Can't wait until the PERFECT ADDICTION movie comes out? Go back to the beginning with Jax's story while you wait with PERFECT RUIN! Order your copy today.

Dedicated to hyrule who loves Jax just as much (maybe even more) than I do <3 Love ya babe!

[Sienna's POV]

It smells like shit in here.

    It reeks of sweat, alcohol and smoke all rolled into one. The huge spotlights are streaming down upon us, making it hard to see as we weave our way through the sweaty bodies.

     I blink a couple of times, trying to get my vision back, and I feel Braydon tug me forward. And since the three of us were holding hands, I pull forward Beth along with me as well.

    "We're almost there!" Braydon screams and although we're only a few feet away from each other, I can barely hear her. But I nod along anyway, because she knows more about this place then me and Beth do, and I'd rather just go along with her.

    Cheers and hollers ensue from the crowd, each minute passing by getting louder and louder as the anticipation for the fighters to come into the ring grows.

     For housing an illegal sport, I'm surprised at how huge the warehouse is. There's at least two thousand people here. It's crazy. And I'm pretty sure I saw some cops cheering along with the crowd just now.

    Guess I don't have to worry about getting arrested tonight.

    I've been feeling really uncomfortable ever since I stepped foot into Breaking Point. I didn't want to come here. But Braydon swore that it was we couldn't miss this season of the underground fighting circuit.

Apparently last year, a newbie named Jax stole the victory away from Butterson, who's apparently been the undefeated champion of the underground circuit for five years straight. And just when he's about to score his double hat trick, Jax beat him up into a bloody pulp in the finals.

    Butterson KO-ed in 45 seconds flat.

    I don't know much about fighting but I do know that if Jax can make him tap out in under a minute, he must be a damn good fighter.

     Revolutionary, even.

    "Bray!" I scream. She's pulling at my wrist so hard that it hurts. I cut through a couple making out in front of me—tongues and all that—and I mumble a quick apology for interrupting them.

     Just when I think I'll never know what air feels like anymore, Bray jerks me forward and I stumble unto a small clearing.

    It must be the VIP section because there's only several people lingering around and the ones from the outside of the area are desperately trying to climb over to get in here.

    "You alright?" Braydon asks me, her long dark hair whipping at my face as she turns around to inspect me. "Sorry."

    "It's fine." I say. "I'm fine."

    Behind me, Beth takes a deep lungful of breath and then makes a disgusted face. "God, it smells so bad in here."

    "You'll get used to it," Braydon shrugs. "Besides, it's totally worth it. We have such a good view of the ring! And you know what that means: direct view of the hotties."

    "Dude, you have a boyfriend," I say with a laugh.

    "We're in a healthy open relationship," she says. "T will understand if I ogle at hot dudes. Hell, he'll probably even be okay with it if I hook up with one of them tonight."

    "I wish we can come here every weekend," Beth gushes. "I bet they get hotter and hotter every week, especially when they have to train all the time now."

    "They totally do." Braydon winks at my sister.

    I roll my eyes. Now I know the real reason why Beth and Braydon wanted to come here. It's for the hot-as-fuck fighters.

    The underground circuit is always big talk in school—among both guys and girls. Guys are busy making bets about who's going to win this year—a lot of them have big money on the Jax guy. Meanwhile, the girls are fanning themselves by the locker, talking about which fighters they're going to try to seduce after the fights.

    I'm pretty sure Braydon falls into the latter category.

    "I can't wait to see Jax," my sister, Beth, gushes. She tugs on my hand excitedly, her blue eyes shining bright with glee. "I saw him once in Caffeinated but I was too shy to ask him for a picture."

    Beth is obsessed with Jax. I don't know what her deal is but she has always been crazy over him ever since she found out that he won the underground circuit last year. Like me, she doesn't know a lot about the underground circuit but she definitely intends to now. She'll jump at any chance to see Jax Deneris.

    I seriously don't know what the big deal about him is. I mean yeah, it's really damn impressive that he's managed to beat a five-time winning fighter during his first year joining the circuit, but is he really that hot?

I've seen pictures of him circulating around school. I gotta admit, he's good-looking, but I'm pretty sure there are other hotter ones out there.

    "Hey, if you want, I can bring you backstage later to meet him!" Braydon tells Beth and she squeals even more. My ears hurt.

    "You can do that?" My sister asks, her eyes glimmering with so much hope.

    "Sure I can. My brother's fighting tonight. I have unlimited access." Bray winks at her.

