To Skin A Lamb

14

TERRANCE 

I contemplated murder when I saw the look in Charity's eyes. It was a look that I was too familiar with.

Pure terror.

Something made her uneasy. Uneasy enough for her to ask me to stay in the room with her. Uneasy enough for her to let me sleep in the bed with her (even though it's a King Size and we weren't touching. Uneasy enough to silence that usually loud voice.

I don't want to say it, but I'm calling it now. Troy Sanchez has done something to her. Something so horrendous that she would sacrifice her ego (which is probably the most important thing to her) in order to get me to stay with her.

"Stay with me?"

The sound of her faint voice sent me into a frenzy. It took everything in my power to not turn around and leave to go find Troy. I would've choked him until he confessed what he did to her.

I couldn't sleep, I could barely even relax because Charity was tossing and turning all night long. Actual tears started rolling down her face at one point.

It got so bad that I had no other choice, but to wake her up.

I gently touched her shoulder. "Charity, you're having a nightmare. Wake up for me sweetheart."

She flinched away and woke up. The fear in her eyes doubled and scurried away from me, almost falling off the bed (56).

"Hey, you're okay." I smiled at her. "I promise you're okay."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and then buried her head in her hands. "God." She muttered. She looked up with an apologetic face. "I'm so sorry."

"For?" I asked, tilting my head a bit. "You don't have to apologize to me."

"I woke you up." She wiped the sweat off her face.

"You didn't." I was honest because I never even went to sleep (57).

"This is so embarrassing." She looked away, turning red.

"Charity, stop, okay?" I did my best to ensure her. "You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. Alright?"

She just looked at me for a long time before nodding. She looked like she was finally about to open up to me when there was shuffling with the door.

Her eyes immediately snapped in that direction. Without hesitation, she stood to her feet and darted to the bathroom. She closed the door and I heard the locks latch.

I clenched my hands into fists as I stood up. I can imagine that I appeared as a toddler the way I angrily stomped to the door.

I opened it and was met by the one and only- Troy Sanchez.

"Can I help you?" I was dry. I folded my arms across my chest and just glared at him. I didn't even blink once because I know how this game goes.

I remember my coach explaining it to me. "Terrance, when you step in the ring nothing else matters. All that matters is how you allow someone to treat you. If you walk in there and allow someone to push you around then that's how the match is gonna go. But if you put your gloves up and push back then they'll know what's up. This is your time to square up and not blink."

I watched him intently, looking him dead in his face.

He smiled. "Oh, I must have the wrong room. I was hoping Charity was awake so we could catch up."

"This is the right room," was all I said to him.

I saw the confusion hit his face. "Oh." He repeated. "Well is she awake?"