“It’s not a big deal, Eli,” she persisted. “Everyone’s doing it!”
“No, everyone isnot!”I yelled, suddenly sick of the constant back and forth that our relationship had become. “I’ve got goals, Rosa, and quite honestly, you’re being pretty fucking selfish not to consider what would happen tome. I think… I think we need to break up. I’ll take you home now.”
“What? Why?” she cried. While I used to be fooled by her tears, I knew that she had the ability to turn them on and off on a whim. She’d done it to me plenty of times when she was still living at my grandparents’ house, and it had only gotten worse now that she was staying with an aunt.
“I’m not going to repeat myself, Rosa,” I replied as I put my truck in gear. “Get your seatbelt on.”
Prophet (age 21)
“I should’ve never started dating her again,” I muttered as I headed into the small studio apartment where I was currently living.
Over the course of the past few years, I found my passion in mixed martial arts, specifically kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I started going to classes in high school after continuously being bullied for being ‘gawky’ and a ‘string bean’. Gramps found a school and I took to it like a duck takes to water, as if I’d been doing it since I was a little boy.
I’ve been on the amateur circuit for several years now, pitting my skills against others within a three-state radius, and I’ve only lost two bouts. Considering the guys I went up against were a lot bigger than I was, I still managed to hold my own when the dust settled, losing on points.
Rosa, though we’ve gotten together and broken up more times than I can count on my fingers, has been by my side for the most part. The biggest issue I have with her is how fucking selfish she is sometimes. I’ve been toying with going professional in my chosen disciplines, and it’s not fear that holds me back, it’s the knowledge that once I cross that line, I can’t go back to the competitions where I can go up against others and see if my skills are better than theirs. Granted, being paid would prove that as well, but I also enjoy mentoring new students. If I focus on the professional arena, I’ll have to put the kids I’ve been working with on the back burner.
Which is what our latest fight was about; Rosa sees dollar signs, not the blood, sweat, minor injuries, and sometimes tears that have gone into honing me into the athlete I am today. Gramps’ voice whispers,“She’s in it for a good time, son, not for a long time. You’re gonna want someone who’s willing to refill the bowl with ice when you come home after a competition, regardless of whether you remain in the competitive circle or go pro.”
It probably hasn’t helped that when I’m actively focused on an upcoming meet, I won’t have sex with her. She’s accused me of cheating on her, which I’ve never even considered doing, even when we have been ‘taking a break’ according to her. Yet, I know for a fucking fact she’s not faithful when we’re apart. Tonight’s argument pushed me to the proverbial wall and as I angrily cleaned my small home, grabbing my dirty laundry so I could take it down to the laundromat in the basement, I replayed her parting words like a fucking loop.
“Now’s not a good time,” I cautioned Rosa as she stood there, tapping her high heel on the pavement while we waited to go into the restaurant she just ‘had’ to eat at despite me telling her I had an online class project I needed to submit.
“I don’t understand why not, Eli,” she retorted. “It’s a natural progression in our relationship. We’ve been together for years!”
“Actually, Rosa, if we subtract all the times we were broken up, we’ve only dated two years, tops,” I replied. “So, no, getting engaged and having a baby is the furthest thing on my mind where we’re concerned right now.”
“Whatever,” she growled as we were finally allowed into the restaurant. “We’ll talk about it later and you’ll see why it’s a good idea.”
“No, we won’t,” I insisted. “Because in case you’ve forgotten, I’m trying to finish up my degree, then I need to start actuallygettingpaying clients who want my tattoos.”
She rolled her eyes at me. The date went downhill from there and by the time I dropped her off, I had already sent an email to my professor asking for an extension of a few hours. I still had to scan my designs I’d drawn, then upload them, and my stupid scanner had been acting up. With this project counting for a large portion of my overall grade, I needed it to go off without a hitch.
Once everything was straightened out, I sat at my desk and turned everything on so I could get ready to wrap this up. I was so fucking close to graduating, and no one, not even Rosa, was going to derail me. As my mind continued to wander, I worked on my project, finally getting my scanner to cooperate. When I finally hit the send button, I had two minutes to spare.
Prophet (roughly eighteen months ago, give or take)
“Well, that settles that,” I mused as the door slammed, a cloud of her perfume still wafting through my apartment.
While I spent the majority of my time at the clubhouse, I kept my studio apartment, even all these years later, something that Rosa and I had fought about many times. She never understood why, after I went professional, I didn’t enjoy the fruits of my success. Again, her selfishness kept her from grasping that even though Granny didn’t remember me any longer, as long as I had breath in my body, Granny was going to have the absolute best I could give her. The house had long been sold, first to pay the bills left after Gramps’ sudden health decline then death, with the rest going into an account to take care of Granny.
Initially, she stayed in my apartment since I was at the clubhouse or at Rosa’s place, but when she was diagnosed with dementia, I made sure to find the best senior care facility money could buy so she was safe and well taken care of. Thank God for Data, who vetted the places thoroughly for me while I busted my ass on the circuit to earn as much as I could to ensure she wouldn’t go without a fucking thing. I saw her several times a week, which was one of the reasons I retired, but over the past six months, she’d started declining.
CHAPTER ONE
Prophet
I’m shaking my head in utter shock and disbelief as I pull my helmet off while Rebel laughs his ass off at me, while Ash smirks. “Pink? Really, Ash?” I jeer.
“Hey, what my ol’ lady wants, she’s gonna get, asshole,” he retorts. “And if she wants all the guys in a hot pink dress shirt for our wedding, that’s what she’ll have.”
Logically, I understand, but fuck, I’m not even standing up with the fucker,Rebelis, for crying out loud! However, I’ll be escorting Esther to her seat, as well as Mina and Ruby, and Marnie is insistent that she wants us to match. So, all of the brothers will be wearing one as we form the makeshift aisle. At least we can wear our cuts over them. Maybe it won’t be all that bad. Becca is going to be her flower girl because the judge who is performing the ceremony will sign off on her adoption beforehand, and that means she needs to be up there as well.
“Fine, fine,” I grumble. “Don’t we have church, Rebel?” I ask, wanting the attention away from my surly attitude.
Rebel rolls his eyes at me and whistles, garnering everyone else’s attention, then he yells, “Church!”
Colt and Preston, our two prospects, hurry behind us with a tray full of beers which they set on the table before leaving. Once the bottles are passed around and the door is closed, Rebel bangs the gavel to bring us to attention.