Fighting Thrasher Jones

{14} My Escape

"Are you saying that Thrasher Jones deliberately killed my brother?" I yelled, clenching my hands into fists.

Benji slowly rose up from the couch as if a weight was pressing on his shoulders, and nodded regretfully.

The words that spilled unfiltered from my mouth had no justification. My emotions were running wildly out of control and I failed to grasp ahold of them.

"What the hell! The coward murdered Leo just to win the competition and then took his own life. This isn't fair. Why would you get Thrasher's initials tattooed on your wrist? I don't get it," I rambled.

Benji refused to look at me as he clamped a hand around the tattoos. "I can't," he whispered as his eyes glossed over, "I can't talk about this anymore."

My brother was loved by many people. His death had been just as hard on me as it had been for Benji. We were both suffering because of it which was why I'd allowed the issue to drop. If it had continued, I didn't know what would have ended up happening and what I would had done.

"Okay," I sighed, changing the topic, "I'll be graduating high school this year."

"Oh?" Benji said, hitching an eyebrow as he leaned against the wall beside the small shelf, "You should start applying for colleges soon, right?"

Recalling the conversation I'd had with Sabrina earlier on the topic of college, I admitted, "I can't afford it. It's a long story, but I didn't get much money when my parents and Leo died."

Benji rubbed his chin and scrunched his eyebrows. Tying the red bandana around his head, he asked, "Do you know what the prize is for winning the Twenty-One and Under Boxing Championship Tournament?"

I shook my head. "You mean besides a giant trophy and bragging rights?" I clarified.

Benji laughed. "Yeah, besides all that."

"Then, no. Leo participated to have fun. He didn't care what the prize was so I didn't either."

Benji smiled. "Sounds just like him to not care that the ultimate prize is one-hundred grand."

"One-hundred thousand dollars!" I gasped.

"Mhm. Drew, I promise you right now," he said, holding his hand out to me with his pinky outstretched, "that I will win the competition and pay for your college, got it?"

My jaw practically unhinged as I gaped at him. "I can't ask you to do that for me. Benji, you've already done enough for me and-"

"You may have not realized it, but Drew, I owe my life to you. If it weren't for you, I would have most likely killed myself by now," he confessed, taking steps forward until he stood directly in front of me.

Bringing his hand between us, he raised his pinky finger once more and nodded. I stared into his unique eyes as a flash of sadness overcame them. The emotion passed as quickly as it had surfaced, becoming replaced by a hesitant happiness.

Benji's gesture brought tears to my eyes which I forced back, smiling instead. "Thank you," I whispered, truly grateful.

As I wrapped my pinky in Benji's, I felt the walls that I'd built around myself to protect myself from Jackson's abuse start to crumble. Benji and Leo must had shared a wonderful friendship that had run deep for they were both beautiful people with huge hearts that beat for others.