Battle Scars

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Silas

"if they love you they'll be patient with you... they'll wait for you and try to make sense of the chaos in your heart"

• • • • •

The girls are huddled in a corner when we walk back into the gym, whispering to each other. Milo walks over to Lance who looks just as worried as I feel about the whole situation.

The twins head towards the girls where I watch Griffin talk to the blonde that was with him, a worried look on her face as she studies his hand. I make my own way towards them just as Mason is asking Anna if she's okay.

"I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting him to show up here." She replies.

Skye grips her shoulders. "It'll be okay. He knows we won't let him hurt you. He can't do anything."

She nods her head longer than necessary, almost as if she's trying to convince herself. Her green eyes meet mine after a minute and I watch her take in a shaky breath.

"I'll be right back." She mumbles to Skye, moving towards me before she can answer. She takes my hand, pulling me away from everyone and towards the office where she leads me upstairs to the house.

"Anna." I say as she sits me down on the couch, her fingers trembling as she releases my hand and walks into the kitchen. She comes back with a glass of water and places it on the table while sitting down next to me. "Anna." I repeat quietly.

She shakes her head at me while she stares down at her lap. "Please. You deserve to know what's going on. I've kept it from you for far to long and after today..."

"Hey, I understand if your not ready. I can wait." I say, lifting her chin so that she's looking at me.

"No, I have to tell you." I nod in understanding and take her hand in mine again, waiting for her to tell me whatever it is she needs to. "Eight years ago my mom died of Acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML." She starts, her eyes watering at the though.

I squeeze her hand in comfort, letting her know I'm here for her.

"It was a hard time for me, my mother was my best friend and I had lost her for good. During this time, Milo was dealing with his own demons and I was forced to be strong for the both of us." Her throat clogs and I force her to take a sip of water from her cup.

She sips silently for a second, her eyes not meeting mine. "About three years later Milo was moving out to his own apartment after living with us for two years." She continues. "That's when I met Reed. The boys were just starting to make their way into the boxing world. He came by the gym consistently and always had this goofy charm." She pauses for a second, staring at the cup in her hands.

"I fell for him." She whispers. "I fell for his lies, and his charms, and the thought that he could fill the gaping hole in my heart." Her green eyes look at me and I can see all the damage he's caused her swirling in her emerald orbs. "He was sweet at first, always putting a smile on my face and making the days easier. I went to his fights and watched him train. For two years he was normal, the same old Reed I had fallen for."

"After that point he started acting weird. He'd lie more and wouldn't let me see his phone, and one day when I was getting ready for dinner he started insulting my outfit." She says. "He told me I was showing too much cleavage or skin or whatever the hell excuse he came up with. He said I was trying to get attention from guys and called me a slut."