4

Sonic

Friday came just on time. My fists were aching to hit something other than that stupid punching bag. Not to mention my plans with the beautiful brunette I'd met at work. Her name was Brianna, and she seemed ready to show me a good time after my match. We'd been texting almost nonstop since I reached out to her. Her sensual messages and flirty emoticons was all I needed to know that I'd be more than satisfied by the end of the night.

If only Amy would hurry the fuck up, so I could get the night started. Again, I was waiting out in the freezing cold in front of school for her. I should've left her ass here, but I wasn't one to go back on a promise. What was taking her so long anyway?

My phone buzzed in my pocket. A smirk tugged at my lips at the sight of Brianna's name at the top of my notification message.

"What are you smiling about?" I heard Amy ask.

"None of your business," I replied, my gaze still on my phone. Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I stood up and started heading down the school steps.

Amy followed me, putting her hand on her chin. "Let me guess: you've been texting that prep school girl, and she's really into you because you're so buff and strong, and she's going to give you some of her goodies tonight after your match."

"Are you jealous because I'm getting laid and you're not?"

She scoffed. "No. I'm annoyed because this is your fourth fling within the past two months. I swear you're trying to earn yourself an STD or a baby."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm earning myself a well-earned good time with some very attractive ladies. Maybe if you got some on a daily basis, you'd be able to pull that stick out of your ass more often. I'm sure your little boyfriend would be more than happy to cater to your needs."

She glared up at me. "Jet isn't my boyfriend, and he definitely wants more than to just sleep with me. He has more dignity than that."

I shrugged. "If that's what you want to keep telling yourself. The rest of the world has already accepted Jet 's on a mission to tap that ass. When are you going to?"

Amy crossed her arms against her chest. Pursing her lips in a sour pout, she sped up and left me behind on the crowded sidewalk.

Shit. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but it was the truth. Jet 's eyes had been on Amy since middle school. Maybe back then, he'd wanted her heart. But after being shot down time and time again, he was way past that point. All he wanted was the prize between her legs. He was just as bad as the rest of her shithead boyfriends. I wished she understood that not every boy who pined for her attention was the knight in shining armor she wanted them to be.

I left Amy alone when we finally reached the MMA gym. I practiced my combinations with Silver and briefly stretched out my muscles to pass the time. Every now and then, I'd catch Amy out of the corner of my eye.

She was helping Tony, the gym's owner and my trainer, set up for the fight. The two of them set chairs out for the audience and fussed with the flyers around the facility. I noticed she was trying her hardest not to look at anyone. Her eyes were trained either down to the floor or to whatever task she was doing. I could see the clouds in her emerald orbs, and I hated that I'd been the one to summon them.

After I finished warming up, I approached Amy from behind. She was hanging some flyers on a bulletin board when I tugged at the ends of her curls. "What do you want?" she asked without turning around.

Gently, I grabbed her small shoulders and spun her around. "Lo siento. I didn't mean to be such a dick."

Her eyes looked down at her sneakers. "Oh, no need to apologize; I don't take it personally at this point." She tried to turn but I caught her wrist.

"I mean it," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

She yanked her arm from my grasp. "It's fine," she said.

My hand grasped her chin and pulled her eyes back up to meet mine. I offered her a mischievous smile. "Hey, how about I let you get one good hit? Would that make you feel better?" I tapped the side of his jaw. "Right here. I'll even let you use my gloves."

Amy raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't hide the smile forming on her face. "Okay. Sure."

I took off one of my red boxing gloves and slipped it onto Amy's. I secured the strap around her wrist before putting my hands up. "Alright," I said. "Hit me."

Her small arm swung and gave my cheek a soft punch. But, she didn't stop with one punch. Her gloved hand slapped against my shoulders and chest.

"Hey, short stack, I said one punch – not twenty!" I grabbed her wrists and pulled her against my chest. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I hoisted her up and threw her over my shoulder. "I should body slam you for taking advantage of my kindness."

"You should've seen it coming," she replied as she kicked her feet. "You're lucky I didn't punch you in the throat."

"You're lucky I don't throw you into the middle of the street right now."

Amy giggled. "Put me down!"

"No." I walked back towards the matted area where I'd been stretching. I gently slammed her down onto the mats and gave her thigh a light punch. "Fucking punk."

I tried to walk away, but she grabbed hold of his calf. My leg went out from under me, and I tumbled to the ground.

I glared at Amy as she broke out in a fit of laughter. "You know what; come here." I grabbed her ankle as she tried to scurry away. I tugged her back up against my chest and wrapped my arm around her neck. Smiling, I put her in a headlock and rubbed my fist into her curls.

"Sonic!" She yelled, wiggling around in my hold. Her giggles vibrated against my bicep. "Let me go, you cheater!"

