too much, though. Slade snuck a punch in, and I didn’t duck in time, and his fist caught the side of my jaw, whipping my head to the side as the crowd cheered. I stumbled, landing on my ass in the dirt. I looked up as Slade danced around me, the smug grin returning to his ugly face. I shook it off and stood back up, remembering the words of my coach so long ago.
“I can teach you to fight, but I can’t teach you how to get up,” he told me. And he was right. After killing that guy in the ring, I never learned to get back up myself.
Normally, this is where I would stumble again, and pretend that Slade had gotten the best of me. I loved that goofy dude, and he pouted like a school girl when he lost. But not this time. He was in for a surprise, because I had way too much pent up frustration inside of me tonight, and I had no other outlet except for his self-satisfied mug. Fighting with Slade was the only fighting I really allowed myself to do. I’d never step into the ring again.
I pushed him, provoking him to try to hit me again, which worked. He was so predictable. His right fist shot out, and I ducked under it this time, hooking him just under the chin, sending him flying backwards and landing with a thump on the ground, knocking him dizzy.
I heard a startled gasp behind me, and turned just in time to see Lacey’s wide eyes filled with fear and confusion, before she ran away from the group.
“Fuck!” I pushed through the crowd and followed Lacey as she ran into the clubhouse and down the hallway that led to her bedroom. A loud bang rang through the clubhouse as she slammed the door. I stopped short, taking a deep breath and knocking lightly on the door.
The crowd outside had streamed in after us, and I felt the curious gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes drilling into my back.
“Lacey, open up.” I whispered. “Please?”
I listened at the door, my mind racing, trying to assess the situation as fast as I could. Why was she so upset? I knocked again.
“Lacey, come on…”
Slowly the door opened, and her face peeked through the crack, streaked with tears.
“Can I come in? Please?”
She nodded, and opened the door, letting me through. I turned to close it behind me, and saw all those eyes still watching.
“Go away, you nosey fucks!” I seethed, before slamming the door.
I turned to see Lacey staring at me. She looked almost afraid, and it killed me to see the tears on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What do you mean, what’s wrong? You were fighting . With Slade. Why would you hurt him like that?”
“What? Lacey, he likes it…I mean, it’s just something we do…when we want…oh, fuck, look it doesn’t mean anything at all.”
“I just don’t understand how you could pummel your friend like that…” her voice trailed off and she turned away from me defensively, breaking my heart when I realized she was afraid of me.
“Lacey, listen, babe. Slade and I go way back. He’s my best friend. We fight each other all the time. We do it for fun, not because we are trying to hurt each other.”
“That makes no sense to me.”
“I can see how it wouldn’t. People out of the life don’t understand. Slade and I use it as an outlet for frustration…it’s not real. The other Gods think it’s entertaining. It looks a lot worse than it is. I would never hurt him seriously, and he wouldn’t hurt me either.”
“Well, whatever. I don’t know, it just bothers me…” her voice trailed off, and she avoided my eyes.
“Lacey,” I said. “Please look at me.”
She wouldn’t.
“Lacey, why does it bother you?”
Her voice shook as she turned towards me.
“Look, the only violence I’ve seen was always directed towards me, and it sure as hell wasn’t out of love or fun.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, sweetheart,” I said, closing the distance between us, not sure if she would let me
“I can teach you to fight, but I can’t teach you how to get up,” he told me. And he was right. After killing that guy in the ring, I never learned to get back up myself.
Normally, this is where I would stumble again, and pretend that Slade had gotten the best of me. I loved that goofy dude, and he pouted like a school girl when he lost. But not this time. He was in for a surprise, because I had way too much pent up frustration inside of me tonight, and I had no other outlet except for his self-satisfied mug. Fighting with Slade was the only fighting I really allowed myself to do. I’d never step into the ring again.
I pushed him, provoking him to try to hit me again, which worked. He was so predictable. His right fist shot out, and I ducked under it this time, hooking him just under the chin, sending him flying backwards and landing with a thump on the ground, knocking him dizzy.
I heard a startled gasp behind me, and turned just in time to see Lacey’s wide eyes filled with fear and confusion, before she ran away from the group.
“Fuck!” I pushed through the crowd and followed Lacey as she ran into the clubhouse and down the hallway that led to her bedroom. A loud bang rang through the clubhouse as she slammed the door. I stopped short, taking a deep breath and knocking lightly on the door.
The crowd outside had streamed in after us, and I felt the curious gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes drilling into my back.
“Lacey, open up.” I whispered. “Please?”
I listened at the door, my mind racing, trying to assess the situation as fast as I could. Why was she so upset? I knocked again.
“Lacey, come on…”
Slowly the door opened, and her face peeked through the crack, streaked with tears.
“Can I come in? Please?”
She nodded, and opened the door, letting me through. I turned to close it behind me, and saw all those eyes still watching.
“Go away, you nosey fucks!” I seethed, before slamming the door.
I turned to see Lacey staring at me. She looked almost afraid, and it killed me to see the tears on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What do you mean, what’s wrong? You were fighting . With Slade. Why would you hurt him like that?”
“What? Lacey, he likes it…I mean, it’s just something we do…when we want…oh, fuck, look it doesn’t mean anything at all.”
“I just don’t understand how you could pummel your friend like that…” her voice trailed off and she turned away from me defensively, breaking my heart when I realized she was afraid of me.
“Lacey, listen, babe. Slade and I go way back. He’s my best friend. We fight each other all the time. We do it for fun, not because we are trying to hurt each other.”
“That makes no sense to me.”
“I can see how it wouldn’t. People out of the life don’t understand. Slade and I use it as an outlet for frustration…it’s not real. The other Gods think it’s entertaining. It looks a lot worse than it is. I would never hurt him seriously, and he wouldn’t hurt me either.”
“Well, whatever. I don’t know, it just bothers me…” her voice trailed off, and she avoided my eyes.
“Lacey,” I said. “Please look at me.”
She wouldn’t.
“Lacey, why does it bother you?”
Her voice shook as she turned towards me.
“Look, the only violence I’ve seen was always directed towards me, and it sure as hell wasn’t out of love or fun.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, sweetheart,” I said, closing the distance between us, not sure if she would let me
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