Hit Like A Girl

5 - Greer

After connecting my dying phone to a charger in my kitchen, I tapped the Accept button to Ezra's friend request. I didn't know where this would take me, but it's worth a shot considering we used to be best friends. I didn't even have a clue about who she was anymore. That thought alone disturbed me more than it should have.

With Jamie already gone, it was just me and Atlanta. And I didn't even know where Atlanta was. I didn't mind being alone though, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't have any friends, or family for that matter. Of course I had my parents in New York, but that was on the other side of the country.

My other brother, Philip, was stationed in Middle East at the moment. Living his life one day at a time.

This left just me and Atlanta, and as much as I love my dog, that's not great company.

•

"What's the last name?"

"Steel," I spoke into the phone. 

"As in Greer Steel?" excitement hung in the young workers voice.

"Yup," I nodded, even though no one could see me. For once I just wanted to order a pizza, and not have to go through this whole ordeal.

It was quiet for a few seconds before I heard him say, "We'll have that over in roughly fifteen minutes."

"Thank you," I replied.

"No," the kid said, "Thank you." And with that he hung up the phone. I laughed a little and started to boot up my laptop. After waiting a moment for it to load, while watching Atlanta run back and forth, I finally was able to log onto Facebook. The first thing that caught my eyes was message, from none other than Ezra herself.

Ezra Morgan:
That was an exciting fight.

I thought a moment about the encounter we had two days ago before typing up my reply.

Greer Steel:
It for sure was, why haven't I boxed you before?

I waited patiently for a reply to my question when I jumped at the sound of my dog barking her ass off. Meaning the pizza was here. I ripped my wallet from the counter and jogged into the front hall.

"Atlanta," I pointed to the kitchen, "Out."

The dog did as requested so without any more hesitation, I opened the door.

"Hi," I gave a slight smile to the tall blonde boy standing on my doorstep.

"When my manager told me I was delivering to Greer Steel, I didn't believe him," he laughed, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

I only returned a small chuckle, "It's not that big of a deal."

He gave me a confused look before saying, "Anyway the pizza is eight forty-three."

I opened my wallet and gave the kid twenty dollars before he handed me the small box for the miniature pizza. I propped the box up on my hip, the smell of the food already surrounding me. 

"Need any change?" He asked me,  raising an eyebrow in the process

"Keep it," I smiled and watched as he thanked me then walked down my steps. I realized I gave him a ton for a tip. But that's the thing about me, I have too much money to give. I donate and pay bills for my family but I don't know what else to do.

Slowly, I closed the door then padded my bare feet across the cold tile and into the kitchen. I thumped the pizza box on the counter and plopped my rear into a stool. I stared at the mini pizza and instead of shoving it in my face, I felt empty inside.

I know pizza isn't supposed to make you feel anything but stuffed, yet this pizza made me feel alone. It was a small personal pizza, and I stared at it as if it was mocking me for being alone. A rage seeped through my bones, making me upset about how alone I felt. This feeling was quite common for me; sometimes it just got the best of me.

•
"I don't know how to not be mad," I tried my best to explain to Ezra.  This was only days before she moved and I was learning to deal with how angry I got at everything.

"You'll be okay though, that's why Uncle Dave is training you," she told me and handed my gloves to me.

I responded by shrugging and pulling my gloves on. I followed Ezra from the locker room and into the familiar training room. With the blue mat on the floor, just like Dave had on the first day, the room made me feel cozy and at home.

Little did I know, that day was only the start of all my anger problems. And I learned later that fighting was the only way to calm myself.
•

Without even opening the pizza box, I picked it up and shoved it in my nearly empty fridge. For now my appetite was gone. I whistled, making the silent house loud for a moment and Atlanta came running toward me.

I yanked her leash from the closet by the front door, clipped it onto her collar, and threw the door open. We bounded down the steps together and headed for the beach. Without shoes on my feet I was able to feel every grain of sand against my toes. The dusty scent of the beach invaded my nose while the sound of the waves was all I could hear. Atlanta trotted alongside me, sniffing every spot I would allow her to.

I gave up on walking, realizing I'm the laziest person ever, and sat down. With a quick motion, I took the leash off Atlanta. I watched her, in all her giant, fluff-glory, run into the ocean water. The sun was setting, leaving the whole beach an orange color.

This is where I spent most of my time, just thinking about anything and everything. But all I could think about at the moment was what Ezra was doing right now, while I was here alone.