Chapter 3 Twisted arms

Punk's POV

My lungs felt like they would suddenly burst from inside me, I had forgotten just how hard it was to run up hill. Funny the things you forget in your mission to get your best friend to work with you. Ok, before I go on and allowing my lungs to dispand to their normal size I'll fill you in with a little backstory. Feel free to skip past my jabbering but if you miss something its your own fault. I first met Raven and her sister Iziah when I was a kid, we had just moved in next door to them. The first thing I saw was three girls and a boy no more than seven or eight playing rugby on the deserted road. Being the sociable guy that I am I asked them if I could play. Raven gave me the most amazing smile, (I still remember it to this very day) and said sure. From there on in, me, Iziah and Raven became best of friends. We spent more time with each other than we did with our families, when my birthday came round the first two people on the guest list were the Michales twins. Anyways we stuck by each other as we grew up, we went through high-school dramas together. Ups, downs, twists and turns, we were sticking together. Over time and into teenage hood I suddenly realised something, I was in love with Raven, she was all I thought about and every failed relationship was the result of not being able to have her. So why not tell her I loved her and end up happily in love? Problem? I did tell her that, when we were both sixteen I finally confessed that I was in love with her, I was young but I wasn't stupid when it came to my heart. I was in deep deep love with her. I will never forget just how much it hurt when she said she didn't feel the same way, she only wanted my friendship and thats all. In shame for spilling my guts I stopped hanging out with them and decided to get on with life. When I hit eighteen and started wrestling, I was woken up by the sound of that annoying telephone, to this day I was glad I answered it. Iziah had gone through every inch of the phone book to find me, apparently Raven had gotten sick and really believed that she would die. Iziah wanted me to say my goodbyes incase I didn't get another chance, so without question and doubt I jumped on the nearest plane and headed to see her. When I saw her she smiled that amazing smile and suddenly it was like we never lost those years. Thankfully she recovered, even though she was stuck with this illness forever, she was at least healthy. To this day Raven tells me it was my presence that made her fight for health, I was just glad she pulled through. After she got out from the hospital and I had gotten used to her illness she asked me that question that I had been dreading; Was I still in love with her? I stared into those silver pools for what seemed a lifetime. I had two options; lie and keep my best friend or tell her the truth and lose her forever and be left with a broken heart. The hardest thing I ever had to do in my life? Tell her the biggest lie since man walking on the moon, No I wasn't in love with her anymore, I just wanted my friend back. Ok my lungs are back to normal size now. Knocking on that door I kept wondering just how I was going to twist her arm, Raven dealt with things bluntly so the truth might work. But she also was partial to making deals, so perhaps that could work.

As soon as she opened the door, her face turned into a scowl and she slammed it in my face. Before I could have any reaction she opened it again, a smile on her face.

"Punky!" She lept at me and I had to fight to stay balanced. "How are you?" Her eyes shone along with her smile.

"I've been good, thought I'd come see my girls"

She turned into that snarl again, I was used to it. "Haven't you taken that damn thing outta your face yet? How the hell do you expect to attract a mate with thing in your lip"

I just smiled "I don't know Sarge, how do you expect to attract a mate with that thing in your chin?"

"This isn't about me Phillip" She said sternly "Leave Punky alone!" "Stop calling him that!" "Shut up!" "You shut up!" "Both of you shut up" Raven rolled her eyes, holding her skull. I took her arm lightly so she wouldn't fall.

"You ok Venom?"

"Yeah" She finally looked at me, in control now "So the oldman sent you did he?"

Did I not mention that Venom is so smart its like she has super powers? It comes in handy when you want info. "Yeah, so what do I have to do to get you to join us?"

"Get naked!" "Take that thing outta your face!" "Theres nothing you can do, I refuse to join. Plain and simple"

"Would you like me to beg? Cause for you I could do that"

Raven laughed "I'm sure Charile would love you on your knees Punk but no it wouldn't work on me"

I tapped my chin thoughtfully "I can understand that you don't wanna show the world your illness but maybe you could join just to see how many people you can piss off"

She rolled those eyes at me "Wrong girl Punk, that would only work if I was Iziah"

"Touche. Ok you join and we can spend more time together and you can meet some hot guys and I'll take this thing outta my face"

Raven let out the most exagerated sigh "Fine, I'll join but keep the thing in your face instead you have to buy me lunch everyday for a month. Deal?"

"Done but you have to be yourself, I don't want you winding up in hospital again"

"Alright but you have to stay my friend, none of this I suddenly don't know you because of your illness"

Ok that sentence hurt a little, hadn't I been the one guy (outside of family) that had stuck by her?

She patted my arm softly "I'm sorry but you know the paranoia doesn't stop just because your my only best friend"

I could understand that, I wasn't the only one she was paranoid about, she once had it in her head that Iziah was trying to murder her, it has only now just gone from her head. I let the hurt go because I saw the bigger picture, instead of looking at through a fucking webcam, I could see her everyday. Was I a jerk for thinking that she had no hope with none of the guys because of her illness? Jerk or not I wanted to keep it that way because no one would or could ever love her the way I did.