Can't Rid of Me (JackLex & Marree)

I'm fully prepared for what's about to come. I know to expect it. I know what I did when I challenged the guy holding Gala. I figured that my words would send him into a fury for me to throw at him my words to make him sound weak. Make him think different about holding onto a small girl who coud barely struggle out of his grasp and go for a girl who was ready to take him on. It had worked. He looked to Gala and asked her if she wanted him to knock me out. He was taking the bait. With a shake of her head, Gala refused to have him go after me.

"Well too bad." He announces and he pushes Gala to the side. Somehow, as I watch, I see her feet dig into the ground and she becomes the stopper to his plans to charge at me. He starts coming at me and I flinch for only a second, my right leg going backwards to try to get me to run, but the events take place and not what I was expecting. Gala somehow trips him, and he plummets forward to me. I can't seem to move quick enough as his arms latch onto my knees and in a matter of seconds I feel my head against the ground in a weird set amount of mere moments. I blink once. twice. The third time my eyes open, I glance over to Gala and watch as she is on top of the guy who just took me down and I hear Matthew's voice bellowing outward somewhere near me. I groan a bit and pull my legs out away from the career as I watch Gala shove his head into the dirt with as much force as she can manage. I sit there stunned as Matthew comes in next to finish the job that Gala started.

"Matt..." My voice comes out with this sort of amazement. His punches comes fast and quick to the man's face. Over and over until he deems himself done and he called out that he gives. Weakling. Not even I give up... at least not outwardly admits it. I place a hand to my cheek as fall had jarred me enough to send the pain raging in my face again. I grimace as I watch the reactions of my fellow comrades and the aftermath of what was going on. Behind me, I look at the guy who was previously knocked out, as he takes off, pushing his buddy that I hit in the mouth, off into the distance hills that Joel and Henn had taken. Maybe they finally learned their lessons? After all, I make sure when I fight someone, they remember me. I'm not out ot make friends or enemies, I fight so they know I'm worth it. They know I'm worth one hundred percent of whatever they dish out, I can give back two fold. They better stay away from Gala... or they'll have to deal with me all over again. I make a silent promise to myself.

It's then, that I finally see the hand that Matthew has been extending to me to take and for a moment, I hesitate to take it. I'm unsure of his intentions now. At first he stood back, then he jumped in. Whose side is he really on? I take his hand and stand. For a few moments, I stand there with nothing but a look on my face. I glare at Matthew with hatred. With sincerity. With confusion. He turns to Gala, and bends down. This is the moment that I start to think that he may be on our side, but that doesn't make it easier to swallow what we went through.

I knew you could do it. AS much as it pains me to smile, I let my lips rise in a congratulatory grin to Gala. I see how she must be feeling to participate in her first fight... if this is her first actual fight. I know how scared she must be as well, because things like this don't happen that often when you're outnumbered. I nod to her as well.

"Good job Gala... You're tough, whether you think you are or not." I tell her. Praise. It's the one thing that can make a difference in a careers life when training. It gives them the satisfaction of a job well done. It gives them confidence and hope. She needs that. Of all people, Gala needed the praise afterall, it was her who saved me from getting mowed down by that career. "Thank you Gala. I thought he was about to take me down. Never expected that out of you. You doing alright?"

At this time, I feel every punch and hit coming back with a vengence. My back stings and I look to Matthew with this angered expression. "Thanks for arriving late... or rather, I should thank you for coming at all." My voice holds a bit of sting for him whereas moments ago, it held nothing but a gentle voice for Gala.

Get up. I'll help you. My voice rings out clearly annoyed yet confident to Matthew. My hand extended to him and hoping he'll take it but the moment that I wait for him to take it he shrugs me off and painfully he gets up. Stubborn-ass I think to myself in a humorous way, but his harsh voices comes back to bite me just as I did his.

Who the heck is suppose to get you? I grimace toward him and hear the same thing the same groan. I watch Matthew as he pushes himself against the bark of the tree and gives me the cold shoulder to my help. Once again, he refuses my help and I take a heavy sigh. I've told him before how that hurts me that he wouldn't take my help. Again, I feel that same jab in my heart. This time, he does it out of spite, at me of all people. I pull my hand away and bite the inside of my cheek. Fine... be that way, Jerk! You'll never change.

Even though, I hate that he refused me, he still turns to Gala and tells her to cheer up. I smile at the thoughtful gesture he tries to give her and I can't seem to stay mad at him much longer, though the heat still wants to boil up into my throat.

I knew it! Gala suddenly said and I had to look at her with a questionable look on my face as I tried to figure out what she's talking about. It don't occur to me about the situation that she's referring to. I shrug it off when I hear Matthew's sudden retort back to her. She shuts up and I don't give it another thought. We three beaten up mice take to the hills to get back to the gym and the moment we are inside, Matt takes off to the dressing room. I can't help but watch after him in a longing way. I'm still upset with him, but how can that feeling stay strong for long when I seem to be more worried than angry now?

