Discoveries of a Young Man Pt. 07

Freya took the wheel, seeing how distraught I was. Meanwhile, I just sat looking out the passenger window, trying to come to terms with such a bitter defeat. I felt I had won easily, but the dude just kept coming back up.

"Newbie, you're no longer a newbie. You're a fucking boxer," Freya said, trying her best to encourage me. She even sounded a bit like she felt guilty. She didn't have to. I guess I didn't take the guy seriously enough. "That dude was good. Tell you what, I think that guy will become world champ one day! He was smart with the way he fought, I'm telling you!"

I sighed. I guess. The more I thought back on it, the more I realise how stupid I had fought. I took way too many punches. I hit harder, sometimes faster, but he landed more. That was what it came down to. And he was experienced. I didn't have his record, but the fight was so different from the others, how he moved and the way he countered me.

"By the way, we need to stop by this other place. Hope's at a party, and I'm supposed to pick her up," I said. Freya nodded.

*

It was about 11 PM when we pulled up at the only house that was surrounded by drunk teenagers. Out in the driveway, hanging out the windows. Music was blaring from the windows, sounding like acid getting poured straight into my ears. Fuck me, I hated these types of parties. But whatever, I guess I could just barge in and find Hope and get out of there.

"Pff, fucking kids. I'll park here so you don't get any broken bottles all over," Freya said, pulling to the curb a bit before the driveway itself. I jumped out.

"Will's party?" I asked a closeby drunk.

"Eeey! Brandon! Bran Brandy Boy! How you doin'?" the drunk dude asked, throwing his arm around my shoulder and placing a cup with something brown in it. It stank.

I was a bit startled by the guy knowing my name but didn't really think more of it.

"You're a boxer, right?" he asked. Right.

"Yeah, something like that. Is Hope in there?"

"Yeah, Jeremy been trying to hit that all night, but that little slut won't put out," the guy said, still leaning over my shoulder.

"The fuck you just say?" I asked angrily. I stepped out of his arm, letting the dude crash to the grass. I ignored it, hurriedly getting to the house, looking for Hope. I was starting to get pretty worried for her.

There was no way I was letting Hope have to fight off some douchebag who only cared about one thing. Though Hope had had a crush on Jeremy for the longest there was no reason for him to expect anything from her. Perhaps she had realized his true nature.

Problem was, I knew no one. Not even how Jeremy looked. The music was so intense and so loud the very walls were vibrating, thumping so hard it felt like my heart rate was shifting. It made it impossible to think. Some redhead girl even came over, drunker than shit, mumbling something before leaning into me trying to kiss me.

"Erh, no thanks. Sit down here, drink some water," I yelled through the music, guiding the girl to the nearest couch. "You seen Hope somewhere?"

The girl weakly pointed to the stairs. Oh no. I shoved myself towards the stairs. I was no party expert, but I knew what happened upstairs at these things. At the end of the hall I saw two idiots hanging outside a bedroom door hooting and hollering. I made my way over.

"Jeremy?" I yelled. One of them nodded. He was about a head taller than me and looked like he had the typical high school fuckhead look.

"Fuck off," I said through gritted teeth, shoving him aside. I grabbed the door handle.

"Who the fuck are you, dwarf?!" Jeremy made to stop me, but I cracked him across the face so hard he stumbled backward. I may have lost a fight, but I still knew how to get power into my hands. Jeremy seemed stunned by the force of the slap.

"Fuck you man! ... Whatever dude!" Jeremy said, hurrying away and down the stairs. His friend was right behind him.

Once inside, I found Hope sitting with her back against the foot of a big king-sized bed. She was a mess. Mascara in lines from her eyes from crying, her dark hair disheveled. Next to her was an empty bottle of fucking Everclear.

"What the fuck? You drank that shit by yourself?" I asked, looking at the bottle. Everclear was pretty strong, especially for someone small like Hope.

Hope looked up at me, eyes not able to fully focus.

"B— Bran?" Hope muttered. God she was hammered... but manageable, I guess. She looked over at the bottle.

"Just one shot... maybe two," Hope said, with slurred speech. One shot of Everclear was bad enough. Two? Unmixed? How did she even keep it down?

"Jesus christ, Hope. So you ready to head home?" I asked. It was rhetorical, but with drunk people, it was important to appear friendly and non-threatening.

"I'm hungry..." Hope mumbled. "I could eat. Got any beer?"

"At home. We can have a beer, you and me? What do you say? And I'll even cook you something." I tried to remain as encouraging as possible.

