17| Does it hurt your ego that I beat your ass?

Life doesn't give us purpose.

We give life purpose.

~The Flash

Kathy's POV

Alessia convinced me to have a late lunch with her friends, including Anthony. When everyone was leaving, Alessia asked me, "Do you need a ride home?"

I smile at her offer and say, "It's okay. I see your car is already jam-packed."

We glance at the guys squished in the back, and she laughs. "You sure?" She asks.

"I'll be fine. I'll see you around." I say while she gives me a quick hug. I grab my phone and pull up the Uber app. I'm about to pay for a ride when Anthony walks up behind me.

"Do you have a ride home?" He asks, giving me a concerned look.

I shake my head and try to make up an excuse. He sees through my facade and says, "That's okay. I can take you."

"Really?" I ask uncertainly.

"Let's go." He says, flashing me a smile. He's adorable. Fucking dimples. It'd be easier to stop liking him if he was ugly and had a lousy personality.

He leads me towards his car and opens the door for me. I slip in and buckle up. "Sorry, Michael taking me to you was not in my plans. I didn't mean to interfere with whatever your weekend plans are."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Sunshine." He says. He clears his throat and asks, "Anyone catch your eye before Michael brought you here?"

I snort and say, "Nope. Cece is usually the one who gets laid while I just get tipsy. Might've gone a little overboard knowing I'm a lightweight."

He chuckles and says, "Give me your phone."

"Why? What are you doing?" I ask, watching him type something in.

"I should have done this sooner, but... There's my number in case you have an emergency or something. We'll see each other a lot now that you're a part of my gang." He says, handing it back.

"You've made a grave mistake Anthony. There's a lot of chaos I can do with your number." I say, faking an evil tone.

"I'll take those chances, Sunshine." He says, turning on the engine.

"So, how do we get to your apartment?" He asks. I give him my address, and he lets me control the music.

15 minutes later, I say, "Well, this is it!"

I climb out of Anthony's car, and he asks, "Do you want me to walk you to your door?" He's a keeper, alright. Shut up.

"So you can know exactly where I live? I think not." I tease. We both laugh, and I slowly move towards the entrance.

"You know I lost on purpose, right?" He asks. I roll my eyes and look him in the eye.

"Sure..." I say sarcastically. "Does it hurt your ego that I beat your ass?"

"I let you." He says, trying to defend himself.

"In your dreams," I say, winking.

He smirks and says, "Yep. You are in my dreams. You're under me while I'm-"

"Thanks for driving me," I shout, cutting him off.

"Hey, Kathy?" He asks softly, causing me to turn around.

"Maybe I lost on purpose so you could join." He says with a shrug. Seeing the vulnerable look on his face, I knew he was serious. "I'll see you around, Sunshine." He says, driving out of the parking lot.

I bite back a smile and walk towards the lobby. When I leave the elevator, I walk straight to my door, unlock it, and head straight for my room.

Just because he said that doesn't mean it's anything more than a friendly gesture. He just needed someone who could throw a few kicks and punches. Or he's interested, and you're not getting the hint. I'm pretty bad with hints. No shit.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

I wake up to my phone ringing and glance at my clock. It was almost 9 pm, and I realized I had taken a longer nap than I should have. I remember Cece calling, and I answer.

"How was he?" I ask, already knowing what she wants to discuss.

"Oh my god. I didn't have to fake anything. And we went out for a lunch date when we woke up." She says.

"Aww, that's great! He was cute, from what I remember." I say.

"Don't let Anthony hear that. He might get jealous." Cece says.

I roll my eyes and scoff. "Seriously, you had to bring him up?"

"Come on! When will you guys confess that you like each other and get married? I'm dying over here!" She says.

"Never in a million years would I date him," I say. You wish you could.

"Right..." She says, not believing me. Deciding not to push, she says, "Anyways, he's definitely not worth anything more than a one-night stand."

"And why is that?" I ask, deciding to lie back down.

"He's an asshole. Why can't I find someone who's good in bed and has a good personality?" She asks.

"What'd he do?" I ask.

"When we went out to eat, I wanted tacos. He kept pushing me to buy this stupid chicken salad instead, and I was not having it. If I wanted a fucking salad, I would have ordered one." She says.

"Then he added that if I lost a little weight, we could continue whatever he thought was happening between us. I honestly would have let it slide if he had paid. I wouldn't see him again either way. But he ranted about why women should pay their share and all this equality shit that I just left. I left cash, but I was not going to stick around for another minute." She explains.

"He sounds awful! Good thing you're never going to see him again." I say.

"How'd the rest of your night go? Find anyone to get your mind off of Anthony?" She asks with a small laugh.

"And I hate you again," I say with a smile.

"I joined Anthony's gang, no biggie," I say, knowing she hates when I don't give her any context.

She gasps and says, "Katherine Miller! You tell me the tea, or I'll fight you."

"You'd lose in a heartbeat," I say.

"Whatever." She says, clearly waiting for me to explain.

"You know Michael? Anthony's best friend? He brought me to their base because he thought I was super drunk. I mean, I was, but I would have just gotten an Uber. He was worried for Anthony's sake which made no sense, and then I woke up at their base. Anthony basically challenged me to a fight, and if I won, I'd get to join his gang. I beat his ass, and now I have a job and don't have to worry about when my money will run out." I say, summarizing the last few hours.

"Well, at least one of us is closer to being in a loving and committed relationship." She says with a sigh.

I chuckle and ask, "Seriously? That's all you got from this."

"Your man wants to care for you, and you get to kick ass together? Sounds like a dream." She says.

"Do you want me to hook you up with someone in his gang?" I ask.

"I don't know. It's just so hard being the beauty, brains, and personality in a relationship." She says.

"I'll ask around for you," I say, shaking my head.

She giggles and says, "Thank you. I'll see you at school."

"Bye, Cece," I say, ending the call.

I'm going to sleep this day off, and I'm sure tomorrow will be a fresh start. We'll see about that. I'm not in the mood to argue with you. I'm going back to sleep.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

I wake up a little disoriented and realize it's the next day. Having nothing to eat in the kitchen, I prepare to go out.

Outfit:

I could go for some pancakes. I get on my motorcycle and decide to get breakfast at McDonald's. I get the hotcakes and a hash brown and scroll on my phone while I eat.

After eating, I throw out my trash and feel my phone vibrate. I see Anthony is calling and answer. "Hello?" I ask, not sure why he'd be calling me.

"Jasmine was kidnapped." He murmurs.

Hope to see you in the next chapter! ☺️

Byeeeeeeeeee! 👋