Lucas' Point of View
I followed behind her as we waited for my girl to be announced. My stomach is literally churning, and I feel like I'm going to throw up. Josh tries to give me a reassuring head nod, but I know he's having a mental battle himself. I can't help but reflect that we're here because of me, that she's getting out because of me and that she will more than likely be in a hospital in a little bit because of me.
All of this because of me.
And as if she knew exactly what I was thinking Riley turns around. "None of this is your fault Sparky. You saved my life." She gazes into my eyes for a moment before her song comes on.
I judge by what she's wearing just how many
heads I'm tearing off of all you assholes
coming onto her.
Each night seems like it's getting worse.
Marissa is already in the ring, looking more than evil with her snide grin, and the pupils that have all but consumed her eyes. Riley steps into the ring and remains stoic. However, her jaw isn't clenched, her hands aren't in fists and her body isn't tense. It's clear a lot of people bet on Riley from the ovation she got. Again, another reason as to why I'm so proud of her, she's so talented. I feel Johnson move to my right side, Zay goes on my left, and I know Jon is behind me. At first I was confused as to why they were babysitting me, but I know Riley was involved. She doesn't trust me to not intervene, and if I'm being honest she shouldn't.
Marissa and my girl are having a stare down right now and no matter how much she wants to pummel her she can't. I'm currently thanking God that she got out some aggression when she fought Missy. I see Felix in the corner of his daughter and my hands morph into fists before I registered what was happening.
He isn't here for his daughter.
He's here for Riley. He's here to watch her fall.
"CURRENT CHAMP REBEL RILEY MATTHEWS VS. MENACING MARISSA BRADFORD!"
She doesn't want me to see how scared she is but I know my girl. I also know she's hiding something from me, and honestly I can't take any more bad news today so I leave it alone. Riley backs into her corner and looks at me. And it was like time stood still for a moment, I felt a hitch in my breath, the butterflies in my stomach woke back up. Just like the first time I saw her.
A small smile approaches her lips before she mouths the words, 'I'm sorry. I love you.'
I take a step forward but Zay holds me back. All I can do is say "I love you too." All I want to do right now is yell 'stay'. Though at first, I wasn't quite sure as to why that word in particular popped into my head. Stay for what? Stay in what? When in reality I just want her to stay with me.
"FIGHT!"
The cheers and jeers, the music, my friends, all of it is drowned out once my girl places her hands down to her side. I close my eyes, I can't bear to look. But, I hear it.
The first hit.
And then the next one.
And then the next.
I open my eyes for just a moment and she's still standing. How, I don't know. This continues for a few moments, and I don't even fucking care that I'm crying. She's leaning against the corner that she intentionally backed up in and Marissa is like a cat toying with the mouse before she attacks. My girl stands straight again, clearly not going down without a fight. Well, not without proving a point.
So much for willing herself to black out. Her emotions took over.
"YOU HIT LIKE A BITCH MARISSA!"
Damn it Riley. I drop my head and stare at the disgusting concrete floor that's stained with old blood. As soon as the crowd gasps I look up just in time to see Marissa's foot connect to Riley's temple. "NO!" And this is why I have babysitters apparently.
She knows me too well. I try to yank my arms free, I even try to hit Johnson. "RILEY!" It makes no difference, she can't hear me. She was on the ground, and she wasn't moving, not willingly anyways. Marissa has made Riley her personal punching bag. "RILEY! RILEY! PLEASE!"
"LUKE! STOP!" Zay maneuvers himself in front of me. "She's doing this for you. If you don't get your shit together she'll be in this life forever."
That's when I hear Josh start to yell at the ref. "SHE'S OUT! PULL HER THE FUCK OFF!" My eyes shift from Marissa pounding to the lifeless Riley to Josh. I can't fucking breathe. "GET HER THE FUCK OFF OR SO HELP ME I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"
"RILEY!" My heart literally feels like it is tearing apart. I don't even realize that I'm dragging 3 guys with me. Josh slams his hands on the mat but he can't go in, or she'll be disqualified. They have to call a KO, oh my God that's what she was hiding.
"LUCAS!" Zay slaps me across the face. "DON'T!" I don't slow down, my mind is solely focused on her. And that's when I see the pool of blood collecting beside her. "GET LUKE OUT OF HERE!" Jon, Johnson and Zay are all tugging me back.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER MARISSA!" The crowd starts to cuss out the referee who continues to look at Felix. "KNOCK ME OUT!" I beg.
"What?" Johnson mumbles.
"Knock me out. I can't watch this and I can't leave her." I can barely see her now, the tears collecting like a pool in my eyes. I don't get knocked out, I don't blame them. I couldn't do it either. All I do is yell and glare, glare at the man who has ruined her life for years. The man who could possibly ruin the rest of my life, unless he calls the ref off soon. I see his hand lift off of his lap, the ref instantly calls a KO and that's when Josh tackles Marissa off of her. I'm set free and I sprint into the ring beside her.
I can hardly recognize her and my hands are shaking. "Luke, we don't have time for this. Later, but not now. Now we have to get her out of here." Johnson and Zay are waiting at the edge of the ring.
"Not now." He repeats as we carry her towards the truck.
GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW
We've been at the ER since 12:30. I kissed her to ring in the new year but it wasn't returned. It's now 7 o'clock in the morning and I haven't slept. I haven't done anything but sit here and watch her. We all have.
Josh, Zay, Maya, and Johnson were with us. And Jon arrived about 30 minutes ago. He collected her payout for all the fights and her bag. Eagle and Dana both stopped by but left about 2 hours ago. I have no idea what's going on with her condition and I honestly don't want to know. I want to continue to hope that when she wakes up she'll remember me.
