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CHAPTER SEVEN

Cassius

I miss Skylar.

Sitting in Knox’s fancy car, I pull up my messaging app again. It says he still hasn’t opened my snap that I sent five minutes ago. I chew nervously on my bottom lip. I never should have left him. He’s been very fragile these last couple of days after that disastrous date. I should have just gone to work with him like a best friend would and not been so selfish?—

“Toxic codependency at its finest,” Knox mutters, turning down the street.

I narrow my eyes. Hanging out was his idea, but all we’ve done so far is just ride around Miami. “Fuck off. He’s going through something right now.”

“Isn’t he always?” When he turns and sees my look, he sighs. “Sorry, man. It’s just that there’s always something new with Skylar, you know? Sweet guy, but he puts himself in these situations by going after assholes.”

Story of my fucking life.

Still, I don’t let him know that I agree with him, simply on principle alone. I sit back and watch as Knox takes us into a crowded parking lot. I’ve never been here before, so my eyebrows hike up in curiosity.

He smirks as he parks. “I think you’ll like it.”

“What are we doing?”

He’s wordless as he kills the engine and gestures for me to get out. Cigarette perched between his lips, his swagger holds all the cockiness I know him for. I follow him to the entrance of what looks like an adult arcade. There’s a cover when we enter, but Knox easily slips the guy a twenty, and we stroll right through. I look around in amusement at all the arcade games, the lit-up bar, and the bowling alley, wondering what we’re going to do first. Instead of pulling me to either of these, he leads me to the very back, and I stop in my tracks when I realize what he has in store.

“Axe throwing?”

“Yup,” he says, almost with pride. “Whatcha think?”

“Fucking cool, man,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder as we get in line. “I’ve always wanted to try this, but Skylar is so uncoordinated, I was afraid he’d end up cutting himself.”

“I’ve done it once or twice. It’s pretty awesome. Thought maybe for our first friend-date we could try it out.”

I snort at that. “Friend-date?”

“Blame Elton.” He scoffs. “Come on, let’s get in line.”

We have to wait what feels like a million years, but it’s worth it as I watch the people ahead of us start throwing their axes. My blood pulses with excitement when it’s our turn next. The sweet girl manning the station explains the rules, the safety precautions, gives us some protective gear, and wishes us a happy twenty minutes.

“Damn, I’m ready.” I chuckle, testing the weight of the axe. I quirk an eyebrow at Knox. “Want to do the honors?”

He shakes his head as he leans against the wall. “By all means, man. Go on ahead.”

I click my tongue in satisfaction as I line myself up in place. Once again testing the axe, I bring my arm back, extend it, and let it fly. Knox doesn’t even bother holding back his chortle when the axe completely misses the target.

“Fuck you,” I say jokingly, shoving his chest when he gets close. “Like you can do any better.”

He bites down on his bottom lip, a smug expression firmly in place. “Wanna bet?”

Hm, I could get behind that. “Make it interesting? Say twenty bucks to whoever gets it closest to the bullseye?”

“Sure.” He shrugs as he positions himself. “Get your wallet ready.”

I snort, but my eyes widen when, with one swift and graceful movement, Knox throws the axe and lands it directly on the bullseye. “What the fuck?”

“Told you I’m good.” With a smirk, he hands me the next axe. “Some of us are just blessed.”

I roll my eyes as I mutter, “Blessed, my ass.”

We go back and forth like this for a while. We take turns throwing our axes, and while I get marginally better, Knox kills it every time. By the end, I’m only frustrated that I haven’t managed to even hit the board. I want to go another round when I get the closest I have, but the nice girl from the front comes in to politely tell us our time is up.

“Better luck next time.” Knox chuckles, but it doesn’t piss me off the way it might have before. No, instead it sounds like old friends just shooting the shit. “How about you buy the first round, and we’ll call it even?”

I nod. “Bet.”

