Chances

Chapter Ten

It was yet another week; love secretly blossomed as anger, hatred and pretence also grew. Just as there was rain but still the grasses were still short, brown or dead.

Leah found peace where she never thought there would be. She found herself secretly smiling because of someone she never thought she'd even smirk at.

Marisca; who had vowed to never let in the man she slept thinking of, now wanted to always spend her entire day with him.

Kourtney who took good care of the two boys alone, couldn't help but notice so many changes in her boys ever since the girls joined them. Not also forgetting the little guy who called himself man enough. Yet pretends she didn't enjoy the girls' company when she really did and wanted so much to ask Leah about the hot men she saw during the champions and other matches.

Tyler loved his new home. Even though his previous home was spacious and had everything he needed and even didn't want, he still liked his stay there. He was tired of living with just the girls. In there he had both his parents who wanted to please him. He had his grandmother waiting to hear his stories.

Tina was always fuming with anger. She cursed everyday, regretting setting Marisca's home on fire because since ever they came to David's place, they had been nothing but happy and always annoying her with their giggles.

Not forgetting the two boys who still fought like teenagers. They knew exactly where their hearts were heading and calling to. Even though Dean didn't want to accept it, David reminded him everyday.

***

Tina angrily walked into the restaurant and then straight to the kitchen. She didn't greet anyone and just went on creaming the margarine and sugar she left overnight.

Ken; one of the workers who had been bothering Tina to talk to him, called her to c***k the eggs into it since the creamed margarine and sugar looked whiter than it was supposed to be.

He took the bowl from her and she threw the whisker into the mixture. Ken looked up to her and reached for her hands. He wondered why she was angry and wouldn't allow anyone to talk to her.

She wasn't the type to smile or talk to anyone but he knew she wanted to but haven't found anything to smile at yet. So he took it upon himself to make her smile or talk nicely one day.

“What is it this time around?" He asked, staring at her with his left eyebrow up.

“None of your business!" She snapped at him, moving herself away from him.

How was she going to tell him she hated to hear Leah laugh as if everything was Ok?

“I told you pretty girls smile," he tried to tell her to smile.

“And how many times do I have to tell you I'm not pretty?" She shot back. Ken ignored the fire he saw in her eyes. Whatever that made her angry was huge considering how she told to him.

“Do you realize that is who she is and you can not change her no matter what?" Nadia; another girl announced, which made the others laugh.

Ken shook his head and asked Tina to take in a deep breath and drink water, which to everyone's surprise she did.

“Good, now how do you feel?" He inquired from her which she unexpectedly smiled.

“There, that wasn't hard...was it? I told you pretty girls smile," he smirked and winked at her before tending to the preparation of the cakes.

As much he wanted to stay watching her smile all day, he had to take care of the kitchen while Dean and David were away with Marisca to watch Leah fight in her finals.

***

Dean and David couldn't stand the blood that came out from most of the boxers. Some had their tooth and teeth protector flying from their mouths and unto the boxing ring.

Some didn't qualify for the next round. Leah got hitten by a few blows yet she managed to win every round. She was the one leading and she had to face the one who won last year.

Leah had come so close to winning last year. And it was yet another day, another month and another year that she stood in the same mighty ring to fight against the same opponent.

Three hours break was given to Leah to prepare while her opponent also did same. Leah went to her room to calm her nerves.

Walking to the door in her black fighting costume, she breathed in and out before opening the door. She knew her friends would be waiting in there and needed to calm herself before seeing them.

And she was right. They were calmly there. Marisca smiled at her as Dean eyed her from her head to her toe and David only nodded.

Dean was scared as a wet puppy whenever he saw a blow coming in Leah's direction. He thought he'd die when some of the blows landed on her. She looked all bloody and thirsty to punch someone.

As much as he loved teasing her, he knew so well where they stood wasn't the place to do that.

David congratulated her and she looked at him for a while, as if she were calming herself from punching him.

“Don't congratulate me now. Those girls weren't even my size, so to me it was no game. The real game is three hours from now," she warned as Dean stepped in for David.

“See he isn't the reason you are feeling this way. So chill before you send us all sleeping on a hospital bed. Breathe in and...”

“I know what to do," she quickly cut him short. And he looked annoyed more than he was. He was still scared and she behaving like a lion wasn't helping him.

Marisca then laughed and Leah finally breathed out. She then asked her friend to rest.

“I'm glad you still have the stamina for the next fight. All the best," she comforted her best friend.

“You guys are seriously something else. You talked to her as if she just walked down a run way show. WTF! I'm so not watching this again in my life," Dean yelled back at them.

He held his chest as he sighed. His heart was beating faster than it normally did when he ran.

“Come on, stop being a chicken," Marisca teased as she hit Dean's chest. He shook his head and murmur something only he could hear.

Seriously we watch boxing and wrestling. And we go like, yes hit him! His arms; weaken them. Nice hit. Do it again. But how come today feels so different?

Dean questioned himself.

Oh it's because those times, I only watched them on the television and this one was up to my face.

But that didn't end there.

But I was enjoying it until it got to Leah's turn. Whenever it's her turn, I get scared especially when I see the blow coming her way. Yes that is it.

