Fighting for Her

"I miss summer." Riley pouted as she stared out of the living room window in her apartment at the night sky. The snow had finally stopped and in its wake, left at least a foot of snow on the ground. Tommy and Noah were watching Sportscenter on the couch, while Anna checked her Facebook. They had been snowed in for the majority of the day and were feeling a bout of cabin fever.

"Oh please tell me it stopped snowing!" Anna whipped her head toward Riley with large eyes.

"Yep. The plows are out." Riley watched as a large truck scraped the road somewhat clear.

"Yes!" Anna jumped up and slammed her laptop closed. "Let's celebrate!" Noah laughed and averted his gaze toward his fiancee.

"Celebrate what love?" He smiled at her, loving every bit of her constant excitement.

"Celebrate the fact that we can get out of this damn apartment. The fact that its probably the last snow storm of winter. Celebrate anything and everything!" She hopped on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Riley shook her head and chuckled at her best friend. "And do what?"

"Go out! Get crazy!" Anna swung her legs off of Noah and leaped at Riley who held her hands up to brace herself. Tommy laughed at the two of them and leaned back on the couch with his arms folded behind his head.

"It's Monday, Anna." Riley said flatly.

"Um, and that matters because?" Anna scoffed. "We're adults. We don't have to answer to anyone. Live a little!" She raised her arms and spun in a circle.

"Yeah Ri. Live a little!" Tommy chimed in with a big smile.

"Oh really?" Riley laughed and jumped onto Tommy's lap, and just as Anna had done to Noah, wrapped her arms around his neck. "You have to get up at four in the morning Thomas." She said sternly, lifting an eyebrow.

"What? Didn't you hear? All MMA training has been cancelled for tomorrow. Snow day baby." He pushed his lips out and nodded his head.

"Yeah, nice try." She nuzzled her face into his neck. She was tired but hadn't had a fun night out in a while.

Hmm...

"Oh, stop being a party pooper, Ri." Anna pouted and slumped on the couch next to Noah.

Noah grabbed the remote and started going through the channels. "So, should I find a movie?" No one said anything, so he just kept surfing the channels and started reading movie titles out loud. "Die Hard. 13 Going on 30. Ace Ventura. This Means War."

"Oh Anna!" Riley's yell caused everyone to look at her as she straightened up on Tommy's lap. "I forgot to tell you! I can't believe I forgot! Its so unlike me. I mean, usually I have a really good memory. I just don't even know what I was thinking not telling-"

"Seriously, spit it out. What?!" Anna, Noah and Tommy both started at her with dumbfounded expressions.

"Just that we're going to be closed tomorrow due to snow. I can't believe I forgot." Riley laughed as Anna smacked her with a throw pillow. "Ow!"

"You creep! You really had me going there!" Anna crossed her arms.

"I'm not a party pooper." Riley said with her bottom lip sticking out.

"Good. Now let's go!" Anna beamed.

The boys and Anna stared at the mountain of snow behind the truck while Riley laughed.

"Everyone, get in." Riley headed for the driver's side, crunching the snow underneath her knee high boots. After everyone hopped in, she cranked the heat and rolled the driver side window down and stuck her head out to help guide her.

"Ri, you sure you don't want me to shovel us out?" Tommy looked through the back window. The snow was as high as the tailgate.

"Just sit back and relax." Riley adjusted her beanie and stuck her head back out the window. She dropped the truck in reverse and eased on the gas. The truck began to climb the snow bank until Riley began to giggle and slammed on the gas, sending the truck flying through the snow and screeching out into the street.

"Holy shit!" Tommy yelled and grabbed onto the dashboard. He turned to look at Riley who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Let's go have some fun, shall we?" Riley wiggled her eyebrows and took off.

________________________________________

The bar was smoky and full of people who were escaping the cold. Noah and Tommy were at the bar getting the third round of beers while the girls were setting up at a billiards table.

"Two more weeks to go Ms. Peters." Riley piled the balls into the triangle rack and sorted them by color.

"I know, I'm so excited! All this has gone by so fast but I can't wait!" Anna twisted the blue chalk onto her pool stick and blew the excess chalk off.

"So is Valerie coming for your bachelorette party Saturday?" Riley mentally crossed her fingers and hoped that she wouldn't.

Anna laughed. "Yes. Don't freak out. She'll behave."

Riley rolled her eyes. She let Valerie take the reigns for Anna's bridal shower but the bachelorette party was all hers. "Okay fine."

"Come on, its going to be amazing!" Anna laughed and leaned against the table. She twisted her blonde hair around her fingers, loosening her ponytail until her hair fell down, long past her shoulders.

Riley smiled and watched the guys at the bar. They still hadn't gotten the drinks but were talking like old friends.

"Sooo..." Anna watched the boys too, and went on. "When I move in with Noah after we get married, are you going to ask Tommy to move in?" She turned to see Riley staring at her with large eyes.

"I didn't think about it. I don't even know what his plans are after the tournament." She stared at Tommy in his long sleeved black shirt, tightly wrapped around his muscles. A couple girls sitting at the bar were staring at him too, but he was oblivious.

"Well, you guys should talk about it." Anna picked at a lose strand of hair on Riley's shirt.

Riley knew Tommy had planned on giving most of the prize money to Manny's family, his best friend who died while they were in the Marine Corps together. But she had no idea what the rest of Tommy's plans were. She had been so preoccupied with all this new drama in her life, that she hadn't really thought to ask.

