Once Upon A Prostitute

CHAPTER 38 - SAY GOODBYE

Luke's POV

The memory of her in his arms haunted me since that day at the park. It had started to fade away, but the moment I saw her look-alike, everything came rushing back. How could two unrelated people look so much alike. I know Laura didn't have a sister, we knew each other from childhood. I pretty much knew every family member she had, and she knew mine. She was my first friend, she was my first love. I thought I knew her, but I didn't. I gave her my heart and she chopped it to pieces with a butcher's knife.

punch

I've been coming to this gym in the frat house basement all week. I box untill my whole body is weak and my thoughts cannot battle with my exhaustion. Only problem is the thoughts have been getting stronger. So I must punch harder and longer. As if on cue, the memory of her in his arms popped into my head. Her half naked body and the way she arched it at his touches. She used to arch it that same way for me.

Punch

She was straddled across his legs with her back to the door so I couldn't see her face, but I knew that body. I had committed it to my memory. I called her name in disbelief and she turned to look at me. Only then did I also see the face of the boy she was straddling. Anger seeped into my veins as I beheld their alarmed faces.

"Luke" I heard her call after me but I didn't stop or turn back. I slammed the door of the house so hard that the windows shook.

Punch

Punch!!

"Luke"

It wasn't her voice this time. I stopped mid-punch and looked to see Elijah coming towards me in his usual lopsided gait. I ignored him and resumed punching.

"Tim told me you were here. I'm ready for that re-match."

It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about FIFA 21. I whooped his ass last week and he promised he'd whoop mine back. The boy could hold a video game grudge forever. But I wasn't worried about that right now.

"Maybe next time Eli" I said and delivered a series of punches to the bag.

"Cause you know I'd whoop your ass this time" he said. I managed to scoff at him but my mind was elsewhere. Images of her beautiful face kept juxtaposing with images of her in his arms, then there were images of the car wreckage, the blood, the final image of her face with open unseeing eyes. They made me punch faster, almost in a frenzy.

"Hey Luke, you alright man?" he asked with concern in his voice

"I'm fine" I said through clenched teeth.

"you don't look like it" he observed

He was right to be concerned. Elijah knew many things about me and my family, but not about Laura. She is the one closet in my heart that I keep securely locked away. It's a closet full of skeletons and a morbid stench, and I'm too angry to clean it out. It was just easier to tuck it away and pretend it was not there.

It's nothing man. Just training" I said and punched away.

"Yeah, for what? You want to be a professional boxer now?" He asked as he came around and held the punching bag in place. I didn't respond to him and kept punching. But Elijah wasn't someone content with his presence being ignored.