I knew I had to say something soon before my dad got the wrong idea. Although I was shore he had already reached that idea.
"High dad." I said as I stood up. "This is David." I said in the sweetest voice I could muster.
"Okay where is Izzy and why is David sitting on my couch?" He asked me even though he was still looking at David who quickly stood up off of the couch at his statement.
"Izzy left a while ago. And before you have a heart attack." I told him drawing his attention back to me.
"David's gay." I finished my sentence.
"What?" Both David and my dad said at the same time.
I looked back at David and gave him a look tell him to go along with what I was saying.
"Don't worry David my dad won't say anything." I told him. Then looked back to my dad.
"Rite dad?" I asked him.
He just looked at David not knowing what he should say.
"You're gay?" He asked David.
"Yep." He responded sending a quick glimpse at me.
"I haven't really come out though." He continued finally getting over the shock of what I said and joining in. "My brother would not really understand, plus I don't think the guys on the wrestling team would feel comfortable they knew there captain liked boys." He told my dad.
I could see that he was trying to hold back a smile I just hoped that my dad could not see it.
"You're on the wrestling team?" My dad asked.
He seemed to have relaxed a little.
"Yes. Coach has me personally training Thana." He told my dad.
I was surprised at the 180 my dad did. He no longer looked angry just curios. He pushed his way around me getting in-between me and David motioning for him to sit back down. I just walked into the kitchen to get a drink and watch whatever was about to happen.
"So how does your team feel about having a girl join the team?" He asked.
David relaxed realizing that he was in the clear.
"They were not happy at first but Thana has proved that she can handle her own. In fact most of the team is a little scared of her." He told him.
I could not help but laugh at his statement.
"Scared of me." I called out from the kitchen.
"Yeah. Your scary." He answered.
My dad just laughed and then pointed at me.
"Her scary." He said.
I could not help but be insulted.
"Hey I beat him." I said pointing at David as I walked back into the living room.
My dad looked back to David.
"She did?" He asked.
"If you count kicking me in the balls to get out of a pin winning." He stated looking rite at me.
"You did what?" My dad asked looking directly at me.
"I only did it once. And it was our first practice. That's when I still thought he was an ass." I stated.
"Don't swear." My dad told me before looking back to David. "How do you feel about having her on the team?" He asked David.
"Who am I to judge?" David said obviously referring to the fact that my dad thought he was gay.
My dad just shook his head in agreement.
"So do you think she's good enough? I mean she's going to be wrestling guys who are a lot bigger then her. I just want to make shore she's not going to get hurt." He said.
"Coach will not let her compete until he knows she will win. He's not going to be a couch who brought a girl to companions just so she can lose." He told my dad.
"Thana's a natural. She's quick on her feet, a fast learner, and great at predicting what her opponent is going to do. I'm shore that she will be fine." He finished.
"Really?" He asked again not quite believe what David was saying.
"I mean she gave me this black eye, and she did break that kids arm at school." He said trying to defend me.
I spit my drink out all over the floor. I can't believe he just told my dad that.
"You broke a kids arm?" He asked me.
"I did not mean to. I tried to put him into one of those holds you see in MMA or UFC. I did not know it would be so easy to snap." I told him completely lying. I had every intention of breaking his arm.
"How is it I did not know about this?" He asked.
"I don't know." I told him.
"And these bruises?" He asked me pointing to my arm and wrist.
"We were practicing. That's how he got the black eye." I told my dad.
"Take it easy on her next time." He told David who shook his head in response.
"Now I need to get some work done why don't you guys go hang out in your room. I don't need you seeing the photos." He was obviously talking about crime scene photos.
"Okay." I said more than happy to get out of the room.
I grabbed hold of David and dragged him after me. Once we were in my room and the door was shut I slapped him on the back of the head.
"What was that for?" He asked me as he rubbed the spot I just hit.
"You told him I broke a kids arm." I snapped at him.
"You told him I was gay." He shot back.
"Well it worked did it not. I mean you saw. He was going to kill you." I told him.
He just looked back at me thinking about what I just said. He still looked mad.
"Plus it got you unlimited, door shut access to my room." I told him holding out my hands and spinning around. Being over girly and giggly.