"Earth to Riley." Anna waved her hands in front of Riley's face. After Riley blinked a few times she knew she had her attention. "You okay?"

Riley took a second to respond. "Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind I guess." She walked toward the wall of sticks and grabbed one.

"Do you want me to ask Val to help you plan?" Anna joked.

Riley gave her a look and broke out into laughter. "Sure. I didn't realize you wanted a boring ass party, but okay."

"What party?" Noah asked as he and Tommy walked up with two beers each.

"Anna's bachelorette." Riley took a beer from Tommy's hands and kissed him. "Thank you."

He smiled in return and set his beer down and watched as Riley rubbed chalk on her stick.

"You know what you're doing there, Ri?" He walked over to her as she set to break.

"It's been a while. Can you show me?" Her voice was coy. She cocked her head to the side and fluttered her eyelashes. She smiled as soon as she felt his body against hers, his arm reaching out to steady her aim. His full lips were right next to her ear.

"All you have to do," he breathed in a whisper, "is hit the cue in the right spot." He guided her right hand back and thrusted the stick forward, making the cue ball crash into the first ball, sending all the billiard balls flying around the table. She squealed when two striped balls sunk into pockets.

"I think we need to play like that for the rest of the game." She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his. He smiled as they kissed and when they finally broke free he spoke, his face close to hers.

"I love you."

_____________________________

In a dark corner of the bar, two men sat around a small table. Their ashtray was full, empty bottles littering the table.

"I thought he said not when the girl was around." A lanky man with a buzz cut spoke with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. I only wants to see what this dude is about." A larger man took a swig of his beer, keeping his eyes on Tommy.

"He looks like a tough guy, Jay. What are you thinking?" The lanky man took a long drag before rubbing the cigarette into the ashtray.

"You, me and Benny can take em." Jay said with certainty.

"Yeah. We can. No doubt."

_____________________________

"Thissis not good. I c-cant even read thiss now. Can you?" Anna shoved her watch into Riley's face and waited for a response.

She squinted her eyes and read the dial. "12:48." She laughed, hardly ever seeing her best friend this way. Usually she was the one who was plastered by 11 p.m.

"My lights hurt. The heads are too bright in here." Anna crossed her arms and lowered her head to the table.

"I think you mean the heads are too bright so your lights hurt." Riley slurred.

"Oh yeah." Anna mumbled under her arms.

"You guys are crazy." Tommy shook his head. He was put on baby sitting duty while Noah went to get the girls some water. "And its not even bright in here." He laughed, and was glad he had decided to stop drinking hours ago.

Noah came back with waters and set them on the table. Anna looked up and smiled at him. "Drink," he said.

She grabbed the water and took a sip, spilling a lot of it on herself. Riley spit out a laugh.

"Well. Getting them home should be fun." Noah sighed.

Tommy nodded and got up. "Last time we let them talk us into this."

"Hey. Hey. Don't... don't be mean. You meany." Riley pointed at Tommy. She leaned her head back in the chair and closed her eyes.

He smoothed her messy hair down and kissed her forehead. "You're a mess Riley Brighton." She leaned into him and curled her finger, motioning for him. "What?" He whispered.

"Take me home, please." She closed her eyes and leaned into him, almost falling out of her chair. He caught her and sat her back into the chair.

"Wanna grab the truck while I pay this tab?" Tommy stood up and fished the keys out of Riley's jacket pocket.

"Yeah, I'll take this one with me too." Noah grabbed Anna and helped her to her feet, leading her out the door.

"Ri, I'll be right back okay? I'm just going to pay." He kneeled down and smoothed her hair back again, meeting her half-open green eyes. "Are you going to survive?" He chuckled.

"You called me baby." She spoke softly.

"What?" He laughed.

"Earlier." She sighed, and held her gaze with his until finally closing her eyes. "I like that."

"Okay, well, baby. I'll be right back." He kissed her and walked to the bar. He handed the bartender the cash and grabbed a toothpick from the plastic holder on the counter. He stuck it in his mouth and turned to see Riley having trouble putting on her jacket. As he walked toward her, a large man's shoulder crashed into Tommy's chest.

Tommy just lifted his arms and kept walking to Riley.

"Yo, watch were yous goin'." Jay spat his words at Tommy, who froze at the statement.

Tommy sniffed and rubbed his nose, debating whether he should clock this guy right here and now or walk away. He stared at Riley who looked at him with drowsy eyes and a drunken smile. He walked up to her and took her hand to lead her outside where Noah was waiting with Anna in the truck.

"I'm talkin' to you." Jay shouted Tommy's way and waited to see what he would do. Riley looked at the man, confused in her drunken stupor. The man smiled at her and she could see the glint of his gold tooth under the bar lights.

Tommy flipped the toothpick around his lips and snorted a laugh. He walked by the man and his lanky friend and kept a firm grip on Riley's hand. She stared at the man with the gold tooth with inquisition, but keeping pace with Tommy. Once they reached the door, Tommy noticed that Riley wasn't the only one behind him. He turned quickly, facing Jay with Riley between them. He moved her behind him, keeping his hand with hers.

"There a problem?" Tommy glared at Jay who just smiled.

"Not today." He said.

Riley tugged on Tommy's hand, wanting to go. He furrowed his brow at the man and his friend and turned to follow Riley out into the parking lot.

"Who was that?" Riley said, a little more sober now.

"No idea."