Handcuffed Rivals

34

The next morning seemed to be more enduring then the evening before, after arriving from the beach, both likered up with goofy smiles on our faces. Ever since he told me we were nothing alike those who he considered to be building something whether friendship or relationship, I couldn't stop thinking of it. 

Just to clarify myself from the very beggining, I didn't want to be with him, I just wondered what was the real reason we were s ocat and mouse like. Was there a key moment in our lives when we decided that we'll hate each other and that was it?

„Hands up kids!" Mr.Crossbone welcomed us at the entrance of the field, holding the smallest thing apart from bugs, in a world, yet the only thing that guaranteed my freedom. We catched his meaninful and most delighted look, pointing both of our hands in front of him, watching how he turned then clicked on the handcuffs, setting us free for a couple of hours.

Immediately, my other hand went to the painfully, red and just released hand, examining her, trying to ease the itchy feeling that followed „I'm going to talk to your bitch."

„You still on that?" King caught up fast and well, with the nicknames he became memorable. Although, it was his friend, he saved his need to correct me and send me back from the hell hole I emarged from.

„Yes! I'm going with the plan whether you're in it or not." He never gave me an actual answer to verify his will and I didn't need it. When thinking of it, he was just a guy who helped me see that I should have a plan, that's it. I don't need him that much, just enough to piss Charlotte, so his agreement to all of this, was irrelevant. He's doing it. „What's the plan again?"

We were opposite one another, Mr.Crossbone long gone, forgetting to 'shoo' us on the field so he has a better eyesight, unlike the last time. Guess he didn't need it today.

King looked behind him to his crew slowly pulling into a circle, the one where you already know who's with whom on the team, and you're just going around with the plan.

„I don't have one?" I scratched the back of my head watching him turn around to me again and raising his eyebrows „Yet." I added shamefully.

„That's gonna help you how?" he irked me on purpose, to the very last toe nail I have, I swear. I even painted it red this morning when he was sleeping like a pig and nothing worked on getting his dead-ass, heavy body out of my way. So, playing aroung with nail polish gave me advantage. If you ever want to wake a guy up, that's what you do. As soon as it hit his nostrils, his eyes popped right up.

„I don't know!" my arms flew away from my body, making a miserable puff, a sign of desperation. I didn't know what to do but I knew I had to do it. Anything to show Missy ' I'm walking around half naked and think I can throw Bea out' a taste of her own medicine. „But I surely won't stand here wasting my time with you when I can be doing something about that ugly witches revenge plot."

King crossed his arms finding her in the crowd of sweaty cheerleaders preparing for the routine „She's not bad to look at." Of course, if you are a hormonal guy, in his twenties, thinking about renting a porn but going against it because you can have a live show, just calling her up. I sensed how he analysed her whole body, like a metal detector on an airport. „Whatever, you do you, Imma do me!"

I left him standing there in search of the girl who always set on the chairs, sometimes writing something on her notepad, sometimes playing with her phone. Brenda was seated on the third row, manly watching the boys gather around, King running from where I came from to catch up with the rest.

„Hi bitch." I saluted her gracefully, making her raise her head from the field to spare me a couple of minutes of her precious time. This better be worth it or else.

She just looked at me. Fun.

„SO, life treating you good?" I sat next to her, sliding the casual conversation, or not one at all, just in my head from the look on her face. „What do you want?" polite as always.

„Well, I though we should bond, you know? Girl on girl talk." Bumping her shpulder for a joke was one of my hit moves that again, she didn't understand nor appreciate. Again, she just looked at me narrowing her whole face like I killed half her family this weekend out of boredom.

„Huh, you're really not the one to talk." Again silence so I took that as a sign to talk more. You know me, talking is never the problem. „Anyway, you know how King is a dick, yeah we all know that! So I really think that you should-„

This time she cut me short „If he really thinks you can smoothe things for him and he can later jump on and fix it, not happening." Hm, a hard walnut, as they say in my family when you're trying to crack one to soften up.

„I'm kinda not doing that." I swallowed up in my own lie, looking at the field and receiving her silence again. „He didn't ask me to do it, I just see him struggling and don't want him to leash out on me." partly true because I was the one who came with the idea and he did have some temperamental nature in him.

She laughed in my face „He's struggling? You don't know him at all." After that, it looked like she breathed out a fresh air of relief, almost like she tought different and was now convinced I wasn't a threat to her or something like that. „Carter never shows his feelings and doesn't care about anyone. He's a temperamental bomb, a lost boxer who deals with his life by pushing everyone away as soon as they come close enough to get a taste of his life." Her talk looked remorseful.

„He's a boxer?" my eyes widened, now my whole body forgetting the field, Klo's waving her in the back to come hurry up, every standing human there, and turned to look at Brenda.

„Mhmm." She still looked ahead. „He's fierce, he's cold, distant, almost killed a guy once in the ring." Goosebumps run all over my arms.

