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Nineteen years old/June
The crowd erupted.
I doubled over with my hands on my knees and took a couple deep breaths to fill my lungs. My mouth guard hung partially out of my mouth as I chewed on it. Sweat dripped from my forehead and hit the mat under my feet. I could see multiple feet around me and felt their hands on my back and shoulders.
The crowd continued to roar.
Over my shoulder, I heard one of Adam Novak’s coaches talking to him.
“You did your best, Adam. The kid is just a monster.”
I stood upright, and I swear the crowd grew louder. On the opposite side of the octagon, I saw the vision of my older self again.
I looked up at the jumbotron at the replay of me pinning Adam to the mat and pounding on his face. As the referee slid in to shield Adam from further damage, Adam tapped out. I could feel someone taking my gloves off for me and bent my arms at the elbows to make it easier for them.
Two full rounds and twenty-three seconds into the third.
“Hollis, here.” Marty handed me the Gatorade bottle and draped the towel with the logo over my shoulder.
Aside from what I’d just earned for winning the fight, I also made fifty grand for holding the sports drink bottle. I’d tuck that into a house fund for Chase.
After I guzzled almost half the bottle, I went to Adam and held my hand out to him. He quickly clasped it and nodded.
“Good fight, Ward.”
“Good fight, man. You’ve got quite the punch,” I said.
I was announced the winner, and my small record was now two wins and no losses. I spotted my family in the second row as I made my way backstage. I pointed to them, smiled, and gave them the thumbs-up. It was a subtle way of letting my mom and grandma know I was okay. I stopped long enough to bump fists with Chase and Morgan and then went backstage to the Team Dragon room.
I was quickly guided to a stool in the center of the room, and Frank began wiping areas of my back off with an antiseptic pad. Different members of my training staff did the same with my arms, chest, abs, and face while Corey spoke to me.
“Great fight, Hollis! The press conference is scheduled for no more than thirty minutes. Here’s the Team Dragon t-shirt for you to wear during it.”
Corey opened the shirt up and reminded me of the logos for the sponsors and endorsements. I didn’t have any endorsements for my first fight, but I understood how these things worked.
“Do you hurt anywhere or need any medical care?” Marty asked me.
“No. Little sore in the shoulder, but other than that, I’m all good,” I replied.
“Patrick is bringing the peanut butter crackers and banana. Do you need anything else?” Corey asked.
“Maybe some ibuprofen with the food.”
Patrick brought me some ibuprofen and water, along with the banana and peanut butter crackers. I downed the ibuprofen and ate while the trainers changed into the white Team Dragon shirts with the company logos on them. Corey also handed Patrick a new t-shirt for the press conference. While I drank the water and ate, Patrick pulled his black Team Dragon polo off and picked up the new shirt. As he put it on, I stared at his abs. He had been working out hardcore since we got our own place. And I wasn’t the only one who had noticed either. My grappling coach spoke up.
“Better watch it, Hollis. Patrick has some impressive abs,” Leo suggested.
“I know, tell me about it.” I smiled at Patrick. He and I both knew that I was well aware of his abs because my hand rested on them some nights. Patrick and I shared a knowing look.
After I ate, I followed Corey to the banquet room for the press conference. Corey gestured to the right side of the long table that had a banner for Team Dragon draped across the center. I climbed the steps to the stage and crossed over onto Adam Novak’s side and went to him. His team was standing behind him against the TCF logo screen, and when I approached him, his team took a step forward, and he quickly pushed back his chair and stood. He looked pissed off, but his facial expression relaxed when I extended my hand toward him.
“Good fight, Adam,” I said. He nodded and looked at his team.
“Good fight, Ward.”
We shook hands again as the cameras flashed. I nodded to his team and then held my hand up to greet the press before I took my seat. The press conference started, and questions came quickly along with constant flashes from the cameras.
“Hollis, what did you think when you saw Adam submit?”
