I Did Something Bad- Taylor Swift
"Ryder, maybe you shouldn't do this," Dylan says nervously. I don't know why he is so nervous, maybe because I am angrier than hell, maybe because every man we see in here is six thousand feet tall and very, very buff, or maybe it is because he's finally realized he doesn't want to die by Dallas' hand. I don't know. Maybe it's none of those, but I'm really thinking it's the last one, but he's not the only one nervous. I'm not really, but I have a terrible feeling in my stomach that I kept ignoring or doing my best to.
"If you don't want to be here, Dylan, then you can leave. I'm not leaving. I'm not afraid of Dallas, I'm not afraid of these men, and I need to let this anger out on people that don't care rather than you, Rocco, or Dallas. Or Thomas. Remember what I did to Adam? Dylan, I need to let my anger out so I don't snap like that on any of you. These people are willing to fight, they're used to fighting, but so am I. I can do this, so please let me." I say, pleading with my eyes.
"You know Dallas will notice if you have one single bruise on your face?" Dylan asks, raising his eyebrows. "What are you gonna do about that? What if you have more than one bruise on your face? What if you come back and your whole face is swollen? What about your abdomen? Dallas would kill you if you were beaten up badly."
"Hey, you ready to fight?" Carl asks, and I hold up my hand facing Dylan fully. My eyes catch a hooded figure through the crowd behind us, but I shake my head and stare Dylan in the eyes.
"Dylan, I've been shot," I say holding up a finger. "I've been beaten up to the point where I lost a baby." I hold up another finger. "My bike exploded along with some guy who stole my keys." I hold up another finger. "Before that, I was kidnapped. A man carved his name into my stomach," I hold up two more fingers. "I'm sure I can handle an angry Dallas. I've done it before."
"Just, don't lose yourself out there, okay?" I roll my eyes, nodding.
"You're up, Ryder." Carl says as I pull up my hood to cover my face.
"Can't make any promises." I shrug as Carl pulls me away and through the crowd to the ring. I turn around facing the ring seeing a big man in there already. I pop my knuckles before doing my neck and then flex my shoulders getting ready.
"How can someone as tiny as you make popping your knuckles seem scary?" Carl asks as I grab the ropes to jump in but I give him one last look, smiling.
"A lot of practice." I say and then I jump into the ring facing my opponent. If I never fought before, I'd be scared. I flex my wrapped hands and I give my right hand a glance. Please don't fail me now. The man swings a slow but probably powerful swing and I quickly duck and spin behind him. I kick him and he falls against the ropes. I just need to get him tired. I need to wait him out. The man pushes off the ropes and faces me angrily. Get him tired. No problem, right? He swings again and again, but I ducked each time spinning away from him.
It was almost like a game of cat and mouse, and the cat wasn't getting tired from chasing the mouse, he was getting angry. That means, his punches will be more challenging. Just don't get hit. Easy. Maybe. The man faces me and he growls with anger. Yeah, he's definitely mad. Maybe I should stop running and fight? Okay, just don't die. Not a problem. I can do this. I can't do this. He swings his fist and I block him punching him in the stomach before punching him again making him step back. I start to punch again but he blocks it so I punch him in the face with my other fist.
He falls to the ground with a thud before he slowly stands again facing me. Now, I could see he was getting tired. This is my one chance to actually fight. So I do. I go to him punching him with hard strikes to the face and the stomach until finally he falls to the ground and doesn't get up. Men carry him out as I look at Dylan and he nods at me. I nod back, about to turn around, but I stop when the door opens and Rocco walks in. Uh oh. If he's here that means... the door opens again and Dallas walks in, taking a look around the room. This- this isn't good.
I run to the ropes leaning against it as Dylan narrows his eyes and I run my hand across my throat trying to tell Dylan not to say a word. I hear someone get in the ring, but I don't care, I slightly point and Dylan looks as Dallas spots him. Dylan freezes before he starts pushing his way through the crowd until he reaches Carl and Joey telling them something. Dallas looks toward the ring spotting me when something suddenly grabs the back of my shirt and yanks me back. I roll across the floor, coming to a stop and looking up.
A man stands there, coming toward me with a confident walk. He isn't as big or as buff as the other guys, but he looks as if he is powerful. I am actually worried for my life for a split second as I watch him get closer and closer. He brings his fist back and throws a punch, but I snap out of it and roll out of the way and onto my feet, facing him and ready in my fighting stance. The music pumps through my ears and the crowd seems to go quiet. I know why. This was going to be a long and brutal fight. Unless, of course, I could finish this guy early.