"God no. I'll cook instead," Hope said, shaking her head in drunken disgust. I chuckled. My cooking skills had improved, but nowhere near Hope or Mel's skill.

I offered Hope a hand to get up, which she gladly accepted. Her hand was wet from having wiped tears away. While Hope seemed a bit out of it, she wasn't angry drunk. More of a mellow drunk. Sad drunk. She stumbled a bit as she stood. She was about to fall over, but I caught her.

"My hero," Hope mumbled as we started to make our way out of the damn place.

"Jeremy wanted to, but I said no. I had to hide... they were calling me names... mocking me," Hope said, sounding on the verge of tears. I had an inkling of what she was talking about, but I just guided her outside.

"Whatever you gotta say, let's take it at home over some beers, eh? Freya and Frank are waiting outside," I said, more or less carrying her with me.

Poor Hope. She seemed to be completely out of it, her emotions fueled by being wasted. Those idiots were probably standing outside the door yelling shit at her she didn't deserve.

"You're much nicer," Hope muttered, her voice shaking.

Frank was meeting me outside, seeing the state of Hope. Hope's eyes were barely open at this point. I leaned Hope against the hood of the car.

"What happened?" Frank asked, checking Hope's eyes as I was getting the backdoor.

"Some weak shit from some fucking assholes," I said, angrily.

Freya came out with a bottle of water. Some perks of being a boxer, we knew a thing or two about fixing up a person. And we always had water nearby. I stood Hope back up. She was somewhat able to keep on her feet, but not without assistance. Freya poured water down Hope's neck and hair, then a few splashes into her mouth, trying to wake her up some.

"We need to get her home. What did she drink?" Freya said, snapping her fingers in front of Hope's eyes.

"Two shots of Everclear and who knows what," I said, maneuvering Hope.

"Jaeger from the smell of it," Frank said and jumped into the driver's seat with Freya riding shotgun, while I sat back with Hope. Trying to keep her awake and get more water into her.

"I didn't want to... no... I said no" Hope mumbled, leaning into my shoulder with her eyes closed. "I told him no."

"Good girl, Hope. Don't worry, we're heading home now," I assured her.

"I didn't want to, Bran, din't want to," Hope said, cuddling up to my neck. Maybe at another time, I would be more responsive. Now, it was pretty uncomfortable, knowing how drunk she was.

"I want you instead," Hope mumbled, lightly kissing my neck, leaving a small mark from her dark lipstick. I gently guided her around so that she rested with the back of her head against me instead.

"That's very flattering, Hope. But let's get home, okay?" I said, trying to be cool about it.

Luckily, Frank was not shy on the gas paddle. Soon enough, we were back in the living room, easing Hope into the couch. Frank and Freya offered to stay, but it was late, so I told them I got it. Besides, given Hope's state, it was probably less embarrassing for Hope if fewer people were around. If not now, then for later when she sobered up.

"Man, she's a mess," Frank mumbled. We stood in the hallway as they were about to leave.

"Don't let her fall asleep until she's better," Freya said worried, looking in one final time at Hope.

"I'll get her something to eat, sober her up, and—"

"Get that eating done, then head to the bathroom. She'll throw up everything she has," Frank said sternly. I nodded. We exchanged goodbyes and then I turned back to the living room.

I let out a heavy sigh before heading in to retrieve Hope. This was going to be a long night.

I walked her into the kitchen instead, wanting to keep an eye on her as I made her some oatmeal porridge. The only thing I could make that was digestible. Hope was still out of it. I poured warm water into the oats when I heard sniffles behind me. I turned to see Hope cry, dark mascara lines creasing her cheeks once again. It was a silent cry.

"I'm sorry, Bran. I'm so sorry," she mumbled. I put the bowl in front of her and moved around to her.

"I didn't want to, I said no... Jeremy is such an ass," she began, some more tears making their way down her cheeks. I put my hands on her shoulders and made eye contact with her. She looked at me in drunken confusion, blue eyes darting back and forth, struggling to stay focused.

"Hope. Don't be sorry. You've got nothing to be sorry for. Truly."

"I'm a mess. I embarrassed you in front of your coaches... in front of you... In front of everyone... I thought they liked me... I'm such an idiot. I feel like shit... I am shit," Hope cried in utter defeat, holding her own cheek in despair. I pulled her into me, holding her close.

