For almost two years I have fought eight fights and not lost a single one. The fans of the sport nicknamed me “The Finisher” because none of my fights go to decision. They all end with my opponent on the ground out cold. Liam’s record is the same, that’s why they put us up against each other. He is a good fighter, but I was born for this.
Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer” comes on the radio, and my mind instantly goes to the one person I cannot get out of my head- Candice Price. Finding her in my usual morning time hang out this morning really did a number on me. She was beautiful leaning against the outer wall of the gym looking like a spooked dear ready to dart. She was trying like hell to hide behind that blondish red hair that was laying half way down her back. Not being able to control my impulse I started to walk to her, she looked up so fast I was sure she had whiplash. Her blue eyes as big as saucers looking up at me, I took one more step toward her, but her gasp and her instinct to cower made me stop. I studied her for a few more seconds, memorizing the light dust of freckles on her nose and noticing the same look in her eyes I sometimes see in mine. Then I turned around and strolled back the way I came, but not before looking at her one last time. I don’t know what it was about her, but she drew me in. Sealing my fate, I need to know her.
Pulling into the back of the gym, I park my truck and head for the back door. Roy’s Gym was built back in the 80’s, but he is currently giving her some renovations that will make her look new once again. The old red paint is being turned to black and royal blue. All the old mats and bags have already been replaced. The focal point when you walk in is the practice octagon we added in here just a few months ago to better train me for my debut. Today is a Monday, which means I spar with Dalton. My schedule is tedious. It is a good thing I crave this environment and love the work I do.
Walking through the gym no one pays attention to me. I am just another guy doing what they do. I quickly make it to the locker room and change into my work out clothes, and grab my tape. I never allow anyone to tape my hands, it would require someone touching me. I hate when people touch me and I hate to touch other people. I have always been that way, even as a little kid. Just the thought of someone else’s hand on me makes my skin crawl.
Roy is waiting for me at the bag. “You good?” He shouts out.
I know he is referring to last night. I grunt as a reply and shake my limbs to get loose and ready to stretch before hitting the bag. During my stretching, I remember Dalton and K.J.’s reaction to the scratch on my face. Both were pissed that Janice had hit me again, but they know I do not need anymore grief, so they dropped it.
Walking up to the bag, I crack my knuckles and my neck preparing for the sweet burn my muscles will soon feel. Right at this time, my mind usually wonders to my childhood or Janice. Today my mind goes to a scared girl with blue eyes and quick wit. The way she came back at Dalton today showed me she has some backbone. I thought K.J. would have sent her running but she surprised me by putting in her earphones and staying where she was. Why is this girl invading my mind? I need to stay focused on my fighting and training. There is just one question I need answered, and then I am sure she will be just a distant memory. Why do I want to touch her? What is it about this girl that makes me want to do the unthinkable, and enjoy the feel of her skin against mine. I’ve never had any desire to touch anyone, or let anyone touch me. With her I want to consume every one of her senses.
Chapter 5
Candice
There is so much blood, I just stand and stare at the unmoving form lying on my living room floor, wondering how the human body has that much blood in it. The eyes that look so much like mine are glazed over with no life left in them. They say the eyes are the gateway to your soul. I think this soul died long before tonight.
Occasionally I’ll have a dream about that night. It’s not always the same dream but it is the same ending every time. Those eyes staring back at me, blaming me for their death. I step out of bed and nearly trip over the pillow I tossed off the bed last night. I walk into the bathroom right across the hall to splash some water on my face. I stare into the mirror and see those bright blue eyes staring at me; I’m used to this panicky feeling after these dreams. I take deep breaths and splash some more water on my face, careful to avoid looking down at my arms. That is something I can never seem to handle after a stressful night. Getting the white towel from the hanger beside the sink, I pat my face dry and prepare to go back to sleep.
Sleep never comes, I lay awake and watch the clock turn from three in the morning to six. I might as well get ready for school and walk down the stairs to eat with my aunt today. She seemed upset yesterday when I did not want to talk. Instead, I went straight to my room and wrote about the few kids I met. I tried hard to tell myself Jasper was not significant enough to go in my journal but turns out, I had a whole page to write about “The Finisher”.
I walk to my closet and search through the few shirts I have and decide to wear a long sleeve instead of the hoodie. Pulling down the long sleeve teal shirt, I turn to throw it on my bed along with the faded jeans with holes going down the front of both legs.
Getting dressed quickly I make my way to the kitchen. I can hear my Aunt Stacy cooking and judging by the maple smell coming from the other side of the door, it has to be bacon. I love bacon so this might be tolerable. Pushing the door open, I walk through and move to set on the barstool closest to the island.
“Hey honey, I’m just finishing up breakfast, are you hungry?” Stacy questions while taking the bacon out of the pan.
I nod as a response and move to help her gather the dishes to set the table.
“I made some eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh orange juice. Would you like me to make your plate?” She always offers to do this.
