"You got some moves," one of the regulars said from the bag nearest her.
Ashley opened her eyes and pushed away. "Thanks."
"Where did learn to fight like that?"
"Um, stepdad mostly," she said with some awkwardness.
"He a champ?"
She snorted and offered the familiar fighter a smile. "Not really. It's a hobby I guess." She retrieved her towel from the ground and started away. "See you tomorrow."
He lifted a gloved hand.
Ashley left the boxing gym and stepped into the warm fall evening softened by a cool ocean breeze. She tossed her towel over her shoulder and began walking slowly, more because she was a little unsteady than because she had nowhere to be. She had at least one assignment due the upcoming week and needed some good sleep after her weekend. But it was hard when she wanted nothing more than to scream every five seconds. Her enemy hadn't just saved her life but managed to remind her she had never meant anything to him to start off with.
Revenge wasn't quite as satisfying when the other person didn't care. Ashley wasn't certain what to do about this fact, or the knowledge she'd spent four years waiting for the moment she could see the regret in his eyes. Jonny would never feel it. Her vengeance would never be complete. She would never be whole again or reclaim the trust in the world she'd lost when he'd betrayed her.
And Jonny would go on being the Black God, oblivious to what she felt. In all her plotting, she'd never truly considered he was indifferent to her and always had been. Vengeance seemed futile in this light.
"This is killing me," she murmured and wiped sweat from her forehead. She walked home and into her apartment, where Brandon sat on the couch as usual.
"What took you so long?" he asked, glancing up from the laptop.
"Just needed more time to punch stuff," she replied.
"At least you were at the gym and not in some warehouse."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She paused on her way to her bedroom and planted her hands on her hips.
"I told you beating up vamps wouldn't turn out well."
"I'm not quitting, just because Jonny knows where we live!"
"Seriously?" Her brother sat back from his computer. "He let us go as a favor to Xander. There won't be a next time if we keep taking out his vamps."
"We have to keep doing it. I have to." Her throat was tight. Fatigued from her weekend, her emotions were closer to snapping than usual.
"Why does this mean so much to you?" Brandon asked, puzzled. "Why can't you become a UFC fighter or something?"