Chapter 19 || The Car Won't bite. But if you don't get in soon, I might
🔹🔹🔹🔹
* * Nicole's POV * *

I threw on a light pink sweater, over my black tank top, and black leggings with a pink stripe down the side before grabbing my boxing bag and resting it on my bed. Almost every night so far I have made it to boxing and I am extremely proud of it. I have actually improved. At this rate I'll be ready for a fight in no time.

I throw my hair up into a messy bun then look in the mirror....

No... no.... no....

I immediately take down the bun that was a giant horrible looking ball sitting on my head. No matter how many times I try to put my hair in a bun I just can't get it right. My hair is just too thic for that.

I sigh as I slowly open the door to make sure the coast is clear before running like a mad man into the kitchen.

When I entered the kitchen it was completely empty - phew - I grabbed the waffle iron and made myself waffles for dinner. I'll probably regret eating waffles before boxing but it will totally be worth it.

As the waffles cook, I stand tall and practice my self defense. About once or twice a week I go to a self defense class, but I take it seriously now. I have them help me with every possible scenario. The thing is I do great with the moves in practice but when they bring in a real person to pretend to be the 'perpetrator ' I freeze and get to a point where I am crying.

They've been doing everything in their power to help me and get my confidence up but it's been shattered and I don't know if I will ever be confident in myself again.

The smell of something burning has me running toward the waffle iron in a hurry. I practically leap over the island to get to the iron - you know those leaps in a James Bond movie... yeah it was just like that.

I open up the iron and there it was... the poor waffle, black and burnt. I throw my hand in the air and try to wave away the smoke but it was too late. The smoke detector went off making loud beeping noises. I throw my hands on top of my ears and nearly crouch into a ball.

Jake won't like this. Nope he won't like this at all.

As I hide behind the island I hear heavy foot steps running into the kitchen. They stop and I hear a bunch of noise coming from the ceiling, which lead  me to believe they were fixing the smoke detector.

"$**t!" I heard Jake say as he fiddled with the smoke detector.

I poke my head up to watch Jake aggressively attack the poor detector.

"What happened?" He shouts as he noticed me.

I say nothing but embarrassingly points to the waffle iron.

He takes apart the detector and the loud noises come to a halt. After placing it down he gives me a stern look and raises an eyebrow.

I awkwardly look at the ground avoiding eye contact, "How on earth did you manage to burn a waffle?"

I shrug my shoulders.

Moments later Jill came rushing in with a towel over her head "Is everyone okay? What happened?"

"Top chef here burnt a waffle" Jake spits out while pointing at me.

I blush in embarrassment and let out a nervous laugh and smile "Sorry"

Jill let out a sweet smile "it's okay Nicole. No harm done."

I smile back and as I walk toward the waffle iron and throw the charcoaled waffle in the trash.

Jill runs to open each and every window.

I'm to scared to move as Jake's eyes never leave me, he is doing one of those death glares that I can't stand again.

"Jake make yourself useful and make Nicole another waffle" Jill says as she takes a towel and starts fanning the air, I follow suit.

"Why?" He asks in a deep angry voice.

"Because I told you to" Jill demands.

Jake scoffs as he fixes me up another waffle.

"So Nicole, what are your plans for tonight?" Jill asks casually changing the topic.

I shrug, "Nothing much, I'm just going to head to boxing."

Jill smiles, "I'm going to head to work, I pass the boxing gym so I'll drop you and Jake off on my way to work."

The sound of breaking glass has me and Jill jumping a mile, "What?" Jake shouts as he holds half of a plate in his hands and the rest is in a million tiny pieces on the floor.

"You will be cleaning that up Jake" Is all Jill says.

"I am not going anywhere with her" he demands with a stern voice.

Ouch...

"Its not an option Jake. Remember what I told you Jake about going with Nicole where ever?"

"No, you said where I go I have to bring Nicole not where ever Nicole goes I have to go with her." He argues as he grabs another dish for my waffle.

"They kind of go together..." I unintentionally blurt out immediately wishing I never said anything at all. I look at Jake and he about to pound me into sand but Jill speaks before anything else happens.

"Nicole is right, if she goes somewhere you will be left alone and if you are left alone you could leave. Therefore you have to go with Nicole" Jill says, "We leave in twenty minutes"

Jill snatches the waffle from his hands and graciously gives it to me with a smile.

I give her a shaky smile back before she turns and walks down the hall.

The second she leaves, I rush to the table to eat my waffle. I silently say a prayer in my head because this may be my last waffle I ever eat.

I was about to dig in when my hands were grabbed and forcefully being held behind my back.

"You've been a naughty girl" Jake said as his cheek brushed against my ear causing a chain of shivers to travel down my spine.