I do not bother mentioning that is something my mom used to do for me because I’m trying hard not to ruin the good mood Stacy is in. Just thinking about my mother makes my heart hurt all over again. Even though she abandoned my aunt, I still think Stacy mourns her loss just the same as me.
We barely finish setting the table, before Troy comes barreling through the door. “Something smells good,” he says leaning down to kiss his wife on the cheek. “Hey Candice glad you decided to join us this morning.”
We all set around quietly eating and I can feel the awkwardness starting to suffocate me so I start to ramble on about my day yesterday. “I met this energetic girl at school yesterday. She has some issues with personal space but she was really nice and seemed genuine.” They both look up at me and smile so I continue.
“This boy named Dalton tried to hit on me with a knock knock joke. It was actually really funny, too bad it wasn’t Jasper who hit on me, but Jasper is a fighter so it wouldn’t have worked out anyway.”
Before I even realize what I said my Aunt Stacy is beaming, “Troy did you hear that, Candice likes a boy named Jasper!”
This is why I should have stayed quiet; I can feel my face turning twenty shades of red when Uncle Troy clears his throat and saves the day by asking “You think I could take him?”
He starts to flex his muscles, posing as if he is some kind of body builder. We all start to laugh and a now comfortable silence starts to settle over the table.
Uncle Troy drops me off at school again, my anxiety is not as bad as it was yesterday but I still don’t want to be around all these students walking around. So I head straight for my hiding spot. Half way there, I notice another person leaning against the building. I could turn around and find another spot but I have a gut feeling on whom it is and that seems to make me speed up.
Jasper is standing there leaning on the gym wall with blue jeans that are tight around his muscular thighs and a white button up shirt with the first two buttons undone. I can see his golden tan skin through the small gap and it makes my mouth run dry. Does he know what he does to girls?
That little bit of hair is in his eyes again and he is looking at me. I shake my head to clear the daze he seems to put me in and lea
n on the school’s wall about five feet from him. The air shifts, and I get a hint of the cologne he is wearing and almost lose my footing. This boy is doing strange things to me, I need to remember he is a fighter and forget about how yummy he would taste.
The bell rings letting everyone know we have five minutes to get to class. Thinking he is going to leave through the back of the ally, I stay leaning on the school’s wall so I can catch a glimpse of his butt in those tight jeans. He surprises me by walking to the opening I entered in. Just when I think he is going to walk by me, he turns to face me and leans down to look me in the eyes. I refuse to give him any reaction to his invasion of my space. We stand there breathing in each other’s air, neither one of us moving. The world beyond his face ceases to exist, I’m staring into his eyes, waiting for the moment he realizes, that I’m a nobody, just an empty girl, trying to survive in a life not worth living. Unexpectedly, he leans down even further and whispers in my ear.
“You’re late again.”
As soon as I hear the low growl of his sinful voice, my blood immediately runs hot through my veins. That voice makes me want to do things I’ve never thought about before now.
When I manage to get my hormones in control, I walk to class trying to figure out how he knew I was late yesterday. When I open the door to my English class, the teacher looks at me annoyed but thankfully says nothing. I survey the room thinking I must not have seen him in here yesterday, but there is no sign of Jasper. Going to my desk, I pass Izzy, she smiles up at me waving, and I nod at her before taking my seat.
After class is over, Izzy turns around taking my elbow in hers, dragging me with her before everyone has cleared out. She must not notice me stiffen, because she keeps walking and talking as if nothing is wrong.
“I noticed our lockers are only two down from each other, we should hurry up unless you want to be late to every class. Speaking of being late, where were you this morning?”
“Ummmm, my alarm never went off.” I lie because I’m not entirely sure what happened this morning, and I don’t feel comfortable talking about it. She just shrugs and tells me to buy a new alarm clock. Almost at our lockers, I notice four girls coming right toward us. The kids in the middle of the hallway move to the side to make room for them. It is clear the black headed one has a target in mind, and that target is me. To her right is a tall girl with wavy red hair and to her left is a brunette with short hair. Two steps behind them is the prettiest looking one with blue eyes.
The unnamed leader stops a foot in front of me and flings her black hair over her shoulder. “I see you were sitting with Jasper yesterday at lunch.” She says with a jealous gleam in her eye. “You’re new here, so this is your one warning, stay away from what is mine!” She seethes loud enough for everyone to hear.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me, hear the whispers that are sure to be about me. I have to get away, I can feel an anxiety attack coming, and I need to find a place to be alone. I need to move; I need to run.
A loud booming voice fills the hallway and suddenly all eyes are off me “London, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jasper sounds pissed. His nostrils flare out and there is a vein on his neck that looks ready to pop. People don’t just move out of his way, they scurry like cockroaches when the lights come on. The only one left between me and Jasper is London, and she looks terrified.
“I… I ...I thought I would introduce myself to the new girl.” She is stuttering and trying hard not to cry.
“So you thought you would introduce yourself as mine?” He asks the question but doesn’t give her time to answer.