But he turned his head to the other side and wondered again.

But why is it so? Maybe it's because I'm scared she could fight me this way when I tease her or make fun of her. She's this strong and...

Before he could think more, he saw and heard Leah throwing things upside down. When he asked, he was told there were news circulating about the winner from last year suffering from some serious injuries. And because of that, the finals had been postponed to some few days later.

Leah couldn't understand as she paced around. If her opponent had suffered some injuries and couldn't make it, they were supposed to make her the winner.

She kept punching things and Dean couldn't watch her hurt herself anymore so he shouted, "Enough of this," he walked closer to her while he whispered, "See it this way. They gave you time to rest and fully recover to fight her. See it as your benefit. You are all tired and just three hours can't prepare your body for another fight. So let's go home so you'll eat, take your bath and rest...a lot. And I'll help treat your wounds when you wake up.”

Leah found herself melting after hearing those words. Then his hands touched her face. They both looked into each other's eyes and it were as if his was begging her to make him fix her.

And it seemed to work since his touch fixed her and took away the will to murder the person who postponed the game.

Dean kept pushing her hair backwards and helping her calm herself down. His eyes darted down towards her bruised face.

Her heart soared to think he could possibly have the same feeling she had towards him.

She found herself nodding to him. Marisca smiled and David, who had his breath in all this while, suddenly brought it out.

They excused her and went out so she'd change and go home with them.

***

“I told you to come and see me. It's almost been two months! How dare you defy my orders!" Tina's boyfriend exclaimed, almost raising his voice.

“Shh don't be loud. Someone might come out. The house has been busy and Jad has been coming around lately so I didn't want to be a suspect," she explained herself but the guy holding her arm painfully wouldn't buy it.

“Who the hell is Jad!" He screamed again at her.

His nails dug painfully into her skin as he kept pulling her to a safer spot.

“He's the investigator working on the burnt house," she simply continued as she ignored his angry looks.

“I told you to follow my rules and my commands. If you had listened and not done things your own way; people like Jad or whatever his name is, wouldn't have gotten a job to do. This should be your very last time. Did I make myself clear!" He again shouted at her, making her almost jump the fence.

“I'm already regretting what I did. Don't make it any worse. OK, tell me why you came all the way here. What's the catch?" She wondered as he snaked his arms around her waist.

“I missed you and your naughty ways," he replied her with a wink.

“Then we need to finish this game quickly. Because it seems there's no fun in waiting," she whispered as he moved away from her.

Getting all serious, he spatted, "OK. I know a way to draw both Marisca and David to my hideout..." he gave a clue to her about why he went there to meet her.

Tina's eyes twinkled and he jabbed his thumb towards the house behind him. Then he disclosed, "Tyler. He's the only...”

But before he could finish his statement, she jumped in, "You are not touching that young boy. He is little and has a whole lot of life ahead of him!" She finalized her words with her eyes opened widely.

“Heigh! Calm down woman, I wouldn't touch him...well, not in the way you are thinking. But you know how my patience can drain so easily so let's just hope they come for him early. I won't kill him if they do as I say. See it this way, if I have him and threaten his parents, guess what the magic would be," he smiled at her as if he had just finished working a difficult mathematical question.

As much as she would love to see Leah weep for losing two friends, it didn't sit well on her. At first she thought killing Marisca and seeing her foster sister cry over her death would make her the happiest killer but not anymore.

Maybe it's because of David. He's a

“What are you thinking about? This is the best option to kill two birds with one stone," he tried to convince her and she nodded her head at last.

“But I'm warning you, do not touch Tyler," she warned him and he also nodded.

Then before he could leave, they both got startled by a voice from behind. It held so much authority and Tina knew who exactly it was.

“It will be over my dead body that I will allow that devious plans of yours to happen. God is that what you came here to do? Answer me!" The voice snapped, showing eagerness to know what was really happening.

“Shut up and mind your own business," Tina's boyfriend warned back.

“Mind my own business? I wouldn't allow you to kill the people who make me happy. I heard everything. I saw you dragging Tina here when I arrived and I knew something was off. So I followed and I heard everything," the voice said again as the person approached them, the foot firmly stopping just a few foot away.

“Please go away and pretend you didn't hear anything," Tina begged the person who was boasting about hearing everything.

“Go away? Pretend? No Tina, this person here doesn't need to pretend about hearing us," he then turned to face the intruder, "l'll just throw in a bullet into that heart of yours and you will be gone!”

“You don't scare me a bit," and without warning, the owner of the voice rushed unto the man holding the gun.

They started to struggle with the gun when Tina prayed for the gun not to go off.

Tina's boyfriend never thought the intruder could be this strong. And Tina never imagined the intruder to be this much of a fighter; because they struggled with the gun for more than ten minutes.

But as the other fellow thought the gun was taken away from it's owner, Tina's boyfriend reached into his back pocket and without anybody realizing it, he dug the pocket knife into the stomach of the person he was fighting with.

The intruder's body knelt in front of him and he laughed looking at his puzzled girlfriend. But before any of them could turn and run away from the scene, the gun went silently went off.