Not The Same Girl

Chapter 21

I reach The Ring a few minutes later and pull into the warehouse when Gerry opens the door. "Hi Ray, I didn't expect to see you tonight." "Hi Gerry." I give the man a quick hug. "Yeah was a last-minute decision." I state as I take my bag from beneath the seat and heading towards the back door. When I enter the warehouse from the kitchen, I take a left towards where Rob was sitting. "Ray, you're up next, go into the back to change and wrap your hands." I just give him a nod before slipping into the door. Behind the door there is a long hallway with a bunch of doors on either side. This is where all the fighters get ready, or where you go when you need medical attention. I enter the room I usually go into to see Maggie standing there looking through a magazine. "Hi Sting, Rob let me know you were coming. Come on quickly get dressed." I place my backpack on the small bed before stripping my clothes and pulling on the yoga shorts with the sports bra. I take the brush and quickly pull my hair into a low ponytail, sitting down on the small medical bed. "Are you okay." I just nod and hold my hands out to her as she sighs before wrapping my fingers. "Are you guys fighting with small gloves?" Once again I just nod and look at the door as she places the gloves onto my hands, giving me my mouth guard before telling me I may go. "And next we have our very own Sting!" I hear Robs voice as I make my way towards the ring. Jackhammer was already in the ring with a nasty grin on his face. He was a big dude, I'll give him that, but he was slow. "You know the rules." When we both nod Rob leaves the cage before the referee comes inside and instructs us to touch gloves. "I'm going to enjoy this princess." JH states as we touch our gloves. I just send him a wink before taking a step back and taking a deep breath. I've beaten him before and I have watched him fight a lot of times, and I know his style. I also know that if he connects his right hook, I am done for. When the fight begins JH is immediately on the attack, but I manage to sidestep him before landing a hard punch on the back of his neck. He gives his head a slight shake before coming at me again this time instead of side stepping him, I wrap my arms around his neck before bringing his face down toward my knee, causing his nose to start bleeding. I grin up at him, he is really angry now. He comes for me again but mocks right before connecting a solid left hook to the side of my face, I retaliate by jumping up and sending a powerful uppercut into his jaw. When his head snaps back I strike two hard punches into his short rib, before landing a kick in his abdomen. Sending him to the ground. He pulls himself to his feet looking ready to kill me. When he comes at me again I manage a hard punch onto his already bleeding nose, but his left hand comes from out of nowhere sending my flying to the other side of the ring, before I can comprehend he is sitting on my legs sending punch after punch into my face and stomach while I do my best to block his hard hits. When the bell rings he gets off me before we both go to our respective corners, breathing heavily. As I take a sip of the water handed to me by Maggie when a different voice pops up. "What the actual fuck Raylan?" I turn towards Brandon who looks seething mad, but I just shrug before turning around and handing Maggie the water bottle once she finishes wiping the blood from my eye as the bell goes again. Once again JH storms towards me but I duck to the side before sending my left fist into the side of his head and then smashing my right fist against his ear, knocking him to the ground. I get on top of him sending blow after blow into his face while he tries to block me with his arms. He slips a fist through my arms before sending a powerful uppercut into my jaw sending me flying off him. We both get up but this time I charge towards him, catching him off guard before jumping up and sending a powerful hit towards his temple, knocking him out cold. When the referee gets to his ten count the bell goes and I am declared the winner. Two men come inside to help JH out of the ring as I rest my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, blood was dripoing from my eye and my nose, and I swioed anrgily at it before turning and climbing out of the ring and making my way towards the back with Maggi and Brandon following me, still not compketwly calm Maggie hands me a bottle before instructing me to sit down on the small bed for her to evaluate my injuries. I let out a sharp wince when she presses against my ribs and I only relax when she takes her hand away. "Hm, bruised badly, but he didn't break anything." She mutters before placing an