Chapter 15
With the help of Cydney, I’m trying to get over the guilt I feel from her attack. If I wouldn’t have shown that bitch the time of day, she would never have gone after Cydney. I’m fucking grateful that she didn’t leave me over it. And somehow in her heart, she never once blamed me for what happened to her that night.
I’m still afraid to leave her alone and for the first week, my professors gave permission for me to stay home and do my work online, and coach allowed me to miss a few practices. But eventually I had to return to reality, and since Cynthia was staying in town while Cydney healed, she would sit with her while I was gone. We have our last away game of the season coming up and I’m dreading it. I don’t want to be that far away from her.
Time is the only healer we have for the anxiety within us to lessen and for the outside swelling and bruising to slowly start fading away. Cydney’s starting to look like herself again, and through this whole ordeal she has been so fucking brave. I’m so fucking proud of the strength she has.
The police, though, are pissing me the hell off at how fucking slow they are moving at finding the bitch that attacked Cydney. I can’t sit back anymore and wait, it’s not my style and I want her to pay for what she did.
I wait outside of the advanced business class I had last semester. When the bell rings and students start walking out, I walk in.
“Maverick?” Professor Boyd looks at me curiously.
“Hi, Professor Boyd. I have a question.”
“Sure, what can I help you with?” He starts gathering papers off his desk and putting them in his briefcase.
“The redhead that sat next to me last semester. Do you remember her name?” I tap my thumb against my thigh anxiously.
He looks up at the ceiling for a second as he tries to remember then his eyes come back to mine. “Monica. Yes, Monica Flounder.” Flounder? I almost bust out laughing, her last name is a kind of fish and she fucked like a dead one. The name fits.
“Thank you!” I rush out of the classroom before he has a chance to ask me why I wanted to know.
In the hallway, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Zac. “Hey, Mav!”
“Hey, I need your help. I need you to go to the admissions office and get information on Monica Flounder.”
“How do you expect me to do that? They don’t just hand that shit out, y’know?”
“I don’t care how you do it. Just do it! Meet me in thirty minutes at the college café.” I hang up and go wait for Zac.
I keep watching the time on my phone and it feels like this thirty minutes has taken fucking forever, but with five minutes to spare, Zac comes running around the building.
“Who is Monica Flounder and why did you want her information?” His brow cocks up in suspicion as he hands me a piece of paper.
“She’s the bitch that attacked Cydney.” Looking down, I open the paper and have her name, phone number, and address. Perfect.
“What are you gonna do?” Zac questions.
“Set her up.” I simply state. Pulling my phone out, I send her a text.
Me: Hey! It’s Maverick. Thought we could meet up.
I wait and wait. Minutes go by and, just when I think she isn’t going to respond, my phone pings.
Monica: How did you get my number? Thought you had a girlfriend?
Me: It wasn’t easy but when I want something bad enough nothing will stop me. Nah not anymore I got bored with her
Fuck! It hurts to say shit like that about Cydney, even though I know I’m lying.
Monica: Hmm I knew you would want me again
Me: We did have one hell of a tutor session. Will you meet me?
Monica: Where and when?
Me: An hour at the college cafe
Monica: See you then
I blow out a deep breath and look up at Zac. “She’s meeting me here in an hour.” I make the needed phone call.
“Athens Police Department,” the dispatcher says through the line.
“I need to speak to Detective Stephens. Tell him it’s Maverick Taylor.”
“Just a moment,” she says before I’m put on hold.
“Maverick, how can I help you? Is Cydney okay?” Detective Stephens questions when he gets on the line.
“She’s fine. Monica Flounder is the name of the girl who attacked Cydney.”
“Yes, we have her name, but we have yet to locate her.”
“She’s meeting me in an hour at the college café. Be here.” I hang up.
“I’ll be right inside if you need me.” Zac tells me as he heads inside the café and I stay outside waiting.
I spot headlights coming in the distance, the car pulls into the campus parking lot, and someone steps out of the car. I’m positive it’s Monica! My heart pounds the closer she gets and rage boils inside of me, but I have to contain it.
“Well, well, Maverick Taylor. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by your call.” Monica steps up to me with a smile on her face. Her finger runs down my chest.
I look into her eyes and don’t see an ounce of regret or guilt in them for what she did. Does this bitch have a conscience? “Oh, yeah. You know relationships aren’t really my thing. It got boring, so I had to drop her.” I inwardly cringe having to say that and act like I’m interested in this chick that hurt the love of my life.
