FRACTURES (The Lake House #3) *REUPLOADED*

Chapter One

Justin

The final buzzer rang and I hung my head in relief. I barely had time to breathe before my team surrounded me which cheers, dragging me out of the cage. I gulped down a water bottle in one go, ignoring the pats I was receiving on the back.

Leo, my trainer, greeted me in the locker rooms with a grin. "We did it, kid. You did it."

I finally let myself take a second. I let out a sharp breath.

Justin Bieber. Age twenty five. Youngest fighter in the country. Youngest champion in the world.

I quickly redressed, emerging from the locker room for my press conference. I painted my face with my usual cocky grin, watching as the press went wild with my entrance. I let Leo step forward to pick a few to speak.

A pretty blonde girl stepped forward, "Justin, how long have you been waiting for this night?"

I gave her an easy smile. "I started training when I was nineteen. It's been a long time coming. But I had confidence I'd do it, and here we are." I winked at her and within seconds, she blushed and took a step back.

"Justin, what are you going to do now?" Someone called from the back.

I grinned, hooking my thumbs into the waistband of my pants. "Well, I'm taking a few weeks off to head down to Cancun. A good friend of mine is getting married."

—

I shook my head as the grumpy driver Gavin sent for me pulled into the large gated neighborhood. I lived in a pretty big place back in New York but this had to be triple the size of it. Gavin and Gianna were probably two of the richest people in America so I guess they could afford a place like this.

But this was just the vacation house. Let's not forget their main mansion back in California.

The driver let me out, even going to the trunk to grab my things. I smirked when he handed them to me, slapping five dollars against his chest. "Thanks man."

He rolled his eyes, "No...thank you sir." He huffed, getting back into the car.

Gavin was stepping down the front stairs when I turned, grinning wide. "There he is. I was beginning to think you'd be a no-show." He pulled me in for a hug.

I laughed, "Never."

"I dunno, with that new ego of yours, it's nice to see you didn't forget where you came from."

"Wish I could say the same to you," I gestured around to the massive home.

Gavin shrugged, "Gianna forced me to buy it."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

He led me inside and it was just as nice as expected. Several living rooms, huge staircases leading to all different parts of the house—even an indoor pool.

"God this is ridiculous, even for you." I said with a shake of my head. "Why do you need a pool if you're right on the beach?"

"Why not?" He replied with a laugh. "Right up those stairs is your room. You got your own bathroom and everything. Go put your stuff up and come back down to the back patio. I'll get some burgers going on the grill."

I did as he said, entering the ridiculous bedroom. I threw my bags down onto the bed and went into the bathroom to throw some water on my face. I was exhausted considering I'd barely slept in the past few days.

As I made my way back to the patio, I stopped in the living room to stare up at the wall of framed pictures. Photos of Gavin and Gianna through the years. Pictures of their dogs that they treated so much like their children (they even sent a Christmas card of them every year). I laughed at the framed picture of my very first newspaper cover four years ago.

My eyes traveled over to another row of pictures, where a face I could never get out of my mind stared back. Ana at Gavin's graduation, Ana at Gianna's graduation, Ana on vacation with the golden couple. The pictures showed just how a part of each other's lives the three of them had been.

I barely ever had time to visit California. I really had no reason to. So when I relocated to New York, and started working non-stop, Gavin and Gianna would come visit me. They'd have front row seats to my matches and would call to check on me once a week. They had been a big part of my life since the day I left, but it wasn't the same.

"So where's the bride-to-be?" I asked Gavin, taking the beer he held out to me and taking a seat at the glass patio table.

"Flying in tomorrow. She had some things to finish up back home. You're the first guest to come in. Everyone else flies in later on in the week. But it's just us staying in the house. All the adults are staying in the guest house or hotels."

I chuckled. "What about Ana?"

"She's flying in with Gianna. She had to get someone to fill in for her class for the next two weeks." He replied, putting a plate down in front of me. "She's staying here too." He said, as if fishing for my approval.

"Hey," I shrugged. "Judging by the gallery you have in there, seems that she's more welcome than me."

Gavin sighed, "Justin..."

"I'm joking," I laughed. "You're acting like we just broke up yesterday. It's been six years. I'd feel really stupid if I were still hung up on it. We're here for your wedding. So can we just drop it and try not to make things awkward?"

Gavin nodded, "Hey..." He kicked me. "You're as welcome as anyone. I couldn't do this without you. I'm really glad you're here."

I grinned, "Me too man."

—

I have no patience, so here it is 6 days early. I am so excited for this story.

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