A Protector's Second Chance (Unit Matched #2) (3 page)

Chapter 7

Day 12 of 90

I was running on the treadmill, about to die, but I kept pushing myself. I finally couldn’t breathe anymore and slowed to a walk. I was trying not to think about anything, but that wasn’t working. My head kept going back to Oliver. He was being punished because of me. I had already been here twelve days, and he was ready to pull his hair out.

I was selfish.

I was worthless.

I needed to at least pretend that I wasn’t that big of a bitch.

“Here,” Oliver appeared next to me and tossed a towel over the bar. “I thought you might want this.”

I turned off the machine, patting my face with the towel. “Thanks.”

He gave me a small smile. “I heard you down here, so I figured I’d be nice.”

“Oliver.” I stepped closer to him. He and I were almost the same height. “I’m sorry.”

The large, one hundred pound brick on my chest went away when I said those two little words. My head was still spinning with thoughts about him. I didn’t know how to express myself around him; it wasn’t as if we were friends or anything.

Oliver wasn’t wrong when he called me a ‘bitch’. In fact, he was right, but it wasn’t his fault that I was a bitch or that I was being punished. Oliver had been nice to me.

“What?”

“Please don’t make me repeat it,” I begged in my whiny voice.

He smirked at me, leaning in closer. “Apology accepted, only if you come watch a movie with me.”

“Really? You’re going to stoop to blackmail?” I crossed my arms.

“Unless you have other plans then I’m pretty sure you’ll say ‘yes’.”

“Ugh,” I groaned at him. “Fine.” I stomped my way upstairs to shower and get ready.

When I come back downstairs, Oliver had a big bowl of popcorn and a bottle of my favorite soda on the coffee table.

“I thought we would watch one of my favorite movies.”

He lifted up the Blu-Ray of Thor to show me.

“Thor? Your punishment is to make me watch the ever-so-hot Chris Hemsworth?”

“I’m not punishing you.” Oliver’s eyes were hard on me.

I turned away from him and grabbed few kernels of popcorn. I knew he wasn’t the one that was punishing me. I watched him set up everything, before he sat down next to me.

Of course, he wanted to be right next to me, and I inwardly rolled my eyes.

I put the bowl in between our thighs, so I could make sure that they didn’t touch each other.

“You know, Mom would buy me Thor comic books when I was little; he was my favorite.”

I tried to think back if my mom had ever bought me a book. Sadly, the answer was ‘no’. She constantly told me she was required to clothe me, feed me, and that was it.

I started babysitting to purchase the extras that I needed and then saved for my car. My parents helped me with nothing.

I stared at the TV, but I wasn’t watching it. I wanted to get away from my childhood memories. I didn’t want to be in this cabin anymore. I really didn’t want to hear of Oliver’s great life, either.

“Well, I guess I accept your apology.”

“Huh?”

“The movie is over. So, I accept your apology,” Oliver smirked.

“Great.” I jumped up from the couch, raced up the stairs, and slammed the door shut.

Chapter 8

Day 13 of 90

I punched the bag harder. I was still a horrible person, and it had to be in my DNA because I couldn’t stop it.

I felt the anger building in me. It made me push myself hard. The pain in my right shoulder made my mind wander back to when it first happened:

“Stop being a little sissy.” Dad yelled at me. “Hit harder.”

My ears rang from his booming command, and I did what he told me.

“You’re worthless. How are you going to protect the future Queen if you can’t even throw a punch hard enough to stop someone?”

I felt the air knocked out of me when he punched me hard in my stomach. I fell to the floor; when Dad jerked me up, he dislocated my shoulder.

I screamed and Mom came down and yelled for me to shut up.

“Protector’s don’t show pain.” She spat, in my face.

I took a step away from the bag. I pushed the tears of the memory down. I was only eight when that happened and I still it as if was yesterday. Over the years, it was injured more and more. When I work it too much, I can feel the dull ache. 

