October 20th hit me pretty hard. I watched my relationship with my boyfriend end that night...I fought harder than I ever had before. But the real test would come the following week, before I started to date my current boyfriend. I will never forget this night, so long as I live.

The night didn't feel right. I knew that it wasn't going to be a good night the minute a red Dodge Dakota pulled up to my driveway...driven by Scott. He looked over at me and sighed as I got in. "Where's James?" I asked. Scott shifted slowly as we took off down the street. "Him and Dakota are in the middle of a fight." He said quietly. I stared at him. "They never fight as partners." I said. Scott shook his head. "No...you don't understand...they're fighting each other." he said. I looked at him in surprise and my heart stopped for a minute. "Like...a legal fight?" I asked. He nodded. "They got pitted against each other tonight. I gotta tell you Maytrix, I don't think this one's going to turn out very good."

If he had only known how right he was.

When we reached the arena, the fight was just starting. Scott and I took front row seats behind the chain mesh fence that seperated us from the Dakota and James and watched as they started to fight. At first, it looked like Dakota was going to let James win. But then James pulled a cheap move on Dakota's already broken wrist and Dakota stopped being nice. He reached out and grabbed James, slamming him against the floor, just as James reached up and grabbed Dakota's wrist again, this time bending it back. Dakota half screamed, half roared in fury as he tried to wrench his wrist away from James. James, however, was not letting go. Instead, he bent Dakota's wrist back further and stood underneath his weight, then pushed Dakota to the ground. Scott looked over at me as I gripped the fence infront of me, my hands bleeding from gripping it so tight. Dakota fell back helplessly as James kicked him once in the stomach, hard enough to crack ribs, as we found out later. Dakota tried to get up but James kicked him directly in the face, sending him back again. "Get up!" James screamed at him. Dakota tried again to get up but obviously the pain was too much for him; and we both saw that James was about to finish him. So I did what I thought was right. I regret it now, in a way, but then I suppose we all regret things at one point or another.

I stood up and started to climb up and over the fence. Scott looked up at me. "Maytrix, get down!" he yelled. I jumped over the top and landed on the ground firmly, then ran full tilt at James and tackled him to the ground. I punched him hard enough to make him bleed, for once not caring that I was making him hurt. He glared up at me through a spattering of blood and reached up to cuff me, but I grabbed his arm. "This is payback." I yelled over the crowd. I glanced over at Dakota, who was still trying to get up. James kicked me off and sent me flying against a nearby wall, a concrete wall, I might add. I fell heavily to the ground, dazed. I saw James look over at Dakota, then look at me. I guess he decided that I was more important...which usually didn't bother me, but tonight was different. Tonight was wrong. I stood up and cracked my bleeding knuckles, then braced myself as he started to run. He caught me in the stomach with his fist and sent me back into the wall, then grabbed my wrists and pinned me as hard as he could against it, smashing my back so hard against the concrete that the skin cracked. I screamed in pain as he kept pressing me back, as if he was trying to melt me into the concrete. My vision started to fade, and I started to lose the feeling in my arms, in my legs...then I realized that this wasn't a game...he was trying to break my spine. I did the one thing I could think of, the only thing that has ever helped me to beat James; I brought my knee straight up into his crotch and sent him to his knees. More confused than anything, I stumbled over to Dakota and helped him to his feet. "We have to get you out of here..." I said. Dakota looked at the front of my shirt, which was covered in blood, then turned me around to see more blood trickling through my once clean white shirt. "You're hurt." he said plainly. I saw Scott run out towards us and he made a cut off motion to the ref. All of a sudden, the announcer came over the PA system. "The fight has been called as a draw. Rematch to be held one month from this day." Immediately, the crowd left, leaving the four of us alone in the sweat and blood covered arena.

James walked over to me and grabbed my arm. "It's time for us to go." he hissed. I glared at him. "Screw you, I'm not leaving Dakota here." I said angrily. James bent my arm back hard, his eyes burning into me. "I said we're leaving." he yelled. Dakota smacked James' hand off of my arm. "Leave her alone." he said quietly. James pulled a gun out of his back pocket and aimed it directly at Dakota's head. "Don't you tell me what to do with her." he said menacingly. Scott backed up a little and pulled me with him. "James, calm down bud...this isn't worth it." he said calmly. James pressed the barrell of the gun harder into Dakota's forehead. Dakota didn't flinch...he didn't cringe, nothing. He just stared at James. "You really want to kill me? Go ahead. What's it going to solve?" he asked. Rusty suddenly burst through the arena doors, and James turned, and as he did, his finger pulled back the trigger. Dakota pushed himself infront of the gun and took the bullet directly in the neck, blood spraying everywhere. I stared at him, unable to move. I vaguely remember seeing Rusty running over to Dakota, who had fallen on the ground...I heard the thud of the gun against the ground as James pulled back in shock...

Dakota died immediately.

To be continued...