We head over to the bar and find two empty seats. Knox orders some fancy cocktail that I’ll definitely laugh at when it arrives, while I order a beer. Once we have our drinks, we sit for a bit in companionable silence, but I can tell he wants to say something. It’s in his body language. He’s a bit tense, nervously glancing at me from the corner of his eye, and I sigh. “What’s up?”

“Not my place,” he mumbles, but then groans. “Fuck me. Elton owes me a blowjob when I get home.”

I swivel my chair and face him, eyebrows pinched. “What are you talking about?”

“Look, I didn’t want to bring it up, but Elton insisted.” He sets down his colorful drink. “I used to do some…questionable things for Davis. Nothing too bad, just selling some drugs here and there.”

While I should be shocked, it doesn’t actually seem out of character for Knox. I casually shrug. I’m not judging. We all do what we have to do, right? “And?”

“Well, because of that, I tend to hear things. Things that don’t just have to do with drugs.” He chews on the inside of his cheek and runs his hand through his hair.

I kind of feel for him a bit. I understand that we all do things we’d rather not for love. While I was never partial to Knox before, he’s been chill tonight and actually a good time. Now he just looks uncomfortable. “Whatever you need to say, you can say it. I won’t get mad.”

He steels his resolve and nods. “Okay, yeah. Look, man, I know about the fighting.”

This makes me head rear back. “What?”

“Like I said, I hear things. Some guy I used to sell to hit me up to go watch a fight. I never went before, so I thought I’d try it out. Come to find out, you were the one fighting.”

I grow instantly anxious. Struggling to swallow, my back stiffens. My fighting persona is supposed to be a fucking secret. It’s a way I make money to support mine and Skylar’s future. It’s not supposed to be common knowledge or something that Knox and Elton gossip about and tell everyone else.

If Skylar found out…

“Woah, stop right there.” Knox holds up his hands to appease me. “I can see it all over your face. I’m not saying shit. I just wanted to let you know that I know.”

Defensive despite not needing to be, I grit my teeth. “So?”

“So, I’m just concerned. So is Elton. Those types of fights can get rough. Sue us for looking out for you.”

I calm down a touch at that. “Okay, yeah. I just… It’s not something I share.”

“Does Skylar know?”

No, because if he did, I’d never hear the end of it. I don’t like keeping secrets from him, but I’m doing this for us. I want to give Skylar everything in the world, and if a couple of fights here and there will help us, why not? I don’t want him to worry unnecessarily.

Knox nods to himself. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“But you won’t say anything?” I ask again, just to be sure. “It’ll stay between the three of us.”

With earnest eyes, he claps my shoulder. “For sure.” He removes his hand and fucks with his lip piercing as he thinks something through. “You need a crew?”

“A what?”

“Well, if you’re gonna be dumb as shit and put yourself in these situations, the least you could do is have someone there who has your back.”

I raise a skeptical eyebrow. “And that’s going to be you.”

“Fuck you,” he snarls. “I’m trying to be nice.”

Yeah, and I’m being a dick. I admit to myself that this night has been fun, Knox has been surprisingly great, and he’s making an effort here. So, I sigh and nod. “You know, a crew doesn’t sound bad.”

He huffs. “Sure.”

“No, I’m serious,” I insist, clinking my bottle against his glass. “I usually fight once or twice a week. Maybe when you’re not working, you could join me ringside?”

Oh, fuck me. He’d absolutely kill me if I pointed out how he blushes. I start to realize that—apart from Elton—Knox is isolated as shit. It’s kind of endearing. Just as endearing as the way he flips me off as he answers, “Yeah, why not?”

I chuckle at his petulance, but let it slide. “You know, there might be a fight tonight. Think you want to swing by?”

His eyes light up comically, but he covers his enthusiasm with a cough. “Sure. I mean, whatever.”

I roll my eyes as I stand.

Yeah, Knox isn’t so bad.

It’s the smell that I love.

The scent of pure adrenaline and animalism. Knox must be getting high off it too. He’s buzzing beside me, eyes darting around the crowded warehouse as he watches two guys going at it in the makeshift ring.

