by R. J. Sable
Craig nodded and they started over. Craig's movements were quick and fluid, but Ian was just a little quicker. He blocked every strike without hesitation. They were both sweating profusely and it looked like they'd been at it for a while. Ian caught Craig's ankle, knocking him to the floor, but Craig recovered quickly by swinging his foot around and catching Ian off-guard. Craig was on his feet again before Ian could recover.
“Better,” Ian said as Craig pulled him up.
I chucked them a towel and a bottle of water each as they walked away from the mats. I grinned as they dried off and headed over to us.
“Welcome home, Jellybean,” Ian said, pulling me into a sweaty one-armed hug.
“Thanks,” I beamed up at him. He was still breathing heavily and his muscles were visibly strained from sparring.
“'Sup, Jellybean,” Craig beamed as he picked me up and span me around.
I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck. “How's it going?” I asked after he set me down.
“Just getting in some last minute practice,” he winked. “But it could be going better,” he admitted with no small amount of frustration.
“I'd be worried if you were winning,” I grinned.
“Why's that?” He frowned.
“Because it would make me seriously doubt this country's finest,” I smirked.
“You can rest assured that will never be a problem,” Ian said with a smug grin, crossing his arms across his chest.
I rolled my eyes at him and Karl squeezed the back of my neck firmly, giving me a warning glare. I looked down at my feet despondently.
“Hit the showers,” Ian ordered. “You should probably rest up until tonight.”
Craig nodded and headed out the room and up the stairs.
“I'm gonna clean up and get changed. Wait for me in here,” Ian said pointedly to me.
“Can I nip and get something from my room first?” I asked hopefully. Maybe the muffins will distract them a little.
“Make it quick,” he nodded as he left the room.
Karl took his hand from my neck and I left to fetch my muffins. I brought them down into the kitchen where I found Elise making tea and coffee.
“Where are the twins?” I asked as I started setting the muffins out on a plate.
“They worked the night shift,” she explained as she filled the teapot. “They should be back any minute.”
“And Matt?”
“Think he's in his room,” she said apologetically.
I wasn't bothered that Matt hadn't come down to say hello. We weren't that close. He'd always been much closer to Karl than the rest of us. I was pretty sure he liked me the least. I sometimes got the impression he only tolerated me because he had to.
“Well, I hope the others save them some blueberry muffins,” I said, looking at the plate.
I sat waiting on the old sofa in the gym and it wasn't long before Ian came in with Karl and Matt, shutting the door behind them.
“There's muffins in the kitchen if you want some,” I said nervously, standing up as I noticed the frown on Ian's brow.
Ian hesitated briefly and I allowed myself the luxury of thinking my distraction techniques had worked, but it was short lived. He went back through the door and I heard him shout that he’d kill anybody who ate a muffin before he did. I sighed inwardly. He must be pretty pissed. Ian took a few steps towards me and I resisted the urge to take a few backwards, concentrating all my attention on the floorboards instead.
“Let's hear it,” he said as he stood before me, legs shoulder distance apart and his muscular forearms crossed over his chest. Soldier mode. I knew he was asking me to state what I thought I'd done wrong. I swallowed and forced myself to keep my voice calm.
“I went to a fight without asking any of you or telling you,” I said quietly.
I glanced up at Ian's face quickly. It was completely unreadable. When he didn't answer I continued.
“I knew I wasn't allowed to go to fights... I... I... guess maybe I thought you wouldn't find out.”
“Would you have told us if you hadn't bumped into Simon?” He asked calmly.
“No, probably not,” I said honestly.
Ian dropped his arms to his side and sighed heavily.
“So as soon as you're away from home you think it's okay to do whatever the fuck you want?” He said coolly.
“I didn't think it through,” I admitted.
Karl looked furious. “Do you ever fucking think about the consequences of your actions?” He snarled, storming over to me.
I kept my eyes on the mat, trying my best not to tremble and failing miserably.
“Answer me!” Karl yelled.
“I thought... since I'm eighteen now-”
Karl grabbed my shoulders and shook me. I could barely make out what he was saying.
“I'm sorry,” I mumbled automatically when he released my arms.
I saw the look of fury flash across his face and watched as he drew his arm back. No, no, no. I reacted quickly and darted round his side and made for the door. I'd forgotten about Matt. He swung his leg out and hit my shins hard. I hit the floor and was momentarily disorientated by the pain shooting through my lower legs. I felt Matt put his knee on my back and push down, pinning me to the floor. He trapped my arms above my head.
“Ow, please,” I begged, “Matt, please, let me go!”
“It's rude to run away when someone's trying to talk to you, Jelly,” Matt growled.
I squirmed underneath his weight but it was no use. A million things ran through my mind. I was worried that Jason hated me, that he thought I would cheat on him. I was tired from not getting any sleep. I was scared that they were going to hurt me, but most of all I was frustrated about being pinned down by my former P.E. Teacher.
“I hate you! Get off me!” I screamed through my tears.
“You hate me?” He chuckled bitterly, thankfully lifting his weight off my back and pulling me up from the floor.
I was hot and flustered and more than angry. I twisted round and pulled my arm free from Matt and tried to push him away from me. He barely moved.
