VALERIE

Thirty Eight

"Okay, wait let me get this straight you want me," Marco pointed his index finger at himself, "You want me to loan you money?" Marco sounded incredulous,

Clenching his jaw and shutting his eyes Nick nodded his head, Marco laughed loudly in Nick's face.

Nick clenched his hands into fists and inhaled, slowly he let out an aggravated sigh.

Marco's hearty laugh subsided, he patted Nick's back twice with his heavy hand and then drank from his glass of vodka before setting it back down onto the wooden bar.

"Sure, I'll loan you money but you have to earn it."

"Marco, I need to pay Carson back by Friday and I only have two days to come up with $4,400 dollars or I'm fucked."

Marco cocked his head, "Well tomorrow night is fight night and one of my fighters backed out."

Nick clenched his fist, "And you want me to take his place?"

"Bingo." Marco deadpanned, "that is, if you want the money."

Nick, "All of it?"

"Depends if you win, I'll give you all of it but if you lose, you don't get shit."

Nick swivled in the bar chair and looked around the large club room to the middle where the large fighting ring sat.

He missed street fighting, he missed the roar of the crowd screaming his name because he was so well known back in his small town, and here people would probably bet against him and boo.

He turned back around to face Marco who had a smug tug on his lips, he lifted both his eyebrows, "Deal?"

"Deal, but who am I fighting?"

"Bad Braxx."

"Bad Braxx?" Nick repeated,

"240 pound heavyweight champion, he's all muscle, hasn't lost a fight yet." Marco mentioned seriously looking at the fighting ring himself, leaned against the counter he lifted his glass to his lips.

Nick nodded slowly, he only weighed 185 pounds and was awkwardly tall yet who knows how much weight he lost since he got to Miami. He lacked sleep and had no appetite, so the lanky guy wasn't sure he had it in him to fight and actually win. But he'd try, just because he knew he had to get Valerie back home so she could be safe.

//

Valerie watched through the window as the Mustang pulled up, she winced at the sound of Nick getting out and slamming the car door shut.

He had a bottle of liquor in his hands. He momentarily disappeared then suddenly the door to the motel room opened.

"Let's go to the pool." He said motioning her to come out, cautiously they left the motel room, walked down the stairs and to the center of the motel complex where the pool was. It was surrounded by a black gate and had lounge chairs on the patio where there were a few grills as well.

They sat on the edge of the pool, there legs pulled up into themselves.

Nick had a bottle of gin, he took a long drink and placed it onto the patio floor when he was done with it, he cleared his throat and began to tap the floor with his knuckles rhythmically.

Valerie stayed silent, wondering what was going on in his deadly mind.

He looked like he wanted to explode and just let out all his anger.

He had dark Ray Bans on even though it was midnight, his hair was messy and needed a trim and his stubble was growing into a beard perfectly along his sharp jawline.

Nick scoffed, "I did so much coke with Marco, it feels like my fucking brain is just scrambled."

Valerie stayed silent, running her fingers through the tips of her hair as she stared into the lit up pool water, feeling guilty that he had to do stupid things to numb his emotions.

"I'm just 18 and my brain cells are all dead," He chuckled, "I burnt them all out."

"Come on let's go to bed." Valerie said placing a hand on his shoulder, he jerked his body back violently and Valerie backed away, terrified.

He buried his face into his hands and grunted in pure frustration.

"Valerie why did my mom leave me? Why, why um, why didn't she want me?" He asked her, his voice trailing off horsley.

Valerie didn't know what to answer him, instead she climbed onto his lap, draped both arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his back, he nuzzled his head in her chest, inhaling the smell of the soap the motel provided. He pulled away and looked directly at her.

The way he looked at her was the way he had never looked at anyone or anything before.

Her different colored irises lit up in his fiery gray eyes, he planted a small kiss on her lips, she could taste the gin that still tainted and lingered on his tongue.

"I have a fight tomorrow with some dude." Nick mentioned nonchalantly, as he lay down on the concrete of the patio, Valerie now seated on top of him rolled off and lay next to him, intertwining her fingers with his, he held her hand tightly, drunk as he was seeing the stars up above.

"Do you believe in heaven?" He asked, thinking about religion and his deceased mother.

Valerie looked away from the beautiful night sky and at him, "Yeah but I don't think it's up there, heaven is a place on earth," She paused, "with you."

"I feel like doing stupid things." Nick said looking over at her,

"Tell me all the things you want to do." She replied with a subtle smile on her soft face, the moonlight radiating from her delicate porcelain skin.

Nick smirked, "I want to rob a store, right now, just for fun."

Valerie frowned, but then something in her mind switched up. Excitement over filled her mind and she felt a maniacal tendency taking control of her.

"Let's do it." Valerie whispered letting go of his hand and sitting up, she adjusted the strap of her shirt, lifting it up back to her shoulders, Nick rose up too and kissed her neck before completely standing up, he helped Valerie get on her feet.

"You like bad girls don't you Nick?" Valerie asked with her eyebrows raised, Nick gave her a deep chuckle, "I do, I really do like bad girls, but I also like girls who drive me crazy and piss me off but there so sweet and caring fuck I just love it."

Valerie blushed as Nick gave her a frown.

"You're high." She said softly, her blush fading away, "And drunk."

Nick nodded as he lifted his sunglasses from his eyes and up to his head, "Yeah."

He began to hum Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Nick grabbed Valerie's bare waist and pulled her close into him, she couldn't contain her laughter as they swayed about, dancing to Nick's awful yet cute humming of a classical masterpiece.

"You've got a pretty kind of dirty face." Nick said as he stopped humming,

Valerie pulled away, "Are we going to rob this liquor store you were talking about or what?" She asked, Nick kissed her lips,

"Yeah." He murmured going in for another one.

** a/n **

It's about to go down, how are these kids not dead or arrested yet? Anyways vote, follow and comment, love you all! Idk why I thought this chapter was cute **