face your demons // finn bálor

Chapter 9

Katherine's P.O.V

This was probably a bad idea. I thought everything would be fine, considering Colby and I are now just friends. Things weren't that awkward between us, and everything has been sort of normal. But I was wrong. It is awkward. So now I'm kind of just hiding in my bathroom.

He started to get a little "touchy/feely" and I honestly didn't know what to do. What do you do when the guy you've been in love with since you were a teenager starts pulling some moves on you? I texted Ace, but he just told me to call Carlos because he's out with Alexa right now. Carlos didn't pick up. So, I'm left with one more option.

Fergal. He lives a few blocks away, and he told me to call him if I ever need anything. I don't feel like I'm in any danger. Colby isn't like that. I just don't know how to tell him no.

I dial Fergal's number and he picks up after a couple of rings.

"Hello?"
"Hey, I don't know who else to call."
"What's up? Everything alright?"

I hear a knock at the door.

"You okay, Kitty?" Colby asks."I'm fine!" I try to cover the phone and yell out, my voice cracking in the process. I put my ear back to the phone.

"Who's that? You with someone?" Fergal's still on the line.
"I'm at home, Colby's here. But he's just making me really uncomfortable and I don't know what to do right now."
"Do ya want me to come over? I can be there in 5 minutes."
"No, it's fine. I just really don't know what to do right now."
"Well, is he tryin' to step over your boundaries? If he's doing stuff ya don't want him to do, it's your home. Tell the guy to leave."
"I really just don't want to piss him off, you know? He would never do anything to hurt me. I just don't want to be romantic anymore."
"Katherine, it's okay to say no. The only thing you're gonna hurt is his ego, trust me."

He's right. But what is he going to do? Ghost me for another 3 years?

"Thank you," I sigh. "I'll call you later, let you know how it goes, okay?"
"Okay. You sure you don't want me to bust in and knock him on the head?"
"No," I laugh. "But I'll keep that in mind."

I hang up and take a deep breath, before finally letting myself out of hiding. Colby's putting his shoes on.

"Oh, sorry. I just wasn't sure if you still wanted to-"
"Actually, you know what?" I cut him off. "I'm getting pretty tired and I know you have to head back to work tomorrow...so..."
"Oh, yeah. That's fine. I'll see you around, right?"

Right. Maybe. I don't know if I want to see him around anymore.

---x---

The next night

I feel like shit. I agreed to go out and celebrate with Fergal tonight. He asked me again last night when I called him after Colby left, and I agreed. But now, forty minutes before I'm supposed to go home and start getting ready, my trainer tells me that I have a match in a few weeks that I need to practice for, and I should stay at least an extra two hours later tonight.

It's Sunday. Which sucks. Because the entire city practically shuts down by 7PM on Sundays. Plus, I'll be entirely too exhausted to even think about doing anything after work. I just texted Fergal for a raincheck. And now I feel like shit.

Not too many people stay at the performance center after 5 o'clock on the weekends. But Ace and Carlos are still here, along with some of my other friends.

I'm actually pretty excited, though. The match that I'm scheduled for isn't just a mock/practice one. I'm going to be making my debut on TV. That, I'm not going to complain about.

Alexa comes up to me, handing me a water bottle and plopping down on the floor next to the treadmill I'm on. She sighs, a little too dramatically.

"What is it?" I turn the machine off and look down at her.

"She's such a-" Was all that she needed to say for me to figure out who this was about. "Skank!"

Seriously? Leah's the skank? ACE IS THE SKANK, COME ON. Stop blaming it on "the other woman".

"What'd they do this time?"

She grabs my arm and drags me to the doorway of the gym, which puts us into view of the hallway that my brother is clearly flirting with another woman in.

"What does she have that I don't?"

I ignore her question and keep watching. They're both beautiful, smart, and amazing athletes. They just need to drop Ace.

I love my brother. But he cares more about what's in his pants than what's in his head.

I notice Leah start to cry. At least, that's what it looks like from where I'm standing. Ace tries to comfort her, but she tells him something that makes his whole body turn at least 2 shades lighter.

"What the hell is going on?! I'm going over there."

------