Fight Club

Fight Club

Dante

TODAY IS FUCKING huge for me. For the first time since we all learned about The Faction, I'm going to step in front of our fathers as the ruling body and present an idea of mine to them. Something I've been wanting to do for the longest time but never thought I'd see it happen. Today is the day that my dream hopefully comes true and I can get this idea off the ground and started. Other than hockey and the training I do for that, I don't have an outlet for all the aggression and rage coursing through me. I want to start an underground fighting ring for myself and guys like me who want to beat the shit out of others. This is one way I can get what I want and help others at the same time. Yes, I'm a complete fucking asshole, but it doesn't mean I don't want to help others if I can. There are a ton of guys out there who need some kind of outlet before they start turning to drugs and other shit. I want to keep them off the nasty drugs that are sold in the poor section since most of it's tainted and will kill them.

The guys and I worked hard on putting a business plan together for this meeting tonight. If I'm going to go in front of our fathers, I need to have all of my research done and a complete business plan. It's the only way they'll ever give me the approval to start this underground fighting ring. At the end of the day, it won't just be the fighting ring. I want to have a gym attached to it as well so that fighters can train and have somewhere to get out of the streets. No one will know the location of anything until I invite them there. I've already got a list of names I plan on extending an invitation to. These guys are ones I've come across over the years as we've hidden anywhere we could find for a few rounds with someone else.

Fallon was the last one to read through all the work I've put into this business plan. He's going for a business degree and has already put a few business plans together for various projects. Kash helped me research and find the numbers I needed in order to make our fathers impressed and even entertain the idea of letting me get this started. Dash and Braxtyn also helped me work on everything. The three of us went out and canvassed the area to see if we could get a general number of guys who would be interested in something like this. So far, there seems to be a huge want for this shit. The only ones we didn't fucking get a chance to talk to are those in the Grand Ridge area. I would kill to fucking talk to those fuckers. Especially Hendrix. He's a fucking beast and I know he's a legend in his own right. The man has won every fight he's ever been in. Though, from what I hear, he's backing away from fighting and getting out of the ring permanently. Something about a girl he's interested in or some shit like that.

When Kash hasn't been helping me, he's still been digging into everything because we can't seem to get close enough to having what we need to take our fathers out of the equation. We've also been trying to get to Arabella. The last two weeks have proven that she knows how to fucking hide when she wants to. I haven't even seen her walking around campus and have talked to the guys on the hockey team about the situation. They'll be watching over her. Tyler and a few others are out constantly searching for her and will report to me where she's been hanging out. Brock knows. There's no doubt in my mind about that shit because he's never too far from her side. If I didn't know any better, I'd believe the two of them were together. However, I know for a fact he's single and hasn't been with any girl here on campus. Plenty have tried with no success. Maybe he does have a thing for my Sunshine. It doesn't mean he'll get close to her, but I can't blame him for wanting to be with her. Arabella is an amazing girl and anyone with her would be the luckiest bastard in the world.

Anyway, after showering and taking care of my business in the bathroom, I make my way into my bedroom here on campus. I'm not nervous about the meeting tonight. It's more of the fact that my future depends on this happening and I want it to be approved more than anything I've ever wanted in my life with one exception. The only thing I will always want more is having Arabella in my life. That's not something I see happening after we abandoned her because of our fucking parents. She doesn't know the hell we've been through and how horrible I feel on a daily basis. Especially the days when she can't hide what's being done to her by someone. Arabella is guarding her secrets close and I don't know if she'll ever open up to anyone about what's truly going on in her life. Not even Brock who she's fucking close as hell to.

Going to my closet, I pull out one of my many suits. We all have suits that have been tailored to our individual sizes and preferences. Tonight, as usual, I'll be wearing black on black. I hate wearing any fucking color other than black. Fallon and the rest of the guys all wear various colors depending on their moods. I will always wear black because it's the only color that ever fits my mood and how I feel on a daily basis. With my suit pulled out, I lay it out on the bed and choose what shoes I'll be wearing for the meeting. I won't be alone for tonight and that makes this meeting easier to get through. All the guys will be there with me. I'm sure they're all getting ready right now. I just hope the girls aren't there tonight. They've only been to a few meetings when our fathers wanted to discuss the marriage contracts. If that's on the agenda tonight, I refuse to present my business plan to our fathers because they don't need to know anything about my business.

