10. Carter

I had only one idea in mind, to get the fifty-five thousand Jolts so that Aaron would be happy so he could accept the feelings he had for me.

I wasn't stupid, money was getting in the way of our relationship, I could fix everything if I talked to my manager and gave Aaron the money.

With that idea in mind, I came to my to the club and ignored all activity that met my objective. Find Orland ask him for the money, he should give it to me, after all I made him get a lot of money a day, he had gotten me the slider and he should understand that I had finally fixed it.

I opened the door to my dressing room and found him watching the body of several semi-naked, somewhat muscular boys as he held a blue-smoked cigar in his mouth.

They must have been other fighters, those who were casting to join the fights to get money.

"shit Carter, I sent you a message that you wouldn't fight for today" said Orland somewhat annoyed when he saw me.

"I needed to see you" I said with some hope.

"guys, why don't you step outside for a moment, I'll talk to Carter for a few minutes, then we can pick up where we were" Orland said after letting out a sigh.

The boys came out somewhat quietly, lined up in a row without daring to look at me.

"I guess you come to talk to me about your date, how much money will you take this time?" said Orland as he pulled out his wallet, I couldn't feel happy about that act of consideration.

"Fifty-five thousand Jolts" I said with a smile on my lips. Orland closed his wallet and put out his cigarette.

"You're a fool in love, can't you see he's using you? No way I'm giving you fifty-five thousand Jolts and before you say anything, let me tell you how he's melting your brain" said Orland without even listening to my intentions.

"it's not what it looks like..." I started to say somewhat annoyed.

"let me propose something to you, why don't you bring him here? I want to meet him, so I won't have suspicions that he is really using you" said Orland with some mischief in his eyes.

"no way" I said, thinking how embarrassed I would be if Aaron watched me in that club.

Maybe she might find out that I used to hook up with any guy I'd be introduced to and she'd think I was a fucking pervert.

The best thing to do was to keep that part of me hidden, to show him that I was really in love with him before I revealed all my secrets to him.

"no way" I said with clenched fists.

"You see, that's the reason why I can't trust him, he sure has brainwashed you," said Orland somewhat worried.

"listen" I said" I occupy the fifty-five thousand Jolts and before you resist listening to me, let me tell you why".

I explained to him how the slider he had given me had broken down and how Aaron had helped me repair the engine, so I owed him fifty-five thousand Jolts. I finished telling my story with a satisfied smile, thinking that Orland would finally understand me, but he just hit his head.

"That sounds more suspicious, do you even know about engines? Sounds like I'm ripping you off. I assure you that that slider wasn't malfunctioning, I got the same one from a friend and he delivered it to me in perfect condition" said Orland as he relit his blue smoke cigarette.

I clenched my fists, I couldn't let him call Aaron a liar. Sure, Aaron might be a miser, but he wasn't a liar.

I walked over to Orland and grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him in the air to drop him on the coffee table in the living room.

"easy Carter" said Orland with wide eyes full of terror" you don't want this to escalate."

"you called him a liar" I said spitting with fury.

"I just feel that everything is strange, don't you trust me? I have found you a place to sleep and a place where you can eat without worrying about money, you must understand that I only care about you and that you are used" said Orland, although that did not bring me back to reality.

For me, I could go back to living at disfruto 11 if I knew that Aaron's reputation was not damaged.

"apologize" I said.

"okay, sorry," Orland said shortly after coughing.

I let go of his shirt and took a few steps away, fists at the ready in case he said something stupid again.

"we'll do this, now I don't have that much money but prepare something for you so you can make things right with that guy" said Orland, making me unclench my fists.

"thank you" I said somewhat more calmly.

"I'll let you know," Orland said as he stood up.

I turned around and walked out of my dressing room.

I watched the guys still lined up outside my dressing room, my gaze met theirs and couldn't tell anything but terror. They sure wouldn't last a round in the ring with me.

I put my hands in my pants pockets and walked through the halls of the club. Maybe I could have some fun in the club like I used to. Order some drinks, have a smoke and have a good time watching the different fights.

I shook my head, I was a better person, I didn't know what Aaron would think if he knew I was at the clubs wasting time when I could be a better person, maybe I could go home and go over class notes, it would surprise Aaron for sure.

I stepped aside as I felt my body collide with another person, letting me snap out of my thoughts.

When I lifted my face, I noticed a boy, maybe my age, with dyed green hair that matched the color of his eyes. Light-skinned, as muscular as I was, with a purple leather jacket and a wicked grin as our eyes met.

"Hi Carter" said Finn when we met.

Finn was another arena fighter, he wasn't as good as me, but it didn't detract from the fact that he was one of the best fighters in the arena.

"Hi Finn" I greeted.

"I was walking to go with the rest of the gang, why don't you join? Then we could catch up.

"I'm sorry..." I started to say, but before I finished Finn tapped my shoulder and snapped me back to reality.

"come on man, we'll just talk" Finn said encouraging me with a smile on his face, after all we were going to talk, there was nothing wrong with that.

...

I had about twenty beers while toasting with the rest of the gang in a small bar that was located in District 5.

It was a small bar that smelled of blue smoke, the metal walls had already rusted and so had the benches where we were sitting.

The atmosphere was gloomy, the waiter was an old man, the people around us looked at us with fear and many had left in fear that we would do something to them.

They could not understand that we were just people with vulnerable feelings who could collapse at any moment.

I felt dizzy and stupid, but somehow more in love than before, the drunkenness had opened my eyes and only brought to the surface what I really felt for Aaron, a love that would be impossible to destroy.

"By Aaron" said Finn raising another bottle of beer.

"for Aaron" we repeat, raising our bottles.

"he is so special" I said as I leaned back on the bench and started to cry" but he doesn't love me, he can't see how desperate I am for him to listen to me".

"cheer up, look... You have to do this" said one of the girls before collapsing on the table and leaving me to wonder how to win Aaron over.

"hey" I said, reaching out my hand in desperation, I couldn't stay with the doubt of not knowing the answer to my prayers "What should I do, please what should I do".

"she doesn't know anything" said Finn's wise man gesturing with his hand to belittle her" she has ruined every one of his relationships".

Then Finn took another swig of beer to leave me with more questions than answers.

"you have to tell his something nice, what do you like, what do you love about his eyes" said another colleague who looked like what he was talking about, I just marveled at the wisdom of his words.

"Why don't you come and practice with me?" said one of the boys.

I stood up, held onto the bar so I wouldn't fall and walked over to her.

I leaned over and looked into his eyes, thinking it was Aaron.

"I love you" was all I could say.

"I love you too" the girl said, making my heart start pounding.

The boys moved closer to me and joined his lips with mine, allowing the pleasure of feeling his tongue frolic from me, thinking it was Aaron's lips pouncing on me.

When I least expected it, I let myself be carried away by his kisses outside among the alleys where the darkness could protect us from any curious eye.

My kisses plunged in feeling the pleasure as our bodies touched.

It wasn't Aaron, I knew that, but I was pretending it was him. It must have meant something to me, I was showing Aaron that I loved him in my own way.

I was crazy, I was stupid and a fucking pervert. When I regained consciousness of my actions I was in the bedroom of my apartment with my naked partner next to me. If Aaron found out, everything I had worked for him to fall in love with me would go to shit.