False Illusions (False #1) (20 page)

The bar was the next thing I hit, making myself a glass of whiskey. Now I’m drinking when I’m suppose to be training because she wants to be a selfish bitch.

Okay, she’s not a bitch, but she is acting like one with her disappearing act.

I lied.
I am pissed.

Throwing the high ball glass at the floor I watch it shatter, just like my heart. The same heart that I kept in a cage for a reason. I told her I didn’t do love and now look at me. I’m pussy whipped over a girl that doesn’t give a fuck about me.

Sinking to the floor I hold my head in my hands.

Madison St. Cruix was the best I never had.

The next day is worse. I wake up with a pounding headache and an empty bottle of whiskey next me on the floor. How the fuck? I can’t even think about how I ended up here. My body is aching. Fuck, more like my hands are killing me.

I pull myself off the floor and that’s when I see it. The damage I caused. The glass coffee table is shattered in pieces. The couches are turned over. Fuck there’s glass everywhere.

My hands. Oh shit my fucking hands are covered in cuts and blood. What did I do?

“El, man.”

I look up to see Chris standing by the entry way. The look on his face tells me I fucked up. I see the pity in his eyes and I can’t stand it. Looking away I shake my head. Is this what love does? It breaks your soul? It ruins the dreams you created?

My hands. Did I break them? Fuck.

“Chris. My hands,” I barely choke out. I’m going to lose it. The tears threaten to spill.

Chris is at my side in a second. “Let’s get you to the hospital, El. I’ll have the housekeeper clean this all up. Okay?” He talks to me like I’m a broken child.

Only thing I can think about is my dream that could all be ruined because I played with fire knowing it would all crash and burn.

The whole hospital visit is a big blur. I remember being seen by a doctor but that’s it. Am I broken? Can I still fight?

Javi is back. He doesn’t say much to me as he cleans my hands and wraps them in clean bandages. Chris hands me pain pills that I got a prescription for and I take them without a fight. I normally don’t take medication.

One thing I do notice is that the bed sheets are new. I don’t smell her anymore and it kills me.  Chris has taken my phone so that no one can bother me.

These pills make me feel funny, but the pain is gone. Not the pain in my heart. No that’s still there reminding me that Madison caused it.

She never said I love you back.

It isn’t until a day later that Javi and Chris are fed up with my pity party for one. Cold water splashes my face causing me to jump out of bed.

“What the fuck!” I shout at them. They are standing a few feet from my bed.

“Time to train, El. You have a fight in less than a month. We let you mope for a day, now it’s time to be gangsta.” Javi tosses the bucket on the floor. “Get dressed.”

He’s right. This wasn’t me to mope around over a girl. I had way over my five minutes to be emotional. Now I have to go out and be gangsta.

I have a Champ to beat.

The Lonely- Christina Perri

It’s been a week since I walked out on Yoel. A week since I heard his voice. He hasn’t picked up one of my calls or responded to any of my texts.  He didn’t even say anything when I sent him a copy of my first article. Nothing. Dead silence.

The days have dragged, and there were hours where I would just stare at my charm bracelet or the picture of us that made a home on my nightstand.

Chelsea told me she heard Yoel messed his hands up, but was still training. Poor Chelsea, she was constantly in the middle of our problems.

The fight was in a couple of weeks and I have been debating about showing up, but I know he doesn’t want to see me. If he did we would be talking, right?

I inspect the phone in my hands. The bottle of wine I just consumed is giving me a liquid push.

Scrolling to his name I push call.

It rings and rings.

“Madison,” It’s Chris. My heart sinks.

“Chris.”

“You have to stop calling him. Look, He needs to be focused and it’s not helping that you’re fucking with his head,” he hisses in a harsh whisper.

I’m taken aback. “Why is he ignoring me?” I pout. Damn wine.

“You know why.” And I do know why. I walked out on him.

“How’s his hands?” I ask softly. “Chelsea told me.”

He coughs out a laugh. “He got drunk when he got back from New York and tore up his hotel room. “ He huffs out a breath. “Just leave him alone.”