Jake snatched the waffle from the table, "I don't think you deserve this."

"Leave my waffle alone!" I shout.

Jake grins "Getting feisty aren't we now? I'm being forced to accompany you to your stupid boxing class and I'm not throwing a fit. Am I?" Jake tightens his grip on my hands.

"No" I gasp.

"Alright kids the bus is leaving" Jill says as she runs to the door, "time to go."

Jake drops my hands, runs to grab his jacket and is out the door.

As I stand up I grab my wrists, which are now bright red and in small amounts of pain.

"Actually Jake! Take your car." Jill shouts as we leave the house.

Jake has a car too?

Jake growls as he heads for the garage. When we enter I literally drop dead when I see this stunning black car that looks worth more than my life multiplied by 100000.

When Jake grabs his keys I notice the car is a Ferrari due to the 'Don't touch my Ferrari or I'll kill you' sign.

Jake takes his bag and tosses it in the trunk as I cautiously approach the vehicle.

I look directly into the window of the passenger seat to find the car was spotless. I was afraid to touch the car at all let alone sit inside it, also I literally had no idea how to open one of these things.... I mean a see a door handle but my body couldn't process how to do anything at all.

"The car won't bite" he says as he opens the door, but the car door didn't just open, it lifted up, "But if you don't get in soon. I might."

My face drains as I shout, "I forgot my bag!" I exclaim, "Sorry I'll only be a second."

I rush out of the garage, into the house and into my room. My bag was exactly where I left it, on my bed. I grabbed it, turned to run out the door but fell backwards due to a hard shove.

I grunt as my bag drives into my side.

"Oops, sorry. I thought we were at boxing and you were the punching bag... my bad" he says sourly and exits.

He leads me back to his car where I stiffen up and my face drains of all color. Jake laughs at me and I carefully sit in the car.

"Seatbelt." Jake says with a grin.

I stay still in shock and the fact that I was too afraid to touch anything.

Jake chuckles as he leans in, grabs the seatbelt, and straps me in "That wasn't too hard was it?"

I still stay frozen.

Jake closes the door, hops into the drivers seat and drives away.

As we are driving Jake looks over at me and says "Look your going to have to speak and tell me how to get there cause I have no clue where we are going."

I don't say anything at all, I just whip out my phone, plug in the address and let maps do all the work for me.... god bless apps.

Jake rolls his eyes, mumbles under his breath "this is so not what I want to be doing over break"

The drive was so long with Jake  purposefully saying rude things just to be mean to me.

Jake parks the car when we finally arrive. I sit still not knowing how to exit the car. Jake makes his way over to the door opens it and I slowing make my way out but a hand it placed on my head shoving me back into the car. I don't have to think twice to know who that was.

When I enter the boxing gym I'm greeted by a warm and welcoming "Hey Nicole, how have you been?" followed by a hug.

"Hi Doug, I'm good. Could be better." I say hugging back.

"Ooh who is this?" Doug asks as he notices Jake.

"Jake" Jake says politely and shakes Doug's hand.

WHY DOES HE DO THAT? Whenever someone else is here he puts the charm on to seem like a complete angel!!

"Hi Jake. I'm Doug. This the first time you've boxed?" Doug asks as he shakes his hand back.

Jake shakes his head, "no but it's been a while."

Doug gives me a pointed look as to say is he the one who has been bugging you? I give him a look back to say yes.

"No worries. We'll go over everything"

I take my wraps out and start wrapping my hands untill Jake comes over with two more wraps.

He doesn't need to say anything, I take the wraps from his hands and begin wrapping them.

"No fuss?" He says and waits for a response but I stay quiet.

We walk over to the open area where Doug starts to reteach Jake the punches. I don't watch him at all, I go to the bag and do my own little thing, working on different combinations.

After a while Doug calls me over, he explains the drill and I demonstrate.

We have to hit the mitts five times with each hand, three vertical leaps and one lap around the boxing gym.

The bell goes off simulating go, we have three minutes and thirty seconds of this and I go all out.

I pay no attention to Jake but I can tell he is watching me. Probably thinking how weak I am.

About half way through Jake isn't even breaking a sweat. I mean I know he is super fit but I never see him going to a gym. At this point I'd expect a little sweat from him.

The drill ends and we take a water break while Doug gets ready to spar.

Jake comes over to me, "did you forget a water?" I ask out of instinct.

"Yeah"

I gesture to the water bubbler in the corner as I take another sip from my bottle.

"Jake how about you go first" Doug says from the ring.

After grabbing some water we head over to the ring and Jake hops in. Usually I'd go hit the bag when someone else is sparring but I'm curious to see how Jake boxes.

