The Boxer (editing)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Alex and Abby stared at me from across the lunch table with matching expressions of concern and confusion, what were they going to do to me? I was slumped over on my arms feeling closer to Hulking out than ever before.

My fight was only on Monday and today was Friday, I had been off for four days and I felt every muscle in my body weakening and my tension and irritation level growing. When Ray forced me to take a break from training I became the biggest bitch in the world. The only good thing was the sweet scent of the weekend was close and I couldn't wait. The weekend meant I was closer to starting up training, but also weekends meant no schools and no Barbies trying to get me suspended for hitting them.

Charlie walked over to our table and I lifted my head and pointed angrily, "No. Not in the mood for this. I can not be around pleasant people. Your niceness makes me even angrier."

Abby tutted me, "Sadie, stop being such a grump. Sorry about her, Charlie, come sit. She hasn't been training for a few days and she gets, um, irritable."

"Shut the fuck up." I bit my cheek, I hated when Abby called out on shit and she always did, it meant that my thoughts about myself were true and other people could see them.

She always told me I was too cold to people right off the bat which was true but I'd lost too much of myself from the past couple years. Trust didn't come easy when there were so little to trust. I'm not saying that I'm a bitch on purpose, most of the time, but it was just my first offense. Safer to stay away than to grow close to too many.

"You swear like a sailor." Charlie muttered casting a shy glance my way.

In response, I hit him with my iciest glare and he squirmed. I dropped my head back on to the table and groaned in pain. 

"Dee," Alex stared at me in challenge, "I don't care if you're not friends with him, but Charlie is my friend and Abby's. If you could not be a dick all the time, I'm sure he'd be more comfortable and not hang around us looking at you like you're about to bite his head off."

I glared at my brother, guarded and torn. I hated that he looked after me the way he did. Did he like Charlie as a friend or did he only befriend him to provide some sort of backup protection for me? 

"Alex, you have to put yourself first." I mumbled just loud enough to hear.

He just looked at me. It was a look that told me he couldn't do that. It was a look that made my stomach knot in guilt. When he looked away from me, his eyes found Abby's and hers widened shyly and she blushed. 

Hold the phone.

In a split second, I perked up and sat straight up. My sudden movement made Charlie and Abby jump a little. "Wait a minute," I trailed off, watching their lovelorn expressions. "You two finally hooked up? Didn't you!" I laughed, "It's about time! I was beginning to think you two had taken a vow of chastity which was why nothing happened."

The swoon of happiness in my heart built over the previous feelings of sadness between Alex and I.

"Sadie," Alex chuckled, "Stop talking." Abby just smiled at her hands which were folded in her lap. 

After he admitted it, the four of us talked amicably and yes, that meant I even let Charlie join conversation. Knowing we were having a good time, Leah and Luke come over to us to ruin it.

Leah gave us a huge fake smile at us and chirped. "Is this the newest couple I see? Wow, I never thought he would settle for an ugly girl like you. I thought he would realize that he still wanted me."

They hooked up once and I yelled at him so loud, the neighbors came over to ask if we were okay. Did she still think my brother would ever love her? The she-devil? With the way she treated Abby and me, there's no way he could ever think about it.