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“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous I guess. Not everyone gets taken to the office on the first day,” I say, trying to laugh it off.
He chuckles. “You’re not in trouble, I just need some basic information to put into the system for your profile to show up in the online portal. That way you have access to your online books and grades. This is also where teachers will communicate any changes in schedules or send you work if you’re sick.”
“Alright,” I tell him, taking a breath. “What do you need to know?”
Chapter 9
Ten minutes till nine, I walk into our combat class with Damien and Alexi. My eyes search the room immediately, but I don’t see our girl anywhere. I look over to Alexi and see he's doing the same.
I hope she isn't late. Alexi will have a field day with that.
The minutes tick by, just one minute left until class starts.
“This bitch better not think that she can avoid us or break the rules,” Alexi says.
Damien and I exchange a nervous glance. The whole point of wishing for someone to fail was so Alexi could feel more in control. If she’s late or tries to avoid us, it’s going to have the opposite effect. We settle into the front center of the mats as the instructor walks out. He’s a big guy with a shaved head and tattoos covering his body. He almost looks like The Rock, but his skin is much darker.
“I will be your instructor for hand-to-hand combat. You can call me Savage,” he begins, his loud deep voice booming across the room. “If you're late to my class, you fight me for the day.” I cringe on the inside, imagining anyone against that monster truck of a man. They wouldn't stand a chance, except maybe Damien and Alexi, but even then. As the clock ticks over and it's officially nine am, it seems like we might not have our little toy for long.
“Before we figure out where everyone is in the ranks, I’m supposed to tell you all why it’s important. Grades as well as skills will come into place during your training. The purpose of a higher rank is to establish your skill level. Upon completion of your time here, you will participate in the trials, where you will have the chance to show off the skills you’ve learned and impress The Society. This will play into your overall final rankings. Your rank at the end of the term will be what gives you privileges and favors when you return to your family's organizations. It’s important you take this seriously and don’t fuck around here. Stay focused, and we won’t have any issues in my classroom. Is that clear?”
He looks around the room looking for any idiot that might ask a question. In school we are often told there are no stupid questions. With the mafia, that’s not the case. “Alright, let's begin,” he says, locking the door behind him. “Kings, since you're the leaders around here, let’s see what you’ve got.”
This is what I was afraid of. Not only am I shit at fighting, but I also have no doubt this guy is going to make us fight the biggest fuckers here to prove we deserve our title. Not that anyone could take it from us, but it would definitely hurt our influence if we get knocked out on the mats on the first day.
Alexi turns to me, and I give him a nod. He would make a scene if I told him to, but I have to figure this out. I was right, too. As he pairs us up, the guy I'm facing is easily twice my size and pure muscle.
I'm fast, I remind myself,I can do this.
“Fights will go until tap-out or knockout,” Savage says, his commanding voice shaking the air around us. All too soon he blows a whistle, signaling the start of the round.
Meathead, what I choose to call my opponent, charges at me first. I figured he would do this, and I let him get close before darting out of the way. This has him nearly running off the mat, and a few people chuckle. That pisses him off. Perfect. Anger distracts you. So I plan to make him furious before I strike.
He stops to stand tall and assess me before getting in a fighting stance and bouncing on his feet. I lower myself to mirror his stance, and then he strikes. I'm able to block the first two hits to the face, but he gets a shot in my ribs and knocks the breath out of me, making me choke for air.
I quickly try to recover, and he smiles before punching me in the same spot again. I can feel my ribs break, a resounding crack ripples through the room as I all but fall to my knees. The room around me blurs as I hear gasps. When I’m able to gain some composure, I take a breath, sweep out my legs, and make him fall on his ass.
I readjust my stance this time to keep my damaged ribs guarded. When he stands, a snarl leaves his lips. He charges me again, and I take advantage of his speed using it to make the kick to his side even sharper. I throw a punch to his temple as he stumbles, but it hardly phases him.
I step back to avoid his two swings. He gets to his feet, and we circle around the mat. I try to think up a plan. Looking him over, I know there’s no way this guy would tap out. I won't have enough power to knock him out with a punch to his temple or jaw. My only option left is to go for his nose. If I can break it deep enough, he will pass out. I’m not a good fighter, not like the others, but Damien’s taught me a few things just in case I ever get into a pinch.
In my peripheral, I see Alexi and Damien come to my side of the mat. They’ve clearly finished and won their own fights.
The frustration I feel at the ease of their winning brings me all the power I need to push a little harder, and ignore the pain shooting down my side. I charge him with one goal in mind—knock this motherfucker out. The door bangs open behind me, and my opponent looks up. He’s temporarily distracted, but all I see is red. All I hear is my father calling me a failure. All I feel is his disappointed stare every time Damien won a fight.
I punch him in the nose with all the power I have, and a crunching sound echoes in the now quiet room. Meathead staggers back, his eyes going hazy. He coughs, causing his blood to spurt across my face, but I don’t flinch as I watch him carefully. His hands cover his mouth, pure shock flashing in his eyes just before they close, and he falls to the mats.
TKO motherfucker.
I'm surprised when I turn to face Alexi and Damien, and they aren't looking at me. Instead, their eyes are fixed on the silver-haired beauty by the door as she hands a green card to Savage. She’s wearing black combat boots with black leggings and a shirt that says “Fuck Off” right across her tits. I look around to see everyone watching her. Then I notice the door hanging off its hinges.
Did she kick in the fucking door?
I look over to see one door with the handle falling off and a large dent in the other one. That must have been what distracted Meathead, helping me get an opening. She tried to give me a little luck this morning, but her presence is apparently all I needed. My little Lucky Charm.
“You didn't have to break down the door!” Savage yells, red in the face. He’s giving her a glare that would make ninety-nine percent of these students crawl into a hole. But not her. She hardly shrugs before responding,
“I knocked, but no one answered. Had to do the next best thing.” She looks the instructor in the eyes and levels him with a glare of her own. “So, what did I miss?”
