The Fighter

Chapter One

I had my book open on my lap and was enjoying re-reading Touched by Elisa S. Amore while drinking a café mocha in my favorite little coffee shop. The smell of coffee and books filtered through the small coffee shop and I smiled contently as my music played through my earphones as I sat in the window watching the rain. Antonio's was a small hole in the wall that I found one day on my way back from school when my stepmother forgot to pick me up and texted me to make my own way home.

The café was small, fitting no more than twenty or so people at a time. It was set fairly dark with Edison lights hanging above the tables covered by copper shields, the brick exposed on the walls, photos and paintings along the brick, a large book shelf to the left of the bar that the previous owners left, and the smell of coffee and chocolate constantly floating through the room. My oldest friend, literally, run this place which I was shocked to find out; he had started taking my order before looking up and taking in my shocked face before jumping over the bar and hugging me tightly. Before I had stumbled in the shop, Tiffany had forbidden me from seeing him since he was the only thing I had left that made me happy; everyone thinks that I am mute, but I'm not with him.  That was almost six years ago, now he helps me sneak out by hiding my car.

I was so far into my book and coffee that I didn't realize my phone had pinged, notifying me that I had a text; it was my father notifying me we were having dinner with some old friends and to be home by five to start cooking. I looked at the time and realized that it was a quarter 'till, so I packed up my things and left a tip for Derek, my friend and the owner, who stands at six four with ice blue eyes, slightly tan skin, is well built, and sports a single visible tattoo on the inside of his left wrist of a small feather fading into small birds to signify his little sister. I waved a little to him and pulled on my leather jacket over my black hoodie that I had on; my brother never took this jacket off and I picked up the habit after the crash, Tiffany-- my stepmother-- tried to take it away but my father stopped her. I pulled up the hood and walked outside into the rain and to my black '67 Impala that my grandfather had left for me when he passed; it was really funny when I started to watch Supernatural and I saw that Dean drove the same car.

"June!" I stopped getting in my car when I heard my name being called, I looked up and saw that it was Derek and I smiled a little bit. "Hey, I wanted to give you this."

He held out a small black box and I opened it to reveal a thin leather necklace with a small silver feather wrapped around the bottom of it. I smiled and put it on over the small sterling silver Celtic knot my mom gave me before she died.

"You really didn't have to, Derek." He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded to me before handing me a piece of worn paper and ran back inside so I got into the car before reading the opening the paper I was given.

If you're reading this, I'm dead before Rose Bud's eighteenth. Damn, I was really hoping you wouldn't have to read this note. I was killed. Accidents don't just happen accidentally to me and the rest of my gang (yes Bud, I said gang); Derek is my second in command, and I have asked him to watch over you.

Derek has read a note much like this one, but not as tear stained. The necklace that he gave you was made by yours truly and was supposed to be given when you got married, but I told him to give it to you on your eighteenth if I wasn't around to do it.

I love you, Rose Bud. Take care of yourself and take care of Mom and Dad.

I took a long breath and put the note in the glove compartment of the car before driving away and to the house. The rain wasn't coming down hard enough for me to be afraid of driving, but it was hard enough to make me conscious of who was on the road with me; if I had my way with it, I wouldn't be driving, but Derek basically forced me to. I parked the car in front of Derek's house that sat right behind my own and climbed the back fence and entered through my backdoor into the kitchen before starting dinner for the guests; Tiffany saw me as a maid and thought it disrespectful for the help to enter through the front of the house. I hated that my father agrees with her, but what I hated more is that he stopped caring about me after the crash.