“I don’t need a relationship.” She steps closer and gets on her tippy toes.
“What do you need?” I whisper in her face looking into her eyes.
“I need you.” She moves her head to the side, about to kiss my neck. I move at lightning speed and turn us around. I push her against the wall and hold her arms above her head.
“Mm, should we go to your place?” she questions in a sultry tone.
I hear the faint sound of sirens and smile. “You’re going down, bitch!”
She shrieks, “What?” The sirens get closer.
“We all know what you did and the cops are coming for you.” I laugh an evil laugh.
“You set me up!” She screams and fights against me, but I’m too strong.
“Damn right, I did. You don’t get to beat the shit out of the woman I love then get away with it.” I turn to look at the red and blue lights moving closer. I turn my attention back to Monica.
I don’t even see it coming; her forehead slams into my nose. On instinct, I release her and grab my face. “Son of a bitch!” I yell and feel the blood leaking out of my nose. “You bitch!” I go to reach for her again, but she’s gone. I look around and don’t see her anywhere. “Fuck!” I roar.
Detective Stephens runs up to me. “Where is she?”
“She headbutted me and took off.” I wipe the blood from my nose.
Zac comes out of the café. “Dude, you okay? I saw what she did, but when I got up to come out I lost sight of her as she took off.”
“Go home, Maverick. Clean your nose, and let us do our jobs. No more interference,” Detective Stephens tells me, sounding defeated.
“Sorry,” I apologize, feeling pretty defeated myself. Zac and I leave the scene, walking across the street to the apartment building and the condo.
“It was a good thing, what you tried to do.” He pats my back and turns towards the building he’s staying in.
“How was it good? She still got away, Zac.”
“Because it shows you care. At least you fucking tried.” His head hangs. “I’ll see you later, man. Put some ice on that nose.” He walks away, and I enter my apartment building.
Taking a deep breath, I unlock and open my front door. “Mav, where have you been?” Cydney questions from the couch she’s sitting on.
“I’m gonna go. I’ll see you kids later.” Cynthia rushes out the door.
I wet a paper towel, wipe the blood from my nose, then grab a frozen steak out of the freezer and hold it against my nose. Wincing against the cold, I turn to Cydney.
Her eyes widen. “What the hell happened to you?”
I walk into the living room and plop down on the couch next to her. “Monica Flounder is the girl that attacked you. I did my own investigation and set her up.”
“You did what?” Cydney screeches at me.
I go on. “She met me at the college café and I had her held against the wall, but when she figured out what I did, she headbutted me and busted my nose.”
“Mav.” Cydney’s voice lowers.
My gaze goes to her. “I’m sorry. I just hate sitting here depending on the cops to do something when I have to see you hurt every day. I want her to pay for what she did to you.” I place my hand on her thigh and squeeze a little.
“I don’t like what you did, but I love you for trying. Promise me from that now on you will let the cops handle it. I don’t want you coming home hurt anymore.”
“I promise.” I give her a small smile. “We will just sit here and be broken together.”
She laughs. “Deal. I love you, Mav.”
“I love you too, Cyd.” She leans in and kisses me on the cheek.
It’s been a few days since my failed attempt at setting Monica up and I wanted to do something nice for Cydney. I’ve rounded up Dex and Zac to help me. We pull into Barry’s and Dex shuts off his truck; we all climb out and head into the bay. “Alright, not much is left; let’s get the seats installed first. Then, we will move on to the stereo system and paint.”
Cydney’s favorite color is green, so I had custom bucket seats made for the Charger. They are mostly black with a thick racing stripe running down the middle. The dash is also black with outlines of the bright green color. It’s going to look amazing when the paint is finished. I hope she loves it.
A few hours later, we have the last touches finished up and the car is now painted the same bright green, except the hood vent is black and there are some highlights of yellow; it looks fucking awesome! We stand back, staring at the car.
“Dude, I wish you were in love with me. This car is a fucking beauty!” Zac jokes.
“I hope she likes it. Thanks for helping me!” I smile at the finished product.
“You’re welcome!” Dex slaps me on the back. “I’m happy for y’all. You two are perfect for each other.”
“Damn straight.” I laugh, thinking back to when we first met and all the fighting we used to do. “Zac, when you gonna get your head out of your ass and go for Cayden?” I question, chuckling.
“Don’t go there.” He shuts that conversation down immediately and walks out of the garage, allowing for no additional replies.