Yeah, I fuck girls on a regular basis. I fuck to get Arabella off my mind and don't fucking believe in letting them in. There's only one girl my heart beats for and she's always on my mind no matter what I do. Arabella fucking consumes me and it hurts more than I'll ever be able to put into words. So, I play my role and let girls hang all over me and fuck them for one night. That's all they'll ever get from me. It sucks when Arabella sees one of them hanging all over me, but there's no way I can change how I've been for the last few years. It started shortly after we had to leave her alone and cut her from our lives with no warning or reason why. I was the first of my friends to lose my virginity and the guys all soon followed because to them they weren't ever going to have the girl they truly wanted. Kash is the only one who hasn't turned into a man whore like the rest of us.

After getting dressed in my suit, I make sure I don't have a hair out of place. I always keep my hair short, but it's just long enough right now that it could stick up where I don't want it to. So, I make sure everything is how I want it. With our fathers, it's all about putting on a show and making them believe we don't have anything to lose. That we're confident as fuck and know we'll get what the fuck we want no matter the cost to anyone else. It's how we've been raised for the most part. No, my parents didn't buy into all that shit and have shown Dash and I nothing but love from the second we entered the world. The same with the rest of our siblings. They don't want us to be fucking robots like the others want. So, it's all a fucking act and I'm honestly tired of it. I want to be free to do what I want and forget about our fathers and the demands they want to place on our lives.

The second I'm ready to go, I leave my room after grabbing the business plan that's been resting on my desk. Taking a deep breath, I head out to the living room where the rest of the guys are waiting for me. We all make our way to the door and head out to Fallon's Land Rover. It's one of the many vehicles his father has given him since he got his license. All in an attempt to buy him off so he complies with the demands placed on him. None of us talk about anything as we head to tonight's meeting. It's buried deep through the tunnels under the mansions we all grew up in. Tonight, we'll all choose to go in through the tunnels in my home. None of us want to enter the other mansions for any reason.

After Fallon parks in my driveway, we all get out and head for the front door. I open it and a sense of home hits me immediately. It always happens when I come home. Dash feels the same way as he pushes past me with a large smile on his face. We make our way inside to find our parents waiting for us. My mom rushes up to hug Dash and me before stepping back and greeting the rest of the guys.

"Are you boys hungry? I've got a ton of food from dinner. I can make you all a plate when you get done with the meeting," she asks, her voice warm and loving as she looks at the rest of the guys.

"Can we let you know once we're done with the meetin', Ma?" I ask her, looking at my dad because I want to get this shit over with.

"Of course. You go take care of business and I'll be here when you get done," she says, never losing her smile.

We follow my dad to the door blocking off the tunnel and head down the stone steps. My dad has already turned on the lights so we're not walking through the dark. It's creepy as fuck down here despite the lights and I have a feeling that's how our fathers wanted it to be. Especially Fallon's and Kash's fathers. They're horrible fucking men and I can't wait to take them the fuck down.

It doesn't take us long to get through the maze of hallways and come to the open room beneath all of the mansions. We're in the center from what I understand so there's no advantage to anyone sitting at the table. That's the one rule Arabella's grandparents put in place a long time ago. As my dad takes his seat with the rest of the fathers, we stand against the wall directly in front of the table where our fathers can stare at us. It's a kind of intimidation tactic that won't work on me. It never has and I'm not about to let it start now on the most important night of my life. Fuck them all!

"I now call the meeting of The Faction to order," Mr. Granger states as if he's truly the head of the table now. "First up we have Dante who wants to bring a business plan to the table. Dante, step forward."

Stepping forward, I take a deep breath before staring at every member of The Faction before me.

"Gentlemen, tonight I come before you to propose the startin' of an underground fightin' ring. There will be a gym, the cage for fights, and even a local company to provide drinks to those not fightin'. We'll have strict rules in place for everyone who wants to fight about enterin' the cage after they've consumed any alcohol. While I want to give guys, and girls, a place to fight, I don't want them to lose their lives if it can be helped. I've put together a business plan outlinin' all the numbers and the money we'll make with this venture if you approve it tonight. I've got several guys standin' ready to get this started," I tell our fathers as I continue to stare at the men we've all grown up with.

I hand over the copies of the business plan that Kash made me and let them look over everything as I remain standing in front of the table. I don't fidget or anything as all of our fathers take their time going through the business plan. My head is held high and I wait for the outcome of this. It feels as if forever passes before the men put the papers down in front of them and look at me once again.

"I for one appreciate all the time and effort you've put into this plan, Dante," Mr. Hicks says, his voice echoing off the walls of the room we're in. "This seems to be something you're very passionate about and I can see where the need would come in. So, I vote to approve Dante's plan to start this underground fightin' ring with the gym and everythin' else outlined in his plan."

