My eyes fluttered open, the familiar sense of warmth surrounding me as I realized Drew and I were still wrapped around each other. I felt myself smiling, the sense of feeling well rested really taking over my body. I hadn't felt that in what seemed like a long time when it had only been a week since I had last slept with Drew. I didn't want to wake her up though, so I remained still.
Last night had gone from passionate, to serious, to sweet all within minutes. It had worn me out but at least we had ended on a good note, and I was satisfied on how things had closed. I loved my present and she loved mine. Not only that but now I knew Drew was falling just as hard as I was. It excited me and I couldn't wait to see where she and I went now that Ashley was well out of my life. I still had some repairing to do but I was ready to further it with Drew.
Finding the right time seemed like the next step.
I felt Drew stir silently, waking up as I moved against her. I didn't want her to move because it felt so good like this but I knew everything good had to end sometimes. It's not like we had anything to do anyway, so rushing to get up wasn't even necessary.
She rolled towards me, her eyes still sleepy as they switched up to me. I felt myself smiling like an idiot at the sight but goddamn she was cute. I shook my head, "How do you do that?"
She shook her head, "What?"
"Wake up amazing."
She rolled her eyes and laughed quietly, "Bree, I can't handle your sappiness this early."
I blushed and pushed her on her back, climbing on top of her and straddling her waist. Her eyes took me in and I felt satisfied knowing her full attention was on me now. I leaned down and kissed her, then whispered, "We have nothing to do today, which means we can stay in bed all day..."
She raised an eyebrow at me, "Since when are you like this?"
I could tell she liked it, which was great because I loved having the opportunity to take charge and get a little more intimate with Drew. I found myself shrugging to her response, "Since I missed you and last night we didn't really get to finish what we started."
Drew smirked, "What you started."
"You were taking off my shirt," I confessed, wishing she wouldn't be so timid when it came to things like this. I knew she couldn't help it, but maybe we still had a long way to go.
"It was getting in the way."
I laughed, biting my lip as I leaned down and kissed Drew again. Every moment with her was worth the patience I had to exert, whether that be her revealing something personal or her allowing me to finally take control. Through the last few months we had been through a lot, and that was usually a bad thing, but in our case it wasn't.
Then she unexpectedly forced me onto my back, her body wedged between my bare legs. I felt my heart pound a little harder, and my eyes were completely focused on the blonde above me.
She announced, "I think we need to talk."
I immediately fell off of my high, "About?"
"Me and Jada's fight," she countered, and suddenly I was reminded that it was approaching.
I shook my head at the thought, "When is it, exactly?"
"In a few nights," I could tell it bothered her tremendously, but there was basically nothing she could do. The rules of whatever they were involved with had been established years ago, and escaping it came with one rule and one rule only. Win. Win until you beat everyone else, and then you were free. I didn't know why that place existed or why people put up with it, but it did and Drew and Jada were involved. Both for different reasons.
I shook my head, "I hate the fact that you two are involved, and I hate how both of you can't get out at the same time. It's bullshit, that whole place is bullshit. I hate it."
I cut off my rant and watched Drew, something in her eyes making me uneasy. The fact that both of them were going to be in the ring again made my skin crawl and my stomach hurt, but what exactly could I do? There was nothing anyone could do, but the outcome was all that mattered.
Drew nodded, "I hate it to, but it is what it is."
"And if you win, what happens?" I found myself asking.
"Then I'm out for good," she watched me, but I knew that if Jada won she would be out for good as well. Hopefully onto her legal fighting career and out of that hell hole.
"What if Jada wins?"
Drew's eyes fell, as if she didn't really want to think about that, "Then she's out, and I'm set back three fights."
I flexed my jaw, holding back a lot of nasty words that I wanted to throw at the coordinators. Drew didn't deserve three if she lost, and Jada didn't deserve to have to do this again. She was good enough, that's why they had scratched her redemption fights. It was like they were taunting us on purpose, and it enraged me.
"I don't even know what to think about this," I confessed, and Drew seemed to feel the same exact way.
"Me neither, Bree."
~ ~ ~ ~
As I stared out the window I could hear my sister's loud rock music blaring through her earbuds. Tonight was the night that would define whether or not she scored a professional career, and I knew she was anxious. Me on the other hand, I was an emotional wreck, because it didn't matter who won tonight. It didn't matter because the other would have to suffer.