Tears start to spill out my eyes as I shake my head. “But I love him, Chris.”

“Well you sure showed him that by walking out.,” he snaps. “Just stop. If he wants to talk to you after the fight then okay, but don’t ruin this for him. He’s been working a long, hard time to get here. He needs to be focused. You were engaged to the Champ. Stop acting like you don’t know how this shit works!”

His words feel like a slap to the face as the line goes dead. He hung up on me.

Talk to me after the fight? I wanted to be there for the fight. I want to sit in his corner and I don’t care that the press are going to tear me a new asshole for being on his side.

Yoel has gone out of his way to get to me, now it’s my turn. I just hope he doesn’t wait a month to hear me out.

Monday morning couldn’t have come fast enough. I walk into the office on a mission. Making a straight line to my desk neighbor.  I have a plan and it includes him.

Carter is sipping a cup of coffee when I plant my butt on the edge of his desk and bat my eyes.

His green eyes narrow behind his glasses. “No.” he looks back to his computer.

I huff. “But you don’t even know what I was going to ask.” I pout.

“I don’t want your boyfriend to kill me. I like the way my face is, thank you very much.” He dismisses me.

I don’t move. “I need you let me be your plus one to the press box at the fight.”

This gets his attention. He swirls his chair in my direction. “Wait. What?” He frowns. “Are you telling me he didn’t give his girlfriend seats?”

I wince. “I may or may not have messed up a little bit and he won’t talk to me,” I rush out.

Carter smirks leaning back in his seat crossing his arms. “And what do I get out of this.”

This was the hard part for me. “I can give you some dirt on Marcus.” I offer. “Well I can give you answers that you need.”

He doesn’t look convinced, “And how would you know this information.”

Groaning I face-palm myself. “I’m his ex fiancé,” I mumble.

“What?” He holds his ear. “I didn’t hear you.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m Marcus Wellington’s ex-fiancé !” I snap at him. “Now can you help me or not.”

His eyes go wide. “Holy shit.” When I lift an eyebrow he nods. “Sure. You can be my plus one.”

With a huge smile I thank him and go to my desk. I need a plane ticket and prayer. The thought of using my parents’ crossed my mind, but I had a plan. I couldn’t let him see me until after the fight. I would give Chris that, but I refuse to let him go back to Atlanta without hearing me out.

The next week and half are the longest of my life. At night I have to force myself not to call Yoel, and during the day I daydream at my desk when I’m not feeding Carter information on Marcus and his cheating ways. I eventually spilled my guts to him and Nick one night when we had drinks after work.

They now knew I was a ‘Ring hoe’ which they tried to tell me I wasn’t. I was, and they couldn’t tell me any different. Emma felt the need to give me a hug every hour. She was a lightweight, but she was sweetheart.

Now here Carter and I were at the airport, and now my plan wasn’t sounding like a good idea. I wrote and deleted and rewrote my notes over and over.

The more the security line moved, the more I felt the need to find a restroom and throw up the breakfast I forced down this morning. The fight isn’t until tomorrow night, but Carter suggested we fly out tonight to give me time to get my nerves together. I appreciated him at this moment.

“You’ll be okay,” he tells me as we settle in our seats. “It will all work out. You can tell he’s crazy about you.”

I look out the window. “I hope you’re right.”

He smirks. “I know I’m right, now relax.” He pushed his headphones in his ears.

I take a deep breath. I can do this. Carter is right, Yoel told me he loves me. You can’t switch emotions like that off like a light switch. For my sake I hope that wasn’t possible. 

Energy- Drake

This was it. Every fight I won, every bruise, every black eye came down to this moment. The last two weeks have been the realest for me. I trained harder than ever. I went to sleep and woke up swinging.

I have been on edge all day for this moment. This was my dream. My hard work put to the test. My family was watching, my loyal fans were out there screaming my name. My fucking name.

My now healed hands are wrapped and ready to be put in my gloves. My black and gold shorts are tied, my robe covers my naked torso.

The locker room is quiet except for the chatter between Chris and Javi. Rico is even here sitting in the corner. Javi talked me into letting him be here, but I was still pissed with him.