Page 41 of Misted
Every word he told me is engraved in bold, capital letters deep in my soul. There were times where I forgot myself, but I never forgot him.
“Get up.” The words fall from my mouth in a whisper. “Get up, get up, get up…”
As if hearing me, Hawk staggers to his feet. Shadow doesn’t stop his onslaught like an uncontrollable champion. They lock in a close-range embrace and I hold my breath, waiting for Shadow’s next move.
He whispers something in Hawk’s ear. He remains motionless, but his face tightens. When Shadow pulls back with a bloody grin, it’s as if a demon took over Hawk.
He lunges at him with his shoulder and tackles him to the ground. Stunned silence overtakes the spectators, none of them believing their mighty Shadow can be brought down. Some erupt in cheers again while others boo.
Hawk’s perfect, successive punches don’t give Shadow the opening to retaliate. I’m smiling, feeling the adrenaline and Hawk’s raw power straight to my bones.
“We have a new beast in the ring, ladies and gent,” the announcer’s voice is half-stunned, half-enthusiastic. “Shadow goes down for the first time against Hawk!”
He did it. He defeated a perfect-record champion. Pride fills me in an unexpected wave.
Both Hawk and Shadow stand to their feet, glaring at each other. Blood drips from their cut lips and noses to paint their tattoos in a gruesome image.
“Told you to let him do his thing.” Flame’s voice drifts from behind me, appearing bored with the whole thing.
My gaze zeros on the bloodied bandages curled around Hawk’s knuckles.
I don’t even know what I’m thinking as I descend down the stairs and head to the ring. Maybe I want to make sure he didn’t so foolishly handicap himself. Or I just want to be closer to him.
I halt in my tracks when Scar jumps him as soon as he’s out of the ring. Her throaty laughter carries through the air and stabs me in the chest. Or more like, it’s the way he offers her his almost-smile that used to be only mine.
“New champion, hell to the yeah!” She throws Shadow a nasty look. “You suck, loser.”
“Shut it, psycho doll.” Shadow staggers out of the ring, leaning on Zoe.
They continue their back and forth. My phone rings just in time when I turn to leave, my chest aching.
Hawk doesn’t need me. Not that he ever did.
That fact shrinks my already twisted heart.
Molly’s name flashes on the screen alongside a picture of her pulling her pink hair on either side of her face and sticking out her tongue.
She changed it behind my back. Again.
“Hey,” I answer with a voice devoid of the bitterness I feel. “Did you get any messages from Ink?”
“No.” There’s an urgency in her voice. “But we got trouble.”
“What?”
“The police are here for you.”