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Thirty-Six
It was only a couple hours later when my phone started ringing. I was surprised because everyone should have been in school still. I looked down at the collar I.D. and saw it was Mike.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Julie. I heard something happened at school. You holding up okay?" He sounded nervous, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the topic he was approaching or if it was something else. It was weird enough that he was calling me for the first time. We were friendly because of Jessie, but we weren't direct friends.
"I'm doing fine. I just had a lot to deal with and wanted to get away from it all. Have you heard from Jessie?" I said calmly.
"Yeah, we had a guys' night last night, and uh, he got a little drunker than we expected. He is really hungover today." He spit the last part out in a rush, but the waver in his voice and the tone he was using didn't sit well with me.
"Mike? Why do I have the feeling that there's something you are hiding from me? I
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KNOCKOUT Thirty-Seven
I was running through the dark forest, branches, and bushes scratching against my arms and legs as I pushed through the foliage. The sound of crunching leaves and rapid footsteps to my right had me looking over, only to see Chris. I stumbled when I saw her, the small nagging in the back of my mind telling me that it wasn't real because she was dead. But, that didn't stop the dread weighing my stomach down. I knew someone was chasing us. I didn't need to see them or hear them to know they were there. The tickle in the back of my mind from their close proximity had the small hairs on the back of my neck standing up. As I turned my head to get an idea of what beast was after us, I saw the looming shadow of a large figure creeping closer. I pushed myself faster and looked straight ahead of me, praying Chris would speed up as well. If we didn't get to the tree line, it would be over. We would be trapped. "You're a liar!" I screamed,
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Eight
"Does Terry and Ryan give out allowances?" I asked timidly, embarrassed that he just got back from working for his money, and I was just asking for a handout. He nodded his head, "They do, but you have to set up a chore plan with them to earn it. Do you need money?" I shook my head, and redness filled my cheeks. If this continued, I would need to get a job. I was grateful enough that Ryan added me to their phone plan and contributed to my gas, but it was embarrassing not being able to pay for things. As soon as I got my cut from the estate once it was settled, I would be more comfortable. "No, not really. I was thinking I could take her to iHop for lunch. I used to love going there with my dad, but we can go another time. I'll talk to Terry about chores when she gets home." "I wouldn't mind getting iHop. We go there pretty often actually." He scanned me over before nodding and moving forward to pull the sleeping Bri off my lap. "Go get dressed, and we can all
KNOCKOUT Thirty-Nine
"Julie, I'm not hiding anything from you." He swallowed hard but moved forward to place his hands on my hips. Jessie pulled me to him by my waist, and I blushed as our bodies pressed together. The heat and comfort felt vanished as soon as I looked into his eyes. He looked tense, worried. Something was going on, and I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I pulled away from him reluctantly. A flash of pain crossed his face. It only confirmed my suspicions. "Well, Mike was acting really weird on the phone. That and the fact that it was him who called me. Tell me why you could contact him, but you couldn't even send me a text. It makes me feel like you were avoiding me. Even now, you aren't acting like yourself." My hands started to shake, so I pressed them down against my thighs. "Because I knew you would disapprove of me drinking on a school night." I nodded with my lips pursed. He was right, I would disapprove, but that didn't change the way his v
KNOCKOUT Forty
Julie's P.O.V. I curled up in a ball with Bri was next to me, sound asleep. She had joined me in bed at Liam's insistence that I needed cuddles. To be fair, I did. When I woke up to a light tapping noise, Bri was still curled up to my stomach. "Julie," I heard whispered. I looked around, careful not to jostle Bri and wake her. Liam was standing in the doorway. He gestured with his head for me to join him. I looked back at Bri, before climbing out of bed and tucking her back in carefully. I tip-toed over to Liam, where he handed me a ponytail. I looked at him confused but then put my hair up. He smiled in approval, and led me down the stairs and out back. I shivered when the cold air hit me in short sleeve shirt I was wearing. He guided me over to his punching bag and then stood in front of me. "You need to take all of the emotion you keep bottled up and do something productive with it. Between you fighting everyone who looks at you wrong and how fuck
KNOCKOUT Forty-One
We spent Sunday laughing and playing at the park. Liam and Bri were the best family I could ask for. It was kind of funny when a guy came up to me to try to flirt. Liam ripped him a new one. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself at the poor guy's reaction. He looked like he wanted to hide under a rock. We talked about school, Liam has dropped out and got his G.E.D instead, and Bri was about to start second grade. He made me promise him that I would go still try to go to college after high school, which meant I had to start going to school again so I wouldn't be truant. He made it clear that he wanted assurance that I was going to have a good future. When we got home, we ate lunch, and then Bri fell asleep while watching television. As soon as she was out, Liam and I went out back for our daily lessons. We only work with the punching bag today, because he said I wasn't ready to fight him yet. It only made me more eager to learn. I was exhausted by the end of
KNOCKOUT Forty-Two
He smacked his hand down on the ground three times with a proud look on his face. "You win! I'll let you fight. The fights in the cage won't end like this. It will be by knockout only so be prepared to finish it." He let out a breath as we sat on the grass together with our arms resting on our knees. After we caught our breath, we got up. "Damn though, Julie. You're fucking impressive." It felt good to make him proud after all the work he had put in to teach me. I smiled. "I'm a fast learner with a good teacher." He chuckled. "How do you feel right now? You didn't take too many hits." He scanned me over, and I jokingly flexed at him. "Good enough. Tonight I'm going to take you to your first fight." My jaw dropped. "Really?" I asked in a small voice. This time he chuckled harder. "Really. They'll make you fight three people. If you beat all three, they'll let you be a fighter there. You don't have to sign any contracts or anything, but they do expect y
KNOCKOUT Forty-Three
I watched the guy's every move. The way he shuffled his feet, his posture and even the way held his fists. The bell rang, and some music started blaring again. It was 'Awake by Godsmack'. He jumped for, and I ducked just in time for him to miss. I shot back up and remembered what Liam said. Kicking is my strong point. I can thank six years of soccer for that. I slammed my foot into his side, but he didn't even stumble. It seemed to anger to giant instead. He stepped towards me and swung his fist into my rib cage. I looked up and saw Liam standing there yelling for me. I gained back my strength and slammed my fist into his face. This time he did stumble back. I used his stumble and kicked him square in the chest. He fell on his butt, and I jumped on top of him. Liam had told me not to let him take me to the ground, but as long as I held control, I was confident that I would be fine. I hit him in the face with all my force. After about three hits, he ma
KNOCKOUT Forty-Four
Julie's P.O.V. Jax pulled Liam and me into his office. The well-dressed man pointed to the couches for us to sit down, so we did. Jax sat on the loveseat across from us, looking very pleased. "You have skill, my little friend," Jax said to me. What was up with him calling me little? I just kicked ass out there. "Thank you," I replied simply. "Okay, so I'm sure that Slasher has told you that you are required to fight at least once a month." I nodded. "Now, just a warning, all of the guys are probably getting cups now that they saw what you did to Slam. You should find another attack. Every time you fight, you get to keep all the money you win. I don't charge the fighters. I only charge the audience." I smiled, and he nodded. "If you get involved with any of my fighters, keep it out of the gym. Church and State." I laughed and nodded to him. He shook my hand. "Welcome to the family." He handed me some money, and I took it eagerly.
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