Page 53 of Bruised Hearts

“Look at me, I’m telling you I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! Quit playing these mind games. Either tell me what you think, or just leave me where the fuck I’m at. All I know is, I helped you reach your dream and you left.”

“Was I supposed to ride into the sunset with you, me, and Tan?” I wasn’t expecting her to say that.

“What the fuck do she have to do with anything?”

“Everything.”

“Ariyah, why would Tan have anything to do with you leaving? I didn’t fuck with her until after.”

“No, you just made me own my shit. So, you don’t get here and try to act like you did nothing wrong. The night I went out with Charly, I saw her. She was talking with her friends about you. I leaned in trying to listen, and she let me see the pictures of yall. She had your black card, and it was no reason for her to be lying because I didn’t know that bitch from a can of paint.” This time when I laughed, she walked up like she was ready to fight.

“Oh, so you’re what happened to her face.” I kept asking Tan what happened, but she gave me some bullshit story about getting jumped.

“You damn right. If you know that, then I know you lying trying to play innocent.”

“Shut the fuck up! Damn! If you had come to me then, I would have told you she was full of shit. You so stuck in your own shit, it didn’t matter what was said because you already believed this couldn’t be real. The day I saw you in the restaurant when my lil sister blurted that shit out, I had just met the hoe outside. She was basically trying to fuck on the spot. I gave her my number because why not.”

“Typical.” She rolled that lil ass eye again, and I shrugged.

“Perks of being champ. Anyway, I was fucking on her, but the day you came to my house, I told her we were done. Take my card and buy herself something nice. I meant to go get it later, but Raymond came to the gym. I hadn’t thought about her, nor did I see her anymore until that day I was with Stone.”

“Wait, when were you with Stone?”

“After our date in the ring. I wanted to keep him in the loop because I thought that’s what you would want. We were having lunch when she came in screaming how could I do this to her. You forgot, I just posted you on my IG. I had Titan drag her ass out, and that was that. After you played me, and I knew you weren’t coming back, I needed to release, so I hit the bitch up.”

“And brought her here.” Her assumptions were really starting to piss me off.

“If you want to know something, ask. Quit assuming you know what the fuck you’re talking about. I was flaunting her around trying to be petty. When I realized I didn’t want to play that game, I told her I was done. She fed me some shit about I owed her because I left her at the interview to come to your fight, I let her come. Mufucka got on my nerves the entire time she was there too. When you left, I put her ass out.”

“That’s what you get. Can you teach me, so I can be like Ariyah,” she said in a whiny voice causing us both to laugh. We sat in silence for a while when she started laughing so hard that bad eye was trying to open.

“What the fuck you laughing at?”

“Them mufuckas played us.”

“Who?”

“Stone. He saw Tan at the restaurant, then all of a sudden, she happens to run into me at the bar. Mind you, I gave him my location because he said he wanted me safe. The bitch sat right next to me and began talking about how you’re her man. I fell for the shit hook, line, and sinker. It was all to get me away from you and fuck with your head.”

“Damn, your daddy ain’t shit.” For the first time all night, Ariyah didn’t have shit to say, and neither did I. Finally, it hit me. I knew the perfect words.

“You hungry?”

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now. Our song on the radio but it don’t sound the same. When our friends talk about you all it does is just tear me down.Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name. It all just sounds like oohhh oohhh ohh. Too young too dumb to realize that I should have bought you flowers and held your hand. Should have gave you all my hours when I had the chance. Take you to every party cus all you wanted to do was dance.

- Bruno Mars

ROUND 10 ARIYAH VS CONSEQUENCES

32- Ariyah “Nova” Stevens

After spending the night with Landon, I was mentally exhausted. We weren’t laid up in the bed rekindling old feelings. Our asses sat in the gym talking about the situation at hand. We weren’t good, but we weren’t in a bad place either. I think it boils down to him no longer trusting me. I didn’t give him a chance to even explain what happened.

I took what was said and ran with it. That wasn’t on Stone. It was my own insecurities that allowed that to happen. I had been saying since the beginning, there was no way this could be real. Why would it be? I don’t deserve him. He planted the seeds, and I let them grow. Pulling up to the house, I jumped out with confrontation on my mind.

Yeah, I already knew what Stone did, and the reasons behind it. I didn’t know how he knew Tan and if she was always part of the plan. Walking in the house, I went straight to the den. Stone was sitting in there looking pretty sure of himself. In his mind, he won.

“We need to talk.” Stone looked up at me before returning his stare to the TV.