ice pack against my aching body and telling me to keep it in place as she grabs a cotton ball dipped in disinfectant and dabs against the small cut above my eyebrow. When she is busy sticking stitching tape on the small cut Brandon starts talking again. "Jesus Ray, what the fuck was that?" But I ignore him as he paces up and down in the small room. "Hold this." Maddie instructs as she places another icepack onto my jaw which I keep in place with my other hand. "Honestly Raylan, what the fuck were you thinking?" Brandon practically screams but I just ignore him again. "Keep it there for a while, it's definitely going to bruise, and you'll have a nice bruise on your cheekbone with a cut on above your eye and one on your lip, but you'll be fine." I give her a small smile in thanks before she cleans up the small space and makes her way out of the room, leaving me with a furipus Brandon. I lay back down on the bed, moving the icepack back onto my ribs and keeping the other one pressed to my face. I throw my arm over my eyes as Brandon still paces up and down. "What the fuck made you decide to get into the ring with that blockhead?" Once again, I ignore Brandons questions. "Ray what's going on?" Brandons voice is softer this time with a touch of pleading trying to get me to answer him, I sigh softly blinking back the tears that are threating to spill. "Landon told me he is in love with me." Brandon softly mumbles. "Shit." Under his breath. "Then he kissed me, and I smacked him across the face." "Fucking hell, Ray." "Did you know? That he was in love with me I mean." I ask in a soft voice as I move my arm away from my face, before turning my head to the side to look at Brandon, who stopped pacing and is now leaning against the wall opposite the bed. "Well, yeah. I mean we weren't a hundred present sure, because we don't really know the guy, but we kind off had a feeling." I just sigh softly as I turn my head back towards the ceiling and close my eyes. "I have known Landon my entire life, every step of the way, he has been there. His mom and dad filled the roles when my own parents died, everything that has happened in my life, Landon has been right there with me. I love him to death, I really do Brand, but I am not in love with him. I have never even considered the possibility of us being together, despite everyone around us telling us how great we would be as a couple. I thought he felt the same way, sure we hooked up a few times over the years, but it was just sex, I mean at least it was just sex for me. What am I supposed to do now Brand? I don't want to lose him, but if he is in love with me, we can't really be the friends we are supposed to be." I let the tears slide down the side of my face, not bothering to stop them. My heart is breaking for the friendship I may have just lost. "Oh, Little one, we'll figure this out okay. Everything is going to be alright you'll see. I know it doesn't seem like that now, but I promise we'll find a way to fix this mess." When my phone starts ringing Brandon reaches into my bag and hands it over to me, when I see Marks name flashing, I sigh softly before answering. "Hi baby." More tears stream down my face as I hear Mark's soft tone. "Hi." I mumble quietly along with a hiccup. "Jenny called, then Maggie called, I hear you kicked JH's ass." I smile softly. "He got a few solid knocks in I assure you." "Why didn't you call me, Ray?" His voice is soft, and I try to control the tears that just keep flowing. "I was just so angry, some of the things he said." I let out a deep breath while attempting to wipe the tears that are still falling. "I never expected Lan to throw what happened with Noah in front of my face, not like this. He said Jake is only going to drop me on my ass when he finds out about Noah, like it is some dirty disease I have been carrying around with my for the last two years." "It was a dick move on Landon's part honey, and nothing he can say or do will take that moment back, I really don't know what came over him sweetie, saying something like that. Do you want me to come home? I can be there within the hour if I leave now. I'll tell the guys something came up." No, its fine, really. It's late and I do not want you driving so far this time of night, I'll just go home and get some sleep. I'll figure out what to do tomorrow." "Okay sweetie, try and get some rest okay. And take care of whatever bruises you might have after your fight, I still don't think fighting was the best way to deal with this but I also know that if you didn't get out, you would've spent the entire night in that basement. I'll see you tomorrow okay. Take care of yourself Raylan, I love you so much honey." "Thank you, I will. I love you too."