BLAME IT ON THE PAIN : EPISODE 1 – 10
EPISODE 7
(Jackson POV)
“And in this corner- weighing in at 235lbs of pure steel. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you- ‘Jack the Ripperrrrrr,’ ”the announcer yells, while I inwardly cringe.
There are no words to describe how much I truly hate my stage name.
Needless to say, I didn’t choose it.
Just like every other decision for the last 3 years, it was made for me.
I have no control over my own life anymore. And I fking hate it.
Ricardo, my mob appointed coach; taps my back and whispers words of encouragement. I nod my head as he walks off to sit in the far corner.
I look up at the camera positioned directly above the ring and give another nod. This one’s for the d’vil himself, Bruno DeLuca.
I’d only met him once, but I know for a fact that he watches every single match, without fail.
I search the crowd for Tyrone, yes—that Tyrone who fought in Mike’s place that ho..rrible night. Funny how the world works. Shortly after I joined the ‘DeLuca family’, Tyrone ended up joining as well.
Obviously, not of his own free will. He got involved with the wrong crowd, in his hometown of Alabama; and ended up going down for some sht that really wasn’t his fault, but got put on him anyway.
That’s, of course, when DeLuca came in to save the day.
Not only is Tyrone one h’ll of a fi ghter, but he’s also my good friend and roommate. He’s also the only person I talk to about Lilly in my darkest times.
He’s not scheduled to fi ght tonight, but we always show up to support one another.
I lock eyes with him briefly. He gives me a big smile and fist pumps the air. “Give em’ h’ll, J-man! Break bad on em’,” he shouts in his thick Southern accent.
I try not to smirk, and study my opponent instead.
I’ve got about an inch on him, but he’s got a good 10-15lbs on me. From what Ricardo told me about him, he’s more of a boxer, rather than an MMA fighter.
This should be an interesting match.
That’s the other thing about DeLuca’s fi ght club. It’s pretty much anything goes. Even dirty style fi ghting.
Especially dirty style fi ghting.
My opponent rolls his shoulders and snorts.
The announcer walks off and I hear the sound of the cage being locked around us.
I assume my stance and the bell rings.
Adrenaline pulses through me as he advances toward me and attempts a right jab to my face.
I deflect and co¢k my arm at a 90-degree angle and get him with a right hook instead. He grunts and comes at me with another jab and quickly attempts to grab me. He almost had me for a second, but I get him with a sharp upper¢ut to his j aw.
BIood spews out and he begins to stumble backward.
Then I see it.
Out in the crowd, I can’t help but notice her in the second row.
The same girl who entered my dressing room earlier.
Only, it’s not her long blonde hair, smokin’ body, or beautiful hazel eyes that grab my attention this time.
It’s the utter fear I see in them.
I look down and see that some id!ot has his fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist…and he’s not letting up. It looks like she was trying to serve him a drink, but instead, he’s forcing her to sit on his Iap.
His movements are only getting more aggressive, and no one’s doing a dmn thing about it. He then reaches up with his other hand and palms one of her bbs.
That’s when I lose my sht.
I run over to the side of the cage. “Let her go! Now!”
Both he and the crowd ignore me and begin to chant my name instead. I co¢k my head to the side and look at Ricardo. “Help her! Get her out of here!” I scream.
He points to his ear and shakes his head.
Fk, he can’t hear me.
I scan the crowd for that id!ot, Luke, who’s supposed to be in charge of the ring girls. He looks over at her, but instead of helping her, he only shrugs and smiles at me.
I growl and flip him the bird.
I look out into the crowd for Tyrone and begin rattling the cage. The crowd cheers even louder then.
Ba$tards.
I begin scaling the cage, and finally; Tyrone looks at me. I point in her direction. “Get her out of here, now…” I start to say until I’m quickly yanked back.
Something solid hlts my eye with enough force to turn my head and kno¢k my mouth guard out.
I can hear the crowd collectively gasp.
I’ve never been hi t d ead on before. I’ve always been able to deflect it.
My opponent smiles from ear to ear…but little does he know that he just unleashed h’ll.
Out of the corner of my good eye, I see Tyrone heading in her direction.
At least, she’ll be safe now. This is no place for a girl like her, that’s for sure.
Visions of Lilly flash through my mind. The p.ain flows through me and I let my opponent have it.
We start to grapple, but it’s a lost cause for him. I’m hi tting him with numerous elbow strikes, upper¢uts, and j abs. I don’t even realize I’ve already kno¢ked him out until someone bombards the cage and pulls me off of him.
I almost take a swing at them, before I hear Ricardo’s voice. “You got him, man. He’s out. You did it,” he says.
I stare down at my opponent and all I see is Mike…all I see is that night.
Despite the crowds frantic cheers, I run out of there.
BLAME IT ON THE PAIN : EPISODE 1 – 10
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