I tried to put everything into that hug, pressing her gently into me. That everything was alright, that it was all over. That she had people who had her held her dearly. As dearly as I held her now. I felt her smaller frame tremble against me and my chest wet from her tears. After a few minutes, I let her go.

"Listen, eat this and then we'll put on some stupid on the TV and just chill. Right?" I said, making sure she understood I was truly not angry with her, in fact, wanted her the best. Hope nodded weakly, eating her porridge wholeheartedly. Luckily drunk people had lots of appetite. I had made plenty, with that in mind. I also put a glass of water next to her, which she occasionally took dutiful sips from.

Then Hope started getting violent hiccups and heavings. Oh shit! It was happening! I knew all too well that there was a bathroom downstairs. I yanked Hope by the arm and guided her to the bathroom. Just in time to shove her face into the toilet bowl.

Wet sounds filled the bathroom as Hope threw up water, porridge, and most importantly; Everclear. I sunk back against the wall next to the toilet, with a handful of Hope's hair. There wasn't really much else I could do. She had to let it out.

After about an hour of on-and-off puking, we were both leaning against opposite walls, looking at each other. Hope was sweaty and smeared with mascara, her lipstick and makeup a mess. I looked at her outfit. She had worn darker stockings this time around, a small black leather jacket, and her usual tank top and checkered skirt. Her regular, cute goth outfit.

Small tears started to trickle down her cheek again. Hope clenched her eyes shut, still in deep emotional pain.

"So what happened? I thought you liked Jeremy," I asked, moving over to her side. Hope leaned into me and I wrapped my arm around her.

"I was such a fool. I thought for a moment... just a moment, that I had finally been accepted. You know how I am a year behind and... It has been hard being... I guess they've teased me about it... god, I was so fucking stupid thinking they were finally being nice. I just wanted to belong. Be a part of the group. And that fucking Jeremy. Having all the girls on his tail... I guess me included... I thought I had been discreet, but of course, everyone knew. I... it's weird telling you this... you know, because I... Well, I kind of had been staring I guess. It wasn't until you showed up that I started to slowly realize what an ass Jeremy was..."

Hope sighed heavily.

"So for fun, they all thought it would be a real hoot and holler to lead me on— trick me into thinking I was cool. One party game led to another and then I suddenly ended up in the room, somehow I was supposed to hook up with Jer who I've had this massive crush on... then I realized that I didn't want to. They started sweet talking me, how incredible it would be and all that. When I still didn't put out, I guess they started dropping the act and called me all a bunch of names..."

Hope broke off. We shared a few silent moments as I gently stroked her shoulder.

"I should've hit him harder," I said through gritted teeth.

"You hit Jeremy?" Hope asked, looking up at me.

I nodded. Hope gave a huge sigh, ending in a jagged sob.

"It's not fair," Hope pouted.

"What is not fair?"

Hope braced herself. Still drunk, still quite emotional, she went for broke.

"That there's just one of you..."

Hope curled up into me, resting her head in my arms, crying silently. I gently wiped her tears away, stroking the side of her face.

"You're so kind..." Hope mumbled.

"It's very flattering. It truly is... And I do care about you. I want you to be happy. But I am dating your mother," I said, trying to be gentle. Hope let out another sigh.

"I know..."

It was almost 2 AM until I got Hope to bed, and even then I sat at her bedside, making sure she would be okay. Hope said she was sorry quite a few times, but I reassured her. Finally, she was knocked out, sleeping like a rock. I couldn't help but stroke her hair out of her pretty little face. Hope had so much pain, and those idiot classmates of hers didn't help at all. It killed me to see her so distraught over things that were in many ways out of her control.

I got a text from Maia, asking if everything was okay. I had warned her about Hope. I guess I should call Mel too. I checked Hope one more time. She was breathing heavily, snoring almost. It was kinda cute, looking at how peaceful she looked. I wondered how she would react in the morning when all the alcohol was out.

I looked at my phone. Mel was calling.

"Heeey, loverboy," Mel said cheerfully. Slightly tipsy perhaps. "How did the fight go?"

I had totally forgotten that I had lost. It felt so small now. It was small. It didn't matter.

"How about we put a pause on that? Your girl needs to get picked up," Mel moaned. I could tell she was in the mood. It certainly brought my mind to other things.

*

I pulled up to Your Mom's House and saw Mel in her gorgeous red dress waiting for me. God was she the most elegant, beautiful lady out there. Standing there in her small heels, slightly made up with mascara and a bit of powder. And those red lips. God those lips were too pretty. Allie was nowhere to be seen.