“Don't be rude, Jelly,” Karl growled from behind me.
I saw the anger in his eyes and made to bolt again but he reacted faster than I did. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. I balled my spare hand into a fist and flailed wildly against his chest in anger.
“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Karl snarled, grabbing my other wrist as well.
“I don't want you to hurt me, let me go,” I pleaded, panic taking over.
He twisted my arms behind my back and held them there. I could barely move and I cried out in exasperation.
“I'm sorry,” I pleaded as Matt took a step closer to me.
“You hate me?” He said again, he was smiling but it didn't quite meet his eyes.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it,” I blinked through my tears.
“You're an ungrateful little bitch sometimes, Jelly,” he snarled.
I knew he was right. It had been completely out of line to lash out at him like that. He had worked himself to the ground through sixth form and university to help support us and I'd just thrown it all back in his face. I'm a horrible person. My shoulders sagged and Karl released my arms. I took a step closer to Matt.
“I'm so sorry, Matt,” I blubbered.
I tried to put my hand on his arm but he drew it away from me and shoved me back.
“After everything we've done for you,” he spat viciously.
I watched as he pulled his arm back but I reacted too slowly this time and he caught me in the ribs. I lay on the mat, panting hard. No more, no more. I gasped as I felt somebody pull me up. I lowered my feet to the floor and ignored the sharp pains shooting through both shins.
“Jelly?” A voice said from behind me.
I was disorientated. I wasn't sure who was talking. Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't focus on anyone or anything. I found my balance and tried to get
my breathing under control. Wiping my face on the back of my arm, I took a deep breath and prayed it was over. I blinked a couple of times and saw Ian standing in front of me holding Matt’s upper arm. Karl must be behind me. Ian looked angry but Matt appeared vaguely amused.
“Well?” Ian said as I stopped sniffling.
“I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again,” I answered.
Ian nodded and handed me a tissue from the box on the side. I took it gratefully and wiped my face clean.
“Chip and Dale are home,” Ian said, referring to the twins. “You need a minute?” He asked gently, slipping out of his Special Forces persona.
I nodded. I had a hard time understanding how he could go from the hardass that just let Karl and Matt wail on me, to acting like everything was normal. I'd once accused him of having schizophrenia in a bout of teenage, hormone-induced stroppiness but that hadn't ended well for me.
They left me in the gym and I took a few minutes to clean myself up and check out the damage. I pressed my hands against my body gingerly. I thought I might have a bruise on my lower back, and my ribs felt pretty sore. My shins hurt the most.
I groaned at my aching body as I made my way up the stairs. Just as I reached the top I was struck by a bout of dizziness and had to make a dash for the bathroom across the hall.
“You want some water?” Craig asked as I sat back on my heels and flushed the toilet.
I stood up shakily and washed my face in the sink. Craig came back in and handed me a glass of water, which I accepted appreciatively. I drank it slowly and Craig watched, leaning against the bathroom wall. He didn't say anything and I was grateful for it. He put his arm round my waist and helped me into the kitchen.
“Jelly!” The twins exclaimed in unison. They pulled me into their trademark hug for me - 'the jelly sandwich' and I winced at the double-sided pressure on my already sore ribs.
“Ow, guys!” I choked.
“Ah, already had the Carter welcome-home party, I see,” Rick laughed as he poked my ribs and I recoiled.
“Good to be home, right, Jelly?” Danny grinned.
Karl glared at him and his smile disappeared immediately.
“I made muffins,” I said quietly, pointing to the plate and hoping to steer the conversation away from everything that had just happened.
All eyes went to Ian, who grinned smugly.
“What if I'm not ready for a muffin yet?” He said with mock disinterest.
“Come on, E, we're starving! It was a busy night,” Danny sulked.
Ian laughed and grabbed two muffins and helped himself to a cup of coffee from the machine. There was a brief second of calm as everyone glanced at each other and then the muffins. I knew what was coming and took a step back to where Elise was standing. My brothers dived over each other, pushing and shoving until they each had at least one muffin. Karl made a beeline for us and handed a muffin to Elise who smiled and kissed him appreciatively. There was one muffin left on the plate. Ian took it and handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, my eyes on the muffin.
“Grab a plate and come sit with me,” he ordered, making his way over to the table.
I did as I was told and pulled up the chair next to him, sitting down slowly and wincing as pain shot through my ribs.
“You okay?” He said, his voice tinged with concern.
I nodded as I picked at my muffin.
“Matt may have gotten a little carried away,” he shrugged apologetically. “You want to lie down for a bit?”
I sighed with relief. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and try to ignore all the aches and pains. I'd never have asked because I knew I'd brought it on myself and it would have seemed wrong.
“Yes, please,” I nodded.
“Finish your muffin first,” he said before kissing me on the forehead and heading back to the coffee machine.
A few of the others came and sat at the table with me. Craig handed me a few tablets and another glass of water. I swallowed them immediately. Matt was next to me and put his arm on the back of my chair.
“Muffins are good,” he said as he finished off half of one in a single bite.
Matt didn’t really do emotions. His talking to me was the closest I’d get to an apology. It was him letting me know he considered us even now.