    That would explain how Braydon got us VIP access. Her brother, Zach, who's our senior, goes by the name of 'The Sledgehammer' in the ring. There's not a lot of talk about him in school, seeing as how this is his first fight, but I hope he does well.

     We're not exactly friends—we've only exchanged less than ten words to each other every time I sleepover at Braydon's house—but I know him well enough to not want him to get his ass severely kicked tonight.

    "You betting tonight?" I ask Braydon.

    "Hell yeah I am." Braydon slaps my shoulder. "I've got five hundred bucks on Jax tonight."

    "What?" I don't think I've heard that correctly. "That's a lot of money!"

    "Money that I'll double if he wins!" She exclaims.

     Damn, Braydon is crazy. I would never invest my money on something like this. It's not that I don't believe in any of the fighters—well, it's that too considering the fact that it's my first time here and I don't know any fighter well enough to bet on them—but also betting is risky money.

    You either win everything or nothing at all.

    "You're betting on Zach too, right?" I ask.

    Bray merely laughs.

    "God, no. I ain't investing a single penny on him." She tells me. "I've seen him fight before. He's gonna get beat up so bad. I already told mom to be on standby in case he gets hospitalized tonight."

    Christ.

    Before I can say anything else, the audience erupts just as the announcer steps into the ring. He has stringy long hair and he's wearing what looks like a really expensive suit, which makes me wonder how much he earns doing this as a living. A lot of money, I think. Illegal money.

    "WELCOME TO THE VORTEX, FUCKERS!" The guy screams into the hailer. "If you haven't taken your bets already, what the fuck are you waiting for? You can't bet once the fighters are in the ring! And no touching or harrassing the fighters. No interfering with the fight and no bet switching! If you are caught breaking the rules, I'd have my people kick your ass out and beat you up so you'd wish you'd never step foot in here!"

    More cheers and leg stomping ensue. Beside me, both Beth and Braydon join the crowd, screaming their hearts out. I cross my arms and close my eyes, immediately regretting my decision to come here in the first place.

    "Alright, alright! Now the fight you've all been waiting for tonight! On your right, newbie Damien 'The Beast' Wellington!"

     A few cheers erupt but their drowned out by boos when Damien emerges from the left side. He doesn't have a robe on like the other fighters that I've seen in pictures, which makes me think that maybe robes are for fighters who earned a certain level of status here.

     The guy with the hailer whistles lowly. "Man! He's going to have to give everything he got tonight because he's going to be taking on A LEGEND! Yeah, that's right ladies and gentlemen! Over to your left, we have the guy who took down Butterson last season, the guy that now reigns as the current champion of the underground circuit, the one and only, Jax 'Deadbeat' DENERISSSSSSS!"

    The warehouse explodes. Everyone's yelling and screaming out his name. Girls are throwing their panties at the ring. I turn to Beth and cast her a warning glare, telling her not to be an idiot. Suddenly, as if in unison, everyone's beating their chests and hollering 'DEAD-BEAT! DEAD-BEAT! DEAD-BEAT! DEAD-BEAT!' Both Beth and Braydon join along, drumming their chests.

    "What the hell are you guys doing?" I hiss at Braydon.

    "We're doing the Deadbeat chant!" She hisses back. "Just watch and learn!" She beats her chest twice, and then elbows thrust downwards.

I raise a curious eyebrow. What a weird ass chant. Hell no, I ain't doing it. I'll look like a fool, just like everyone else in this warehouse.

    The chants get louder and they're drowned out by huge cheers as a shadow emerges from the left side of the ring.

    A black satin robe drapes over his body, and it fits him so well it looks almost like a second skin. His dirty blonde hair is untamed and messy, and as if on cue, he rakes his fingers over them quickly before lifting his arms up, fists clenched, to acknowledge his fans. The entire warehouse goes absolutely insane.

    He doesn't look like what I've seen in the pictures. I hate to admit it, but those pictures don't do his looks justice. In fact, he looks way better in real life. His eyes are the most startling pair of kohl color. He's built—his chest is broad and his arms are so huge, they could probably destroy concrete.

    A myriad of emotions dance across the irises of his eyes—none hint of nervousness. He walks towards the stage, his robe somewhat like a cape, and the way he moves his body shows of confidence, superiority and arrogance.

    I don't realize I'm holding my breath until Braydon links her fingers with mine and gives me an excited squeal. Beside me, Beth looks like she wants to faint from bathing in his mere presence.

When Jax gets on stage, he narrows his eyes at his opponent. His eyes scan Damien, analyzing him from head to toe, and when he's done he scoffs and turns away.

