this chapter includes a very (very) small talk about sexual assault so just in case you're triggered by that !! i've realized i should probably warn people before chapters now bc i realize it can be very triggering
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"A McSausage and a hash brown, please."
Brielle smiled softly at the cashier as she executed the mere seven words she practiced saying the whole time she was in waiting in line. She was usually decent with talking to strangers, but it was something about ordering food that made her anxious.
It was like the cashier was judging her and it was so pressuring and she just hated it. And what was even worse about it was the fact that she couldn't have anyone else order for her because then it would look like there was something wrong with her -- a nineteen year old girl who couldn't order her own damn food.
But at least she was able to do it this one time without stuttering or sounding stupid, so there was that.
She felt her mouth water as the cashier handed her her bag of utterly greasy and fattening food that she loved so dearly. It was very rare that her parents would ever go to a place like McDonalds -- most of the time they spent dinner at some fancy place that gave her what felt like a grain of rice as a dish. So now that she was technically on her own, she definitely was taking advantage of being able to choose what she ate.
Brielle took her food and sat down in a far booth off in the corner, hoping nobody would see her sitting alone. It felt awkward to eat alone in public. She usually felt bad when she saw people sitting by themselves because she made the assumption that there were just alone in general.
But at the same time, she didn't want Luke to come with her nor did she want to be at the club at the moment.
For one, Marcella just really gave her a bad vibe, despite how cool Brielle thought she was going to be at first. It was like she felt the need to show off whatever was going on between her and Luke -- whether it was a relationship or FWBs or whatever. It was quite aggravating, and made things awkward, and Brielle preferred to avoid it if she could.
Luke. He was aggravating her as well with his accusations of her being jealous of his Marcella, which wasn't true and also made him sound conceited. Not only that, but he lied to her. And then he just blew it off like it was nothing. What if he had lied to her about other things? It wasn't really a big lie, or her business, but it still made her skeptical.
Either way, she didn't want to be near him at the moment. She had had enough of him over the last day.
Brielle unwrapped her McSausage and her hash brown, smoothing the paper and she placed it on the table. She squirted the packet of ketchup all over her hash brown before she ate it -- something her friends always hated because they claimed it made it soggy.
She leaned in to take her first bite, and shortly after, she felt her phone vibrate on the table, making her groan at the interruption.
She looked over at the phone and grabbed it with raised eyebrows. Savannah was calling her.
It was weird to even see the name displayed on the screen, as even though they exchanged numbers on Brielle's first day, she never had any reason to contact her. They talked nonstop at work, so that was always enough contact for them.
Although, considering what happened yesterday, Brielle assumed that that was probably what she was calling about. She wasn't sure if Savannah was actually there, but she was sure someone had told her about it, most likely Calum.
The phone continued to vibrate on the table, and on about the fourth ring Brielle realized that she was thinking too much into why Savannah was calling, and just picked up the phone.
"Hello?" she hesitatingly spoke into the phone, trying to swallow the food still in her mouth quickly.
"Hey," Savannah greeted calmly. She always had this sort of chill vibe to her -- Brielle recognized it from the day they met.
"What's up?" Brielle asked, the tone of the "up" much higher than she expected.
"Nothing much. I'm currently sitting at work without you."
"At least you have Calum," she joked, already aware of how the boy annoyed her.
Savannah snorted. "Yeah, sure."
Brielle chuckled, though her smile faded once she realized she probably wouldn't be going back to work -- meaning she wouldn't be able to see the two bicker anymore. "I'm still not sure if I'm coming back or not," she admitted.
"Calum told me about what happened yesterday," Savannah disclosed, confirming Brielle's assumptions. She still had yet to talk to Calum about everything with Tyler and could only imagine how confused he was. She was surprised he wasn't the one contacting her rather than Savannah.
"It's a mess."
"Yeah," she said. Brielle nodded in response, even though she probably looked like an idiot nodding to herself.
"I really need to see you and talk to you. In person," Savannah continued, her tone a lot more quieter as if she didn't want people to hear.