If Drew lost she would have to win three more fights, but if Jada lost she wouldn't get her professional career and most likely hate Drew for the rest of her life. Was there really a good outcome besides at least one of them getting out for good? I had decided on answering that question with a no, and when we pulled up on the side of the building I felt my heart fall into my stomach.
By the time we reached the building I was convinced I was having a heart attack, but was soon left alone as Jada and Mike disappeared into the back rooms. I wasn't allowed back there, at least not right now, but after I would be, just like last time.
I walked around in hopes to calm my nerves but the raging rock music and drunken people only made it worse. God I really didn't want to be here, but luckily the girls always fought first, which meant it wouldn't be long till they were in the ring.
"Are you lost?" I heard a familiar voice, turning around and recognizing Demarcus.
I felt my heart leap in joy as I hugged him, nearly causing him to spill his drink. I sighed in relief, "Oh I'm so glad you're here."
I pulled back and he smiled, "Yea, I was with Drew but she demanded to be alone. Guess she's getting herself together. How are you feeling about this?"
I could see worry in his warm brown eyes, which settled some of my nerves. He guided me away from most of the people and into a corner to talk, and I confessed, "Honestly, I feel like I'm about to throw up."
Sympathy ran across his features, but he had no idea how grateful I was that he was here talking to me. It was amazing to see a familiar face in this crowd, and not only that but no one would mess with me with Dee beside me. He was built, and most of the men here were middle-aged with beer guts and greasy hair. They stood no chance against him.
Demarcus probably understood Drew and Jada's situation, so he didn't need to reiterate what would happen when one of them lost. He knew the rules, I mean he had been the one to introduce his friend to it, and I couldn't be mad at him. Not knowing any better he had only been trying to help, but after tonight this could possibly be all over. At least for Drew, Jada was still planning on a career.
I was sure this situation couldn't get any worse.
Demarcus leaned against the wall, "I'm glad she met you, you know."
I looked at him, wondering where in the hell that had come from. It had been so out of left field that it caught me off guard, but he didn't give me time to question him.
"She had planned to keep going until she couldn't anymore, but then she had that really bad loss. It had intimidated her into quitting but she couldn't, and then you came along. After the first fight with your sister, after seeing the way you looked at her... she couldn't stop talking about how disgusted you had looked that night. I think it really hurt her."
I just looked at Demarcus, kind of already knowing this but not knowing this perspective. Drew hadn't really talked about it, but that memory was fresh in my head. That night had been one of the worse nights of my life, the same going for Drew as well.
I confessed, "I had been freaked out. I thought I had known Drew, but that night... I don't know. I had seen something evil. I know what it is now, but I hadn't known back then. It had scared me away for a while."
I watched his eyes fall onto me, already knowing he understood what I was talking about. He was the only other person to know about Drew's past. Maria kind of knew, but she didn't understand the depth like Demarcus and I. It was different for us.
He sipped his drink and then continued, "What that kid did to her... it was bad. I don't know if she's told you yet, but I know she will, and when she does you have to promise me something."
I couldn't peel my eyes off of him as I nodded, "Yea?"
"Don't run," he demanded, "No matter how bad you may want to, don't. If she tells you everything that happened, you need to be there for her. She's gonna cry, get angry, but you can't leave. From experience, it helps if you tell her you love her, so she knows she's not unlovable because of that bastard."
Hearing Demarcus talk about Drew like this made me understand she may not have been completely alone after coming to New York. I was relieved to hear that he had helped console her, most likely in the time where she most needed it. I knew he loved her, maybe not in the way she had required, but as a good friend. He had helped her as much as he could, but now it was my turn to give her what she needed to possibly heal herself.
I shook my head, "I don't think I could run even if my life depended on it."
He smiled then, "She feels the same about you."
Hearing him say it finally allowed me to see that Drew was in fact falling for me just as hard as I was falling for her. It felt good to hear, especially after the whole mess with Ashley, but I felt like I was ready. I was ready to give her what she needed, and I knew I would be strong enough because of my ex. Ashley had broken me down but I had built myself back up to where I would be the best girlfriend I could be, and I wanted to be that for Drew.
We weren't together yet, officially, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be long till we defined our relationship.
Then Demarcus got serious, "Okay so on the real, do Maria's parents really run a drug ring or is she lying to me?"
