitting the damn thing over and over again, but he welcomed the pain. Sweat had made his short hair drenched, and beads slid down his bare chest. He swung out with his right fist, and then did the same with his left. He felt the tightening of his muscles as he tensed and put all his power right into the bag. Keeping on the balls of his feet, he did a few moves, making sure his body stayed warmed up. The sounds of guys fighting surrounded him, and the smell of sweat and testosterone filled his nose. This was why Alex came to this hole-in-the-way gym, where the roughest of the rough trained, and where he could let out all of his aggression. The gyms around campus were usually filled with the same ‘roided-out jocks who had big heads and small dicks. How many fights had he gotten into with one of those pricks because they had started shit with him for not wiping down the machine fast enough?
Frost was owned by Dylan Frost, a former UFC champion who had since retired at the age of thirty-five due to a leg injury. He had opened this gym to help other guys that had been like him and just needed a place to let off steam without the regulations and rules of the gyms around OSU. It was almost an underground kind of place, where a lot of big names came by when they didn’t want the pressure of a chain gym.
“Sheppard?”
Alex stopped hitting the bag and turned to see Vincent, one of the fighters training for an upcoming Columbus MMA tournament walk up to him. His knuckles were already taped up, and a grin was in place.
“Hell, no, dude.” Alex fully faced Vince and shook his head. He knew that look, and there was no fucking way he was going to get in the ring and spar with him.
“What?” Vince’s lip and eyebrow ring glinted under the florescent lights.
“Don’t act fucking cute. You know damn well why you came over here.”
“All right, well quit being a pussy and fight with me.” Vince was already moving toward the ring. Alex gritted his teeth. He was warmed up, but Vince was a machine, and knew a hell of a lot more moves than Alex did. The last time they fought Alex sported a nasty fucking black-eye and limped for a week No way in hell Alex was a pussy, and could easily handle his own, but shit, Vince was a beast in the cage, was training to be in the UFC, and could kill a man with a few strategically placed moves. “I swear, no kidney shots, and I’ll stay away from your face, pretty boy. I wouldn’t want you trying to hook up with some chick looking like the shit got beat out of you.”
Vince was a cocky asshole, and rightly so since he was the King of the cage, but if he wanted to fight, then so fucking be it. Alex had enough adrenalin pumping through his veins that he felt the power flowing through him. Another fighter came up to him and started taping his hands. Vince bounced on the balls of his feet in the cage, staring at Alex with an amused look on his face. Once he was finished prepping he climbed into the ring and faced off with Vince.
“This time you’re the one that’s gonna have the black fucking eye.”
Vince threw his head back and started laughing. “Well, bring it on, pretty boy.”
Alex didn’t wait, just moved closer, his fists raised and his sole focus on Vince. They rounded on each other, and in a quick move Vince and he were on the ground grappling. Vince tried to use a kneebar to
get Alex in a submission hold, but he flipped around quickly and had Vince on his belly with his arm behind him in an armbar.
“You fucker,” Vince said through a strained chuckle.
Alex could have broken his arm, or at the very least dislocated it, but that wasn’t what this was about. Vince twisted and moved out from under Alex, and then he found the two of them in a clinch, a move that had both of them face-to-face, their arms interlocked together, and their rapid breathing identical. Alex started throwing close shot to Vince’s ribs. Vince grunted out in pain, and satisfaction filled him.
“Damn, Alex, you been training.” Vince grunted again, but in a seasoned move Vince was now behind him with his thick forearm around Alex’s neck. It didn’t matter how good Alex was at bare-knuckle fighting, Vince knew his moves, and was an expert at Sambo, a Russian martial art. Vince slammed his free fist into Alex’s side, and he grunted. “I saw you at Rocko’s.” Vince tightened his hold on Alex’s throat, cutting off more air. “Was gonna hit you up to hang out, but then I saw this smokin’ hot brunette with killer legs.” Alex felt his anger rise at the way Vince spoke about Mary. “You bangin’ that shit, dude? ‘Cause if you’re not, I’ll be all over that.”
Alex saw red and was shocked by the force of which his rage grew. He was friends with Vince, but something inside of him snapped when Vince talked about Mary like that, like she was just another lay. Tensing, he used all of his strength to maneuver himself out of Vince’s hold, spun around, and clocked him right in the fucking eye. Vince stumbled back, and a look of surprise crossed the fighter’s face right before his own anger masked his features.
“Damn, guess I know what buttons to push.” Vince rolled his neck on his shoulders and started bouncing on his feet. “So talking about that pussy is a no go, yeah?”
The asshole was baiting him, wanting an all-out brawl, and Alex was falling right for it. He couldn’t help his reaction, though. He couldn’t help the way his motherfucking blood boiled at the thought of Vince getting anywhere near Mary. In fact, it pissed him the fuck off to think of any asshole getting their hands on her. His emotions reared up like a fire-filled monster, wanting to take down anything and everything that came between him and her, but he knew how fucked-up that all sounded. Mary was never going to be his, in any sense of the word, but he grew violent at the thought of Vince or any douche trying to get to her.