"So she was jumped?" The doctor questioned for the thousandth time.
"Yes." Josh mumbles under his breath. Johnson took off her hand wraps on the way to the hospital to draw less suspicion. But, I can't say I would believe it either. She's wearing spandex and a sports bra during New Year's, but obviously we aren't going to tell him the truth. That would cause all sorts of trouble.
"When is she going to wake up?" I question, still staring at her.
"That's up to her." He responds while writing down some notes. "There is slight swelling in the brain we need to monitor, so we are keeping her sedated for the next 24 hours to ensure we won't have to operate."
"Operate?!" There it is that feeling again, the feeling that I'm going to throw up.
"Yes sir, if the swelling doesn't subside on its own we may have to go in to fix that." My forehead lands against her hand and I start crying again.
Because what else is there to do?
The doctor left and we all just sit in silence. No one says a word because there is nothing to say. How do you even begin to describe this? And even if you could find the words to paint a picture of the horror we all just witnessed, we wouldn't want to. And we certainly couldn't, not here. Jon passes Josh an envelope, I'm sure is filled with cash.
And I was right.
"49,780."
My eyes widen. "WHAT?"
"She bet 10 on Marissa to win. Besides us, everyone was positive that Riley was going to take the match. So we made quite a bit of money. We're more than set for college and future endeavors."
Johnson scoffs, "Not so sure that it was worth it."
"It wasn't." I leave it at that, no amount of money in this world can possibly make up for what happened tonight. No amount of money can replace her. And no amount of money will be able to take away this dying feeling inside of me.
"I'm going to make a food run. I'll just get a bunch of stuff for us to share." Jon mumbles but before he leaves he passes me the gift box. "It says to Sparky."
'A little reading material'
I grin at her words and after a polite smirk towards Jon he leaves. I stare at the box for a few minutes, afraid to open it. Afraid if I let go of her hand that something bad will happen, terrified that I will burst into tears as soon as I toss the lid off of the gift. I glance at her neck and can't help but smile.
Endgame. That's what all of this was for. Her endgame.
"Gentleman." I throw my head to the right and if it wasn't for Johnson we would have had a bloody Felix laying on this white hospital floor.
"Don't Luke!" Josh snaps, "What the fuck do you want Felix?"
"Came to check up on the patient, bid her farewell."
"Fuck off!" Johnson retaliates, "you've done enough."
"It's the cost of doing business." What I would give to wipe that arrogant disgusting smile off of his face.
"It's the cost of working for a heartless bitch." I stare into his eyes and my entire body is shaking. Not from fear, from anger. I know how Riley feels now. Every time she even glanced at him, or thought about him she'd think about Farkle.
That's where I am. "Get. Out." I spew through gritted teeth.
"I just came to tell her it was a pleasure doing business with her and she can come back anytime. But, clearly she isn't waking up anytime soon." I lunge forward but Johnson beats me to it and punches him in the nose.
Josh shoves him out the door and Johnson turns towards me. "Why'd you do that? He was mine." I growl.
"Because, I'm still in this life." He responds, "You and Riley aren't. Let's not give him a reason to come back around. Why do you think he didn't have any sort of bodyguard?"
Even though I shouldn't be feeling relief right now. I am. 'You and Riley aren't', those words were like music to my ears. She's out.
Riley is out of Felix's Fight Night.
GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW
The swelling has subsided, there was no need to go in for surgery thank God. I only prayed about that constantly. It's been 10 hours since they quit sedating her, 2 days since we've been here and she still hasn't woken up.
I don't leave her.
I haven't left her side for more than 5 minutes since she was admitted. Josh brings me clothes and I have turned her bathroom sink into a make shift shower. Running my head under it and washing my face. Deodorant and cologne cover the rest, I hope.
Everyone is gone right now. Johnson met up with some friends, just to get out of here for a bit. Jon went to work, I think he welcomes the distraction because he isn't as great at not crying as I am. I can tell he cares for her. Zay and Maya come see her for a few hours every day and bring me food. Josh is cleaning up at the house and here I am. Sitting in the same spot I've been in for what seems like eternity but really, it's been 2 days. Riley always talked about how she felt alone, she may not have a lot of people in her life but the ones who are, care for her immensely.
I glance at the box on the bedside table, I still haven't opened it. I'm a coward. Unlike Riley who sacrificed her body for us. For me.
But something is telling me to just rip it off like a fucking Band-Aid. I have no idea why I'm scared of what she got me. I guess it's more of me being afraid to cry, because I guarantee I will. I kiss her fingertips and then her forehead, I tuck some hair behind her ear and grab the box before sitting back down. It's a simple red box with a silver ribbon tied on top.
Simple and elegant. Just like Riley. I'd never tell her that she's elegant because I'd get laughed at. But, she is. Her walk that clears paths, she barely lifts her feet and it looks like she's gliding. Especially when the wind is blowing her hair back. Plus she can wear the hell out of some dresses. And even though most girls would be turned off by the word 'simple' she'd love it. She loves simple.
Just do it Lucas. Just do it.
I yank at the ribbon and lay it across the bedside table. And hastily remove the lid before I back out, again. I knit my brows together in confusion when I see the black journal.
I lift it out of the box and open it to the front page.
Merry Christmas Sparky,
Thought you were wondering what I was thinking during special moments.
This gift isn't just for you. In case the worst happens let me read it.
I love you.
Riley
GMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMWGMW
Let me know what you think!
We will dive right into Riley's Point of View next chapter!