The Boxer (editing)

Chapter Twelve

Charlie's P.O.V

My fingers drummed along the steering wheel at a rapid speed as my mind took in all the events of the night. Sadie beat the fuck out of that girl and her talent in the ring was dazzling. I felt like a prick for how my body tensed every time I saw one of the gamblers leer at her or make a crude joke. That referee couldn't keep his hands off of her and if it wasn't for Ray's threats, I would have cheered Sadie on as she beat that shitbag to the ground.

She wasn't anything but a friend to me and that's all I wanted. I thought. After spending so much time in her world, after stumbling into all of her secrets, I wanted more. Sadie, she was different. A type of restless that drew me to her.

Restless meant messy. Messy meant unpredictable. Unpredictable meant interesting.

With my family, under our name with our business, you can be everything but restless and messy. My parents, more my mother than my dad, have groomed me to be like that. My dad's company has a certain social standing which left me growing up around snobby people. I never felt liked I belonged, I wanted something more than money brought us. The only friends I had were friends my parents brought into my life, everyone else I brought them they quickly dismissed and Mom pressed how it would look so bad for the family if I was surrounding myself with people in a different tier than us.

Moving was the best thing that could have happened to me. Before, I lived in the next town over. I went to a private school that was shockingly pre-professional, it was all business and barely cared about anything other than a resumé. The friends I had there were selfish guys who used their money and name to get them whatever and whoever they wanted. They all had girlfriends, perfectly manicured and fashionable with hearts as dark as tar. All those girls wanted was the power the guys had, and the guys wanted the same and more from the girls, and all of them had at least two girls from outside on the neighborhood on the side.

Girls I knew wanted to get one thing. More money. My family was one of the most successful ones so I had no shortage of female company which honestly wasn't too bad, but then I had to talk to them. That was like talking to a brick wall.

Alex was the first guy I met here and the first friend of mine who wasn't a complete ass. Abby liked me platonically from the start, which may be because of Alex, but still it was nice. And Sadie, she didn't like me that much and I had never met a girl that didn't like me. She didn't fake anything about herself which caught my interest so quickly, I couldn't shake her out of my mind. Although she pretended to hate me, she trusted me and we both knew it.

We were a few miles away from the Loft when she woke up. "Charles, if you continue that incessant tapping I will break your fingers off one by one."

And she's back.

"How are you feeling?" I glanced at her for a moment, the road was straight and empty so I could take my eyes off for a moment.

"Eyes on the road, not trying to die for a second time today." She snapped at me and her voice was sour and clipped.

Sadie shifted her body away from, a whiff of her flowery and honey scented shampoo filled my nose. How it got past the sweat and vomit stench, I couldn't tell you. "How do you think I am? My worst nightmare just came true. Now I just have to wait until he comes back for me. He's failed twice and you know what they say, third times a charm!"

"There won't be a next time." I responded as patiently as I could. The sight of Ricco pinning her against the wall, the image of his hands fumbling with both of their pants made everything inside me burn with a passionate disgust in hatred. The expression of pure fear on Sadie's face pained me, no one except that fuck could bring that out of her.