Hated (12 page)

“Try me,”
Isabella said and crossed her arms but I could see that she was curious.

“Umm, Antonio and
I made out in the janitor’s closet,” I admitted.

“No way,” Isabella replied shock written on her face. “How did this happen?”

“We just got really close these past couple of days and it just kind of happened,” I explained I could feel my face heat up. I hadn’t really talked to anyone about this.

“Well this is…great!” Isabella announced
enthusiastically, smiling. “Oh, this is fantastic!”

“I didn’t expect you to react this way,” I commented as I stopped leaning against the door.
“But it is better than what I thought it was going to be.”

“I’m full of unexpected surprises,” Isabella replied as she trotted back around to her desk.
“Which reminds me, I’m not going to be here for a while because of the baby. Do you think you can stay out of trouble for that long?”

“Truthfully?” I asked and she nodded. “Nope.”

“Just try please,” Isabella pleaded. “I would like my son to meet you.”

“I’ll try but I’m not promising anything,” I
replied half smiling. Isabella returned my smile but it seemed kind of tired. “I know but just please be careful anyway.”

I nodded and sat in the office with Isabella, eating my lunch. I had no idea that someone was listening in on my conversation. I didn’t know that history liked to repeat itself this much in
one person’s life. I didn’t know that my best friend would betray me or that the one that I held dear would lead to my down fall.

Chapter 16

Antonio Caine

Boston 2:55 pm Friday February 16
th
2029

I was thinking about Stephanie all day. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get her out of my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about this morning either. She felt the same way I did. Maybe I should ask her out properly instead of just making out with her in a janitor’s closet and leaving it. I loved her there was no doubt anymore. I think I could finally tell her who I really am. But how would she take it?

I may not know everything about her but I knew enough that I would have to be careful with how I say it.
She didn’t like me in the first place because she thought that I was part of a gang. If she were to find out that I was in the Mafia things could get ugly, unless I put it properly.

The final bell rang and I grabbed my stuff and headed to my locker.
I’ll tell her tomorrow morning so that if she didn’t want to see me again she wouldn’t have to. Although it hurt me to think like that I had to think of all of the angles and possibilities. No matter how much it hurt to do so.

But I would make sure that we were alone before I would tell her anything. I didn’t want Alexander or anyone else t
o eavesdrop on the conversation and get the wrong idea. Speaking of which, I really didn’t like how he was flirting with her or the fact that he had challenged me for her. I don’t want to treat her like a prize to be won but if that’s what it takes to keep him away from her I was willing to take it.

I went out to the front of the school
to wait for Stephanie by the gate. As I waited I saw Hayley talking to someone, secretively, to the side of the school. I know that she is always on her phone but this looked different. I had a very bad feeling about her. She didn’t even notice me and then I felt someone bump into my side. I turned to glare at the person who bumped into me and found that it was one of the guys that Stephanie had been hanging out with.

I just ignored the nuisance and looked back to find Hayley gone. I was startled but I forgot about her when Stephanie walked up to me.
I smiled it was just a little one but I could see that Stephanie got the idea. She smiled back and it made her look years younger than she looked otherwise. Either way she was beautiful.  I loved every part of her no matter what would happen.

“I really didn’t think that you were going to wait for me,” Stephanie commented, stopping at my side.
I put my arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. Stephanie chuckled and we started on our way to her house. It felt so much more like home than my own home did.

About half way to Stephanie’s house my phone went off.
I was going to ignore it but whoever it was, was being persistent. By the third time I had had enough of it and grabbed for my phone. I flipped my phone open and looked at my messages. Apparently they had tried more than just the three times to contact me. I heaved a sigh and went through my messages. Most of them didn’t really have any urgency until I got to the last three.

The last three got me to stop walking and reread them.
I never get messages from my father, well almost never. But this wasn’t him it was Darcy using my dad’s phone. The text message said that I had been challenged to a duel for my position by Hayley’s brother, Markus?! But we were on good terms with him or at least I thought I was. Unless Hayley has something on him, but why would she have her brother challenge me? She wouldn’t gain anything by him fighting me, would she? I can’t just say no either.