"I agree. Dante has only ever shown this kind of passion about hockey. He's thrived in that area of his life and will have no problem getting drafted to play on a professional level if that's the route he chooses to go with his life. I also vote to approve this plan," my dad says, keeping all emotion out of his voice as he turns to face Fallon's and Kash's fathers where they sit at the table.

"While I can see the need for something like this, I'm not sure if this is something we need to approve right now," Mr. Granger states, his beady eyes focused on me and only me. "We have other plans to put in motion and I don't believe this will add that much to what we're trying to accomplish here."

"I'm torn," Mr. Richardson says, steepling his fingers in front of him as he looks at the other men sitting with him before turning to focus on me. "Dante, this is something you truly want to do and believe you can make a good amount of money with?"

"Yes, sir. I've been thinkin' of this for a few years now. At the end of the day, I know this will make money and be a valued part of The Faction. It's not just the money we'll make from the bets on fight nights. It's about the money we'll make from the gym, the alcohol sales, and by charging a cover to get in the door every fight night. Believe it or not, there are a ton of people who watch underground fights. It's a form of entertainment for them here locally where they don't have to go to a sports bar or anywhere else outside of town to watch any kind of fights played on TV. They get to see the fighters up close and personal in the underground fighting arena," I answer him honestly, my voice clear and strong as I look between the four men in front of me.

Mr. Richardson takes in my words and processes them for a few minutes before he starts speaking again. I already know Mr. Granger isn't going to vote for this to be approved. He doesn't approve anything we ever bring to the table. That's just how he's always been. So, now I'm down to needing an answer from Mr. Richardson. He literally holds everything I want in the palm of his hands.

"I agree with you, Dante. I believe this will be a successful venture with you at the head of it. You have proven yourself over the years as being nothing but loyal to The Faction and I vote to approve your business plan," he finally states, his voice also echoing off the walls of the meeting room.

I release the breath I didn't know I was holding. Excitement fills me as Mr. Granger snorts in the loss he just suffered. If it had been a tie, there's no one here to break it. So, we would've had to come back to the table with this plan at a later date. That's not what I want to happen about anything brought before the table with our fathers because it means spending more time in their presence. We all try to avoid that shit at all costs. My parents are the only exception to this because they truly love and care about all of us. That's never been up for debate.

"Thank you. I will keep you all updated on the status of everythin' as I move forward and start puttin' everythin' into place. I've already got the money prepared to buy the buildin' where the gym and underground fights will be held. That's the first step I'll take tomorrow as soon as my classes are over for the day. I've got a break in trainin' for a few hours and that's how I'll spend my time," I inform them, giving them what they want because I know this is the game we have to play.

"I'm going to tell you right now," Mr. Granger begins, his voice filled with hatred as normal when it comes to anything we bring to the table or have to say to him at all. "The first second this little business venture of yours doesn't make money or live up to the hype you believe it will, I'm shutting it down without hesitation. This isn't the place for you to live out your fantasies and play games. We're here to make money and keep High Point functioning the way we see fit."

"I understand," I grit out, purposely leaving the ‘sir' off my words because I have no respect for Fallon's father at all.

While I hate Kash's father with all the rage I've ever felt in my life, I still show him respect because he's not a fucking cocksucker like Mr. Granger is. He actually gives us a chance to fucking speak and present our ideas to them without making us feel as if we don't matter and are worthless. I will never have an ounce of respect for Mr. Granger in my life. He's a fucking bastard and I can't wait for the day that he gets what's coming to him.

With one final look at the table, I give them a nod of respect and leave the meeting room. We're still not allowed to be at the full meetings right now. Not unless we're invited by our fathers. Tonight isn't one of those nights. The guys follow out behind me as we make our ways back through the tunnels and to my house. When we enter the house, my mom is waiting for us with the table set and plates piled high with food. She is going to feed us whether we want to eat or not. It's how she shows her love for us and makes sure we're all taken care of.

Dash rushes to the table and kisses our mom on the top of her head in appreciation of a homecooked meal. The rest of us take our seats around the table as I dig into the pot roast, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and rolls she made for dinner tonight. My mom doesn't know how to cook for anything but a small army. The food is fucking amazing and I can't stop eating no matter what conversation takes place around me. I ignore it all in order to eat this plate of deliciousness.

Tonight is one of the good ones. I get to have my business and help others get rid of the rage and anger they constantly let build up inside themselves because they don't want to unleash it on anyone innocent. At the end of the day, I'm hoping the assholes who choose to unleash their anger on others will no longer do that outside the ring. Because if they choose to commit domestic violence, then I will kick their asses and ban them from the fights permanently. No one is ever going to hurt someone innocent and pure again if I can stop it. This is just one way I can think of to help cut down on the violence against women and kids.