Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

10 Years Ago (-ish)
South Africa, 2013

BRAYLEE

"MEETING!" Mia Thomas was hollering again, this time her shrill voice clammered resoundingly through the short passage that linked all our rooms in the shared house. It seemed to me like she was shouting a lot these days. "DIGS MEEEEEEEETING!"

She must be marching up the hall because suddenly my door reverberated with three solid pounds that sounded like they were sourced from a coiled, angry fist and made me jump. I yanked my headphones out and glared at my door in mild affront.

"MEEEEETING!" Mia shrieked again; this time her voice sounded directly outside my door. "MEETING IN THE LOUNGE RIGHT NOW!"

I rolled my eyes, muttering under my breath, "For fuck sakes."

We'd only been living with each other for six months, and I had lost track of all the fucking meetings Mia and Sadie called almost every week. We were university students living together and, more importantly, we were best friends, but at times it was hard to remember that.

I uncurled my legs where I had been sitting cross-legged on my chair by my small desk that was cluttered with an array of scented candles and holistic trinkets (good vibes, right?), revising for my English Literature exam in two weeks. Dumping the headphones atop the heavy tome propped open on my desk, I stood and padded over to my door. The hinges creaked when I pulled it open and stuck my head out. Most of everything in the old colonial house creaked, from the hinges that needed oiling on the doors to the ageing wooden floorboards covered in tacky carpeting that had definitely seen their fair share of indistinguishable stains.

The dark puddle that was ingrained in the threads of the carpet in front of my door was caused by a drunken wine race.

Don't ask, because I can barely remember the night in question.

Stella Huxley threw open her door, her room right beside mine, and gave me a grin. "Mia in a mood again? I'm gunning for a fight since Prof Higgens gave me 50% on the last literature paper."

I snorted. "You left it for last minute, that's what you get." I glanced at Mia's receding form as she disappeared into the lounge at the opposite end of the hall. It was easy to tell she was in a right snit.

"I work best under pressure," Stella grumbled as she came out of her room and closed the door behind her. Good thing; it was probably a pigsty. "He's just a miserable old coot who doesn't want to see anybody happy."

I followed her slowly, grinning and shaking my head. Stella didn't like people telling her that she was wrong or what to do. "I was in the same tut as you. You even spelled the author's name wrong of the book we were analysing."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Like I'm the first person to do that?"

I opened my mouth to tell her that yes, she probably was the first person to spell William Shakespeare's name wrong, but my attention was diverted by Dominick Mulder, who emerged from the kitchen chugging back a huge bottle of water. He finished with a belch and a sigh, dropped his hand to his side, and gave us a glare for good measure. "What did you do now? I have a rugby meet in 30 minutes, and Mia harps on for an age."

"Us?" I sputtered indignantly, my hands splayed against the centre of my chest. "Chances are it was one of you smelly baboons that pissed her off this time!"

Dom's eyes dropped to my chest, and the appreciative way he ogled my tits made me roll my eyes at him and drop my hand. His gaze drifted back up to meet mine, sparking with amusement and a good amount of mischief. I didn't take offence- Dom was a bit of a horn dog, but he kept his advances strictly to himself, especially where his friends were concerned. Not once since I met Dom about a year ago have I ever felt uncomfortable around him. He exuded good-natured teasing and always went out of his way to make the girls around him comfortable, which is why I curbed my initial crush for him instantly when I first met him. It was a good thing, considering I now held him in high esteem as one of my closest friends.