Bruised

Chapter 15

"What were you doing here, by yourself?" Matthew said not long after, in a loud tone that Stella didn't exactly like."Don't you talk to me like that!" She just yelled back."Can you please take me home?" and after that she didn't say another word.

Ever since Matthew could remember his city was sunny and warm during summer, yet this year clouds didn't seem to leave the place. As he drove by the places he knew best some face were too familiar to him and he did surely recognize them, not so long ago he would certainly stop to give a kiss to the girl sat in the Café, but now seeing her only made him speed up.

Soon after the blue-eyed stopped his motorcycle, Stella ran to the door, closing it almost as quick as she opened it. He had never been the type of guy that left easily but it was easy to see she was quite mad at him.

"Joe?" he knocked on the door as he called him "Will you open the door please?" he said before the other hung up opening the white front door a couple of minutes later. "I seriously like you but you are way too annoying today Matthew".

Joe said with his eyes still half closed and some shorts that made him realise he had woken him up for the second time. "Sorry man" Matthew said quite embarrassed "Can you get ready and meet me at my place? I need to talk to you and maybe we could see if your Kawasaki can compete with mine."

"Half an hour, but Matthew, please, for God's sake! Don't call me again in the morning!" He said rubbing his eyes, Matthew laughed "Okay, lil baby, half an hour".

While home Matthew decided to sit down and turn on the tv, memories immediately hitting him hard. The image of his father, sitting down of that mended sofa until late night, watching matches and fights made him smile, but after zapping for a while he turned it off.

As boredom took over him he decided to organise some things that were out of place. Looking at his watch he realised that Joe was already twenty minutes late and one thing Matthew didn't particularly like was lateness as he always made an effort to be either early or on time. Having nothing to do he decided to grab his helmet and his riding jacket and wait outside.

Although it was not sunny it was still quite warm, and because it was around lunch time there were a lot of people walking or driving around and he had a lot to distract himself while waiting.

"I thought we said half an hour" Matthew said quite annoyed when Joe stopped his motorcycle taking his helmet to answer him "Look, you are not in position to said anything, besides you know why I'm late? My sister wouldn't unlock her room and you are the reason for it, so you kinda deserved the hour of wait".

Matthew was already fired up and that was all he needed to start the conversation "All I did today was save your sister from some weird guy she met in the morning, which was the reason I called you in the first place! I'm not the baad guy, all I fuckin did was being worried about Stella and when I spotted her the guy she had met was grabbing her arm, I'm sorry if I was a nice friend and helped her! Why is she so mad in the first place??" he was now almost yelling in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Firstly, she's mad cause you scared her biological brother, the one she tried so hard to see three years later" Joe answered in a completely different tone, serene and smooth.

"He was grabbing her arm, hurting her, was I supposed to watch him do that?"

"Stella can defend herself, trust me. Me, as her brother, I thank you for what you did, but you know my sister, she's pretty independent. Anyway, he's not like violent or anything, he is a drug addict though so he probably wanted Stella's money."

"I still think he may be kind of dangerous" he stopped but suddenly spoke again "Does he know where you guys live?"

"No need to be so worried for real and no, he does not, he's not from here anyway. Stella managed to find him and have no idea how convinced him to meet her, she payed the cab and he showed up." Joe explained.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how mad is she?" the blue-eyed asked as they both mounted their motorcycles.

"At you? Around 100" Joe said before putting his helmet on "Central Park?"

"Afraid to lose a little race Joey? Let's go to Bryant" Matthew defied him.

"Not sure I know the way there" The other said a bit reluctant.

"No problem, you'll be behind me" Matthew said and then put his helmet on.

Seconds later the noise of the two motorcycles filled the whole neighbourhood and not long after were both speeding down the road. Being reckless and fearless combined with the fact that he knew the road way better made Matthew arrive at least ten minutes before Joe did.

"You are not made for the road life Joey" Matthew mocked when the other stopped "Let's have lunch, I'm starving" the other changed the subject and they both laughed as they parked the motorcycles and searched for some place to eat.

Between laughs and serious conversations that consisted much on them knowing each other better two hours passed by. And after doing a 25 minute drive in 15 they were both at Matthew's door.

Once Joe took off, the blue-eyed went inside and changed for his training clothes, quickly preparing a bag with the gloves, a towel and a few more things and then left home again.

He found the same new bodyguard at the door but this time he immediately let him, once inside he saw old familiar faces for the first time since he had been back, and after talking for a while with the ones he knew the better he went for his training space, the same corner as always. 'Bossy' interrupted his training some minutes later just to ask how he was doing and if he felt in shape, not leaving until he saw him throwing some punches and correcting his technique.

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You can expect some new interesting things in Matthew's life soon!!!

And poor boy right, trying to make things right but missing it completely!

Expect a new chapter soon enough!!

Thank you so much, ly

Yxzmin