“It’s fucking awesome, right?” I shout, grabbing a beer from a passing shot girl.

He nods and accepts a beer from the same girl. “I didn’t get too much info last time. How does this work?”

“Every night, they’re in a different location and spread the word through texts. People can sign up to participate in different levels of fighting.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And the fighters can be anyone?”

“Anyone.”

Even guys like me. I’m a pretty chill, for the most part. I love my best friend, I love my job, and I love my life. I try to be calm and rational, because Skylar always needs some steady guidance.

But it would be a lie to say that I haven’t felt an itch. An itch to return to the past I left behind, not because I miss it, but because I miss the feeling of it. Skylar and I didn’t exactly grow up normal. We were put in a shitty situation in an even shittier foster home, and I had to do things to make sure he was safe.

Things I’ve never told him. Things I’ve kept to myself. Things that are all rushing back to me being here.

Cracked knuckles.

Bloody faces.

Desperate cries.

“Cool. Want to hang here for a bit and watch a few fights, then grab some food?” When I nod, he smirks. “Great. I just— Wait. Why do I recognize that guy?”

I turn to where Knox is narrowing his eyes and scowl. The guy he’s referring to looks familiar because Knox has met him before. Not just met, he kicked him out of a party once. The same party he kicked me out of, too, for starting a fight.

I thought I had seen the last of Ricky the Dicky.

Because of some twisted god, he ends up spotting us and heads over. Cocky swagger intact, he drags a girl along behind him, some sort of fucked-up trophy on his skinny arm.

“Cassius, right?” He smiles widely, almost mockingly. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

“Ricky,” I spit, enjoying the way his face twitches at the nickname. I don’t have anything to say to this man that would even be remotely pleasant. Hoping he’ll get the hint, I leave it at that, but I never claimed this man was smart.

“How’s Skylar doing?” he asks as he ignores the girl on his arm. “Been thinking about him recently.”

Knox scowls. “Don’t.”

Ricky raises an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

“Everyone’s fine.” I try to keep the peace when Knox growls in his direction and Ricky takes a step forward. “It was good seeing you. Now, my friend and I have to?—”

“I’ve been thinking about calling him,” he says nonchalantly, and I hate the dirty smirk on his face. “Man, he was such a tight fuck. Didn’t really care for the dick too much, but he likes to take it from behind, so we’re all good there.”

My blood boils. Images surface that I always try to keep locked away. I’m no stranger to the fact that Skylar’s had sex—lots of it—with every boyfriend he’s had. We don’t live in the best apartment, and the walls are thin. Because of that, I’ve had to endure years of hearing him cry out for someone else.

Skylar bent over the bed while someone else rails him.

Skylar on his back while someone else fucks him.

Skylar on his knees while someone else feeds him their dick.

Trying to rein in my anger, I clench and unclench my fists. Because when I dare to think of Skylar with someone else, I go psycho. Hell, I almost beat the living shit out of Ricky just for making him cry. Still, that’s not me anymore. I’ve grown, damn it. I’m not a piece of trailer trash shit anymore, and I’m proud of that.

“I know you have his number.” Ricky continues, maybe blissfully unaware that I’m two seconds from knocking his teeth in. “I never saved it on my phone.”

“Asshole,” Knox mutters under his breath.

I shake my head. “I’m not giving you Skylar’s number.”

Finally, that self-righteous smirk drops. Ricky looks pissed as he roughly shoves the girl he came with away. “And why the fuck not?”

I try to bite my tongue but, fuck me, it’s hard. “Because you’re a raging dickhead who has no right going anywhere near Skylar ever again! Just fuck off and leave us alone!”

His eyes widen at my shouting. People turn their heads to see what’s going on, but neither of us cares. After a second, he starts laughing. “Aw, man. So you haven’t fucked him yet? That’s what this is all about? I really did think you were slipping it to him while we were together. Guess it’s good to know he really wasn’t a slut.”

