Page 44 of Nobody Wants Me
This made her tilt her head.
“I’m not saying it out of pity.It’s true.Come on.”I get to my feet, because I am not going to cry about the truth.I might not like it, but it is the truth.“Teach me how to fight.Teach me something that means I can have Victor’s back and he doesn’t have to worry about keeping his wife alive.”I hold my hands up into a fist, and move them back and forth.
The Butcher sighed.
“Come on, if you had a good teacher, surely that means you could teach me.”
She got to her feet, and before I even knew what happened, she slapped my face.It wasn’t a strong slap, it was light, but it took me by surprise.
“Hey!”
“You’ve got to be able to block.”
“Shouldn’t we go out onto the sand so this will be easier?”
“Soon,” The Butcher said.“I want to see how fast you are.”
She hit me again.
And again.
And again.
I was no match for how fast she was.Each hit made me angry, though.I hated pain.I didn’t like to be hit.
And then, she hit me, but this time it was harder.I reacted, shoving my whole body against her.I don’t know how it happened, but I was not the one on top.The Butcher had made sure we hit the sofas, she had my arms above my head and pinned down.I felt the strength in her body.
She was like a rock.And she was heavy.
“Do not lose your temper,” she said.“That is a surefire way to lose every single time.”
“Get off me.”
“No, you’ve got to learn to take the hits.You want me to help you, then I will, but that will require you accepting pain.Do you think you can handle that?”
The alternative was not good.I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.Victor was out there right now, dealing with men and women who wanted to kill me.
“Yes,” I said.
“What?”The Butcher asked, tilting her head to the side, as if she didn’t hear me, but I knew she had.
This pissed me off.
“Yes, I heard you.”
The Butcher smirked.“Did anyone ever tell you that you’ve got a short temper?”she asked.
I did not find this funny.
“No, I’m usually very patient and calm.”
“Perhaps when you’re sewing and doing your stuff, but take you out of your comfort zone, and you’ve got a little anger management problem.”
She tutted and climbed off the sofa, holding out her hand.The petty side in me wanted to push that hand away.I was the one to ask her for help, not the other way around, so I took the hand she offered and got to my feet.
“Now, while we’re inside, I want you to focus on blocking me.That is all we’re trying to do.Block.Not hit.”
“I think hitting would be fun,” I said.