"Nah, I'm winning fair and square."

"Hey, Guerra, Nieves, what are ya doing?" Knuckles asked as he approached us.

"She started it," I said as I pushed Amy down onto the mats. "Besides, what's a little warm up before a fight? Not that she's much of a challenge."

Amy kicked me in my side, throwing off my balance again. I fell on the mats with a soft thud.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Guerra. Just don't waste too much energy. You're gonna need it later. Did you finish stretching?"

"Yes," I said, getting to my feet.

"Good. Now go relax and drink some water. Nieves, come with me. We still have to finish putting up the tournament flyers."

Amy rose from her spot. She smiled at the glare I offered her.

"This isn't over, short stack," I told her.

She stuck her tongue out at me, seemingly knowing it'd earn her a small smile.

Within the hour leading up to the match, people began to fill into the gym. From the doors of the locker room, I watched Amy's pink curls drift around the room. She returned the leftover flyers to Knuckles before moving towards the entrance doors. It wasn't long before my sister and her idiot boyfriend showed up. I wasn't surprised to see Jet lingering behind them, his eyes fixed on Amy like a sly predator examining its prey.

My hands curled into fists as he welcomed her into a tight hug. I noticed the look of discomfort on Amy's face as he squeezed her a bit too tightly, his hands falling dangerously close to her ass. If he held her for three seconds longer, I would've stormed over there and shoved him off her. But, he let her go and offered an obnoxiously fake smile.

As they walked towards the seating area, I noticed a blue bandana hanging from his belt loops. Since when did Jet get jumped into the Crips? I guess I should've seen it coming since he's glued to Shadow's ass like fleas on a stray dog. Did Amy know about his new membership? Did she care? Looking at her head on his shoulder, and his arm wrapped her like a goddamn snake, I couldn't tell. It'd definitely be a conversation the next time we spoke.

Knuckles announced my name, and I made my exit from the locker room. The crowd cheered for me as I sprinted down the hallway and into the octagon. Despite the crowd's eardrum bursting noise, I kept my focus on my opponent, Scourge, waiting on the other side of the ring. I recognized him from school; he was in my grade, I think. I rarely talked to anyone besides Silver , but I did hear his name floating around the gossip mills a few times. Nothing good, usually. He fought almost as much as I did, but he was known for taking it a bit too far. His rumors didn't scare me. At the end of the day, he was just a punk trying to look tough. I'd dealt with far worse.

"What's up, Mexico?" He asked, his voice dripping with venom as we met in the middle of the ring. "Are you here to have the little English you know knocked out of you?"

I smirked. "I'd think twice before you talk shit to me, Scourge. I've got a reputation for knocking bitch ass dudes like you into their next life."

"Who are you calling a bitch ass dude," Scourge said as he stepped closer to me. "Fucking illegal alien."

I harshly shoved him away from him. Then, I hit him with a solid right hook.

Scourge was caught off guard by the punch, but he quickly recuperated before I could throw another. He threw a weak ass punch that I easily dodged. I danced around Scourge, dodging punches and delivering my own.

I smiled at the steam flowing from Scourge's ears. He could barely land a punch on me - and when he did, it wasn't hard enough to hurt.

With a growl, Scourge charged towards me, wrapping his arms around my torso and tackling me to the ground. My back hit the mat with a loud thud. Stars briefly danced behind my eyes from the impact's force on the back of my head.

Scourge didn't waste any time, delivering merciless punches to my face and body.

I held up my arms, blocking a few of the punches from my face.

Scourge switched his target, aiming for my unguarded stomach and ribs.

With his arms lower, I was able to swing a hard hit to his face. The force momentarily stunned him, giving me enough time to deliver another punch to knock his ass off of him. I shoved him to the ground and straddled him. My fists rained down mercilessly on his face and chest. Even his feeble attempts to block didn't stop my punches. Wherever he blocked, I just went for the next easiest target. His arms, his chest, his stomach - none of his body parts were safe from my rage. He wasn't escaping this ass-whooping - especially after the shit he said to me. He didn't know one fucking thing about me, and I'd be damned if I let him leave this ring thinking that he did.

He was lucky Knuckles grabbed my arm and pulled me off. I would've knocked him out if I had the chance.

"I tried to tell you, fucker," I spat at him. I heard Knuckles announcing my win, but I didn't care much to focus on it. Instead, I was admiring my work of Scourge's busted lip and bloody nose. "I knock out bitch ass motherfuckers like you."

"Shut the fuck up," Scourge spat back. "I'll run your ass right back to the Mexican farms where you belong." A bloody smile crossed his lips. "I bet daddy dearest is waiting for you there."

