Trials Of A Heart | ✔️

1

~Brielle's POV~

"Come on, Bri!" My best friend, Harmony, giggled, giving me a big grin. "You're turning twenty, and you only do that once. I promise it's going to be fun, and I'll be there with you the entire time. Won't even leave your side." She almost pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"Fun?" I echoed with uncertainty, looking up at her from where I relaxed on my bed. "But I thought you said it was a boxing match. You know, a place where people fight and beat the heck out of each other? I hate violence, you know that." I protested, slowly shaking my head. She smiled and walked over to me, her long braids swinging behind her from the pep in her step. "Well, don't think of it as being a violent fight. Just think of it as....a competition!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Still, I was very uncertain. "Is it even legal?" I asked, worried.

Harmony sent me a baffled look. "The hell do you think I do in my spare time, Bri? No way I'm taking my ass to anything illegal." She snorted, causing me to giggle softly. "Sorry, sorry. I just didn't know that public boxing matches were a thing." I told her, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. She laughed softly and plopped down beside me on my bed, throwing an arm around my shoulder before tugging me into her side. "It's totally safe, and legal. Pa has been taking me to this place since I was a kid. Well, not anymore because he's old now, but you know what I mean." She told me, patting me gently on my head. I smiled and tilted my head back, meeting the soft grayish color of her gaze. "How's your pa doing, anyway?" I asked, and she immediately raised her brows at me, shaking her head.

"Oh, no. I don't think so, missy." She tsked. "You can't get out of this by just changing the subject." She told me, a smile on her lips. I pouted, somewhat surprised that she had caught onto my ploy so easily. "Fine, fine." I giggled. "You'll come to the match, then? It's literally the same day as your birthday, Bri. It's like fate!" She whined, grabbing my arm and shaking it gently.

I laughed, pushing her off of me. "Okay, fine, I'll go with you. But you better stay with me, Moni." I insisted, grinning like an idiot. She laughed, pressing a hand to the smooth, brown skin of her face. "Why, me? I'd never leave you." She said playfully, causing us both to burst into giggles. I smiled and flipped back onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I was thinking...what are you going to wear to the match?" Harmony asked, causing me to lift my head and look over at her. "Um, I don't really know, considering I only just agreed to going." I said, a little amused. She snorted. "Well, I'm sure you'll look great like you always do, so I guess it doesn't matter." She said thoughtfully, winking playfully at me.

"So, what are these places like? It's not scary or anything, right?" I wondered, causing her to laugh loudly. "Bri, no. It's not scary at all. Sure, there's boxers and some people get really into it, but it's nothing bad. Nothing scary." She assured, making me sigh out in relief. I smiled over at her. "You'll pick me up?" I asked hopefully. She smiled and nodded her head, standing up off of my bed. "Ya, of course."

"But for now I have to go home. My dad is probably expecting me back soon." She said, pulling on her sneakers that were by my bed. She gave me a hug and then bid me goodbye, walking out of my room afterwards. I was left in my bed by myself, looking up at the ceiling in thought as I considered this boxing match that Harmony was going to be taking me to on the day of my birthday, which was this Friday. I really wasn't very good with violence at all, but I was sure that I could deal with this. It probably wasn't even that violent, so it was not too big of a deal. Besides, I'd have Harmony with me and she definitely wasn't the type of person to go somewhere dangerous, much less the type to bring someone else too.

Even so, I still felt nervous regardless. I'd never gone to anything like a boxing match before.

**

When Friday night rolled around, I reluctantly began to look around in my closet for something to wear to the boxing match, my pink hair still in long, damp curls down my back. I eventually decided that it probably didn't really matter what I wore anyway, since I never really had to coordinate any of my outfits to make them match. All I really wore was comfy stuff that didn't have much to it.

With that in mind, I pulled on a pair of white jeans and a fuzzy white tank top with a matching fuzzy cardigan that I had gotten with it, slipping my feet into a pair of white high-top converse, which was my go to shoe. They never did me wrong and I loved them. I returned to my bedroom after I got dressed and put on some deodorant, as well as a few spritz of perfume, catching sight of myself in the mirror that was attached to my dresser. My face was bare of any makeup, like it always was, and for a moment I wondered if I should maybe try to put on a little for once. Makeup just felt weird on my face, so I never wore it.

I guess it wasn't really like I felt like I needed it, though. My tan skin was pretty clear and my brown eyebrows were thick and plucked, so I didn't feel like I really needed foundation nor to fill in my eyebrows. The sharp structure of my jawline was from my mom, and so were my rather high cheekbones, so I never contoured. "Maybe some mascara....?" I mumbled to myself, staring into my brown eyes. My eyelashes were long, sure, but not very dark at all.

Using my black mascara I gently coated my lashes with the makeup, making them both longer and darker. I then put some tinted lip balm on my full lips and continued to inspect myself in the mirror, wondering if I looked okay. It dawned on me then that I still hadn't brushed out my hair so I quickly did that, the brush getting caught in the strands every time it snagged a knot. I eventually ended up tying my hair up in a bun on my head after it was brushed out, grabbing my phone from my bed when I heard it beep. Not to my surprise, it was Harmony, telling me to get my butt outside so she didn't have to wait on me. Smiling to myself, I slipped my phone into my pocket and then ran outside of my apartment, spotting her old pickup truck in the parking lot. Her truck was very noticeable, not because it was old, but because it was a hideous bright yellow color. Really, the color was kind of an eyesore.

"Happy birthday!" Harmony grinned at me as I slipped into the front of her truck, causing me to giggle softly. "You're twenty! So old!" She teased. I laughed and pulled on my seatbelt quickly when she began to reverse out of the parking lot, evidently very excited to get there already. "You're older than me." I reminded her, a smile on my lips. "Only by two years." She responded, causing me to shake my head.

"So, I was thinking that we could go out to eat after the match. You can pick where, of course. I thought it'd be nice." She suggested, the mere mention of food making me gasp and look over at her. "Really?" I asked excitedly. "I can pick for once? You promise?" I grinned at her and she stifled a snort very poorly. "Yes, I promise. I won't even complain about it if I don't like it, either." She assured. I hummed in thought and began to think over what restaurant I wanted to go to for the rest of the car ride, drifting off into thought.

Going to this boxing match was worth it, if I got food afterwards.