"She just left," Mel explained as she got into the passenger seat, seeing me look around.

"I could've driven her home, saved her the fare," I said.

"Oh, I think you'd have her pay the fare in other ways, that dirty skank," Mel moaned into my ear. God, this fucking woman!

Mel leaned over to me, resting her head on my shoulder, and sighed happily.

"I'm the luckiest woman alive," Mel said delightedly. I smiled at her. She certainly seemed like she had had a great time.

"So how was the fight, then?"

I then went on to tell Mel all about the loss. She was sympathetic, she seemed to know perfectly well how I'd taken it. It wasn't the fact that I had lost, more how I felt I had snuffed myself out of a victory. If I had been smarter in the ring, maybe it would've been different. But you live and you learn. Spilled milk, water under the bridge.

"But all that doesn't matter..." I said.

Mel looked at me a bit unsure.

"Doesn't matter?"

I told Mel about what had happened with Hope, everything from Jeremy and her confessions. In many instances, it could be considered a betrayal to tell Mel what Hope had said, but I believed it was in everyone's best interest to be on the same page. Besides, if someone knew Hope, it was surely Mel. I was worried for Hope, and Mel was a sensible person.

By the end of it, we were in bed. Me on my side, Mel with folded arms, sitting up, looking mighty uncontent. She looked out into the air as if deep in thought.

"This Jeremy kid. What an asshole! Little shit... He sounds like he could use a real lesson. Mocking my daughter like that!" Mel said, turning towards me.

"I have an idea." Mel's eyes were shining bright with that eager flame that came with a good idea.

"What if... hear me out, what if you go to the next pool party or whatever? With Hope? Make that douchebag asshole realize what he's missing. Let him know she's way past him, and now with someone way better. It would surely make this idiot think twice, seeing Hope with someone like you," Mel said.

"I'm not so sure... and I hate parties...I mean, Hope is pretty out of it. Wouldn't it be kinda messed up to lead her on like that? Even if we all knew it was pretend?" I said. Mel smiled, turning into a devilish smile.

"Pretend? Who said anything about pretending?" Mel said coyly, looking at me for a reaction. But I called her bluff.

"Yeah, like I'd actually take your daughter out at a party? It would be the next thing to a date, Mel."

"Yeah? Why not? You think she's pretty, don't you? I don't think she would mind. In fact, I think she would love it. I tell her all the time to get out more often. Last time was messed up, so let's correct it."

"Of course I think Hope is pretty. But it would be like leading her on. It's a bit messed up, isn't it? I can't believe you're talking me into this, Mel."

"I can't believe you're not getting it, Bran. You're getting the okay," Mel said, smiling coyly over at me.

"The okay?" I said.

"The okay," Mel repeated, grinning widely before turning serious again. "Did you know she slept under her bed until she was 12? Hope deserves so much better. She deserves someone like you. Or... just you."

"I don't think I am all that... Why would Jeremy be jealous? Like, I'm not that big. I'm average at best, at pretty much anything I do," I said. Mel pointed a stern finger at me.

"Do not sell yourself short! Not on my watch!" Mel said sternly, then turned softer, tracing my stomach with her fingers. "Besides, you're plenty big. I bet those shallow high school girls would love a swing of your big dick. Come on Bran. Do it for me, if nothing else!"

"Alright then. I'll take Hope to a party or whatever. Only because I love you, and want Hope to have a good time..." I finally relented. I was too tired to muster any arguments. "You're fucking wild, you know that?"

Mel smiled at her victory. "I think it'll be great for her to see what a real man is."

*

The next day, Sunday, Hope stayed in her room all day, and the few times she ventured out, she got beet red and hurried away.

"I think she's having some post-drunk anxiety," Mel chuckled. We figured the best way to remedy that was to give her some space for the next few days.

I didn't really have any fights coming up, which meant I had way less training. I of course did a few hours of work every day, but just to maintain. If anything came up, I would go through a so-called training camp. I think Freya felt she had pushed me a bit too much, so we didn't schedule any new fights for the time being. Even if I wanted to fight again. I loved boxing, but my style of boxing didn't really fit the pointing style of the amateurs. And pro boxing was too scary yet.

The lack of boxing matches and training also meant that I had to fill my days with other things. I was pretty much ahead on the college stuff, so to keep busy I rekindled the idea I had had earlier. I had some extra money now that Frank had given me a job. Not that I had a lot, but it gave me a breather financially.