„But he didn't box for a week now since he-„ she didn't let me finish.

„No, but he will have to tommorow. I know he's still thinking of a way to do it since you're in this position." Why didn't he tell me that? Why was I left in the dark so much? I showed him my family, my whole life, I witnessed his parents fight, how none cares for him, how much he loves football, but I never saw this side of him. Only, now I tried to place the riddle in my head. There was this one time he threw half of his bedroom around because of a fight with his dad, that was the only time he showed me his anger.

„So he has anger issues?" I was still confused and knew this was far from the topic we were supposed to be having.

„Anger issues is a mild term compared to him. I'm surprised you're not aware of it but then again, it triggers in him, that rage, when something big happens or when he fights with someone, but it all depends. He's like a ticking bomb." It was all so foreign to me, so new, so scary.

 All this time when we faught, it was a way for him to relieve his stress, his other problems. I was his punching bag because I was easy to thrill, to fight back. He was searching for help but I never knew that. Was it help or was I just there to piss him off? A happy little girl who has it all, in his eyes, and whom he can play around so he wouldn't kill somebody else?

I didn't know how I felt about all of this, but I knew it became too much to handle.

„So, congrats on the acting but I'm not falling for it." She picked up her bags and other belongings and left me sitting there, Klo calling my name in the background while I watched King talk to a guy, in my own suffocating thoughts.

Later that day, Mr.Crossbone returned to put our hands chained together again and the feeling of uneasiness followed me from the very second of his touch on mines. I would've jumped if I wasn't embarrased to admit to myself that I might actually be afraid of him. I needed to pull myself together and fast.

„What's up with you? Why so jumpy?" he didn't make fun of me like he used to, that's for sure. Before this whole being around each other all the time, he was meaner to me, or did I get used to it?

„Nothing. I'm just tired." Just saying it felt offshore. We weren't the ones to keep a small talk. We'd either fight or stay silent. This time, I chose the silence but he didn't think so. „Charlotte bullied on a poor Bea? Are you gonna cry to me now?" he pouted his lips and laughed at his own joke like it was funny.

Bullying is not a term you get to laugh about. It is a serious topic, there are films directed about it, books written all over the world how it can affect someone's mind and life afterwards. It is not funny, I wanted to yell but pinched my lip in between my teeth. Should I just shut my pride and mouth and let him have the win? Would he take his anger on a different level and punched me if I said too much at some point?

„No, seriously, the fuck is going on?" it was like he smelled fear off of my body. How can you know if someone is pissing their pants off in front of you? Probably by his trembling legs and freaked out behavior. „Do you box?" my voice was so small. I could pass up as a child whose parents are fighting in the living room and she's under the table waiting for them to stop.

„What? How do you know that?" he stopped to look at me, the hallway we were passing by suddenly becaming smaller and smaller, deficient of people in it. „Brenda told me."

„Well Brenda should keep to her business." His cheekbones clinched, slightly red at the edge. His eyes bored to mine, searching for signs of how much the informations was really passed up to me. was he in a gang of some sorts? Should I kill myself sooner so he didn't have much problem sin the first place?

„Yeah, I box." He admitted. „It helps me deal with my life and I'm a lowlife. Probably won't have such a bright future and end up more fucked up then I already am." he talked calmly but he was angry with Brenda. The way he spat words was too overt not to miss it.

„I don't think you're fucked up. I just think you're missunderstood." I said facing the fear that circulated my veins, my whole body posture. I was tied to him for eight days and he did nothing to compromise my life, he never put me in danger and he never raised a hand on me.

Sure I should trust Brenda and I know she is right on many levels, but I know what I see everyday, with whom I sleep next to every night, and he wasn't that bad. Sure we quarreled all the time, but he's not a bad guy.

„I almost killed a guy once." He provoked me, knowing what Brenda might've said, what she initiated from the very start. She was his friend after all, he knew her better.

„But you didn't." again, my voice was too small to hear and barely reached his ears. „Maybe I don't know much, maybe I don't know you at all, but I've done some pretty fucked up stuff to you and you never raised your hand on me, or your voice. So, that's enough for me, if it's enough for you?" I watched his blue eyes soften up on my words and how a small smile gave away his feelings.

Brenda said I didn't know shit about King but I didn't feel like it. I felt like I knew him much deeper even thought I didn't know his favorite color or what his hobbies are.

He pulled out his uncuffed hand that lazily stayed in his pocket and slowly caressed my cheek still keeping the eye contact as live as possible.

„Yeah."

***

Hi chickas! I don't know if I spelled that right but whatever. Lol.
I missed you all so much and here I am again, writing and smiling all the way. I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, although I had in mind and really wanted to, but since I got a free day from work the day before that, I had to stay a little longer and etc. etc.
I don't want to bore you with that.

How are you all? What do you think about our little Carter and his life choices? Stuff are getting pretty serious.

I hope you like it. 

Kisses as always, 

Eri