Some Scars Never Fade

Chapter Twenty Four (Y)

*Seth’s Point of View*

She was tough. Last night, when I messed with the ugly bruise, she grit her teeth and took it. And, on top of that, she was fighting again tonight.

She looked at the mirror in my bathroom and grinned; she was dressed in her attire for Conartist, preparing for tonight’s fight.

I was disgruntled.

She’d fallen asleep beside me, and I sent a text to Dylan shortly after, about her relationship with her father.

He told me we could today, during the fight.

When Chris was ready to go, we climbed into the car and pulled off towards Nathan’s place.

“She loves him,” Dylan said bitterly.

We were standing outside Chris’s ring, watching her.

“How can she love him if he does that to her?” I asked, my voice marred with confusion.

“I do,” Dylan uttered.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, my voice hushed as my eyes watched her movements in the ring.

I winced as she narrowly avoided a punch in the side she’d hurt yesterday.

“If you loved someone,” Dylan murmured, “And they started hurting you after you already loved them, would you stop loving them, or just accept how they were now?”

I almost said I would stop.

Almost.

Then I thought about Maddie; I still loved her even though she hurt me when she killed herself.

He caught my hesitation.

“Exactly,” Dylan murmured even quieter, “That’s why I love that sweetly sadistic girl fighting in the ring right now; no matter how much it hurts me that she lets him hurt her.”

I looked at Dylan.

“You love her?” I asked, something clicking in my head.

That’s why he was always protective and loving towards her; it went deeper than friendship for him.

And I was willing to bet it went deeper for her, too.

“Of course I do,” he said, watching her move, “What is there not to love?”

I smiled to myself.

I loved Chris, but as a friend, not like a girlfriend.