She was a little taken back by Savannah's need to talk to her in person all of a sudden, especially since they were already on the phone and if she had anything to say she could say it now.
"Okay," Brielle said, in more of a questioning tone.
"Are you at home or something?" Savannah questioned.
"I'm actually at McDonald's right now," she replied, taking another bite out of her hash brown.
"Are you with anyone?"
"Nope. All alone."
"Why are you eating inside alone?"
"Why not?" Brielle shrugged as she took another bite out of her food, despite the fact that Savannah was unable to see her and she also would have preferred to not eat alone.
"It's depressing."
"Yeah, it really is," she admitted.
Savannah snickered, making Brielle frown. "I'll see if I can take my lunch break early and come see you. But either way I need to talk to you like, soon."
"You're making me nervous," Brielle said, not really understanding why it was so important for Savannah to talk to her so soon -- and in person.
"It's just important," she stated, which didn't make her feel better at all.
"Alright."
"I'll see if I can leave early and then I'll text you."
"Okay. I'll be waiting," she promised, not really having a choice other than to wait. At least Savannah would keep her company.
Savannah spoke a simple "K" before hanging up the phone, leaving Brielle alone on the line, curious and somewhat nervous.
She took a deep breath as she hung up and set the phone back down.
The overall biggest reason she was nervous was the fact that the conversation had to take place in person. It had to have been serious. She had the idea that it was going to be related to the skirmish Luke had gotten into at her workplace, but she didn't know what what Savannah would have to say about it that she couldn't say on the phone. It made her feel extremely suspenseful.
Or maybe Brielle was just over thinking it and the conversation was over something stupid -- she had the tendency to do that.
She sighed again before continuing to finish her food, getting up to throw it out once she was finished. As she was making her way back towards her booth, she felt her phone vibrate once again in her back pocket (which was really uncomfortable by the way.)
She pulled it out to read:
sav: what mcdonalds are u @?
brielle: the one on 2nd st. you coming?
sav: no. i just wanted to know where u were for no reason
Brielle rolled her eyes as she sat back down. She was always surrounded by sarcasm -- literally from everyone she knew. Just because she did it to other people didn't mean they could do it to her too.
brielle: ok, rude
sav: be there in a bit 8)
Brielle shook her head as closed the messages app and leaned back in he seat, bringing her knees up to her chest and using the side of the table to keep them there. She kept her head down as she scrolled carelessly on her phone, trying to make it seem like she was not alone as much as possible, and that she was in fact waiting for someone. She hoped Savannah would get there soon so she didn't look like such a loser.
She also realized that she still had Luke's car, which meant she didn't have much time. And it wasn't necessarily that she cared about taking his car for so long, but she knew for a fact that if she was gone too long he'd get all curious and bother her like he always did.
Just as Brielle was refreshing her Twitter timeline, she suddenly felt a pair of hands shake her shoulders from behind, scaring the shit out of her and possibly forcing her into cardiac arrest.
She looked up to see Savannah standing over her with a cheeky smile. "Whatcha doin?"
"Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me!" Brielle exclaimed, as she clutched he heart, thankful for the fact that it didn't stop. God, they really should've made the booths taller so people couldn't do that.
"I can tell," Savannah laughed as she sat down in front of the girl.
Brielle noticed her jet black hair apparently now had streaks of red in it -- something Savannah had obviously gotten done very recently as Brielle had yet to see it. She was wearing a black tee shirt and skinny jeans with tears all the way up her thigh, along with a black pair of vans. Black. Everything was black. It was almost impossible to not see her, considering how she contrasted with the bright colors of the restaurant.
"When did you dye your hair?" Brielle asked, motioning towards the dye job.
"Yesterday after work. I let Calum do it and he got it in my fucking eyes," she complained, shaking her head in disbelief. Brielle giggled as she thought of how Savannah probably reacted -- hitting him multiple times as he used his arms to try to protect himself while screaming in a feminine matter. And even though her hits were playful, Savannah really looked like she could beat some ass -- it had to of hurt. But Brielle still found it funny.
"You should've called me and I would've done it for you," Brielle said, still smiling from her thought.