“Hey are you okay?” Stephanie asked concerned. I looked away from my phone and to her. She looked confused and worried
.

“Yeah but I need to take care of something before I go to your house,” I replied stuffing my phone into my pocket. “I’ll meet up with you later ok?”

Stephanie looked wary but nodded. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and started on my way to my house. I quickly texted back that I was going to be there but I was going to be late. Then I started jogging to get my muscles warmed up for the fight. I might have enough time to change and do a little bit of stretching but I wouldn’t have time to warm up.

It took me a little longer than I thought it would but I eventually got home. I went to my room and changed into a pair of sweats before I went back out the door and continued on my way to the dojo which wasn’t too far from the house.
I walked into the dojo and was met by about 20 or more different people. Some of whom I recognized and others were strangers to me.

I found my father and Darcy over to the side of the room.
My father looked worried and so did Darcy but hers didn't look real. I walked up to them and my father looked relieved then his face turned to the blank expression he normally wore. He tossed me my hand wraps with out a word and turned his back to me so that he was looking at Darcy. I wrapped my hands up and took off my shoes. I stretched out my arms and legs, as well as my back and walked to the open space in the centre of the room.

The mats were already set up and Markus was on the other side of it hopping around like a kangaroo that had drank some pop.
Oh boy, this was going to be interesting. We both got into our ready positions and waited for the referee to say go. I haven’t had a good fair fight in a long time. I relaxed my muscles and waited. He was antsy I could see it, he really didn’t want to do this but I knew he wouldn’t go easy on me either way. I could see Hayley in the audience too, and she was smiling a smug smile. It made me think that she did have something to do with this.

The referee explained the rules of the fight but I wasn’t listening.
I’ve heard it several times before, in my own fights and fights I went to watch. I was too busy watching Markus and trying to remember my training. When the ref asked if we were ready I nodded and so did Markus. I could feel the tension in the air as we circled each other waiting to see who would make the first move.

I saw Markus’s muscles tighten up as he was preparing to strike. He kicked out and aimed for my knees. He was fast but I was faster. I jumped to the side just as his foot came down. Markus became off balance and I used that as my chance to strike. I kick out and hit him in the chest pushing him back. Markus rolled with the blow and got to his feet. I knew that I’d hurt him but he didn’t show it. He came at me and we exchanged blows. When we separated I had blood coming down my face from my mouth and Markus had a cut above his eye and a cut on his
lip.

We were both panting and I was sure that we were both fairly sore.
But I had something to win for and he didn’t which is what kept me going. I was done playing around it was time to get serious. I faked a kick with my right leg and kneed Markus with my left. He started coughing and sputtering but I wasn’t done yet. I was about to bring my knee down on him when he rolled out of the way. I put my hands out to help cushion the blow to my knee and did a summersault to get back onto my feet. I turned around to face Markus but he didn’t look too good. He was pale and breathing heavily, and he coughed every now and again. Blood dripped from his nose, the corner of his mouth and from above his eyebrow. He also seemed a bit disoriented and off balance.

I wouldn’t say that I was fine because I was far from it. I tried not to limp but my knee was killing me and I ached
every where. Some parts were worse than others. However I held my ground and waited him out. I dodged his blows waiting for a spot to strike. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep up the dodging. Just as I started to slow down I saw my chance.

I ducked under Markus’s arm as he swung and brought my elbows down on the back of his neck. I hit him at the base trying to do as little damage as possible. Then he went down and didn’t get back up. The ref counted to 10 and Markus was still down but I could see that he had started to move after the count was over. I don’t know if he planned that or if he was really out cold, either way I had won the fight.

I looked to the clock on the wall. We had been fighting for almost an hour. It sure as hell didn’t feel like it took that long. Markus was starting to sit up. I walked over to him and offered him my hand. He gave me a crooked smile and took my hand. I could tell he was trying not to lean on me but from the clenching of his hand I had to guess it hurt a lot.

“You are so going to have to teach me that move,” Markus commented once he was standing. I smiled a little and nodded.
I helped him over to Dr. Devin and then sat down on the floor beside him to look around. I couldn’t find Hayley anywhere. I knew that she had been here, so, then where had she gone off to? I sighed exhausted. I would figure that out later.