    I'm holding my breath again when Jax shrugs his robe off. It comes of his body effortlessly, pooling on the floor. He then does this thing when his eyes scan the warehouse, assessing the crowd.

    Beth and Braydon are both jumping up and down, trying to get him to notice them. But they're not the only ones doing it too. All the girls in the warehouse are screaming and hollering at him, attempting to get his attention.

    When his eyes rest upon the VIP area, Braydon and Beth go nuts. His eyes suddenly land on me and his gaze stays there, burning into mine. I hold his gaze, because I don't know what else to do. I don't want to look away because well... I don't want to.

    So I keep my head up, shoulders straight, and stare back challengingly at him.

    Pleased with my response, he grins.

    Oh god. His smile is perfect. Absolutely perfect. It's so beautiful that it sends my heart on overdrive.

    "Oh my god!" Beth screams. "He's smiling at me! He's smiling at me!" She's pulling on my arm so much I'm sure it's going to detach itself from my body. "Sienna! Did you see that? He's smiling at me!"

    I wasn't going to say that what he was actually doing was smiling at me, so I just stay silent instead. I know it would break her heart if she knew the reality of the situation.

    But when I turn my attention back to the ring, Jax is no longer looking at me. Instead, his back is faced towards me and he clashes his knuckles together, getting ready for to fight. The other guy eases into a stance, his eyes focused on Jax. But his hands are shaking so bad that I doubt he'll last even five seconds in the ring with Jax.

    "I want a clean fight, got it?" The guy with the hailer says to the both of them. Jax laughs.

    "No promises," he snarls.

    And the second the bell rings, he pounces.

* * *

    He won the fight, of course. That little bastard. Nobody expected any less of Jax Deneris. He had Damien 'The Beast' Wellington tap out so fast that I didn't even have time to blink before the announcer said that the fight was over.

    After that, the event sort of went down from there. There were some good fights, but none of the fighters I've seen are any good as Jax. They aren't calculative like him. Mean like him. They kick and throw and punch because they have to, but because they want to.

    I can't stop thinking about him.

We've only exchanged one look and he's already invading my mind. I don't know what exactly about him that makes me intrigued—maybe it's the fact that I've never seen anyone move with so much fluidity and agility like him. I've seen met anyone who's so focused, so brave, so bold and confident.

    I could hardly concentrate on any of the other fights. Even Braydon asked me if I was feeling alright because I was unbelievably quite the whole night. I just told her I was tired.

    Now that the last fight came to a close, people are starting to crowd by the exits. We're squeezing our way through, trying to get to the other side of the warehouse where all the fighters are. Despite the exhaustion that sets on her face, Beth is still determined to see Jax.

    "Come on, Si!" Beth yells. "If we don't move fast enough, he's going to leave!"

    "I'm coming, dammit!" I mutter. Braydon sends me an apologetic look. She knows that the only reason why I came to Breaking Point in the first place is because of Beth.

    After about twenty minutes, we finally made it backstage. It's even more crowded that the outside. Fighters loom over us, most of them the ones who made it out of that ring victorious. Their opponents, on the other hand, are either passed out on the floor or getting their faced fixed by their other peers.   

    "I'm going to find Zach!" Braydon yells at me. She points to the other direction and tells Beth, "Jax's room should be right over there!"

    "Okay." Beth nods. When Bray disappears, my sister turns to me and exhales. "Si, I'm so nervous."

    "It's fine. You're going to do fine. Just don't take too long, alright?" I tell her, my hands sliding over her shoulders. I squeeze them for reassurance. "I'll be right here by the washrooms."

    "Alright." Beth says. "Wish me luck!"

    "Good luck." I nudge her towards the hallway and she smiles at me another time before getting swallowed up by the crowd.

    I lean against the wall beside the washroom, trying to look inconspicuous by tapping on my phone. I send a quick text to mom and dad telling them that Beth and I were fine and we were sleeping over at Braydon's tonight.

     I didn't tell them that we were at Breaking Point tonight—they know all about the underground circuit and they sure as hell don't want their two daughters anywhere near this place—so I told them we were currently chilling in Braydon's room watching The Notebook.

    As long as we're with Braydon, mom and dad know they don't need to worry about us. They're more preoccupied with each other—the screaming matches between them have gotten worse and I don't think I can even be in the same room with them for more than ten minutes without them yelling at each other for the most mundane of things.

