"Mark!" I scolded as I tried to pull my hoodie down, aware of the unwelcome eyes on my skin. "I'm fine! Would you let go of my top?" He dropped the fabric, leaving his hand to still hold onto the end of it. His head tilted up from my injury to look at my face. "Sorry," was all he said, but his eyes stayed locked on me. I glanced at his lips, trying my best to push the thought out into the universe for him to kiss me. His eyes glanced down to my mouth, and I tried to hold back the smile of excitement. "Your lower lip is really swollen from that shot to your jaw. Come on, we need to get ice on that and then maybe a warm shower, so you don't get too sore." He turned toward the dorm, grabbing my hand as my jaw dropped in disbelief. He did not just do that to me again. When he pulled his hand away from mine to open the door for me, I let my own drop into the pocket of my hoodie. Mark seemed oblivious to my state of frustration and let his hand fall to my l

Marx P.O.V. I rubbed the back of my neck aggressively as the elevator moved up to my floor. What the fuck did I just do? There was a very high chance that she just told me that she liked me, and I told her to go talk to her ex-boyfriend. I'm such a fucking idiot! Walking over to my door, I took my key out but paused before opening it. How could I expect her to choose me if I was just pushing her toward another man and walking away? I wanted to make her my girl. I just needed to know that I was the only man in her life. The feeling of dread washed over me when I realized that I might have just given her up if she still had any feelings for Jessie. My feet moved before my brain processed what I was doing. I jammed my finger into the elevator recall button, but it was no longer on our floor. In a rushed panic, I bolted through the door to the stairs and made my way down to Julie's room. Several deep breaths were pulled into my lungs as I mustered

I heard Jessie's sigh of relief and immediately felt the regret and anxiety fill me. "Text me when you're here, and I'll head down," I said, and he advised that it would be about forty-five minutes. The call ended, and I sat there thinking about what I had just done. How stupid could I get? The smell of Chlorine was still prominent on my skin, so I jumped up and ran into the bathroom. I rinsed off in a hurry. After getting dressed, I grabbed my keys and phone and headed down to the lobby. Chey passed me as I moved out of the elevator. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to stop and talk to me, but she snapped her jaw shut just as quickly. Having had captured my attention, I turned to her. "Hey, Chey. I'm going to be out for a while." She smiled and nodded. "Jessie's going to be here soon, so we can hash this shit out." She looked confused but said okay. Trey just shook his head next to her, and I couldn't help but feel that he was disappointed in me.

He had been there supporting me this whole time, but I never realized that he was there for everything too. He needed someone, but I always made it about me. I nodded. "I was a terrible girlfriend. I owe you an apology too. I never thought about what you experienced through all of that. I was just focused on what I was experiencing and how it impacted me. I can forgive you, but I don't want to be with you, Jessie." My hands fiddled in my lap, but I looked up to meet his eyes at the end, so he could see how serious I was. "Let me at least make it up to you. We can just be friends for now, and maybe in time, I can prove myself to you. I know you like Mark, but I do still love you. I think I always will. I'd rather have you in my life as my friend than not at all." He got to his feet and pulled me into a huge hug. It wasn't awkward like I thought it would be. It was familiar, and for the first time since he broke my heart, I felt safe around him again. I pulled away aft

He turned to the security person. "She's always welcome here. She is one of the best fighters I've seen in a long time." I smirked at the new fighters as their jaws dropped. "So, Cobra, who would you like to fight, and what do you want for your entrance song?" I grinned at the two fighters who were still staring at me. When they saw me look over, they ran. I just laughed. "Surprise me." He smiled, and I walked over to Slasher. I kicked him in the butt, and he turned around pissed. I smiled, and he lightened up before throwing his arm on my shoulders. "Took you long enough to get down here." I hit his arm playfully. "Hey, you're the one that sucks at giving directions." He just ruffed up my hair and turned back to the guys. "You all remember Cobra right? Cobra, this is Hash, Flame, Blade, and Twist." I held back laughter at their names. I mean, mine isn't much better but still. "Hey. Um, I'm going to warm up." They all nodded an