I laughed, "She's lying. They own a restaurant."
He shook his head, "She is something else... I swear she's trying to scare me away."
"She's trying to see if you're worth her time," I confessed, "And you are. So you should feel extremely proud."
He just gave me a dazzling smile.
Suddenly the lights dimmed and the announcer came over the speakers. I followed Demarcus towards the ring, getting closer as I felt the nerves heighten. This was never going to get better, but maybe after tonight I wouldn't have to worry about at least one of the most important girls in my life. One of them would get out, and I wasn't sure which one it would be. I didn't even know who I wanted it to be.
I could only pray that neither one of them got extremely hurt.
I felt Demarcus's hands on my shoulders, massaging me, "Relax and breathe, Bree. I can't have you passing out before they fight."
I smiled forcefully, knowing he was right but I couldn't. I hated this. I hated how nervous I was and I wasn't even the one fighting. I could only imagine what Drew and Jada were feeling, both of them anxious for different reasons. They both knew I was here, they both understood what was at stake, and this was literally the fight of the year. This was by far the most important, and that was enough to send everyone into a state of frenzy.
My mind was racing whenever I saw my sister run onto the stage, looking to be a lot more focused this time around. This was about to get really ugly, I knew it, and the thought caused bile to rise to my mouth.
Drew followed her not long after, both of the girls looking extremely intimidating. This wasn't going to end well, but I couldn't seem to prepare myself mentally for what I was about to witness. Drew seemed off, but I had a feeling it was because she knew I was here. I didn't want her to get hurt, but both of them would, it was practically inevitable.
Then suddenly her green eyes found me and Demarcus, and I could see something that I didn't like. It wasn't the menacing look I had seen all those months ago for the first time, it was something completely different. She wasn't in her nasty place, and she wasn't zoning out.
She wasn't mentally ready.
I wanted to shout for them to stop, hold up for one minute to give Drew time to prepare but it was too late. I heard the loud ringing flow through my ears and drown out a noise I had released out of fear. The crowd was so loud I could barely hear Demarcus coaching from the sidelines. This was too much, and as Jada and Drew circled I couldn't help but want to climb over this barricade and stop the fight.
Jada moved in, her hands guarding her face but ready to jab at Drew any second. I wanted to close my eyes but I couldn't, I wanted to see and make sure nothing horrible happened, but it was painful.
Jada jabbed quickly, Drew pulling back but refusing to swing back. I didn't like the way this was going, and even though I didn't want Drew to hit my sister I knew Jada would have no hesitation. If anything, the fuel for the fire was limitless, and Jada would continuously pull from it until she won.
I had no doubt about that.
Demarcus yelled, "What are you doin'? Get in there!"
But my frantic eyes watched Drew focus and lose focus, as if there was something she was battling inside her own head. I couldn't watch this, but I couldn't not watch either, and my skin was hot from the blood rushing through my veins. She shouldn't be zoning out like that, she should know better than that.
Drew attempted to hit Jada but it was so weak you could've sworn Drew hadn't fought a day in her life. She left herself wide open, Jada sending a quick punch her way and hitting her right in the eye. I watched in disgust as Drew's brow was split, blood seeping slowly. For some reason I was appalled at my sister, knowing she knew the sweet spot to end this quickly, yet she seemed to be playing with Drew.
Was she doing this as payback?
I found myself shouting, "Drew! Get your mind right!"
I was a maniac on the sidelines, watching the girl I was crazy for getting the shit knocked out of her. Jada charged Drew then, seeing that she wasn't doing her best at all, knocking her to the hollow ground. The loud thud made me flinch, and I watched Jada bring her fist up and throw it down, Drew luckily paying attention moved her face to the side to have Jada miss. I watched Jada flinch in pain as her hand collided with the ground but instead she went to put Drew in an arm lock of some sort.
Drew writhed, her instincts kicking in when I heard a loud popping noise. I had never heard such a gut wrenching scream before, but it was loud enough to send Jada flying off of Drew.
The ref sat the blonde up, and that's when I saw Drew's arm hanging loosely, as if it was popped out of socket. A medic assisted her quickly, knowing the longer it stayed out of place the more it would damage her. The guy moved her arm, the crowd silent as Drew whimpered slightly, catching glimpse of me in that moment. I heard when it popped back into place, and when the ref encouraged her to give it a rest she shook her head.
