Fight of Your Life

The Dark

"Get the fuck up and beat his ass" Micky yells from my left, as I shakily make it up to my feet. I look over and see Lee watching with a sad look on her face.

I shake off the fog in my head from the last couple of hits. I go for a combo and catch his jaw and ear with my right hook. He stumbles and I go in for the spinning head kick. It connects beautifully and he falls to the mat, motionless.

"And the winner by KO is Jade!" The announcer says as they drag my opponent off the mat. I walk off the mat and the cash is placed in my hand. Lee runs to me and wraps herself around me kissing my cheek. Riley and I are pretty close friends. There is always this underlying sexual tension between us caused by all the flirting and touches but Lee never lets it go past a certain point.

As much as I would love too get her into my bed, she won't let it happen because she knows the real me. She knows the secrets that no one else knows. She knows that I am not emotionally available and that I would just hurt her if she gave me the chance. Therefore she protects herself and guards her heart from me. I can't blame her.

She doesn't like when I fight, she doesn't like that I get beaten even if thats not the worst thing that happens in my house, and she doesn't like that I'm too damaged to let anything or anyone break down my walls and enter my heart. If I was ever able to even do that, she would be the only one I would allow in. I love Riley, there is no doubt about it, and she loves me. She is the only one, other than my sister, who has even snuck her way through the barb wire fences and land mines that are protecting the 1000 foot wall that is around my heart, but that is where she is. She's still on the outside and our relationship will never be anything more than friends as long as I insist on keeping her there.

"I'm so glad you are ok babe!" She says in my ear still hugging me. I unwrap her from around me when Mikey, my coach, walks towards us.

"Good fight. Had me worried for a minute." My coach who happens to be my cousin says. He is always nervous when I fight guys even when I tell him not to be. I am a lot stronger than I look. At 5'6" 134 pounds, and a girl, no one thought I would make it the first fight. What they didn't know is I am extremely strong. What they didn't expect is for my right hook to have so much power behind it, it leaves people in a daze when it connects. What the couldn't believe is a relatively small person like me to beat some of their best fighters in this underground world, but thats exactly what has happened.

Anger. Anger and pain can create a monster and thats what I am here. If you know me outside of this world, you would never believe that I am one of the best up and coming fighters here. If you know me outside of this world, you would believe the lie, the facade, that I put on every day. No, you would never believe that Annabelle Jade Pierce, captain of the softball team and straight A student with the "perfect" life, could bring strong talented fighters to their knees with one punch. But, I can.

The only people that know the real me in the dark, as I call the underground fighting circuit, are my coach and my best friend Raegan. They are the only ones who know the pain, fear, and suffering I have been through and still go through on a daily basis and the demons I face. Let's face it, even the best fighters have demons that stop them in their tracks, that paralyze them with fear. Even if you know you can beat it, you don't simply because you are afraid of the unknown. Afraid that the threats will become a reality. Afraid that the one person you vowed to protect, will become endangered if you do anything other than what you are told.

My demon has a name and a face similar to mine. We have the same grey-blue eyes, the same wavy black hair, and the same sharp jawline. I guess I could thank him for passing his genes on to me. It has gone far in my life at getting me any girl I want. The face attracts them and the eyes trap them. But, it's also the same face that causes me so much pain and suffering. The same face is the reason I can't stand to look in the mirror.

Jack Andrew Pierce. My own father, my flesh and blood, is the reason for all of the pain and suffering in my life. It wasn't always like that. Sure, we had a nice family. My mom, my father, my little sister, and myself had some great times as a family. I had great parents until 6 years ago when my mother died in a car accident. Over the next few years, my father began to change. Alcohol became his best friend. Whores became a thing I got used to seeing leave the house early in the morning. The once loving and caring daddy that my sister, Ashley, and I had, became my worst nightmare.

The real demon came out in him 3 years ago. I wasn't complaining though. I could take the hits and the hurtful words. I could take it but when he started doing the same to my, then 7 year old, sister, that is where I drew the line. My biggest mistake was letting him know that Ashley was my weakness. Letting him know that I didn't care what he did to me, as long as he left her alone. Letting him know that he could use her against me to make me do things and there was nothing I could do about it.

Because no matter what, as long as their was breath left in my body, Ashley would never suffer through the same things I have suffered through the past 3 years.

I will be 18 in 9 months. In 9 months I will be able to leave and take Ashley with me. I will be able to give her the life and love she deserves to have.

This brings us back to where we are now. Riley and I walking to my car with $3,000 in my pocket after I won a fight in an illegal underground fighting circuit. The funny thing about it is when I wake up tomorrow, I will be Annabelle again. This will all be a deep dark secret and no one will ever be the wiser.