I waited patiently as Devin checked over Markus. Once he was finished he moved on to me. Devin bandaged up my knee and my ribs, and gave me some
pain killers. Markus was laid out of a stretcher and carried to my house were he would be staying until he could walk again. I waited until it was just me and Devin in the dojo. I was about to leave myself but Devin stopped me.

“
You have been going out a lot lately,” Devin commented smiling. “Is there perhaps a girl involved?”

“Maybe,” I replied. Devin was always kind of like a father to me more so than my own dad was.
He has told me once that he had had kids of his own but he had to let them go. But that is the most he’s told me. I tried asking him more about it but he wouldn’t say anything. I guess it was a fairly touchy subject for him, so I stopped asking.

Devin’s
smile widened and he nodded. “I thought so. Well be a good boy and try not to get into too much trouble, okay?”

I surprised myself as I smiled and nodded.
Devin chuckled and patted me on the back before he left the dojo. I left shortly after him and went to the garage of my house to get my motorcycle. But I felt like someone was watching me and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I tried to shake off the feeling as I got on my bike and left the garage.

It didn’t take too long for me to reach her house now that I knew the way. But when I reached the house all the lights were out and it was way too quiet. Something was
very wrong. I quickly walked up to the door and knocked. I waited a couple of minutes and then I saw someone peep out of the window beside the door. I heard some noise coming from the other side of the door and then it opened up a crack. I saw an eye peek out of the crack and then the door shut again. I heard the clanking of locks being unlocked and then Stephanie stood in the doorway, or should I say leaned.

“What the hell are you doing here?”
Stephanie snapped. I was stunned and startled both by her tone and how she looked. She had a huge bruise starting to form around her neck and one that was forming on the side of her face. Stephanie had bandages around her left arm, both of her legs and as she shifted I could see some bandages across her stomach. She also had a split lip and most of her knuckles were bloody.

“What happened to you?” I asked stunned and angry.
I had a fairly good idea who had done this and I wasn’t the least bit happy.

“Why would you care?” Stephanie replied angrily. I must’ve looked confused because she gave an exasperated sigh and shaded her eyes with her hand.

“What are you talking about?” I asked completely confused and slightly irritated. “Of course I care about you.”

“Then why did I have to learn who you were from Hayley and your Stepmother?” Stephanie questioned still furious. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were part of the Mafia?”

“I was going to tell you tonight but then I got called away to handle some business and…” but Stephanie cut me off. “I don’t care because of you my entire family took a beating from their freaking goons. You didn’t even tell me that you were engaged to be married to Hayley, I had to learn that the hard way too.”

“Wait a second I hate Hayley, why the hell would I be engaged to her?” I asked as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together.
Hayley had been talking to Darcy on the phone at school. She had planned this whole thing from the beginning. Hayley was a spy for Darcy.

“Don’t ask me ask your stepmother,” Stephanie muttered. “Now leave I have some things I need to attend to myself.”

“Wait,” I said putting my foot in the door before it closed on me. “Stephanie I would never do anything to hurt you or your family, I was set up. Look if you don’t believe me I will find the evidence to prove that I was set up.” I took off my necklace and handed it to Stephanie, but she backed away from it.

“It was my mothers’,” I commented. “She gave it to me shortly before she died. I just need you to watch it until I can find out what is going on, okay?”

I saw that Stephanie was hesitant to take it. But I also saw that she was thinking about what I had said. She narrowed her eyes at me as she reached out to take the necklace. I dropped it into her hand and stepped away from the door.

“I hate Hayley too
, didn’t believe her story for a minute,” Stephanie muttered and then sighed. “You just have to figure out if what your stepmother says is true. But there is one thing I want to say before you go. The Mafia killed my mother and the police never found my father’s body. They left my mother alive just enough so that we could see her before she died.”

“I’m not them,” I replied. “I didn’t even want to be part of the Mafia. I wanted to help my mother in her flower shop. I know it doesn’t sound right coming from me but that’s what I wanted to do.”