"I guess it did." He said as he stepped towered me and wrapped his arms around me.
I quickly pushed him away. He stumbled back a little more then I actually pushed him. Until he pretended to trip and fall back onto my bed. He patted the empty space next to him. Singling for me to join him.
"Now what would your boyfriend think?" I teased him.
"You mean the imaginary one, I think he'll understand." He told me smiling.
After a few seconds his smile faded away, replaced by a more series expression.
"Is it always that easy?" He asked me.
"Is what always so easy?" I asked him back.
"For you to lie." He looked worried about how I would react to his question.
"It's just you just thought that up so fast. I'm also shore you manipulated Scott into covering for you. From what I know about him he would have never agreed to letting you go to that part. And the way you threatened that Peter guy." He finished.
"I guess it is." I answered him.
"I wasn't always like that. Promise." I answered.
"What changed?" He asked.
I let out a huff and took the seat next to him.
"Well when you grow up living in a world where no one cares about you, you have to be manipulative, and a good liar to get by." I told him.
"I find that hard to believe, that no one cared about you." He told me. "They would have to be crazy."
"When you're a kid in foster care that's how it feels. Especially for me. My parents did not die. I was abandoned at a police station or so I thought." I mumbled under my breath.
"So the way I see it being manipulative is not a bad thing. It's a way to live. Making people think they care about you. Or making them think your ideas are there's is the only way to get what you need."
"Being a good liar is the only way to get out of trouble because no one's going to defend you." I told him.
I have never opened up like this with anybody. Knowing he would not judge me because he was just as lost put me at ease.
"And this rough and tuff exterior?" He asked me.
"That is to keep away the people who want to hurt you." I told him no longer looking at him.
It was easy for him to tell I was upset. I got tense again and pulled my knees up to my chest.
"Does that always work?" He asked.
I could feel his eyes on me waiting for my answer.
"Most of the time." I said out loud not meaning to.
I could sense him tense up next to me. Wanting to ask more. I was grateful that he did not push.
Finally not able to stand the silence any more I looked at him.
"So I could really use a gay best friend." I teased but he seemed to understand.
He smiled back at me.
"I'm pretty shore you already have one. Her name is Izzy." He told me.
I could not help but laugh. He was rite. I had totally forgotten about Izzy.
"Your just easer to talk to. I love Izzy don't get me wrong."
He smiled at me.
"So is that why you keep rejecting me?"
I just smacked his arm.
"You know what I mean. It's just that If I tell her, she'll tell Stella, and Stella will tell Allen. And she would not understand." I told him.
"No she wouldn't." He told me. "Do you know her families rich?"
I shook my head. I had no idea.
"I'm not stupid, but I'm not quitting the band. I love it. I never know I could love something so much. I even wrote my first song today. So it's not like I can avoid Jared, but trust me I'm not looking to make him my boyfriend. I don't really do boyfriends." I told him.
"That's not what it looked like last night." He seemed to be getting angry at his own words.
"I was just looking for a good time. He was the most willing."
"That's not true." He said to me. His eyes ran over my body, lust filled his eyes.
I thought back to our dance. I guess he was rite he was much easier to seduce then Cared had been. He also made it clear that he wanted more then I was willing to give. I was not going to lead someone along who obviously wanted more out of me than I was willing to give him.
"Sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things." I told him.
"And what is it that you need?" He asked me in a husky voice.
He seemed to genially care about my needs.
"I need a friend who's not going to take my shit because they can see right through me. Some one who's not scared to call me out when I'm wrong. Someone who's not scared to challenge me our to help me set my bounders when I get out of control. I need a friend who is not a afraid to take a punch when they piss me off." I laughed looking at his face.
"A friend not afraid to call my brother when I'm about to do something stupid. I do a lot of stupid shit. And most importantly someone who will not judge me because there just as fucked up as me?"
The last part causing both of us to laugh.
When we finished laughing he laid back down on my bed. In the exact spot he was in before. I laid down next to him. Keeping a safe distance.
"Why would you not want that friend as a boyfriend?" He asked me very seriously/.
I did not bother to look at him. I just looked at my ceiling.
