Here's part 4 of The Girl Next Door. We left off in Part 2 where Gracie was freed by Starlight and Nightblade. Now she resides at Starlight's compound and will begin her training. Also please comment below on what you think of it. Your feedback is very appreciated and helps improve my writing. All characters are subject to copyright laws, so please don't try to copy and resell my stories. I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 7
Gracie's Perspective
"You call that a punch?" Erin asks. "Half the people at the retirement home throw better punches than that."
"You're asking for it," I growl as I toss another punch. She deflects it without any problem and before I realize it, I'm on my back in an armbar. She gets another tap out of me.
"It's amazing how you managed to stay alive. You fight worse than the 8-year-olds who come in here for Bristol's youth training," Erin laughs.
I slam my fist against the mat. "Seriously? I don't need any of this. I was doing fine long before..."
"Gracie, just relax," Bristol says. "You may be stronger and faster than Erin when it comes to pure strength and speed, but you're not going to just beat her your first time sparring. She's been training for years in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, and traditional kickboxing. It'll take some time to get to her level. You have to be patient."
"And Erin, stop antagonizing her. Just because you're more experienced doesn't mean you can be arrogant. Remember that pride comes before the fall," she adds.
"I know," Erin sighs.
"Now go again," Bristol says.
"We've been doing this all day," I cry out.
"Gracie, the only way you're going to master these skills is through practice. And practice requires a lot of time and focus. Thankfully, you have the body that can recoup very quickly. That means you can practice longer than the average person. Much longer. And we're going to take advantage of that. With that kind of ability, you can learn things much quicker than most people. But that is up to you. This requires discipline. The discipline to put the time required in order to learn it."
"Fine... Let's continue," I say. "Why can't we learn something else? I've decided I hate Jiu-Jitsu."
"We're focusing on Jiu-Jitsu first because you already have a natural advantage when it comes to striking because of your fast reflexes. But what happens when someone gets in close, if they're skilled, you'll get killed. Your grappling and ground game needs work. I will not let you go out with us until you improve your combat skills."
I let out a whimper. "This is so unfair."
"Don't be such a baby. She did the same thing with me," Erin says.
"Let's do a few more rounds and then I'll let you have the rest of the day to yourselves," Bristol says.
Erin immediately shoots the legs on me. I'm quick, but not quick enough to escape. I did manage to get one leg free, but she sweeps it sending me to the ground. She has my ankle in what feels like a vice grip. Streaks of pain go up my body.
"What are you going to do in this situation, Gracie?" Bristol asks.
I try to spin but Erin rolls with me. After I can't break her iron grip on my ankle, I try to kick her. She dips and dodges my kicks before putting on my pressure. I yelp out at the pain. I end up tapping. After a few more rounds, we call it quits for the day.
I follow Erin back up to the apartment. "Hungry?" she asks. I nod.
"Follow me," she says as we head out and down to the elevator. We head down to the main floor and into a common room where people are serving food. It kind of reminds me of a local homeless shelter the way they serve the food here. And people look as if they were homeless. A lot of them have simple clothes. I get in line with Erin.
"So is this like... opened to anyone in the apartment building?" I ask after we get our food and take a seat.
"Of course. Bristol owns the building and she lets people stay here who have no home. It's kind of our own little community," Erin explains.
"That's... That's amazing. I had no idea this even existed," I say.
"Well, it's not like it's advertised or anything. Bristol likes to keep things rather chill," Erin says.
"How did you come to live here?" I ask.
"It's a long story," Erin says as the light vanishes from her eyes.
"Oh... Sorry," I say.
"It's okay. Bristol helped my mother when she was on her own. I guess they were close," Erin says as she devours her food.
"Erin, what's up," A large muscle-bound black guy says as he pops a squat next to her.
"Hey JJ, how's it going?" she asks.
"Not too bad. Heard about the warehouse business. Good work," he says.
"Thanks. By the way, this is Gracie. She's going to be training with Bristol from now on," she says.
"Nice to meet you," JJ says. "How do you like training with Bristol?"
"It's not a walk in the park," I say.
He laughs. "She's not one to take things lightly. Of course, considering what she does a nightly basis, I don't blame her."
I look at Erin, does he know who Bristol is? JJ demolishes his food without ever taking a break. "Well, I got to go tend to the garden. I'll talk to you later, Erin. Nice to meet you, Gracie."
"Thank you as well," I say.
I lean in towards Erin. "So... Does everyone here know the truth about Bristol?"
"Of course," Erin says. "Bristol doesn't hide who she is. She's kind of like our mother. More like our savior. We're family here. Everyone pitches and helps out and we all benefit."
After we finish eating, Erin and I head back upstairs and get comfy on the couch while she clicks through the tv, searching for something to watch. "So... What's the reason why you're not home?"
"My house hasn't been home since Ashley and my mother died," I say.
"What about your dad?" she asks.
"He's rarely ever there."
"When's the last time you've talked to him?" she asks.
"It's been a while," I say.
"You should talk to him. I'm sure he misses you," she says.
"If he missed me then he'd try to make the effort to spend time with me," I spit out.
"You and Ashley were twins right?" she asks. I nod.
"I can imagine every time he sees you he also sees her. That must hurt," she says.
"I never thought of it that way," I say. "But still, I just can't deal with him right now."
"I'm sure you have an idea of what I'd be willing to give to talk to my parents, losing your mom and all, and yet you have a chance to see your dad why are you passing this up?" she says.
"I wouldn't know what to say," I say.
"You can start with hello," she says. I hate that she's right.