I flinch and take a quick step forward. Knox is there to hold me back, because my Skylar isn’t a slut. He’s a perfect ray of sunshine. He’s my everything. Ricky is just asking to get his ass handed to him.

“Oh, tough guy.” He chuckles and looks around at the crowd that’s gathered to watch. “Tell you what, let’s fight. You win, and I fuck off forever. But if I win, I get Skylar’s number.”

I should be smarter than this. I could just walk away and not give him what he wants. Knox and I can leave and go to dinner like we planned. There’s no reason to engage an asshole like this in anything.

But I’m only human.

I’m only human, and this isn’t just a matter of being smart. It’s a matter of pride. He’s challenging me. While rationally, I know that he’s all talk, the feral side of my brain is chomping at the bit to get at him.

So maybe that’s why I say yes.

“Fine,” I snap, shrugging Knox off me. “Let’s do it.”

The commissioner—gleeful as ever—comes out of nowhere and steps between us. “Fuck yeah. I didn’t think you’d be fighting today.” He turns to Ricky, probably spying the easy money, and smirks. “Okay, boys. You got people all excited with all this raw testosterone. Shirts off and in the cage.”

Taking a step back, I whip off my shirt, throwing it in Knox’s direction as I walk around the fence behind the man. Ricky does the same as he looks at the commissioner. “Rules?”

He hums under his breath in consideration. “Maybe no eye gouging? Try not to kill each other? I don’t fucking know, just make it entertaining.”

I nod as I enter the cage, with Ricky following close behind me. The echo of the barbed wire fence slamming shut can be heard even over the crowd. Neither of us waits for any sort of introduction as we begin circling each other. With every step I take, watching that stupid fucking smirk on Ricky’s face, I start to think that this is a terrible idea. There are better ways to resolve our issues than?—

“Do you think Skylar likes being watched?”

The question knocks me out of all logical reasoning. “What?”

“Just a question,” he taunts, beating at his chest as the crowd roars around us. “Seems like he’d be into it. Thought that maybe I’d come over to the club and fuck him right there in the center of the dance floor. Little whore would be begging right in front of your face?—”

But he doesn’t get a chance to finish his cruel fantasy before I tackle him.

Some people say that in moments like these, they don’t know what comes over them. They say that something else takes over and eliminates all rational thought. That they’re ripped out of their bodies and forced to watch the brutality they ensue.

That’s not me.

I’m very aware and conscious as my fist connects with Ricky’s nose. I can feel and hear the sick crack that comes after. I am entirely myself as I give him no mercy and attack every inch of him I can reach. As I shove my knee into his stomach, I pray for internal bleeding. I grab his face with my bloodied hands and slam his head against the concrete floor. I unleash something—not a monster—but myself .

All thoughts of Skylar manifest. Ricky becomes a distorted mosaic of every man who’s ever had my ray of sunshine. I take out my anger at the universe on this one guy because it’s all that I can do.

“Fucking hell! Don’t kill him!”

I’m ripped off Ricky’s prone body, and my fist goes flying, but Knox manages to duck before I can deck him in the face. His arms are wrapped around my center as he tugs me back until we meet the fence. He’s laughing his ass off as I struggle in his arms. “Jesus, Cassius. You’ve got some serious issues, man.”

Even though I shouldn’t find it funny, I start laughing alongside him. We watch as the commissioner checks Ricky’s pulse and a thumbs-up is all the crowd needs to know he’s still alive and breathing—maybe in for a world of hurt when he wakes up, but that’s his problem.

“Did he get you at all?” Knox asks as he lets me go and spins me for examination. “Damn, not even a scratch.”

“That’s him for you,” the commissioner says, slapping a wad of cash in my hand. “That was good. You’ll come back tomorrow night?”

“Yeah,” I say as I take the cash and shove it in my back pocket.

“Perfect.” He claps happily. “Fight like this more often and the real cash will start rolling in. This is exciting!”

Exciting might not be the word I’d use. No, I would say?—

Liberating.