"Because I don't do boyfriends. It's a lot easier when you don't get emotionally attached. Plus I would mess it up. Losing both a boyfriend and a friend." I told him.
"Why is it such a bad thing to get emotionally attached?" He asked.
"Because everyone leaves." I told him.
"You don't really believe that?" He asked me looking worried.
"I do." I told him seriously.
"Why do you think you would mess it up?" He seemed to finally be running out of steam.
"I could never trust someone enough to be in a real relationship."
"You don't trust me?" He asked sounding hurt.
"I don't trust anyone. Especially not in that way."
"That's no way to live." He told me.
"I know and that's why I'm trying to make friends. Real friends. It's what I need."
He seemed to be thinking about what I had just told him. He rolled over to his side so he was facing me directly. I followed suit.
"So will you do me the honor of being my gay best friend." I asked him in the way you would purpose.
He smiled at me.
"Okay, but only when your fathers around. Otherwise I'm going to go back to flirting with you."
I laughed at him.
"What's so funny?"
"Is that what you count as flirting?" I pointed back to the living room. Thinking of him barging into my house and fighting with me.
"No normally I'm a lot more genital." He informed me.
"Oh yeah."
"Yep."
"How does that look?" I asked him.
"Like this." He said as he gently trailed his fingertips along the exposed skin of my back. When he felt me shiver under his touch he smiled removing his hand from my skin and grabbing a hold of my bun. Pulling my head back violently causing me to tilt my head back and wines out from pain and shock.
"But then I realized you don't do gentile." He said as he moved in close to me.
"I realized you liked it rough." He said as he used his other arm to pull me into him closing the space between is. "So I adjusted." He said the last pert whispering in my ear. I could feel his breath against my ear.
He was rite. My body was heating up instantly responding to his touch. What he did not seem to have figured out was I was the one who liked to be rough. Not the o their way around. Even though this felt good momentarily I knew that I would have to take back control soon, before my anxiety sets in.
So I rolled out of his grasp. Which hurt because of his grip on my hair but it worked. He let go. I quickly rolled over on top of him. Holding him down with a very carefully placed knew.
"Know that's not something a good GBF would do."
He just started to laugh as he pushed me off of him and back onto my back. He stood up off the bed and helped me up.
"Cant promises it won't happen again. Promises I'll try." He told me.
"Then I can't promise I won't punch you again."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take."
I looked at my phone and realized we had been in here a while.
I got up and walked out of my room.
"Dad." I called out, no answer.
The two of us walked out into the living room. There was a note on the table where I had left my dad.
Had to go to work.
Money on counter.
David has to be out by 10.
Dad.
I looked back to my phone it was 5:40.
"What's the not say?" He asked me.
"He had to go to work. What do you want for supper? It's on my dad." I said holding up the forty dollars he left.
"There's this place that makes great wings."
"Sounds great."
I let him order for the both of us because I did not have a menu. I hoped he picked something good.
"We have an hour. What do you want to do while we wait?"
I knew what he wanted to do. So I thought of another way for him to get all of his frustration out.
"Do you want to spar?" I asked him.
"It's against my probation." He told me.
"To fight, not to spar with a little girl." I told him.
"I don't know." He said obviously conflicted.
"Well how about I just beat you up and you take it then?" I asked him mockingly.
"That's the definition of our relationship." He told me.
"So what do you say? Teach me some knew moves." I said to him.
"I'll teach you some knew moves."
I ignored him and ran into my room. I changed out of my pant and into black spandex shorts. I pulled on my ankle pads and then quickly wrapped my hands. I grabbed the punching mats and ran out to the living room. I threw the mitts at him before he had the time to check me out. He fallowed me outside. I left the screen door open so we could hear the door bell
"Show me what you got." He challenged.
He slapped the mitts together and held them up near his face.
I readied myself. Holding my fists up near my face. I turned connecting my right foot with the left mat then quickly changing feet connecting my left foot with the right mat a little harder. Once back on both feet I started punching at the mitts.
At first I fallowed a pattern.
Left, right, left right.
Right, left, right, right.
He then started moving the mitts so I would punch and kick at will.