I took a step forward, ready to pounce on him and hit him until he passed out.

Knuckles moved in front of me, putting his forearm on my chest. "Stop," he murmured firmly. "It's over. Come on. Let's go."

Ignoring Knuckles' requests, I tried to continue my quest towards Scourge. I pushed Knuckles' arm aside and collided into him. He needed to get the fuck out of my way. "I should send you to go rest next to your daddy!" I yelled over Knuckles' shoulder.

"Sonic, stop. Let it go. Walk away," Knuckles said, grabbing my shoulders and turning me around. He shoved me towards the steps of the octagon arena, keeping a tight hold on my arms.

I yanked one of my arms out of his grasp. "Don't call me that," I snapped.

"Then act like you have some goddamn sense and walk."

Gritting my teeth, I obeyed and stalked off to the locker room. I tuned out the people's cheers and their congratulatory pats as he walked by them. I forced a smile and nodded my head to whatever they were saying. I couldn't focus right now. Usually words didn't get to me. I was able to brush off every threat and insult possible. But when someone spoke about my family, they were summoning a completely different beast. Scourge wasn't ready for that.

"You alright?" Silver asked, his voice breaking me out of my red-rimmed thoughts.

I glanced at him. "Sure." I walked to my designated locker and retrieved my change of clothes. My body screamed in agony as I changed into a comfortable tee, jeans, and my sneakers. I ignored the pain and swatted away Silver's attempts to clean the wounds on my face. "I'm fine," I told my friend. I yanked the rag out of Silver 's hands and dabbed at my swollen lip. The wounded skin hissed from my finger's light touch. I glanced down at the rag, noticing the novel red spots on the white fabric. "Did the fucker split my lip?" I asked. "I ought to fucking kill him."

"No killing anyone," Silver maintained. "I saw the private school girl you told me about out there in the audience, and she brought one of her friends."

I smirked. "Good. I wasn't about to leave you hanging on a night like this. Besides, they were all pretty hot. I'm sure you'll have fun with her." I raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going after this, anyway?"

Silver shrugged. "Anywhere with food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Knuckles doesn't have shit to eat in here besides those nasty ass protein bars."

I chuckled. "Looks like we stop wherever we stop. Just not Benny's. I want to smoke after dinner, and I'm not in the mood to hear one of his 'make good decisions' speeches."

"Agreed."

Together, we walked back out to the bustling gym. People milled around the premises, conversing with their friends about the spectacle they just watched. I pulled my hood over my head to hide my face. I needed to avoid as much attention as I could. My blood was still simmering from the fight.

We headed towards the door where Brianna and her dark-haired friend waited. The girls were dressed in simple skinny jeans and varsity cheerleading letter jackets. Brianna's hair fell around her face in voluminous curls while her friend sported a kinky afro that fell over her shoulders.

I glanced at Silver 's face, noticing the giddy smile tugging at his lips. This girl wasn't far from Silver 's type. He loved girls with natural hair, glasses, and thick thighs. I'm sure he'd have fun with her tonight.

"Hey ladies," I said.

"Hi," Brianna said. She immediately attached herself to my hip, wrapping her slender arms around my waist and resting her chin on my chest. "Great job out there. Your dominant side was very sexy."

"Maybe I'll show you more of it later," I purred.

"We were gonna grab some food before we head out anywhere. Are you ladies hungry?" Silver asked generally although his eyes were fixated on the petite girl next to him.

"I am," Brianna's friend replied. She grabbed hold of Silver 's hand. "Can we go to the pizza place over on Marcus Street? I've been craving some greasy extra cheese goodness all week!"

"You go on, Blaze," Brianna said as she waved her hand. "I'm not all that hungry."

"Yeah, we'll just grab something on the way," I agreed. "You guys have fun."

I glanced over the crowd as the girls spared each other goodbyes. My eyes caught sight of Amy's head of pink curls. She was standing next to Jet, who was deep in a conversation with Shadow. Sonia was wrapped up in her boyfriend's arms, talking adamantly to Amy. I noticed Jet's own arm over Amy's shoulders and the small frown placed on her lips. The clouds in her light green eyes had returned, and I didn't have to wonder what caused them. If that motherfucker didn't take his hands off of her… I began to take a step towards them, but Brianna tugged at his arm.

"Come on," she said with a seductive smile. "Let's go someplace quiet."

I glanced away from the girl's inviting smile to Amy's uncomfortable frown. Letting out a deep sigh, I placed a smug smirk on my face. "Alright."

As we were leaving, I spared one last glance at Amy. She'd be alright by herself for one night. She had Sonia with her. Sonia wouldn't let anything happen to her. She'd be fine. I just had to keep telling myself she was going to be fine. Eventually, I may be able to truly believe it.