To Love, To Fight, To Win

Chapter 8

I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against one of the back walls, chewing on a toothpick while I watched the fighters before me continue to fight. I glanced toward my left when someone leaned against the wall beside me and grunted in greeting before I turned my attention back to the fighters.

"Are you fucking stupid?" the person asked, their voice barely above a whisper while they leaned closer to me so that I would be able to hear them. "Why the hell are you here?"

I bit back a small snort and shifted a little against the wall, not looking at him. I rolled my eyes and scowled. "How the hell did you get in here?" I asked instead, not answering his questions.

The person, Reif, sighed and moved a hand through his hair from underneath his hat and then moved it across his face while he pursed his lips in annoyance before he shook his head and cleared his throat. "That doesn't matter, R-"

I hissed in warning and interrupted him when he was about to say my real name and grabbed my bag tighter, and he silently cursed himself and cringed away from me. "Shut up, Carter, if you don't know the name that I go by," I said, my voice still barely above a whisper.

He grunted his apology before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "But still," he said and shook his head again, changing the subject back to what we were talking about. "Me being able to get in here doesn't matter. Why are you here? What happened?"

I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes a little, twisting the toothpick around my mouth again. I didn't say a word and kept waiting for them to be done so that I could go ahead and get my turn over with, even though I had no idea when that would be.

Reif sighed and moved a hand through his hair before he shook his head. "How many?" he asked, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not saying a word.

He huffed and rolled his eyes while he scowled. "How many fights are you going to be doing tonight?" he asked. "One? Two? Or..?"

I shrugged and grimaced before I turned my attention back to the fights. "Don't know," I replied coldly and pulled my beanie down just a bit and made sure that my strap was tight so that no one would see my scar. "Why?"

"Because I want to fight you."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes while I looked at him, growing still. "Carter," I warned with a small hiss in my voice. "Are you f-"

Reif raised his hand to silence me, and I closed my mouth and pursed my lips in annoyance, not saying another word. "If you want to get into a fucking fist fight with someone, then you are going to fight me, and we will be beating each other to a bloody pulp."

Shit...

I rolled my eyes and silently cursed, hating that he was putting me in this position. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Car-"

"If he finds out, then it will be my head, not yours," he said, interrupting me, and I knew that he was talking about his father because that was who I was talking about too. "This will have nothing to do with you or be connected with you. Ok?"

"Well, you are not even supposed to be here," I hissed, narrowing my eyes and moving closer to him. "Why the hel-"

"Well, neither are you," he said, interrupting me while he gave me a pointed look, and I scowled and narrowed my eyes further. "You know how he feels about it."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Why the fuck are you here anyway?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Well, to make sure that you didn't do anything stupid like come here again," Reif said with a small hiss in his voice, his voice barely above a whisper. He narrowed his eyes and scowled, and I rolled my eyes and scowled, pressing my lips into a thin line. "And yet, here you are."

I bit back a scoff and rolled my eyes again. I flicked the toothpick around my tongue and looked around the room, not seeing Jeremiah and not knowing how I felt about that. I didn't say a word and set my jaw while I looked toward the fighters again.

"I'm serious, Myers," Reif said with a small hiss in his voice. He scowled and narrowed his eyes while he nudged my arm to get my attention. "You aren't supposed to be here either."

"Well, this says otherwise," I said and lifted my right arm where my tattoo laid, and he looked at it before he looked at me. "This is my ticket to be here."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line while he faced away from me. "No, it doesn't, Myers," he said softly. "That isn't your ticket. It was your ticket, but it isn't your ticket because you had left that life behind."

I set my jaw and looked away from him, narrowing my eyes and not saying a word. I looked at him again before I cleared my throat and shook my head, biting back a small sigh.

Reif held back another eye roll and pressed his lips into a further line. He didn't say another word and looked around before he looked at me again. He didn't like being here; I could tell, but he wanted to be here with me and make sure that I stayed safe and didn't do anything stupid.

"I am able to protect myself, Carter," I said, my voice barely above a whisper while I changed the subject, and I shook my head and sighed, moving a hand across my face. "You don't need to be here."

Reif scowled and shook his head. "No," he said coldly. "I am staying. I don't know why you are still here, but I am not leaving you."

I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Bu-" I stopped talking when the "front" door opened again and another male stepped through, and I instantly recognized him as Biggie B, especially in the shit "disguise" that he wore.

Shit...

"Myers?" Reif asked and grabbed my elbow, moving me just a bit behind the pillar he was close to, and I looked at him with a blank look on my face. He frowned and narrowed his eyes, worry flickering through his eyes. "What is it? What's happening?"

"We need to go," I said and pressed my lips into a thin line, making sure that my beanie was covering my hair and my hood hiding my face. "What caused me to come here is here."

Reif blinked and blinked again, confused. He studied me and pressed his lips into a thin line while he stared at me. "What the hell do you mean?" he asked, cocking his head while he studied me further. "What caused you to come back tonight?"

"The man that just walked in," I replied coldly and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Come on, we need to go. I'll explain later. Ok?" I hesitated before I raised an eyebrow in question. "Do you trust me?"

Rief bit back a small snort and rolled his eyes, scowling. "Yes," he said. He smirked and winked, and I held back an eye roll. "As much as you'll hate me saying this, but I trust you with my life."

I bit back a small snort, my shoulders relaxing slightly before I slowly nodded and pressed my lips into a thin line. "Then, follow me."

And with that, I started to walk toward Jack with Reif following me, praying that I wouldn't be seen by either Jeremiah, who had disappeared and was somewhere else, and Biggie B, who wasn't as he seemed, no matter who he was to me...