Yep, I was worthless if it still bothered me, because I should be stronger.

I left the workout room and headed for the shower.

When I was refreshed, changed, and smelled better, I grabbed my journal. I was going to sit in the nook, but instead I went back downstairs.

Oliver was sitting in front of the computers, typing, and clicking away. I curled up on the couch, ready to write.

However, nothing was coming. My eyes kept staring at the back of Oliver’s brown hair. He hadn’t even acknowledged that I was in the same room yet.

I really shouldn’t be surprised. I hadn’t been nice to him at all. I was sure he couldn’t wait for these three months to be over so he could be rid of me.

“You can stop staring at me; I know you’re there.” Oliver’s voice was hard.

“I wasn’t.” I lied.

He turned around, pinning me with a stern look. “You really don’t have to lie to me; you know that, right?”

I crossed my arms. “Who said I was?”

Oliver shook his head and turned back to his computer.

Geesh, I was a bitch.

Oliver was the only person I had to talk to. There was no one else, and it was my fault.

“What are you working on?” I asked, hoping to have some type of adult conversation.

“I’m developing a new web page for one of my clients.”

“Clients?”

“I do work, Amaya.”

Sad to say, I didn’t know that. Oliver had taken me out a few times, but I hadn’t listened to a thing that he had said.

“Could I see?”

It took him a second, but soon he nodded, and I walked over to him. He slid down the bench and I sat next to him.

“Wow.” I breathed, looking at the screens. “You have some real talent.”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

I rolled my eyes and didn’t answer him. I was trying to be nice, but I wasn’t going to explain it to him.

“How long have you been doing this?”

“Really,” he sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’ve been messing with computers forever, but I started getting paid for it about two years ago. Then,” he shrugged, “I figured I’d start my own business.”

“That’s really interesting.”

“You know what else is interesting?” he stared at me.

I shook my head.

“I have told you that exact story at least four times.”

I inhaled through my teeth. I should have paid better attention on our
dates
.

“Okay,” I threw my hands up in the air. “I’m not going to win Matched of the Year, but I’m trying to be nice, now.”

“I guess.” Oliver mumbled, focusing on the computer screens.

I knew that no matter what I did; it wouldn’t make him happy. I knew I hadn’t told him a lot about me. So, maybe I should start there.

“My major is computer engineering. I dabbled in some coding and design, but I love taking the computer apart and seeing all the bits and pieces inside. I’ve always been that way. I once took apart my grandmother’s toaster just to figure out how my toast came out perfectly brown every time. She wasn’t really happy with me, but she didn’t tell my parents that I broke it.”

I was thankful for that.

“Do you miss school?”

“Actually, I do.” Since I had been sent to the cabin, I’d had to withdraw from the semester. I hated to do that, but I had to. I still didn’t know what was going to happen, so I couldn’t register for the next semester. My future was still unknown, and I disliked that part the most.

“Do you miss Unit?” His question was soft, but I knew he was fishing for information.

“I miss my girls, most of all. Other than that,” I shrugged my answer, saying without saying that I couldn't care less about anyone else.

Oliver didn’t push for more details. He returned his focus to his computer screens, clicking away on the mouse.

“I’m going to bed.” I got up, before he could say anything, and headed back upstairs.

Chapter 9

Day 14 of 90

“I think you’re intentionally trying to hurt me.” Oliver kept blocking my shot, but I had connected with his shoulder a few times.

“What?” I stepped back from my attack position and fake gasped. “How could you say something like that, Oliver?”

He rolled his eyes at me. “Really? I don’t know why. Maybe because you’re trying to break my arm.”

I gave him a small smile. “I promise I’m not trying to do that. Remember, we’re equals.”

“I’m beginning to wonder.”

My smile deepened as we went back into position. Oliver easily blocked every punch, swing, and even a couple of kicks. I tried with all my might, but he was as quick as I was.

“Being equals sucks.” I panted, dropping my arms.

Oliver chuckled. “Do you want to stop?”

