Page 19 of Vendetta

Sweat began dripping down into my eyes. My muscles grew weak, but I kept going. Hit after hit after hit, my muscles working on overdrive and my mind racing a million miles a minute. I needed to get it out, to quiet all of the noise inside my head. All I could see was Emory’s face, her smile and the joy in her eyes that somehow stayed for every passing moment. I was in a trance, trapped in this bottomless pit that I tried and tried to crawl out of. I was drowning, and I couldn’t find the surface.

I was grunting, pushing my body beyond its limits, willing it to take me just a little bit further. A hand grabbed my shoulder and I swung my body around on instinct, throwing a hook with all of my force as my fist grazed Kaptan’s face. He stepped back just in time, dodging the blow. It wasn’t the first time he had found me like this, no doubt already expecting the reaction.

He didn’t speak a word, his black eyes assessing me. My muscles shook, arms hanging limply by my sides as I took a step back and tried to catch my breath. I lowered my gaze to the mats, hating for him to see me lose control like this. I was close with all of the guys, but Kaptan was the only one that saw through my bullshit when I pretended to be okay. He hadn’t said anything about Landry since the lake day, giving me my space until I was ready to talk.

I slowly lowered myself to the ground, sitting back against the wall with my elbows braced on my knees as my body began shaking from the exertion that I had just put it through.

“You fucked her.” He finally asked. It was a statement more than a question, a hint of disappointment laced in his tone.

“No. Not really, I mean…” I shook my head.

“You’re letting her get into your head.”

I ripped the tape off of my hands, raking them through my hair before hanging my head in defeat. I hated that he wasn’t wrong. We sat in silence for a few moments before I finally admitted “I know.”

“Think of Emory.” Kaptan said, and my jaw clenched to the point of pain. My nails dug into the nape of my neck, feeling the blood begin to seep out of the crescent-shaped cuts I was leaving.

“All I think about is Emory.” I ground out, speaking through my teeth. “You of all people should know that. Everything I do is for Emory.” I stated, leaving a bite with each word. “It’s all. For. Emory.”

Kaptan’s gaze softened, his dark eyes turning pitying for the briefest of moments before he extended a hand. I slapped it away, needing to be left with my own thoughts for a bit longer.

I was messed up in the head. It didn’t help that Landry was everywhere, even when she wasn’t around. Since that night, she hadn’t left my mind. TJ and Nate hadn’t stopped interrogating me about my outburst on Saturday, trying their best to convince me to give her a chance. Telling me all about how sweet she was, completely missing the point. They didn’t know who she was to me. They didn’t understand why that could never happen.

On the other hand, I had Kaptan insisting I do more, to take control and claim the revenge that I was owed. Zayn sat in the middle, torn because he personally liked Landry, but also understanding what I was going through. He had been there that night, after all.

I forced myself to become a rock, hardening myself to all emotions as my walls shot back up. I felt safer when I had myshields in place, allowing me to become less vulnerable to the outside world. I needed to be in control. Without control, I would be lost.

“So what are you going to do about it?” His face remained impassive, his question genuine.

I breathed in through my nose, forcing myself to hold in the breath before slowly releasing it through my mouth. Doing it a few more times, my head cleared just enough for me to weigh my options. An idea sprung to me, and my control snapped back into place as I stood up, locking eyes with Kaptan.

“Taken. Do you know what servers they use?”

The corner of his lip slowly dragged up into what I could only imagine was a smile, or at the very least, the closest thing to a smile that he would ever show.

I had something in mind, and Kaptan’s involvement with his father’s high-tech security company would allow me the access I needed. He was a computer genius and he knew it, his smirk telling me all that I needed to know.

He turned to stride away, leaving me to observe the massive freshly-inked skull tattoo that covered his entire back. Snatching his phone out of his pocket, he hit a few buttons before bringing it to his ear and stepping into the parking lot.

The games were still two weeks away, and I knew that there was more that I could do in that timeframe. And it just so happened that an idea crossed my mind, something sparking my interest that she had said that first day by the pool. I walked over to the lockers to grab my own phone, sending a quick text to Courtney.

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CASHTON:Hey. You down to help me out with something?

CHAPTER 9

LANDRY

“Not only that, but did you know that the whole ‘Pit Bulls having a locking jaw’ thing was debunked as a myth a long time ago? They just have powerful jaws.And,they actually rank on the lower end of the charts when it comes to aggression testing, even below labrador retrievers. The only reason people fear them so much is because when they do attack, it’s much more dangerous because of their muscle mass and strength. I’m telling you, it’s the bad owners that ruin it for everyone else. I understand compromising—for example, maybe requiring Pit Bull owners to attend behavioral training, but banning an entire breed based on their reputation is wrong. Did you know that around one million Pit Bulls are euthanized each year, making up close to forty percent of the dogs euthanized in shelters in the US? Something needs to be done about it. How depressing is that?”

I had stormed out of my room, laptop in hand, unable to sit still after uncovering all these facts. Now, Bexley and I stood in the kitchen, the air filled with the savory aroma of the Thai lettuce wraps I was preparing as she listened intently to my impassioned rant. My heart ached under the weight of this new knowledge. I knew Pit Bulls had a bad reputation, and I genuinely felt for the people and families who had experienced incidents involving the breed, but the fact that an entire breed was condemned and discriminated against because of those incidents made me sick to my stomach. The injustice of it all simmered inside me, almost as much as the food on the stovetop.

The more research I did, the more tightly I hugged the Pit Bulls at the shelter. There were evenings when I sat inside their pens, letting them cover me in slobbery kisses before they eventually curled up and fell asleep in my lap. While they dozed, I worked on my presentation, their steady breathing grounding me as I poured my heart into every word.

This was the hardest I had ever worked on anything in my life, and it felt good. I knew a single classroom presentation might not change the world, but it was a start. If I could change even one person’s mind, make them see these dogs differently, I would count that as a win.

Bexley was my rock throughout the process, offering all the support and encouragement I could ask for. She helped me research whenever we had a free moment, sending me links to articles and studies, while Olivia pitched in with creative brainstorming ideas to make the presentation more engaging for the audience. By late September, my presentation was solid. Both Bexley and Olivia had even let me practice it on them a few times, giving helpful feedback along the way.

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