"I would have, but I didn't know if you would be up for it. Calum told me everything that happened yesterday," Savannah said, her tone sounding sympathetic, confirming Brielle's assumptions.
"What did he tell you?" Calum himself didn't even know what happened, so she was curious as to what he could have said.
"Pretty much all he told me was that you came in with someone and tried to talk to him. And then Tyler showed up and that Calum didn't know exactly what was going on after that but Tyler ended up with a broken nose and you ended up screaming and crying," Savannah explained.
"It sounds really dramatic when you say it like that," she remarked, almost laughing.
"But, apparently, Calum sat Tyler down and asked him what the help happened and he explained everything," Savannah continued, earning Brielle's full attention.
"Really?"
"Yeah -- according to Calum. I wasn't there."
"Wait, what did he say?" Brielle asked eagerly -- if he told Calum the same bullshit story he told everyone else she was going to flip.
"He told Calum that you two had a past and didn't end well," she responded. It was quiet for a second as Brielle expected her to say more.
"That was it?"
"Yeah." Of course it was. Why would he tell his coworkers about that?
"Apparently, he got really emotional and started talking about how he only got the job to see you. Which in my opinion, is fucking creepy, but whatever. He got really angry when he saw you with someone else and that was the only reason why he said whatever he said and that was why the guy you were with punched him? Something like that -- I don't remember exactly what Calum said," Savannah continued, shrugging. If only she knew how serious it really was.
Brielle huffed as she took a moment to take in Savannah's words. How did Tyler even know she worked there? She had never seen him in the shop before he was hired and none of her friends knew she worked there, except for Sam. It kind of creeped her out.
She then realized that when he first saw her in the shop that morning, he acted like he was completely surprised to see her -- and that was all a lie.
And his excuse for why he got angry was absolute bullshit to her, as he said rude things to her before he even saw Luke. Tyler was always good at manipulating people, and that was what he was doing.
"But now I understand why you left. I can only imagine how awkward it'd be to work with your ex," Savannah spoke up again, after Brielle didn't say anything.
"Yeah, awkward," Brielle said, snorting, even though it really wasn't funny at all.
"I just wish you would come back. You were only gone one day and it was horrible," Savannah whined, pouting her lips.
"I don't know. I'll probably get another job. The pay wasn't even enough for me anyways." And even though that was true, the main reason was really just Tyler. "I think I might just become a stripper."
"I could so see you being one."
"Right? Might look into it," Brielle half-joked. She could never possibly see herself being stripper, but the job was definitely lucrative and would probably allow her to actually pay for her own things. And it was pretty good exercise.
God, what was she thinking? She could barely climb those small poles that were on the playground in Elementary School.
Savannah laughed, though her laugh quickly faded as she looked down and started to play with her hands. Brielle was a bit taken back by her sudden change in mood.
"I came here to talk to you about Luke," she stated abruptly.
Brielle's eyebrows raised at the sound of his name, then immediately scrunched together to show her confusion. "You know him?" she asked surprisingly. If she knew him, why didn't she refer to him as Luke before?
"Yeah, I do." She sighed, as if she was disappointed with the fact. "Me and Calum went to school with him together."
Brielle nodded, realizing that Savannah had already told her that Calum and her went to school together, so Brielle probably should have put the pieces together that they all went together. But she was still surprised.
"Oh," she said. "What about him?" Brielle asked in what she hoped was a chill manner, though it probably came out in a matter that made her seem nervous -- in which she was.
"I dated him."
"Oh," she repeated, again, trying to hide the fact that she was just completely thrown off.
Of course they had dated. That was just Brielle's luck. She wasn't sure what it was about today, but apparently it was "find out all about Luke's girlfriends slash fuck buddies" day. It was just even more surprising to her that this was someone she actually knew. "Like, recently?"
"We broke up about a year ago."
It was her. The girlfriend Luke always talked about. Unless he had another one in which they broke up a year ago also, but the chances of that were slim. Did that mean the story he told her including his ex-girlfriend was Savannah? "I think he told me about you."