“I think I’ve had enough for today.” I shook off my gloves.

If my parents had heard me say that, I wouldn’t have made it up the stairs.

“I think that’s the best sparring match I’ve had in a while.” Oliver took off his gloves. I handed him mine, and he put them both away in the closet.

“Well, you are with the best.” I joked, trying to sound like I was still a Protector of the Royal bloodline.

“Yes, I am.”

I ignored him and walked over to where I’d set my towel and bottle of water. I wasn’t sure how to take his overly positive attitude. Although, I was feeling pretty good.

I patted my face with the towel and realized that I had sweated a lot more than I’d thought. I knew I probably didn’t smell very good either. My T-shirt was clinging to me. I took it off, releasing the heat from my skin.

“Amaya.”

I knew that tone. I took my T-shirt and he doesn’t like it. Oliver had used it on me once before when we were in New York and I had taken off my jacket.

I spun on my heels and stared at him with the meanest look I could muster.

“No, there’s no one else here. We’re in the middle of the woods. I highly doubt anyone even knows this place exists. On top of all of that,” I stepped up to him. “You’re my Matched; you’re the only one that gets to see me this way.”

I gave him a sexy smirk. I wasn’t sure why I did it. Maybe my girly curves would keep him from yelling at me again. However, I had enjoyed it when he he’d it before. It was strange seeing the calm, good looking Oliver angry. He still was sexy, but with a bad boy mix in it.

Oliver’s face turned into a stone, hard expression. “But I’m not the only one who’s seen you like that am I?”

I gasped. I took a full step back away from him. It felt as if he had punched me in the stomach. He’d never brought up Thaddeus and my escapade before. I thought he never would.

I felt the tears building up. I pushed past him and sprinted for the stairs. He yelled for me, but I didn’t listen. I slammed the bedroom door shut.

“Amaya,” Oliver called from the other side.

“Go away.” My voice cracked, and I knew the tears were going to fall at any moment.

Oliver didn’t come in, and I curled up in the reading nook, trying to calm myself. I knew what I had done was wrong, but I hadn’t expected him to throw it back in my face.

Who could blame him?

All of this had hurt him, too. He was as much a victim as Xaviera was.

I really was worthless.

Chapter 10

Day 16 of 90

I picked at the toast I had made. I didn’t feel like eating at all. I was alone, again. Oliver had gone back into Unit for meetings or something like that. Whatever the reason, he was gone for a few days, and I was all by myself.

I hadn’t spoken to Oliver since our workout session. I didn’t know why I was being so bitchy to him because he had been telling the truth. Thaddeus and I had made out. A lot. He was the first guy to see me without my shirt on, and without a bra. He was my first kiss, and my first love.

I picked up my journal.

Day 16

I still remember Thaddeus’ kiss, his touch, and how he made me feel. I felt pretty. I felt loved. I felt special. He made me think I could do anything with the way he cared for me, the way he touched me, the way he treasured me, and then it ended.

Thaddeus ended it because he was tired of breaking the Rules. He had promised his mother that he would stay in Unit and he couldn’t do that and still be with me.

I guess he had more of a conscience than I did. I didn’t want to stop, but what was I going to do? Girls and boys couldn’t be together in Unit without being Matched by our parents.

If I really wanted to hurt him, I could have told everyone right away. However, in my heart, I knew that he and I were going to be Matched. I hoped every night that he was my Matched.

I was wrong, yet again.

I closed my book and tossed it to the side. I looked out the window watching the large, fluffy white snowflakes fall from the sky.

I felt like one of them, like I was drifting around, unsure of what to do or where to go.

Would I always be this way?

Probably.

I thought about my possible banishment. Where would I go? How would I make money? Would I be able to finish college? Would I be able to live without my friends? How would I feel without my power or strength?

These were just a few of the questions that roamed around in my mind.

What would happen to Oliver?

Would they allow him to be Matched again?

Why did I care?