“Have you forgotten the countless times I’ve turned you down. I’m not going to touch what everyone else already has, so unless you want to apologize for those lies you just told, you need to leave.”
She stands there until he yells, “ NOW!”
When I finally look up I see Jasper standing there staring at me, with apologetic eyes. I hadn’t noticed Dalton and K.J. standing off to the side, but it’s apparent they were witnesses to this whole thing. Jasper is about to turn around to walk off, but I can’t let him go without a thank you. He just stood up for me, in front of the whole student body. I reach out and grab his hand as he is turning to go. It has been so long since I have touched anyone, the warmth I feel when my fingers hit his sends a tingle down my arm. Rushing out a quick “thank you.” I tuck my head into my chest and make my way to second period math.
I walk through the lunchroom door and look over tables and notice that Dalton is waving me over. I’m sure I look confused because he points at me and shakes his head up and down. As if to say, “Yes, I’m talking to you.”
Making it to the table, I see that my spot from yesterday is empty. Only this time Jasper is the one closest to me while Dalton sits in the middle. Sitting this close to Jasper is making me want to feel his warmth again. It’s like my body is calling out for his, but my mind knows better.
To keep my hands busy, I try to get my IPhone out of my book bag, so I can listen to my music.
Dalton leans over the table, and turns his head to look at me, “Knock Knock.” He says.
I look up and reply, “Who’s there?”
“Dewey.” Dalton’s says smiling already. When he looks at me with that smile, I can’t help but to laugh and respond, “Dewey who?”
“Dewey have to use a condom?” He says with puppy dog eyes.
The laugh that burst out of me shocks the whole table including myself. It has been a long time since I laughed, especially like that. Jasper looks like he wants to murder Dalton, but settles for slapping him on the back of the head and mumbling something about him being a whore.
As soon as I hear the word whore, my body freezes and I’m no longer in a cafeteria with a bunch of students, trying to eat lunch. I can no longer feel the cool air from the AC above us, or hear the clanking of silverware. I’m standing in a hallway, that leads to my old living room. The same hallway that provided me the darkness to hide in, while watching my mom plead for her life.
“You’re going to be a worthless whore just like your mother,” Before Christopher can land the punch, that is meant for my face, my mom pushes me out of the way, and takes the blow to the body. At this point he is so angry he doesn’t care that it is not me huddling in a ball on the floor. My body starts to shake, and my vision is getting blurry from the tears running down my face.
“CANDICE… Look at me.” I close my eyes trying to hide, the darkness will help me escape. I feel someone grab me and my mouth opens to scream, but no sound comes out. This is it. My mom can’t protect me this time.
“Open your eyes, gorgeous.”
That voice. That is not him, that is not the voice of the monster haunting my dreams at night. Slowly opening my eyes, I see Jasper leaning into me, holding my shoulders with a look of concern in his eyes. I must look crazy to him, but right now he is the reason for my flashback, my mind says to fight his touch, while my body responds to it like no one else.
“Candice are you alright?” Dalton is standing up now, looking down at me and Jasper, with K.J. standing beside him still eating his apple.
“Yeah…I’m fine. Just feel a little faint is all.”
I laugh nervously, trying to get everyone to leave me alone. Meanwhile Jasper has moved his right hand to the back of my neck and is rubbing soothing circles into my tense muscles.
“Dalton, run and get her something from the vending machines.” Jasper says.
Dalton comes back so Jasper is forced to remove his hands to take the stuff Dalton bought. He went a little overboard with Cheetos, potato chips, two candy bars, donuts, and an orange soda. Jasper presents me with the Cheetos or potato chips. Pointing at the Cheetos, he opens them along with my drink and places the chips in my hand.
Dalton takes his seat, and starts talking about their plans to go hangout tonight. The whole time I can feel Jasper’s eyes on me, and it makes me squirm in my chair. Do I have crumbs on my face somewhere? I lo
ok down and notice the sleeve to my shirt has come up a little, I quickly pull it down and hope he didn’t see anything.
The bell rings letting everyone know to get to class, so I pick up my trash to go throw it away. Once I get back, I give Dalton a quick “Thank you” and Jasper hands me the two candy bars “We’re talking later.” K.J. waits for Dalton and Jasper to walk off before he stops me. “Don’t start something with him you won’t stay around to finish.” Then he hands me the backpack I left by the table.
Izzy has already put our desk together by time I arrive to Study Hall. I notice Jasper is setting by himself. I guess that explains his and Mr. Montgomery’s discussion yesterday. I take my seat and greet Izzy hoping she won’t bring up what happened this morning.
“Okay, so you never told me you and Jasper were a thing!” Izzy says.
All hopes of not talking about this morning are gone so I reply, “That’s because we aren’t.” Her response lets me know she thinks I’m lying.
“Really? Because he has never stood up for anyone but Dalton and K.J., and he most definitely has never stood up for other girls dealing with London’s wrath”
Tearing Away (Fatally Flawed Book 1) Page 3