“I don’t know what his deal is with Cayden, but she’s going to give up if he doesn’t figure shit out soon,” Dex says, watching Zac get back in the truck.
“Yeah, I know.” I deadpan.
“You gonna have your head in this game coming up?” he questions as we start to put the tools away.
“I’ll be alright.” I try to sound more confident than I feel. “I gotta let the paint dry and then I can drive it outta here tomorrow afternoon,” I say, changing the subject.
“I’ll be there to pick you up. She’s gonna love it.” He smiles and pats my back as we lock up the garage.
I walk into my apartment while everyone else waits outside. I find her moping on the couch. “C’mon, Cyd, I have a surprise for you.” I smile at how cute she looks with her messy bun, oversized t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and one flip-flop.
“Surprise?” She perks up. “What surprise?” She sits up on the couch.
“Come see for yourself.” I chuckle and hold my hand out for her to take. When she does, I help her off the couch and she hops to the wall to get her crutches. Shutting the door behind us, we take the elevator down and then she follows me to the parking lot. Everyone is standing in front of the Charger, so she can’t see it right away. We take a few more steps and then I stop her from going any further.
“Okay.” I give the word with a beaming smile; my eyes stay glued to her the entire time. They start parting from the car and all she sees her eyes grow wider and wider.
Her mouth gapes open and then a gasp leaves her lips. “Oh, my God! It’s beautiful!” Her head snaps in my direction. “You finished it?” Her smile is bright and dazzling.
“Yeah, I had help from the guys.” I look down at my feet.
She reaches out, gripping my arm in her hand. “It’s amazing, Mav! I love it!”
I look back up at her and smile. Sticking my hand in my pocket, I pull out the keys and hold them out in my hand. “Here. These are for you.”
Her eyes travel between mine and my hand, and her brows pull down. “What do you mean they’re for me?”
“This is your car now, Cydney.” I shrug.
“You’re giving me this car?” Her mouth drops open once again and she shakes her head in disbelief.
I take the few steps needed to be right in front of her and run my thumb across her cheek. “The car was always going to be yours; I just needed a way to get you to spend time with me.” A slow grin appears on my lips. “I needed you to see past the person you thought I was—to see the real me.”
Tears shine in her eyes. “I did, and you made me love every part of you, even when I didn’t want to.”
“Damn straight.” I laugh and add, “You’re the best game I ever played.”
“And it was my favorite loss.” We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, then my lips descend on hers. Everyone around us claps, hollers, and laughs happily.
Today is the day I’m on the bus leaving for the away game. It’s only an hour away, but my anxiety is through the fucking roof worrying about her. We’ve only been on the road for about ten minutes, but I feel the need to text her.
Me: You good?
Her reply is immediate.
Firecracker: Mav! I’m fine momma and my sisters are here.
Me: I know! I’m just worried.
Firecracker: if you worry so much about me you lose this game I will beat you with this cast.
Me: lol ok ok. I’ll talk to you after. I love you!
Firecracker: I love you too now go win!
I laugh at her last text and the banter between us, and my heart settles a fraction. By the time we get to the stadium, I have messaged several times until she told me I was driving her crazy and that she was trying to watch a movie.
My team gets led to our locker room, we get our uniforms on, and coach starts his usual pregame speech. “Alright, guys, get out there, do your best, and bring home the win.” I tune out the rest of his speech as I try to get my head in the game.
At the end of the fifth inning, we are down by two. I throw my curveball. The batter swings and hits it, sending it flying past me. I turn in time to see Zac jump into the air, catching the ball—and the batter is out. He quickly releases the ball and it flies back to me. I turn back and throw it to Dex, and he brings the ball down on home base before the player makes it, bringing another out from the umpire.
It’s our turn at bat. Our first three batters load the bases. Dex gets a strike on his first swing. The pitcher winds up and throws, and the bat smashes against the ball, sending it flying and over the fence. Home run! Our guys jog into home base and we take the lead.
The game ends and we are taking home the win. We have an undefeated season so far, and this is one step closer to the playoffs. My blood is pumping as I step back on the bus to go home. I pull my phone out of my pocket.
Me: We won!
Firecracker: Yes! I knew you would! We’ll celebrate when you get home.
Me: See ya in a little while. Love you
Firecracker: Love you too
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I smile. I’m really liking the sound of her saying home. And I’m thinking it needs to become permanent.