The man wasn't wearing a shirt and he had tattoos all over his body, of what I could see, and it makes him look tough. He has a bandage over his shoulder as if he'd been wounded there recently. He has dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes and I almost don't want to punch his handsome face, but that isn't possible. I know that as his fist starts coming to my face and I dodge him again. If I want to survive this in any way, I have to punch him. Sadly. He throws a punch and I duck quickly tackling him to the ground and sitting on his waist. I bring my fist back to punch him, but he rolls us to where he's sitting on me.
The man pins my wrists above my head and I narrow my eyes confused. This isn't boxing. What is he doing? "You, are a tough girl to find." He says and my arm twitches ready for him to get off of me. I roll us yanking my hands-free and I jump off him, getting back in my fighting stance.
"Maybe because I don't want to be found," I say watching him carefully as he stands up. He flexes his shoulders and I do my best not to get lost staring at him.
"You have a lot of people looking for you." He says and we circle each other. "You can't stay lost; hidden forever."
"What do you want?" I bark at him, stopping and he does the same.
"To talk." He says.
"I don't want to talk." I say, throwing a punch but he dodges and throws a punch at me and I block it pushing him away.
"I'll make you a deal. I win, we talk. You win, you'll never see me again." The man says and I hesitate.
"How do I know you'll keep your word?" I ask and start walking again as he does the same, watching me carefully.
"I'm a man of my word."
"I don't know that."
"Beat me and you will." He says, popping his knuckles. I stop walking again, facing him fully and getting in my fighting stand. What do I have to lose?
"Okay," I say, nodding. "If that's what you really want." He smirks.
"So that you know, I'm not afraid to hit a girl." He says.
"I wouldn't want you to be," I say. "Now, enough talking."
"As you wish." He spreads his arms before throwing a punch that I quickly dodge, and I punch him hard in the side before spinning away from him. He throws a double punch and I block them both before shoving him back as hard as I can. He stumbles back but when he looks up at me, I see a look of anger. Who is this man? I shake my head, getting in my fighting stance and waiting for him as he steps toward me. Why does he have to be so handsome? Does he want to ruin his beautiful face? Why would someone do that?
Before I know it, he is right in front of me and throwing a punch that I quickly dodge. He throws another punch and I shove his arm away, raising my leg and kicking him hard in the chest knocking him back again. Why am I worried for my life? I'm doing pretty well. I think. I hope. The man stands up straight, popping his neck and then flexing his shoulders as he walks toward me again. Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna die? Maybe because he looks really angry. Huh, I wonder why? Oh, probably just because you're a girl and he hasn't seemed to get a good hit on you yet. Okay. Fair point.
"You seem angry," I say backing up. "You wanna take a break? Calm down?" He doesn't reply. He just keeps coming. He swings a fist that I was too slow to dodge and he knocks me to the ground as I feel pain erupt everywhere in my body. The man sits on me and starts punching nonstop-
I wince as I get into the car, sitting in the passenger seat. Everything hurt so bad, I didn't know what to do about it. I didn't know what I could do about it. Roscoe opens his side door and gets in the driver's seat before taking another look at me. He was always so concerned with me. He always cared. "Are you okay?" He asks as tears fill my eyes and I look out the window so he doesn't see. I don't want him to think I'm a baby. I don't want him to give up on me.
"It just hurts everywhere." I say make sure the pain in my voice wasn't there.
"That's how first fights usually go." Roscoe says nodding and starting the car. "You take the pain each fight, you learn, and you get better. I'm surprised you're not crying." Oh, you don't know how bad I want to.
"How do I get to where it doesn't hurt? I don't want to feel the pain anymore. What do I do? How do I make it stop?" I ask and he looks at me, looking me dead in the eyes.
"You win."
He swings a fist again but I quickly stop it and throw him off of me. You win. That's what I have to do. He stands up as I do the same and he sends me a glare. Did he think it was going to be easy? I ensure my hood is good and down before regaining my fighting stance. He swings a punch that I quickly duck and then he swings again, stepping forward as I duck and step back. I punch him in the face knocking his head to the side and I instantly regret it when he freezes. Why don't I feel scared anymore? He slowly turns, facing me again and I feel my heart begin to beat rapidly. Not with fear, with adrenaline. Play it cool. Don't show him.
"What?" I ask. "Didn't think I'd actually be able to hit you?" Suddenly, someone grabs me from behind, holding my arms down to my sides as the man walks toward me. He's cheating! And no one is doing a thing about it. Maybe I can use the to my advantage. I jump up, raising my legs and wrapping them around the neck of the man in front of me as I twist in the man's arms behind me, yanking them both down to the ground with me. I put the guy behind me in a headlock as I keep my legs wrapped around the other man's neck and I hold them both tightly as they struggle to get out of my grip.