"Did he? What did he say?" she asked, almost worryingly.
Brielle wasn't sure if Savannah would be comfortable with the fact that Luke disclosed such personal information to her, and it also would seem weird that he would have told Brielle about the situation for no reason. "Stuff. Nothing bad, I promise," she said, shaking her head.
Savannah just nodded, thankfully accepting her answer. "Are you aware of what he does?"
"Yeah," Brielle huffed and pursed her lips, already expecting this question.
"Really?" Savannah said in a surprised tone. "And you still hang out with him?"
Brielle couldn't help but chuckle. Was Savannah or Samantha sitting in front of her?
"I mean, yeah. It's not effecting me in any way," she shrugged. And it wasn't. Even if Luke was ever to get caught, it's not like she would get in trouble too.
"Luke's a great guy and he's very sweet, but what he does and the people he works with are very dangerous. I would know," Savannah remarked in a scolding tone.
Brielle's eyebrows knitted together again -- something that was very prevalent during this conversation. "How do you know?"
Savannah sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She didn't talk for a moment and Brielle thought she was going to pass out from all of the suspense.
"I was walking home one night and I was attacked. The guy put his hand over my mouth and told me not to say anything, and then continued to grope my body. He told me if that Luke didn't throw his next match that next time he would râpe me."
"Oh my God," Brielle uttered with her mouth wide open. "Do you know who it was?"
"No. Luke refused to talk about it. And that's when I broke up with him."
"That's so scary," Brielle said in disbelief. Even if she was already aware that something happened to Savannah, she never expected it to be, technically, because of Luke. Maybe that was why he was so emotional about it.
"Yeah. I don't know if he's still around those same people but I just want you to be careful, especially if you're ever at the boxing club with him."
Brielle nodded quickly. "I will."
Savannah smiled softly in which Brielle returned it. It was saddening to know that such a nice girl like Savannah experienced what she did. At the moment, it seemed like a perfect time to finally tell someone other than Luke what happened with Tyler, but Brielle refrained. She was trying to forget about it, so discussing it would definitely not help that.
"Wanna go see a movie or someplace where they don't sell horse meat to lighten the mood?" Savannah spoke up, her tone obviously more optimistic.
"But you're supposed to be at work?" Brielle said as she raised her eyebrows dubiously.
"I can ditch," she offered, shrugging.
Brielle stared at her for a moment before shrugging her shoulders as well and standing up. She probably shouldn't have gone anywhere without telling Luke, as she had his car, but she didn't care at the moment. "Fuck it, let's go."
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Luke was aggravated.
For one, Marcella had to open her big ass mouth and tell Brielle about a whole side of him that he planned on never mentioning. He cared about Brielle, a lot, and he didn't want her to think he'd ever treat her like he's treated girls in the past. Brielle insisted that she was unfazed by it, but he knew her better, and she was also really bad at hiding her emotions.
Whenever she was upset or angry she'd cuss a lot more and get extremely red when he called her out on it -- and she had showed exactly those signs. Maybe she was right, maybe Luke was just being conceited and she really wasn't jealous at all. Either way, he knew for a fact that she was upset that he had lied, and that was all because of fucking Marcella.
Two, it turned out Ashton never actually went to the bathroom and went outside to take what he called a very important phone call. Apparently his girlfriend vomited a few times at work or whatever, and Ashton insisted that he go pick her up and take her home to make sure she was okay. Luke thought it was ridiculous -- she was like twenty-something, she couldn't take care of herself? This match was extremely important to him and now he was left to prepare all by himself.
Although, despite the fact that Ashton completely abandoned him, he still tried to take advantage of the time he still had before the match started and used the punching bag and weights the club provided. If he had spent the next few hours doing nothing, only because Ashton wasn't there, he'd feel like shit and it would just make him more stressed out.
But that was a number of hours ago, and the match was now a few minutes away. He had worked out until he couldn't fill his limbs anymore, which probably wasn't a good thing but he wasn't used to training alone.