    Around me, fighters run back and forth, some looking pleased and others looking pissed as fuck. The guy from the first fight, Damien, stands by the corner with his friends, and is flailing his arms around angrily as he explains to his friends what happened in the ring with Jax. His back is to me, but I know all too well how his front looks like.

He lost two of his front teeth, broke his nose and his jaw. It's a miracle how he's still talking right now.

    "Fuck, I swear I almost had him," he snaps. "This close!" He smashed his index finger and thumb together. "This close! Did you see the punch I gave him? The one to the ribs? Yeah, I could have knocked him dead with that shit. Wouldn't even have to break a damn sweat..."

    I almost burst out laughing. Wow, clearly this guy was delusional if he thought that he could have won Jax. Jax beat him into a fucking pulp. Everyone in that warehouse saw it happen.

I'm not sure who he's trying to fool here.

    I look down at my phone and snort, almost a little too loudly.

What a loser.

    "Hey!" I hear Damian yell from across the hallway. I look up and my eyes meet his. I look around, wondering who is he talking to. I have a feeling it's me. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, bitch." He snarls at me. All of his friends turn their heads to my direction. I gulp. "Something funny to you?"

    Back down, Si. Back the fuck down. You cannot get into a fight with this guy. He may have lost big time in that ring but he can still easily snap your damn neck if he wanted to.

    "Uh, yes?" I say, and immediately want to slap myself for doing so. What the fuck are you doing, Sienna? Do you want to die tonight? "You said you almost had Jax. I thought that was funny." I shrug.

    Damien's nostrils flare in anger. He's walking towards me now, his bulky form shadowed by his friends. My heart is slamming wildly against my chest, telling me to abort mission, abort mission right now! "How the fuck is it funny?" His eyes narrow at me as he folds his arms across his chest.

    He's about two feet away from me right now. His friends have me cornered.

    "Uh..." My voice trails off. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your fucking mouth shut, Si! "Well... you're a liar. Because I saw what happened in that ring with you and Jax tonight." I say with confidence. "And you got your ass kicked like a fucking pussy."

    That comment got everyone's attention. People who are mingling by the hallway stop and gather around us. I hear a couple of ooooohs and oh snaps directed our way.

     I back away further but mentally curse myself because there's no where else I can go. I'm caged and I think I might get seriously beat up. And it's all because my brain doesn't want to listen to my conscious.

    Damien clenches his fist upon registering my comment. I don't think he appreciates that I've just humiliated him in front of his peers. "Say that again, I fucking dare you."

     He clenches his fists and flexes his arms, as if that scares me. And it does work. A little. My heart wants to fly out of my ribcage but I swallow it down, along with my fears.

    "I said, you got your ass kicked like a damn pussy. Hell, even I can throw a punch better than you," I say, straightening up.

     Inside, my conscious is slamming her head repeatedly against the wall for my stupidity for fueling his rage.

    Damien laughs humorlessly. "Want to test that idea, honey?" He asks, and just as he's about to slam his fist into my face, I hear a familiar voice echo in the hallway.

    "Didn't your mama ever tell you not to hit pretty girls, Wellington?" Jax says, materializing from the shadows. All eyes turn to him, even Damien's. His anger seem to skyrocket under Jax's presence. Jax has his arms folded across his chest, a lazy grin stretched across his face as he approaches us. "Or was she too preoccupied with fucking millionaires to give a shit about you?"

    "Back the fuck off, Deneris." Damien pushes against Jax's chest but he won't nudge. "This is none of your damn business."

    "Ah, that's where you're wrong. She-" He gestures to me and my eyes widen. "-is my damn business."

    "What? She your girlfriend or something?" Damien scoffs.

    I wish.

    "Yes. Is that a problem?" Jax says sharply. "Babe, come here."

    "Uhhhh... " I say. What the fuck is he doing?

    "I said come here." He says again and I begrudgingly oblige him. I walk over to him and the crowd parts just as easily for me to get there. Jax slips an arm across my waist and pulls me to him protectively. He reeks of sweat and alcohol. I swallow the stench down and breathe in through my nose. "Don't touch what's mine, Wellington. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to fuck up your face like what I did to you an hour ago in that ring."

    Damien hisses. "Fuck you."

    "Funny, that's exactly what your mom said to me last night. Except it was in a much dirtier context." Jax winks at him.

    "I swear, I'm going to fucking end your life-" Damien launches himself forward but his friends hold him back. Jax didn't even flinch. He merely shakes his head, grinning.

    "You are pathetic. Even your friends are wiser than you. They know you need to tap out of this fight, Wellington. You can't win this one. Not while my heart is still beating," Jax spits out. "Now get out of my fucking face. You're giving me a fucking eyesore."

