Page 14 of The Breaking Pointe
“Negative! He’s just an ex, now!We don’t cheer on exes!” I grab her back and she grins.
“Club?!Ineedadrinkbeforeitgetscrowded!”she
exclaims.
“I’m right behind you!”I nod eagerly as she turns around, relaying a message to Tony.
A drink and some daydreaming about this extremely fine, olive-toned, Kennedy man is just what I need.
5
a night in paradise
COLTON
I’m well aware that I took it a tad too far.I admit, I don’t know if I care so much that I did.After a couple of jabs about my family—that were creepily close to accuracy— and watching him spit a disgusting ball of phlegm in my direction, I didn’t have much to consider. He was sitting on a horse that was higher than he could handle, and someone had to knock him off the seat.I’d forgotten that the goal was about simply winning and not hurting him to a certain point.Listening to him gab and taunt me reminded me of the lowlifes in school who would make fun of me and fuel my hatred—and that’s a hot fire.
Something about him made me cringe.Seeing his un- hinged behavior in person was one thing, but taking his hits was another. People aren’t kidding when they say someone can be stronger than they look.Which lets me know he’s definitely using something.His pupils were so big that
his eyes were almost black.His force gave me a serious headache, and even though I swallowed them like large pills, it feels like they’ve done irreparable damage to my face. My mouth and jaw are so sore, I’m sure he would’ve broken teeth if I didn’t have my mouth guard in.Now that I’m settled down, I can feel every single throb and burn, and it’s sending a boat of regrets through my head.
I’m sitting in the quiet dressing room, doing my best to wipe my face clean without hurting myself more. Each dab of water on my open wounds sends a shooting sensation through my body, causing me to muffle my pained reactions. These scars are worse, though.He had gotten me pretty damn good. One of the most irritating things about boxing is that even if you technically never lose a fight, your body will keep the score.I may not have gorged myself on beatings enough to feel it now, but in thirty years, I might be saying something different.The slight bright side of it all was seeing her face in person. I couldn’t tell if we were having a moment, or if she felt strange because of my will to look in her direction for so long. I wish she knew that I couldn’t help myself.It was a brief moment that I’ll revisit in my thoughts, but I had gotten so focused on the game that it was the only moment I got to look at her.If she’s still hanging on his arm, I’m sure there’s a wave of embarrassment that she’s going to be feeling for him for the next day or two.
A set of knocks hit my door, followed by Trey and his overly rich laughter.
“Why are you not gallivanting around, bro? You fucking did it!” He crosses his arms, grinning at me as we make eye contact through the mirror I’m sitting at.
“Pardon me for still coming down from my high,” I say in
a mild tone.
He rolls his eyes, walking over to me and smacking my bare back, stinging me like a bee. I wince, listening to him talk.
“Let’s go for drinks.That club you like, Paradise?It’s right down the road,” he offers.
My words come out in the form of an exhale. “I don’t know if I—”
“Colton.Enough excuses, I am begging you.For one night, try to replace them with a drink, or maybe a few. On me. I bet you the party is just getting started if you hurry up,” he says, smiling at me in the mirror again before walking to the door.
The only paradise I want right now is for someone to rid me of all my bodily pain.
* * *
Trey was right. Paradise was only beginning to get crowded, and the bottle girls hadn’t even come out yet, which meant we were fashionably early.Exactly how I like it.I’m not a fan of overly large crowds and people screaming like the building’s been set to fire. I love a good party, but I’m either quiet until I get a few drinks in me, or I magically have a sense of confidence spring upon me—and I find that to be a rare occurrence unless I’m in the ring. So, I guess you could say I try to force myself to be as outgoing as when I’m in the ring at times. It’s not always a part of the business, but it’s led me to meet some pretty interesting people.With that comes networking, and by doing so I’ve worked my way into millions of dollars that I have absolutely no idea what todo
with.
Trey’s one of the few people I’ve met who knows how to manage it without losing it all or throwing yourself into a downward spiral. I’m not sure if it’s because he comes from money and he’s been trained to live the lavish life, or if he’s just that honest of a man. I’ve started not to question why or try to understand how he made it past the dark circle that is wealth and a sheer bit of fame.I stopped because I think he’d do it even if I didn’t pay him to. Every outburst, every moment of uncertainty, or unpredictable rage never bothered him. Through it all, Trey always made me feel like it’s okay and would state that containing it makes it worse. It’s almost as though he’s the older brother that I never had. In a way, that sounds so fucked, knowing I don’t reach even a percentage of that status of importance to Steven.
Trey’soutofmysightwithinminutesofusentering the semi-crowded dance floor, which I’m making my way through like a maze. If I could simply get a beer, I’d start to feel a lot better about how busted up my face is starting to feel. The strobe lights make it even harder to get a good look at where anything’s at. It’s a shame I’ve been here so many times that I can direct myself around with my eyes practically closed. I don’t think I’ve danced even once here. Boringly, I choose to sit and people watch while I down beers, and if I’m lucky, there might be a football game or a mixed martial arts fight on to entertain me, aside from the bartender, Bobby.
I’m sugar coating myself a little when I say boring, but I don’t think engaging in promiscuous acts in public should count as fun.I might not dance every night, but I have no problems finding conversation.And unfortunately for some, I still show my face even though there’s a few women who
like to come because they’ve seen me here before. At first, it’s weird, but then it always results in us saying nothing, even though we both know that we were up on each other in one of the bathroom stalls like animals, mere days ago. I’ll make eye contact, then pretend I didn’t, and then she’ll usually ignore me until we’re out of each other’s sight. Tonight, though, I had a strict plan.
Beer and zoning out.
As I get closer to the bar, I watch as Bobby cleans different glasses, taking a look at the large television above him every chance he gets. The bar isn’t full. Since everyone is on the dance floor, most of the seats are empty—all but four. Two seats are taken by what looks like a couple, sitting close together and fondling each other. Another one is occupied by a middle-aged man, texting at full speed on his phone, and the last one is taken by a younger woman who looks to have ginger hair, but it’s unclear due to the lighting. There are seats beside her that no one is occupying, so I leave two seats between us as I sit down, throwing my hood up over my head as I do.