"Come on Gala. Let's get to the med room and see about getting something for our victory marks?" I ask Gala. My fingers still bleed a bit and I definatley think I could use an ice pack on my face. The swelling seems to be taking over cause with every word, it feels tight and pain shoots across the left side of my face. "You still doing okay?"

The way the careers were going after Gala, it seemed as though it was mainly against Matthew. Afterall, when I first happened upon the group, they were making fun of him and the small girl, whom I now know as Gala. She's the kind of girl that I would have liked to have if I ever had a sister. She's small, yes. She's younger, yeah. But the girls got spunk. I could see it in her when she took that final hit against the guy that lay on the ground, allowing for the phrase to come to my head.

Adding insult to injury.

A small smile formed on my lips. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. Although, at her age, I had to be strong and showing signs of weakness wasn't allowed in my family. My mother, when she was still alive, babied me because I was her little girl. She never would let him train me more than what was necessary. Though, when she passed away, when I was ten, my father coped with his loss by training me harder to become strong. My brother did the same as an outlet for his grief. I wanted it though. I wanted to show what I was made of, but the two years I had of training could have never prepared me for my first battle that left me scarred yet feirce. I found that I gained respect by not giving up in front of that crowd of people. Gala, though? It seemed like this was her first battle that she had ever participated in. I agree, the circumstances were horrible. She was out numbered by five guys that wants nothing more than to taunt and harm her. I'm just glad that Matthew and I were around. There's no telling what they would have done to her if we hadn't been able to hear her.

Though, as I suggested that we get our wounds taken care of, or at least just get something to numb the pain with something cold, she agreed with a daunting voice. "Oh come on. You were so brave back there. You afraid of a little ice and a bandage?" I tease her heartily, giving her a quaint, but painful smile. "It's not bad. Usually the nurse isn't in there, and we can just do it ourselves, and I'll help you if she's not in there."

I tell her and when we enter, I see the sweet looking lady inside. Guess we'll have to worry about telling why we are all banged up. O'well... I'll just use the same story I always do. She knows me as the clutz anyways, but Gala? I nodd to the woman as she asks what happened to us, and Gala is the first to answer. I don't speak though. I see the look on the womans face when she tends to Gala first. She bandages her hand and she turns to give her an ice pack. I don't wait on her though. I've seen this place inside and out and know exactly where all the supplies are. I go to the small mini freezer and pull out the ice pack and grab a small, thin towel to cover it up with. I place it gently against my cheek as she keeps to Gala. I close my eyes and let the cool temperature soak into my throbbing cheek. The heat that radiates through my face is returning to normal with the aide.

The moment the woman finishes with Gala, she turns to me and she sees my fingers that are caked with blood. She makes a 'tisk, tisk' sound with her tongue, clicking it against the roof of her mouth as she pulls me to the sink to wash off the dried blood. She goes from there to swab the alcohol on it and then some ointment. She finishes by wrapping both the middle finger and ring finger seperately with white gauze and tapes it. She looks both of us over again, and walks out of the room. Not even a few steps out of the room, Gala speaks up to the silence.

Thanks. You don't even know me and you... put yourself in danger. I listen to her hushed voice trail off. Her eyes seemed so concered for things she needn't be worrying about. It wasn't like she begged us to participate. It wasn't like she purposely put us into the fight. I did what was right and because, in those few moments that I got to know her, I felt obligated to. She was being taught by the one person that I opened up to, so she instantly became part of me in some weird way. No one has ever done that to me before. With sny other person, I might step in to help, but it would have to be a good reason and on a good day. Otherwise, I would just let them be and to deal with it themselves. Today? When she screamed my name after only knowing me long enough for me to almost kill her with my knife, only to turn around and give her the knife, she put in motion this feeling within me. Almost like, I needed to be there for her.

"Hun, if I didn't help you, I would feel horrible if those guys had really hurt you. Those guys were jerks. That one guy who punched me in the face, Joel... needed to be taught a lesson anyways. I'd been meaning to get back at him for the longest time. He's done the same thing to me once, a couple months ago, in a sparring match, but I'll tell you a secret." I pause a moment to look around, just to make sure no one is lingering around then I look back at her. ".... distractions are the best way to go. You need to learn their weaknesses... distract them, then beat them at their own game." I tell her. Though, at her age, the distractions I"m talking about probably won't work. It's just the simple wink or suggestions of body language that can be used against a guy that ultimately make a difference in my fighting style. Playing dirty might not win any awards, but it'll sure even out the odds.

I look down at my freshly bandaged fingers and nod. "Guess the tooth fairy is going to visiting that one tonight... although, I'm not sure if she'll appreciate how it was done. O'well. He was asking for it." I say to Gala and keep the ice pack glued to my face. My stomach is killing me the longer I stand still, so I suggest something to Gala. "What say I walk you home? I'm sure after what just happened, I imagine you'd like to get some rest, right? All that adrenaline is starting to leave you. That's the worst part." I say this because I'm starting to feel the after effects as well. The pain. The weakness. My entire body feels drained. I walk over to the door and wait with an outstretched arm for the girl to come and step into. "So, tell me why of all people, you... or Matthew picked to train you?" My voice trails off.