"All you have to do is hit me." Doug says through his mouth guard and head gear, "I might occasionally throw some punches back and you have to block them."

Jake nods.

The bell goes off, they touch gloves and Doug is prancing around the ring making Jake work. However, Jake is unfazed by this and goes after him throwing a hook, right and an upper.

"Nice one!" Doug says as Jake lands the hook to his body.

My eyes practically fall out of my head, Jake's muscles flexed at each punch and became more define.

I stood there in awe as Jake continues, I mean I knew Jake was strong and everything but this strong? No! He was punching so  powerfully and effortlessly that he looked like a professional.

The bell rang signalling 'times up' and Jake walks out.

"You can shut your mouth now." He smirks.

Unknowingly I actually shut my mouth, I had no idea it was open in the first place.

"Oh and Nicole, you haven't seen anything yet." Jake says with a low tone in my ear.

A shiver travels up my spine because I know what he meant, he was going to kill me.

Doug gestured for me to go into the ring but I shook my head, "I'm actually good. I- I don't really feel well."

Doug frowns and hops out of the ring, "Are you okay Nicole?"

I shiver in fear as Jake chuckles, "Yeah umm- I think I need to go."

Doug pats my back and whispers "As long as I am here, no one will hurt you."

I smile feeling better, "Why don't we do two minutes in the ring instead of three that way you can punch all your feeling out."

I nod in agreement.

Just pretend Jake isn't here... Just pretend.

The bell goes off and I touch Doug's gloves.

I start of shaky and weak. I can feel Jake's eyes on me, I can feel his evil grin and I can feel his evil laugh.

Doug and I shifted giving me a chance to see that Jake was not paying attention at all - which made me relax a bit.

There was about one minute left and I had barely thrown one punch.

Jake is probably laughing his head off cause I'm such a weakling - you know what let him think that, I don't care anymore.

Punch

"Nice one Nicole!" Doug shouts as the punch lands directly into his side.

No one is ever going to stuff me into a locker again.

Punch

"Good shot!" Doug says as MY hook hits his face.

I duck two punches as the thirty second bell rings.

I dug out every ounce of my feelings and memories - the memories of Jake and the memories of that horrible night that I wish would erase from my mind.

I pin Doug into the corner and practically go all psycho on him.

Punch to the head, Punch to the body, Hook to the side.

Last but not least, my favorite and most strongest punch, and uppercut straight to the chin.

The bell went off and Doug pulled me into a hug, "Awesome job Nicole!" Then Doug whispers "He'll never hurt you now."

My face whitened as I remember Jake was still here, I turn to exit the ring to find Jake cross armed and staring right at me.

I exit the ring and rush to my bag but Jake stops me in the process, "Where on earth did that come from?"

I shrugged while looking down.

"Nicole I don't think you understand. No one will ever hurt you if you do that!" Jake says as if he has discovered a new element.

I shrug, why does he care all of a sudden.

"But seriously" he says as he fixes his voice, "where did that come from? I mean no offense but your very small."

I look down at my attire - phew - I still had my sweater on. I never like showing my arms or stomach or anything at all really.

I don't exactly know why I just feel the need to cover up, I can't remember the last time I wore bathing suit and a tee shirt without a sweater over it.

I shrug and walk away.

"How are you not sweating?" Jake asks as he points to my pink sweater that has no sweat marks on it at all.

I shrug.

"Is that all your going to do? Shrug every time I ask you something?"

I shrug again, but unintentionally.

Jake rolls his eyes.

"Bye Doug! Thank you." I say as I give him one last hug and leave.

"Thank you Doug" Jake says after.

"Hopefully you come back" Doug says as he shakes his hand.

What? Doug you did not just say that!

"I think I will." Jake says and turns around with a grin.

I cross my arms and follow him out the door.

It was getting dark out.

I rush over to his car but trip over a some rock in the middle of the parking lot.

Jake starts laughing his head off.

I brush my self off and approach his vehicle.

Jake opens the funky door and I slide in. Jake gets in the car and we are on our way home.

The car ride home was long, silent, and pure awkward. The only sound was coming from the GPS.

We arrive home after what seemed like hours, Jake opened the funky car door for me and I run into the house - I mean full on sprinting, only because I was afraid Jake might pull some new boxing move on me.

I rush into my room, shut the door, and immediately take off my sweater. 

"Why are you so...... quiet?"

I shrug again and sit on my bed.

I find myself thinking about this a lot.

I sighed, "I don't know. I've always been like this."

• • •

I am so sorry for the long wait! I have never taken that long to update before.

It won't happen again.

Update: My guinea pig, Sugar, is finally moving her back feet and walking!!

Don't be a silent reader 🌸

✨ *Vote and Comment* ✨

Alyssa Rose

XOXO ❤️