Chapter 2: Ready to enter the ring
#Chapter2 Ready to enter the ring
/"Hailey!/" Dean's breathless voice calls out among the bodies behind me. /"Wait up!/"
I slow down and wait for him to catch up. Once he reaches me, I laugh at his tired body as his hands collapse onto his knees in order to catch his breath.
/"You-/" he breathes in, /"are-/" he breathes in again, /"really fast./"
/"We are literally ten meters away from the gym./" I point out.
/"That's still too far,/" he holds a finger up as though saying I must stop talking.
/"C'mon lazy bones,/" I roll my eyes and continue walking to my destination.
The evening colours are already melting into the sky, producing combinations of oranges, pinks and purples mixed into a beautiful master piece. Today's weather is perfect-- not hot or cold, just as Goldilocks would say-- just right.
/"So?/" Dean asks. /"Are you going to tell me what has been occupying my girl's mind?/" He pokes the side of my face.
/"I'm not your girl,/" I scoff.
/"You wound me, sweetheart,/" he places a hand on his chest, feigning hurt.
/"What would Bree say if she heard you flirting with someone else?/" I raise my eyebrow.
Bree is his girlfriend, well I'd like to think that. It's actually complicated. One moment they want each other like the desert needs water and one moment they repel each other like like charges. This emotional rollercoaster, or whatever you would call it, has been going on like this for about a year or so, as I've been told.
/"She won't find out,/" he shrugs. /"Besides what goes on between me and other people has nothing to do with her./"
/"Wow, you are really trustworthy,/" my voice drips with sarcasm.
/"I know, right?/" He flashes a bright grin. /"You should award me with a kiss./" I see him leaning in towards the side of my face.
/"Get away from me, you oversized gecko,/" I push him away with my hand although I knowing he's kidding.
/"FYI you love this 'oversized gecko'./"
/"What's up with you today?/" I mutter is annoyance.
/"What's wrong with you ?/" He pokes my right shoulder.
/"Nothing./" I mutter.
/"Nothing? You ha--/"
/"So, where's the ring?/" I cut him off, hoping to have a change of topic.
/"What?/" His face morphs into frustration.
/"The ring you bought for Bree./"
/"Oh./" Realisation kicks in, followed by his infamous look he makes whenever something is wrong due to his mistakes.
/"What did you do?/"
/"Hey, this is not about me he--/"
/"You didn't buy it, did you?/"
/"No, actually I did./"
/"So?/"
/"I kinda, sort of, maybe lost it?/" He makes a nervous grin.
/"You peanut./" I slide a palm along my face.
/"No, you're the peanut for always changing the--/"
/"We're here,/" I slap his shoulder. /"Match's about to begin and I need to change./"
Swinging the door of the arena open, I march in with pride, not even bothering to hold it open for Dean.
/"Ouch!/" I hear the door slam into his face. He'll get over it.
After sauntering down the passages, not even waiting for the idiot behind me, I finally reach the info desk.
/"Hi, Mo!/" I greet the red-bearded man behind the paper littered desk.
Mortimer, Mo for short, is a man in his early forties.
/"Madison!/" He greets back.
Yes, he calls me Madison.
I did not want people to know my real name here. Even Dean did not know-- he found out by overhearing a conversation with Kaitlyn and I.
/"How are you doing, Grandpa?/" I grin knowing that calling him that ticks him off.
/"How many times must I tell you that I'm not that old?/" He quirks his eyebrow.
/"Forty two is an old age. You could be my grandpa,/" I tease him further.
/"Whatever./" He grunts playfully.
/"So!/" I slap the desk hard causing him to slightly jump. /"When's my match starting?/"
/"In about thirteen minutes./"
/"Okay, thanks Gramps!/" I walk away with a satisfied grin; Dean in tow.
/"So explain again why you don't want people to know your real name?/" Dean asks me.
/"I have explained a million times!/" I groan. /"Don't make me explain it again./"
/"I know./" He nods. /"But--/" there's always a 'but' with him, /"--you saying that, and I quote, 'it's because of a horrible past' does not explain anything./"
So maybe I gave him a vague explanation, but my reasons are justified-- I'm not ready to let anyone in again.
/"Read in between the lines then./"
/"I've tried but you did not give me much lines to read in between!/"
Not being in the mood to answer, I increase the rate of my steps until I reach the changing rooms.
/"I have to go change./" I tell Dean. /"See you after the match./" I swing open the door and head inside before any words could leave his mouth.
...........
/"Ready to enter the ring, the new reigning champion, Raze!/" The commentator announces, and I enter the white-floored ring at his words.
Yes, I call myself Raze. It was a bit difficult to come up with another cool name which resulted in my current stage name rhyming with my previous one.
/"And her opponent, the feared monster, Axe!/" A six feet, bulky man swiftly jumps over the ring ropes and grunts while beating his chest like a fired up gorilla. The crowd's fervent cheers cause my eardrums to vibrate and my mind swells with pride knowing already that I'm taking home the win.
Immediately when the starting bell rings, the six feet gorilla wastes no time in launching himself towards me. Luckily my reflexes are quick enough to dodge the incoming impact by quickly shifting.
This move charges him more like an angry bull and he throws a fully charged uppercut straight to my jaw. The impact causes me to stumble back with dizziness and eventually fall on my back.
That's going to leave a serious mark.
Axe sees this as an opportunity to stomp my chest with his enormous army boot, but I'm quick enough to roll to my side and eventually stand up.
The crowd cheers even further, for both the fact that Axe took me down and that I stood up. These people really just come to watch us get hurt.
The things you do to entertain people.
Axe throws another fist my way but I block it with my arm and I immediately send a hard kick right to the side of his abdomen after. He stumbles back a bit and I take this as an opportunity to catapult myself towards him and take him down with a spear.
A boisterous roar of cheer erupts from the crowd at the sight of the unconscious so-called 'monster'. I actually thought he would be harder to take down, maybe a bit more than just a kick to the stomach and a spear.
Guess steroids don't always help.
/"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen,/" the commentator begins, /"the still reigning champion, Raze!/"
The crowd runs wild at my victory, mostly happy that I had not disappointed them because if I did, they would have lost their precious money.
No all I have to do is go get my money and then...
... explain to mom why I have a purple jaw.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone