FIGHT Part 1

FIGHT

Part 1

M. DAUPHIN

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, events, or places are purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any way, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording without written permission.

©

Copyright 2015

M. Dauphin

Friends are made in the strangest places and in the strangest ways. We bonded over Step-Brother’s quotes and you unknowingly helped shape Red into the badass she is. Thank you, Frost. You may end up being an old man living in a van down by the river...but you are my old man.

CHAPTERS

Prologue

1- Gwynn

2- Eddie

3- Gwynn

4- Eddie

5- Gwynn

6- Eddie

7- Gwynn

8-Eddie

9- Gwynn

10- Eddie

11- Gwynn

12- Eddie

13- Gwynn

14- Eddie

15- Gwynn

16- Eddie

17- Gwynn

18- Eddie

19- Gwynn

20- Eddie

21- Gwynn

22- Eddie

23- Gwynn

24- Eddie

25- Gwynn

26- Eddie

  
 
Prologue

Sometimes life knocks you down just to see if you will get back up again, but instead of fighting there are those that give up. I’ve seen it happen too many times to count, and it isn’t god-damned fair. Some of these people had everything going for them, some had families that rely on them, parents that cherish them. It is a sickness that I fear will one day take over my brain. Thoughts of when I was younger creep in daily, reminding me of why I’m no good for anyone.

Sure, I have plenty of friends, but women are a different story. I look at women and I see her, beaten and bloodied by her own husband. Will that be me? Do I have that same evil gene in me? Or am I going to end up following her footsteps to an early grave? Instead of risking it and falling into the darkness, I leave it completely alone and steer the other direction.

I don’t do relationships, I hardly do more than one night stands. It’s not like there’s a shortage of women throwing themselves at me, but I can’t do it. I’m so fucking scared I’ll end up like him, then they will end up like her. I love women, I love fucking women, I love being with them. I even have some really close friends that are chicks. When it comes to anything even closely resembling a relationship with one of them, though, I’m out. My parents really screwed me over.

I’m the only one left in my family. I mean, my sister is still alive somewhere out there, but I couldn’t tell you where she is. When she was eighteen she took off, leaving me with the man I hated most in this world. Leaving me to fend for myself when he turned nasty.

On my eighteenth birthday, I left Pennsylvania for good. I traveled across the country to attend college. Putting all of my efforts into my studies, I graduated top of my class in electronic engineering. There was no way I was going back to his house. Ever. I hadn’t spoken to him for four years, I wasn’t about to start.

Now, years later, I sit here in this tattoo parlor waiting for my most recent addition to get done. This is my peace place. The buzz of a tattoo gun calms every part of me. I could have the shittiest day, but coming in here makes my nerves relax.

“Alright man, finished for today. You know the drill, I’ll see you in a few days to finish this up.”

I nod and thank Dave, the man who had inked every tattoo on my body. Eight years ago, after my first check from working on campus came in, I walked into this parlor desperate to hide the scars. Now I have two full sleeves and a huge scene started on my back.

Throwing a shirt on, I wince as soon as it hits my skin. With all the tattoos, the back has been the worst so far since clothes have had to hit it right away. I’d walk around shirtless, but I don’t want all the looks.

People are always confused when they hear of my occupation. A self-proclaimed computer nerd, I have gotten more than my fair share of funny looks. Computer nerds typically don’t have tattoo’s covering most of their body. This one does. They typically don’t have ripped muscles due to hours at the gym just to chase away the demons. This one does. They especially typically don’t have women throwing themselves at them. This one does.

After setting the appointment for my next session, I head outside into the cool evening air. Walking down a few blocks to my apartment, I smile to myself at how easy my life would be if this could be it for the rest of my life. Living over a bar, by myself, with a fantastic fucking income. It’s not a lonely life. Not really.

I grab my keys to the entryway that heads up to the stairs. The bar is always packed on Thursday nights and tonight isn’t any different. I’m not old, but I just don’t see the point of getting drunk in a public place. I’ll do that on my own where tons of strangers can’t judge me. They do enough of that already.

As soon as I get the door open I hear the crowd outside the bar get louder and instinctively turn to see what was going on. I regret it immediately, as the crowd was cheering on two girls fighting. Shit. This wasn’t a high class bar, they didn’t have bouncers. None of the people, mostly college aged men, standing around looked like they were going to break it up. Fuck this being a grown up shit, I just want to go inside and lock myself in. Unfortunately, I still have a conscious. I can’t just walk away and let these girls beat the shit out of each other. I sigh, growling and grumbling to myself, and lock the door behind me as I walk down the sidewalk to the crowd.   Stupid drunk, probably underage, college chicks.

The first thing I notice when I get to the front of the crowd is the bright, ketchup red hair, sticking up out of girl one’s head. Not a typical college girl haircut, but who am I to know current fashions? The girl is about a foot shorter than me, and feisty as hell. Her arms look like they are going to fly off she is swinging so fast. Getting a better look, I notice she actually fucking knows what she’s doing. Fists formed correctly, good stance. Shit. I look over at the other girl who backed away a bit and laugh. This girl doesn’t stand a chance. Blonde hair, stumbling around, yelling slurred comments towards Red. A part of me wants to see where this leads, but I already know I’m going to have to step in sooner than later.

Just as Red goes in for another hit, this time to the mid-section, I hop in and grab Blondie away. She is so drunk it doesn’t take much force for her to fall into my arms. I twist her around and practically throw her into some guy’s arms, then turn to face Red.

Shit now she’s coming at me!

“Hey hey hey! Wait!” I yell with my hands in the air. “I’m not fighting you, tiny!”

She froze, her hazel eyes hitting me, and my heart stops. Never before have I responded to a woman the way I responded to her glare. 

Son of a bitch.

Chapter 1

Gwynn

They tell you that going to college makes your life better. They tell you a good education will take you places in life. What they don’t tell you, is that they are full of shit. They should have said ‘do whatever you want, just do it good enough to live off of it’. That’s my life motto as of about three years ago, and so far it has kept bills paid and food on my table. When my dad died, I couldn’t live with the regret of not being there to tell him goodbye. There was a dark part of me that wanted to end it to be with him, but I couldn’t. The only way I fought through that darkness was by fighting. I started out small, street alleys, bars, but then as I got more into it, people started noticing me. I was a nobody at the time, but I kept fighting. Every weekend I’d find some place new to get my frustrations out, and the nights I couldn’t I’d end up at the gym hitting the bag like it was a lifeline. Now, at twenty five years old, I’m right up there with some of the best fighters in our area. If only I was truly happy about it.

I’ve been working at this bar since college. Going to school for a teaching degree really limits the hours you can work, especially when practicum hours come in to play. Working at the bar helped my income keep flowing while spending the day doing what I thought I wanted to do. That life seems so far away now.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with teachers, or any other weekday, 9 to 5 profession, it’s just most of them frown upon the hobby I keep on the weekends. It’s the only thing that keeps me grounded, though, so there is no way I was giving it up. I think back to graduation day and laugh, remembering my father and his loud mouth when they called my name. If only I knew that would be the last time I’d see him smile, I probably would have taken a picture from right up there on stage to keep that moment forever.

I was a daddy’s girl to the T, and I loved every minute of it. My older brother made fun of me all the time, but I didn’t care. I had a connection with my dad most girls my age would die for. My dad was the one person that I went to when I had any sorts of problems. He didn’t care if I was crying over a test score, or asking him to go after a recent ex, he was always there for me. We were kindred spirits. We both loved old people, we had the same shade of blonde hair my entire life, our eyes were the same exact hazel, and watching anything sports related was our definition of a great weekend. I don’t think my mom understood our connection, but she would just smile and laugh at our antics. My brother, Ben, left as soon as he could for college just to get away from it. Imagine being overshadowed by your little sister from the time she was born. Sure, my dad loved us both, but Ben couldn’t do enough good in my dad’s eyes, and boy did he try. If the roles were reversed, I would have left as well to get away from it all.

The night of my graduation I still remember like it was yesterday. My dad wanted me to come to dinner with him, their treat. I hadn’t seen him or my mom in about a month with all of the finals and projects I had to finish, but I talked to my dad every day. I’d been staying at my apartment off campus and was only a ten minute drive away, but I didn’t make time for them. It was graduation night and I wanted to party, so I rescheduled with my parents and went out with Hallie and Jase. I had been friends with them since the first semester of college, so it only seemed right to finish off the saga with them. We hit up too many bars to count, and were hit on by too many men to count. I’m pretty sure I got a few phone numbers that night, but I don’t really remember the details.

It was about 2am when I finally got back to my apartment and saw all of the missed calls. I was so drunk, though, that it didn’t register the next morning what happened. Once I listened to the voicemail I couldn’t stop screaming. Hallie had to use her ‘in case of an emergency’ key to make sure I was okay. I wasn’t okay. I’d never be ok again.

The first voicemail was innocent enough, until the phone disconnected. The second voicemail was about the same as the first, save for the insanely loud crunching noise that recorded at the end. The screams that came through my phone were my mother’s. There was no noise from my father. The third and fourth voicemails were from my brother, telling me I needed to get to the hospital, and quick. The fifth one informed me there was no need to rush, not anymore.

That night changed everything. Three long years ago, I was a daddy’s girl. Now I’m just a girl trying to make it in the world, doing something that I thought I loved. I did love it when I started, but being in the limelight, now, has jaded me. I don’t care about the politics of fighting, I just want to hit stuff.

Tonight, as I sit alone in my apartment itching to get back in the ring after my last win, I think back to last weekend at the bar. That bitch wouldn’t stop running her mouth all night, but being the bartender I couldn’t do much about it. Not until I got off work, at least. Jase came up to the bar to meet his girlfriend, but she had something come up last minute and he was left talking to me for a good two hours at the end of my shift. The entire time this blonde bimbo, drunk off her ass, was spouting off comments at him and I. She kept talking shit about a pretty boy like him hitting on a trashy skank like me, and she didn’t stop. I’m no skank. I’m no virgin, but I’m definitely not a skank. I don’t sleep around...much. For her to be spouting that shit, it really pissed me off. Sure, I currently have bright red spiky hair, tattoos covering the top half of my left arm, and a few piercings more than a normal person, but that doesn’t mean she knows me. The Gwendolyn from three years ago may be disgusted by who I’ve become, but the Gwynn now is perfectly happy with her. For a while, the pain from the piercings was enough to keep me out of fighting a lot. Then I turned to tattoos, the buzz helping calm me. Each time the darkness from the guilt of losing him without saying goodbye hit me, I’d run down the street and have another one inked on. I love the thrill of a new tattoo, it’s something that never thought about until after his death. My first one was angel wings, done the day after his funeral. They got more intricate from there, a few times I just told Dave to be ‘artsy’ on me. He would just laugh and shake his head, then I would zone out for an hour or two while he worked his magic. One day I’ll finish my sleeve, but for now I’m saving up money to get out of my apartment and find something more permanent. If only everything in life were permanent.

My phone buzzes on the table, bringing me out of my flashback.

Jase: Heading to the Dive. Meet me there in 20.

Me: No thanks, not feeling it. Have fun.

Jase: I’ll kick your ass if you don’t show up. I mean it. Hannah isn’t coming either and I need company
.


Me: Have fun.

Jase: Bitch, I’ll be at your door in 5 minutes. Be ready.

Ugh! I don’t really want to go out tonight. Going out with Jase is always fun, but I’m in a mood tonight. I haven’t been able to fight since my win two weeks ago due to league breaks and scheduling conflicts and I was itching for a fight. Jase wouldn’t kick my ass, but he’s always been there for me so I really should be there for him.  I get up, throw on a more flattering outfit, and clean up my face. This is as good as it’s going to get tonight. It’s not like I’m out looking for a fuck or anything. No one will notice plain old me, and I’m perfectly fine with that tonight.

The bar is packed and I’m almost jealous that I wasn’t working. This would be an amazing night for tips, but Randy didn’t schedule me on my normal fight nights so here I sit, watching the new girl rake in all of the tips. Jase walks towards a table in the middle of the room, but I don’t really want to be in the middle of all the drunk college kids, so I shake my head and nod towards a side table. He smiles and follows me.

At one point I thought Jase felt something for me. He always smiles at me the most genuine smile, and I have caught him watching me more than once. One night I addressed it and it almost ruined our friendship, so if he does feel anything more than friendship for me he’s not making a move. Especially now that he has a girlfriend.

“So where is Hannah tonight?” I ask, practically screaming over the loudness of the bar. He seemed into her, but she was never really around.

“Out with her parents, I think...” he trails off. I feel bad for him, he’s always chasing the hard to get chicks who couldn’t care less about him.

“You sure about her, Jase? She’s never able to hang with us, and she hangs out with her parents a lot for a girl our age.” I don’t want to come out and say the words, but he has to be thinking them.

“She’s not cheating on me, Gwynn. Don’t go there again, not everyone is Max.” Jase once dated a girl named Max, who roped him into falling in love with her just to find out she was married already. Married!  Who does that?! It crushed him, and I don’t ever want to see him go through that heartbreak again.

“Okay. Got it, dropping it.” I sip my drink and eye the room. People watching always made me happy. Jase and I had a game where we would make up stories of the couples that we watched, or dialogue between two people. It was hilarious, especially when Jase was drunk enough to bring his ‘inner diva’ out.

As I watch people moving to the music, making small talk, and genuinely having a good time, I noticed something, make that someone, very familiar. Not wanting to freak out Jase, I excuse myself and head towards the bathroom. On my way, I make a pit-stop by a table. Shit. That mother fucking bitch.

“Oh, hey Hannah. How are your parents?” I said as sweetly as I could as I slid next to the guy sitting across from her. He has nothing on Jase, what was this chick thinking. Her eyes get huge and mouth falls open.

“Uh, great. They are wonderful, thanks for asking.” Her eyes squint at me and her eyebrows furrow. Obviously, she isn’t too happy about her secret getting out. She stands, grabs my arm, and puts on the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. “Excuse me, Derek.”

I let her haul me outside without a fight, knowing that it would just attract the attention of Jase, and I need to know the truth before I beat the shit out of her.

“What the hell Hannah!?” I yell as we make it outside.

“Shut up, Gwynn! You don’t know what it’s like!” She’s practically in tears.

“Oh please, clue me the FUCK in, because it looks like you are on a date while your BOYFRIEND thinks you are out with your parents. I warned you not to fuck with him.” I growl. Yes, I may be playing the crazy overprotective friend, but I can beat her ass with my eyes closed, and she need to know up front that I meant it if she messed with him.

“Fuck you, Gwynn! That ‘friend’ of yours is so in love with you it’s INSANE! He can’t have a healthy relationship with any woman because the only one he’s in love with treats him like a brother! Why don’t you stop being such a tease and fuck him already!?” She doesn’t see the hit coming, wonderful. I smile as she holds her cheek and glares at me, not believing what just happened.

I tried to hold in my temper, I really did. But this bitch had that slap coming.

“Next time I won’t be as gentle. You know what I do for a living. Get your ass in there and break up with him right now, slut.” I growl at her, noticing a crowd starting to gather around us. Shit, I don’t need this at my workplace, even if I’m not on the job. Hannah laughs, then spits at me. That bitch!

“You two aren’t worth my time. It’s so pathetic, Gwynn. He watches you like you are his last breath, like a lost puppy, and you don’t ever give him the time of day. You tell him, I’m out.” She went to leave and I grab her hair and pull her back. Sure, hair grabbing is a girl thing to do, but it’s the only part of her that I could reach. I fling her to the ground and wait. She isn’t dumb, she knows I could beat her, but she isn’t going down without a fight now that I’ve embarrassed her.

“You bitch!” she screams and plows at me. Of course I see it coming so I’m able to brace myself and get a few good jabs to her ribs before she breaks free again. Fuck if this didn’t feel good.

The guys outside are all around us now, cheering and yelling. She starts pacing like a caged animal and I just stand there, ready for her. Fists up, focused, I wait for her next weak attempt. Just as she lunges for me a figure sweeps in and throws her out of the fight. I was on my way for a good blow to her pretty face when I hear him yelling. I stop mid stride and catch his gaze. Not a scared gaze, but one that told me he isn’t afraid to hit a girl. It makes something stir inside of me, but I push the warmth down. Shit, I almost hit a stranger! In all of my rage, I blurred out everything else around me and almost got into a fight with a total stranger over nothing. This isn’t me, maybe I do need to get help like Jase said.

I break the connection between us, and though I could look into those stormy eyes all night, push my way through the crowd and head down the alley. I’ll talk the long way back to my apartment, more or less circling the block a few times to cool off, and text Jase when I get home. Tell him I got sick or something. Shit, what happened tonight? I knew I didn’t want to go out.