He had already gotten over the previous reasons as to why he was angry, and now all he could think about was Brielle. She still hadn't returned. She also wasn't answering his calls or texts, and there were really no words to describe how worried Luke was.
He was sitting in the back room that was filled with a few ring girls and some other people Luke didn't care about. He kept his head locked on his phone, just in case Brielle responded, as his knee bounced uncontrollably. Although, suddenly, he felt someone flick his forehead, making him raise it with scrunched eyebrows.
"Hey fuckboy, where's your friend?" Of course, fucking Marcella would be the one to talk to him now.
"Marcella, I don't need your shit right now," he said callously, looking back down at his phone.
"I asked you a simple question, how am I giving you shit?"
Luke opened his mouth to say something very harsh that he'd probably regret, though someone walking into the room stopped him from doing that. He immediately jumped off the couch, almost running to her.
"Holy shit, Brielle!? Where the fuck have you been?" he exclaimed, seeming more angry at her than excited to see her.
"I went to see a movie," she said simply, as she took a step back.
"You told me you were going to fucking eat!" he yelled, earning glares at him from some of the people in the room.
"Okay..but I didn't want to come back here. I was bored," she said slowly, taken back at Luke's harsh and loud tone. "Why are you yelling?"
"You were using my car. You can't just fucking take it and not tell me. Why didn't you answer when I called?" he questioned, talking faster than he planned.
"My phone was off."
"It's on right now," he pointed out, motioning to the lit up screen in her hand.
"Yeah, I just turned it on," she defended, looking down at it. She looked back up at his angered expression, realizing how stupid she was for leaving for so long and not contacting him. It was his car anyways, she didn't have the right to just take it like that. "I'm sorry, I should have called," she said softly.
Luke noticed how her voice had gotten quieter and softer, making his expression soften as well. "It's fine, Brielle. Really. I was just worried," he explained, sighing. He didn't understand why she couldn't have told him, it's not like he would have minded. But now he had just spent the past hour worrying for nothing. And on top of it, he had his match to make him even more anxious.
"Well, I'm here now," she said a lot more enthusiastically, hoping to change the subject and mood. "There's a lot of people out there."
"Yeah," he said, chuckling, despite there being no humor in her statement. "I'm think I'm gonna have a panic attack."
"What? Why?" she asked, as she watched him run his hands through his hair.
"I'm not confident that I'm going to win. This guy has only ever lost once and he's really big and scary," he whined, getting nervous just thinking about it.
"Luke, you're gonna do fine," she said reassuringly, trying not to laugh. She still didn't understand how this boy was an underground boxer. "You don't have that much muscle and you win all the time. It's all about technique."
"Yeah, but if he gets enough punches in, I'm done for," he explained. "And I do have muscle," he said, frowning as he felt on his arm.
"I'll be right next to the ring the whole time cheering you on," she assured, ignoring his words and wrapping her arms around his torso, leaning against his chest.
"I know," he replied, as he rested his chin on the top of her head. The fact that he could look over any time during the match and she'd be there was actually really reassuring.
He followed her actions and wrapped his arms around her as well. They stayed there for what felt like a while.
But a few seconds later, one of the announcers walked into the room, completely ruining and interrupting their hug. "Everyone, out. The match is about to start."
Luke huffed as he started to feel Brielle's grip on him loosen. He could've held her forever.
"Beat his ass," Brielle said as she pulled away, looking up at him and smiling. The sight of her smile, especially the way it created dimples under her eyes, immediately made him smile as well in return.
"I'll try my best."
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it took me a bit longer to update than usual & that is bc of school i am srry! going to try my v best to update sooner next time okokok
also frickin comment on this story bc i want comments i don't know how else to say this im thirsty 4 comments (they make me v happy u guys are rly funny & encourage me to update) & if u dont ill delete thiSs book forever and erase the idea of boxer luke from ur mind and u'll never get to read angry underground boxer luke in ur life
thank you [drops mic]
(i didn't proofread this nor do i rly ever proofread so if u ever see a grammar/spelling error i actually don't mind if u point it out bc i would want to change it THANKS THIS IS TOO LONG OF AN A/N)