I could see him watching my every move. He was a trained fighter I was not so I was excited to see what feedback he would give me.
We did this for a few more minutes until we were both seating and needed to take a water break. It was surprising what a work out we managed to do in such a short time. We were both covered in sweat. His shirt was completely covered in sweat. So I assumed I was doing something right. The damp fabric against his skin seemed to be bothering him so he quickly removed his shirt and tossed it to the side.
I could not help but admire his perfectly toned abs and chest as I took a sip of water, but his body was not the most surprising thing.
"I did not know you have tattoos." I said as I looked at his almost completely covered chest.
Fighting the left breast muscle perfectly was a black and gray tattoo of a scull with its mouth open. It seemed to have vampire like fangs and had a small red heart in its mouth. The only part of the tattoo that was in color. A small trail of red blood slipping down the skulls chin. It was so detailed. You could see every crease, and indent of the skull. It looked almost real. It was sitting atop two beautiful roses who had multiple leaves spreading out on each side of them.
The thorn full steams can be seen running in the back of the skulls through and out through one of its empty eye sockets. There was shading behind it that made it seem like light was shining from behind the skull. And atop forming to the curve of his collar bone where black slowing vine like leaves, that almost looked like they were in the shadows because of the fake shaded light
Underneath his right color bone curving along it was three cursive words. I had to take a closer look to read it. It said Trust Your Strength.
Rite under the word strength was a small swallow like bird that was flying toward the top of his shoulder. It had something in his mouth. I had to take a step to the side so I could see the tattoo on the top of his shoulder. In the birds mouth it was holding the cored to a dream catcher that hung on his shoulder, but stopped rite where his sleeve would.
"My brothers a tattoo artist." He reminded me. "Do you really think I would not have any?" He asked.
"Do you have any more?" I asked him curious if there were any I could not see.
He turned around so I could see the one that rested directly in the middle of his shoulder blades.
It was one of those two praying hands with rosary beads, tattoos. There where scroll like parchment on each side of the hands.
One read James Motta and the other Catherin Motta. On the cross part of the rosary was a date. Did not want to get close enough to read it but I knew it must be the day his parents died.
He then turned back to me when he thought I had looked enough.
"I have one more." He said as he pulled down the hem of his pants that rested on his right hip. Reveling his last tattoo that framing his hip bone. It was three Roman numeral numbers.
"What's that?" I asked.
"The day I got clean." He told me.
I did one more quick look over. They were all so amazing.
"There great. Your brother is really good." I told him.
"If you want I can set it up so he can do you." He told me.
I chuckled against his wording.
"I'll keep that in mind but I like my virgin skin just the way it is." I told him.
He just smiled at me finishing his water. He tossed the bottle aside.
"So you're good, but there are a few things you could work on. Mostly with your kicks. Your punches are basically perfect." He told me bring back the topic we were on before.
I just nodded in agreement waiting for him to continue.
"Okay do one of those kicks you did before but hold it." He told me.
I did what he said. It was harder than I thought it would be to hold my leg up in this position and started to get wobbly. He came over and grabbed hold of my leg holding it up and his other hand rested on my back. Holding me into place.
"Okay this is good but when you need to turn your hips more." He told me. "Your body should be complete facing that way." He said motioning in the direction I was kicking. "Your hip and your leg should basically be one strait line." He said as he moved his hand from my back and pushed my hip forward standing rite against my back so I would not fall over.
"See." He said. As he held me into place.
Chest resting on my back, hand on my hip, his other hand holding my leg into the air.
But he was rite. In this position I was able to reach higher and it felt better. He let me go so I fell back into standing position. He grabbed the mitts and walked around in front of me.
"Try kicking like that." He told me.
I did as he said and not only was I able to reach a little higher there was more power behind my kicks. I kicked a few times before switching legs and trying it with the other.
"Great." He told me.
He went on to tell me that even though I punch good I need to remember to guard my face. He saw my arms falling from time to time. Also that I needed to move a little more that I stood to still making me an easy target.
We continued to spar. I had not had this much fun in a while. It felt great to no I was learning to be a better fighter. Every now and then again he would correct something and then we would continue on.