Path To Restoration (Fighter's Den, #3)

Chapter 3 - Delilah

You'd think I've been to plenty of boxing matches considering that I'm surrounded by an army of boxers almost daily. The truth is, I always chickened out at the prospect of going to one. Crowds were never my thing. An arena full of dumb jocks spilling their crap everywhere and scantily clad women giving it up like groupies after a match was the kind of thing I'd always strayed far, far away from. Just the thought of it made me want to shudder. I'd gotten away with being absent at most of Jaxon's and Cam's matches but I guess the day had to come where I just couldn't escape it.

When Avery showed up to my room uninvited, hands on her hips and glaring at me where I shrunk under my duvet and held my book tightly to my chest, I knew I was in trouble. And man, was I right. She'd stalked over to my little sanctuary and proceeded to rip it apart by snatching my blanket away and smacking me upside the head.

"Up." She'd demanded. "You're going to accompany me at my boyfriend's match today since Emily has to take care of Lucas and you've been in hiding since you found out about the pregnancy. Now get your cute little butt out of bed and stop feeling sorry for yourself because you have an army of friends that love you and are here for you even though you won't let us. Deal with it, chica."

And that was that.

So here I am now attempting to turn invisible in my seat while the rest of the audience gets pumped up for the match. I can't decide where to look. All around me are people behaving like animals and I have to wonder what the hell is so appealing about all of this.

"The crowds are overwhelming." Avery pats my knee and I guess I'm not going a very good job at concealing my disdain. "But once the match starts, you'll be captivated. I promise you. Especially if you know the fighter. It's fucking thrilling, Del."

"Sure." I nod. I hope she's right for both our sakes. "Do you ever feel scared watching Cameron fight?"

"Oh, all the time. I know he's insanely talented and I don't doubt his skills for a second but I also know he's not the only capable fighter in this sport. Every punch that lands on him hurts me, too. Part of me wants to cry and the other part of me wants to get in the ring myself and pummel the fuck out of whoever touched my man. But I know he can hold his own and I know this is what makes him happy so I support it. Plus, he gets really revved up for sex after a win so that's a bonus for me."

I choke on my drink. That's Avery for you — equally sweet and horny.

"Good to know." I mumble into my straw.

She turns to me then and eyes me in a way that makes me squirm in my seat. "How are you, Del? Do I need to worry about a psychotic breakdown anytime soon? And just so you know, I'm not judging. If you want to track that asshole down with a sledgehammer in your hand I'll gladly pin his arms behind his back so he's an easier target."

A laugh bubbles out of me. I really love this girl. "As appealing as that sounds, I could never do something like that. I'm fine, thank you. I'm just doing my best to adjust. I guess it's taking so long because I've never messed up this bad before."

"You didn't mess up." She says confidently. "When I was in middle school, one of the mean girls in my class used to pick on all the other girls. I happened to be friends with one of the girls that was constantly picked on so I took matters into my own hand and dumped a bottle of honey mixed with glue onto the bully's hair. She couldn't get it out for the life of her and eventually had to resort to shaving her head. I got suspended for three days. That's messing up. I did a stupid thing over a situation I could have handled better. That was my own doing. This — Chris leaving you — was not your doing. That's solely the responsibility of that jerkoff and you didn't do a damn thing to deserve it. You did not mess up."