“Glad you like them,” I mumbled as I continued picking at my own muffin.
“I've got a crap load of money on tonight, Craig,” Danny grinned as he pulled him into a playful headlock. “Don't let me down.”
“No pressure,” Rick laughed.
Craig shook his head after he pulled it free from Danny’s grip. “I'll do my best,” he said simply. He avoided eye contact with them all but I could see the tension around his eyes.
“He'll win,” Ian grunted from behind us.
Craig glanced up from the table and furrowed his eyebrows. I had the distinct impression that he was telling Craig he didn't have a choice more than expressing his faith in his fighting skills.
“Cheers, Jelly,” Matt said as he swiped the rest of my muffin.
“You're welcome,” I said grumpily. I wasn't really bothered. I felt guilty for lashing out at him and my stomach still felt a bit unsettled. All I could think about was curling up in my bed for half an hour. I pushed my chair away and put my glass and plate in the dishwasher.
“Has anyone got a charger I could borrow?” I asked quietly. I couldn't stand not hearing from Jason. I knew he was mad at me but I missed him anyway.
“You can borrow mine,” Craig said.
I followed him up to his room on the top floor. “Thanks,” I smiled as he showed me where his charger was plugged in. I plugged my phone in and flopped down onto the bed, suddenly completely exhausted. Craig sat down next to me and put his arm around me as I waited for my phone to turn on.
Nothing. Is he really that mad? It was 11:30. I guess he isn't even going to text me. I dropped my phone onto the bedside table and leant closer to Craig.
“You wanna kip in here for a bit?” He offered.
“That'd be nice,” I nodded my head. “Will you keep me company?” I asked hopefully.
“Sure, it'll be just like old times,” he grinned.
Chapter 21
Saturday, October 13th 2012
Craig opened the backdoor of the black VW Golf for me and I climbed in as he made his way round to the passenger side.
“Out,” he said simply to the guy who was already sat there.
The guy made no argument and opened the door where I was sat. I recognised him as Grayson's friend Rab.
“Scoot over,” he said with a kind smile.
I moved into the middle seat between Rab and some other guy who I didn't know.
“Y'alright, mate?” Craig said to Simon as he belted in.
“Alright,” Simon nodded, clapping Craig on the back.
“Hi, Jelly,” he nodded, turning his head back to me.
“Hi,” I said quietly.
“How was the drive?” Craig asked Simon
“Bit of traffic on the M1 but uneventful otherwise,” he shrugged.
“Karl said you could crash in his old room,” Craig said to Simon.
“Cheers, appreciate it,” Simon nodded. “Don't fancy slumming it in a student flat with these knuckleheads.” He gestured to the back seat.
“Where you two sleeping?” Craig turned to look at the two guys in the back seat with me.
“We're probably gonna crash at a friend of Steve's,” Rab said, nodding to the guy next to me.
We pulled up to a dilapidated old building that I'd never noticed before. It had a large car park and a few cars were already parked there.
I followed the others inside, sticking close to Craig. The inside was not at all like the outside. It was all clean, well lit, and appeared to have been recently renovated. I caught a glimpse of the cage through some double doors as we passed.
“Jelly, sit over there,” he said, pointing to the corner of the
room. “Stay out of trouble.”
I nodded and did as I was told. I watched as he bumped fists with a few of the guys in the room. He walked over to me and dropped his gym bag onto the floor next to me. He took off his hoody and tossed it at me playfully.
“Put that on, it's chilly in here,” he ordered.
“You've got a new tattoo,” I said, pointing to his bare back as he turned away.
“Yup,” he grinned as he took a few steps back to show me. “Won a title fight.”
I traced the edge of the tattoo with my fingers. His whole back was almost covered with tattoos now.
“What did Ian say?” I asked.
He grimaced slightly and shook his head. I guess Ian wasn't impressed. Ian hated tattoos. He and Karl didn't have any. I remember Ian saying they made you too easily identifiable a few years back. The twins had gotten their tattoos when they turned eighteen and he'd been furious.
“That bad, huh?” I grinned.
He nodded and gave me a quick hug before heading back over to where Simon was.
I watched them practicing. It was completely different from watching him spar with my brothers. He seemed much more in control. He barely looked affected. Simon wasn’t in the same weight class as Craig, he was much bigger. Craig managed to use the size discrepancy to his advantage. They were taking it pretty easy, I assumed he didn't want to get tired out or risk injury before the fight. Craig had his head shaved and together with his multiple tattoos I guess he looked pretty intimidating. More like a gangster than a soon-to-be doctor. It made me sad to think that people probably misjudged him on first impressions.
“The others'll be here any minute,” Craig said in-between sips of sports drink. “Enjoying the show?” He grinned.
“Yeah, you're awesome,” I smiled as I stood up to give him a hug.
I saw Ian walk in and check the room as he headed over to us.
“Jelly,” he beckoned me over and clapped Craig on the shoulder.
He took me out into the room with the cage where the rest of my brothers were. I froze as I spotted Jason and Josh in front of me. He came. He'd seen me too. He looked rough; he hadn't shaved and his eyes were bloodshot.