Page 52 of Bruised Hearts

“Don’t forget to pick your right up.”

“Aight.” He walked off, so I went to work doing what he said.

“Hey.” Hearing her voice gave me pause. Not about to let her fuck with my head, I continued swinging.

“What the fuck you doing here?”

“We need to talk.” She said sounded as if that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Again? Damn, you talking more in two days than you have in a month.” Shorty didn’t have shit to say to me when she up and left. Now, her ass wouldn’t shut up. Probably wanted me to train her again.

“Landon, can you be serious?”

“I am, though.” She rolled her good eye, causing me to laugh. She shifted from foot to foot not saying a word. “Talk.”

“I overheard Stone and Danger talking about you.” That made me stop. “They had this whole plan about getting in your head so that you could lose the fight.” She went on to tell me the rest, and I couldn’t do shit but shake my head. I couldn’t even say I was surprised.

“That’s crazy as hell. I wasn’t trying to push the nigga out; I was doing what I thought should be done. I didn’t have to include him on shit, but I did.” I left out how I was just trying to make her happy.

“I really thought the nigga was looking out for me. I trusted him, and he played me. All the games Danger was playing by using the media. I’m just tired of feeling like this,” she said as if she was expecting me to have sympathy for her. Shaking my head, I laughed.

“You think this shit funny?”

“I actually do. I can have empathy for you, but I don’t have to have sympathy for you. You don’t get to come in here and play victim and expect me to let you.” Her head snapped around fast.

“Excuse me? What do you mean play victim?”

“I was there for you when nobody else was. I believed in you when you didn’t believe in your damn self. Then as soon as you got what you needed, your ass was out. Now you found out that the people you chose over me ain’t shit, and here you come. Expecting me to pick the pieces up and put you back together.”

“I already said I was wrong about that.”

“Congratufuckinglations. You said you were wrong. Not once did you apologize, but I don’t need you to. I’m good.”

“Oh, don’t do that. Cause even though I was wrong on that, you still ain’t shit.” She had me fucked up.

“And you still a user.” She opened her mouth, and it hung there for a while.

“A user? What did I use you for, Landon?”

“Shit, everything. Free training, connections, confidence, and a chance to show your ass was enough. The minute you got that, you were gone.” I know that might have been below the belt, but I was tired of her acting as if she didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about.

“Is that what you think?”

“That’s what I know.”

“You don’t know shit, and you ugly.” This time, I couldn’t do shit but laugh.

“Well, pot meet kettle Blinky.” Her hand went up to her eye causing me to laugh again.

“Regardless of what you think about me, that’s not what happened.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know, would I? You up and left without saying a word. Once you don’t tell me what it is, you can’t get mad at the conclusions I come up with from assuming.” Seeing her tear up did something to me, so I softened my tone. “Tell me what happened, Ariyah.”

“I let my guard down. I let you in when I don’t let nobody in. I trusted and believed what you were telling me. What you were showing me. I had hope.” She looked up at me when she said the last part.

“Didn’t look like you had hope to me.”

“Because you know what happened after that.” Now, I was confused.