She wasn't backing out, even when she knew she should.
Jada didn't know how to react, she just stood on the other side of the ring watching Drew and then looking back at me. I heard Demarcus protesting Drew's decision, knowing she wouldn't have one arm to use considering her condition. She would damage herself, but Drew ignored him, standing back up and refusing to back down.
The crowd thought this was great, that it was all a show or something, and it made me disgusted with this place. I couldn't do anything about her situation, and I couldn't comprehend the fact that Drew wasn't even trying.
Wait, was she... was she blowing the fight?
Was she crazy?!
I turned to Demarcus, hearing the loud bell signal the beginning of round two. I grabbed his arm, "She's blowing the fight! She's losing on purpose!"
His eyes took me in with worry but we had no time to talk. I turned my attention back to Drew, who seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain, the cut above her eye seeping blood again after being clean. Why was she doing this? Why was she willingly allowing Jada to demolish her? I didn't understand.
But when Jada moved in there was nothing Drew could've done to block her. One arm wouldn't fend off my sister, and when Jada jabbed Drew in the face I watched Drew stumble back, losing consciousness. It was as if everything in my world stopped, and I desperately watched her fall back in slow motion. I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing, but when Drew hit the ground I heard the signal that the fight was over.
I was glad it was over, and when Jada walked off the ring unscathed I couldn't help but stay frozen in place. Drew was revived quickly, and she was helped off of the ring, limping with the help of Demarcus and a medic. She must've hurt her ankle when she fell, and I found my feet bringing me towards the back room.
They wouldn't let me in at first but when Demarcus claimed I was Drew's girlfriend they let me through. I was close to tears, and when I saw her swollen, bloody face I nearly broke right in front of her. Why would she do this to herself? Why wouldn't she fight? I couldn't handle seeing her like this, but just like with Jada I had to be strong for her.
I sat in front of her, wondering if she could still see me through her one good eye. The medic had apparently numbed one side of her face to stitch her up, but the other seemed to be okay. I pleaded, "Drew, why...?"
I could tell she didn't want to talk about it, but I was desperate to understand what had gone down. She looked over at Demarcus who was talking with one of the other coordinators, probably to find out what the hell Drew could do to finally get out of this, but I was solely focused on her.
She started, "I can't win... You know I can't beat Jada..."
I shook my head, "Yes, you could've. You've done it before Drew. Don't tell me that. You're not making sense-!"
Demarcus was beside me, grabbing my shoulders and signaling me to calm down. I knew he was right, that I shouldn't be freaking out but I couldn't help it. I was so hurt over the image in front of me, but I realized Drew was still out of it. Having a conversation with her was the worst thing I could do.
He advised, "She's not all there right now. Give her a few minutes to come too, Bree. You should go check on your sister."
I didn't want to part from Drew, not in the slightest, but looking at her like this caused more pain than I could bear. It was horrible, the way her hair stuck to her matted face. She was nearly clean but I knew I needed a moment to collect myself, and so did Drew.
I walked off, finding Jada within a moment and I could tell she was upset, but why I wasn't sure. She shook her head, "She didn't even try!"
I retorted quite forcefully, "You should be happy. You're out."
Her brown eyes found mine, allowing me to see she wasn't even sweating. I mean Drew really hadn't even put up a fight, but why she had lost on purpose was beyond me. I was glad it was over, and dealing with it wouldn't come easy, but we could finally move past all the hate.
Jada walked over to me, "Bree... I'm sorry. You know I didn't want to..."
"Yes you did," I confessed, realizing my sister had been out for redemption against Drew. Things hadn't gone according to her, but at least she had won. At least she was out for good, possibly on her way to the UFC and not in Drew's position.
"Bree-"
"I'm going home with Drew," I demanded, knowing my sister wouldn't protest. I didn't like being upset but these fights did that to me. I couldn't help it, and I knew Drew would need me tonight.
Jada finally responded after contemplating arguing, "Text me when you get there."
I nodded, "Congratulations."
Then I walked off to meet Drew, wishing silently that my sister would've lost. That way Drew would be free and Jada would've been knocked off of her high horse.
***A/N***
Here's another update, I hope you all are enjoying it. I'll be leaving for the beach tomorrow so updates may become less frequent, just for the next week anyway. But don't worry, it doesn't mean I won't be writing at all, that will never be the case :)
-Lauryn