    Damien looks like he's about to have another go at Jax. I don't blame him. I would hit Jax too if I were him. But I know it'll be a fight I'll never win.

    Damien unclenches his fist and lets it drop to his side. One of his friends pats on his shoulder, telling him to back down. He stares at Jax for a couple more seconds, growling.

    "This isn't over, Deneris."

    "Yes, it is. Or do you want me to toss you around like a fucking pretzel like I did just now in that ring? Because I'm all for round two." Jax cracks his knuckles. "I might even let you hit me at least once this time before I beat the shit out of you. How about that?"

    Damien spits on Jax's feet. His friends tell him to go but he shrugs them off. "I'll be back for you, Deneris." He spits. "Watch out."

     "Dude, let's go." One of Damien's friends haul him by his arm. Damien hisses at Jax again before turning his back on the both of us and walking the opposite direction.

     I let go of the breath I've been holding. My shoulders relax and my body slackens.

    When the crowd disperses, Jax takes the opportunity to turn to me. He cups my face with his hand.

     "Hey," he says. "Are you alright?"

    I slap his hand away in annoyance. "Why the hell did you do that?"

    He stares at me, blinking, looking absolutely shocked. I don't think he expected that response from me. "What?"

    "You know what!" I hiss. "That! You calling me out! I totally had it the situation control!"

    "What the fuck? No you didn't!" He hisses back. "If I hadn't saved you, he would have knocked you unconscious. And god knows what he was planning on doing to you after that."

    "But... you said I was yours!" I snap. "Like I was your damn property!"

    "It was the only way I can get you out of that situation, fuck!" Now he's pissed off at me. Damn, I'm on a high roll tonight, pissing fighters that I don't know off for no particular reason. "Seriously? You couldn't just say thank you? I just saved your damn life and you couldn't even put your ego aside to say two words."

    "Thank you's are not programmed into my system, sorry." I shrug.

     "Wow," he breathes. "You're really something, are you?"

     "Uh huh," I say, and start walking away from him.

     He stops me by grabbing my hand. "Wait, where are you going?"

     I cast him a wary look. "I'm going to find better company than you."

He blinks at me.

"My sister," I say. "I need to find my sister. Goodbye."

    I start to turn away from Jax and walk away when I hear Jax mutter a curse under his breath and then come running after me. He places a heavy hand on my shoulder to stop me.

    "Wait," he says. "Fuck. As much as I'm annoyed with you right now, I can't let you go. Not while Damien and his gang are still out there."

    I make an aggravated noise. "I don't need your help, Jax."

    "Yeah you do, actually. Because I'm your only chance at protecting you," he tells me. He rakes his fingers through his hair out of frustration and sighs. "Look, it's rough out there. There're going to be guys lingering outside, looking for trouble. And trust me, Wellington might be the least of your problems. My guess is that you don't come here a lot, otherwise you won't be stupid enough to rile up any of the fighters here. I can help you find your friends. I know this place inside out."

    "Why do you want to help me?" I ask, folding my arms. "You don't even know me."

    "Because I'm a decent human being?" He narrows his eyes at me. "And you're hot, so that's an added bonus."

    I roll my eyes. "You're disgusting."

    "I take that as a compliment."

    "Only a fucked up person will take that as a compliment."

    "I am a fucked up person." He offers me a twisted smile. "They call me deadbeat for a reason, you know. I have no soul."

    "Whatever, Satan."

"So are you going to just let me stand here like a flipping idiot or you gonna let me help you?"

    I eye him warily. I guess it wouldn't hurt to let him help me. I mean, if his intentions with me weren't good, he wouldn't have saved me from the clutches of Damien. Which means he can't be all that bad, can he?

    "Fine." I say after a while. "Fine. Lead the way."

    He nods, then grins. He extends his arm as an inviting gesture. "After you, princess."

* * *

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of Perfect Ruin! I hope ya'll enjoyed it and would want to read more.

I'm still trying to figure out my updating schedule for this book because since I'm going back to Malaysia, I might not have time to write (because I need to socialize with my friends and family and all that) so please bear with me in the meantime!

But there will definitely be an update next Friday! YAAAAAAY!

I would ask how we feeling about Jax and Sienna but ya'll pretty much know the outcome of this story so I'll just skip that LOL.

I don't know if #JIENNA should be a thing. Yay or nay? I'd rather that than #SAX anyway haha.

See ya'll on Friday!

Sincerely yours,

Mother of Dia-Hards.