I squeeze my legs tighter around the man's neck, cutting off his air supply and doing the same thing with my arms and the man behind me. Both of these men were going to pay. What were they trying to do? Two-on-one? That's definitely not far. The man in front of me reaches back, slapping my leg and clawing at them as the other man claws at my arms. The man in front of me starts reaching back and punching me in the gut, but I ignore the pain and tighten my grip more.
A hooded figure comes into my view and kneels down next to me. It was the hooded figure I saw earlier. "Let them go." The figure says, but I glare at the figure.
"Why should I?" I ask.
"Because you're killing them." I look at them both seeing their faces turning red and their movements becoming slower.
"So, maybe they deserve to die."
"Maybe, but you don't want to be a killer. A first kill is always the worst. It stays with you no matter what." The hooded figure says and I look at the person, my grip on both of the men loosening. Rocco's words echo in my head about Dallas's first kill. I nod, unwrapping my legs from around the man's neck in front of me and I do the same with the man behind me, shoving them both away. I turn to Dylan and I give him the signal waving to him. He nods and looks to Dallas, who seems to be holding his shirt and asking him questions. Dylan somehow gets away and heads to the door as Dallas and Rocco stay.
I look at the hooded figure as she bends down and says something I can't hear to the tattooed man before she crawls under the rope and leaves, weaving her way through the crowd. Both men stand up and the tattooed man looks to me before shaking his head and beginning to climb out of the ring. The other man has a different idea. He charges at me and begins to throw a punch, but I block it and I hit him hard across the face feeling something in my hand pop. The tattooed man comes back, sighing annoyed, before grabbing the man by the back of the shirt and yanking him up, dragging him from the ring.
Now it's my time to leave. I climb out of the ring and I rush through the crowd finding a back door and pushing through it. I throw the wrap off my hands, seeing Dylan leaning again his bike and the engine running. Good thing he's ready to leave. I don't want to be here any longer than I absolutely have to. I only come here for the fights. Other than that, this place gives me the creeps. "You ready?" Dylan asks as he looks up and sees me coming to him.
"Yeah," I say, but I stop by his bike and bring up my hand to examine it. "I think I dislocated my finger, though."
"Let me see." He says, taking my hand and looking at it. "Yeah." He pulls my finger, popping it back into place as I do my best not to curse at him. "I knew it was a good idea to bring this." I narrow my eyes as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out white tape. I mentally groan as he tapes my pointer finger and my middle finger together and then shoves the tape back into his pocket.
"What did Dallas want?" I ask as he grabs his helmet.
"He wanted to know where you were. I told him you went to the bathroom." Dylan says, shrugging. "He didn't at first know you were here, but when he saw me, he knew. Rocco and him came here to watch the fights, not expecting to be watching you fight. What was with those two guys?" I shrug.
"I don't know. One of them wanted to talk to me. He said if he won, we have to talk, and if I won, he'd stay away from me. I'd say I won, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, but you can't trust a word that comes from Felix' mouth." Dylan says, putting on his helmet. He puts on a jacket as I reach up to take my hood off, my helmet in the other hand.
"Yeah- wait, what?" I ask, freezing. Felix? As in Blake's Felix? As in the war between Blake and Felix, Felix?
"Hey!" A voice shouts behind me and I look to see Dallas. I guess I can't take my hood off. Great. Rocco stands next to him as they both stop and stare at me. What have I go to lose? I raise my hand in the air holding up my two tapped fingers as Rocco smirks and Dallas glowers. I sit on the bike behind Dylan before shoving my helmet on with my hood still up and wrapping my arms around Dylan's waist. I am actually tired.
"You ready?" Dylan shouts over the roar of the engine.
"Go!" I shout back and he speeds off as I look back, seeing Rocco and Dallas both still watching me. Does he know yet? Did Rocco tell him? Did Dylan? I hope not. I want to go to the house and sleep. I don't want to sit there and explain things to Dallas. He can be very annoying at times. Please sleep. Please take me away as soon as I step inside the house. Maybe not as soon as I step inside the house. Maybe once I get to the bed, I've been sleeping on.
Dylan pulls over in front of the house and we get off going inside. He sits on the couch as I hesitate. "Thank you." I say.
"For what?" Dylan asks, putting up his coat.
"Believing in me." I say, shrugging and I walk down the hall and into my room. I take my hoodie off and slide it under my bed, not wanting to get hot and not wanting Dallas to find it. I put on a tank top before shaking off my joggers and putting on a pair of sports shorts. I don't want to get out of bed tomorrow. I really just don't. I just want to sleep until I die. Is that so much to ask? I sigh, flopping onto my bed face first and not bothering to get under the covers. I close my eyes as I hear the door open and close.
"Is she here?" I hear Dallas ask as I begin to drift off to sleep.
"In her room, yeah. She's really tired, so I wouldn't-" I hear footsteps coming, but I know it is too late for him. The last thing I hear is the creak of my door before the darkness takes me over.