AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Standing shirtless in the doorway in the glossy green boxing shorts Hannah had demanded they all wear, Conner continued to keep his feet moving. Getting his heartbeat up now would make it seem like less of a shock when the adrenaline really kicked in. The next two fights went by in a flash, and then it was his turn. Over the loudspeaker, a deep voice introduced Parker with some rock music blasting, and then, with forced bravado, Conner sauntered into the dimly lit boxing gym. A spotlight hit him, and although he couldn’t see anyone very well, it was clear the gym was packed with people. Stepping up to his corner, he bent through the ropes and found Parker waiting across the floor from him.
His old friend grimaced as he danced around to keep his body warmed up. The announcer reminded them of the sparring rules and checked both their gloves and safety headgear. Then with a quick sidestep out of their way, the man announced with force, “Spar.”
Conner could feel the anger rolling off Parker; the other man’s scowl said it all. But after years doing undercover work and getting in more than one street fight, Conner knew he had the advantage. He also happened to have longer arms and leaner muscles, so his jabs would be fast and quick.
The crowd roared, taunting them to give them a good fight, like two gladiators forced to fight to the death. It was all sport to the spectators; their well-known rivalry only added to the drama.
Parker moved in and took a few jabs, but his punches were too slow, and Conner easily dodged them. They began to do a dance, both bouncing around and taking swings at each other. A few jabs landed but nothing serious.
The crowd was boisterous, and some people were clearly only there for the brutality of boxing. He heard someone yell, “Quit dancing and give us some blood.” A sick feeling washed over Conner. He didn’t want to fight Parker at all.
Turning to look in the crowd, he spotted several people in the front row but didn’t recognize them. Then bam! Light flashed behind his eyelids, and Parker’s right hook landed. The crowd cheered and Conner moved his feet fast to avoid another blow. While he searched the crowd for Hannah, another few blows hit. Should he just let Parker win, save his ego? But then he caught a glimpse of Hannah and heard Finn yelling for him to find his feet.
Move faster.
Conner didn’t want to fight his best friend, and the fact that he still thought of Parker as his best friend said it all. With a few quick jabs, Conner landed several good hits, but he didn’t put any force behind it, and then the bell indicating the first round was over rang.
They were only going three rounds. Conner’s chest was heaving from the adrenaline and constant movement. Finn placed a stool under him in his corner and handed him a towel and some water.
“You’re going easy on him?” Finn said.
He nodded. Now that they were in the match, he’d lost any desire to humiliate Parker. Not to mention upset Hannah.
“Well, it’s your pride. Just keep doing what you’re doing, but he’s slow so you’ll have to let him land a few if you plan to lose.”
The bell dinged, and Finn grabbed his stool, water, and towel. The match was back on. Conner made sure to make it look like he was putting up a good fight but let Parker get in several great punches. Parker wasn’t holding back or adhering to the “don’t go 100 percent” rule, but Conner could understand.
By the end of the second round, he realized if he let Parker beat him, it was just like an admission of guilt. If he didn’t let him win, he looked like the jerk who stole his girl and kicked his ass. He was in a no-win situation of his own making.
To make matters worse, he could only make out Hannah’s form toward the back. It was impossible to know how she was feeling about the match. The bell rang, the crowd roared, and they were back up for the final round.
Two more minutes of moving around the ring, dodging slow punches and giving back minimal mock blows to Parker’s upper body, Conner felt compelled to at least defend himself against Parker’s slow punches and obvious tactics. He should be exhausted, but somehow his adrenaline carried him to the end of the round with energy to spare.
As the final bell rang, Conner let his gloves fall just as Parker stepped forward and took one last swing. His uppercut swing caught Conner on the bottom of the chin. His head went flying back, and his body stumbled back. He hit the mat with a huge thud, and the lights above twinkled. Finn was in the ring in a flash, standing over him, and the referee’s mouth was moving but there was no sound.
Two soft cool hands framed his head from behind, and he looked up to see Hannah. Her wild hair was up, and her forehead was scrunched. Hopefully, she wasn’t mad at him.
Finally, the buzzing in his ears stopped, and he could make out sounds around him. Someone was on a radio, and someone was cursing.
“Hi, beautiful,” he said on instinct.
“Shhhh, don’t move.” Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she held his head snug.
“I’m fine. I promise.”
“We’ll see. We’re going to the hospital.”
In the background, he could hear Finn yelling at someone, and Conner felt bad for whoever it was.
“You’ll be fighting me if your dirty move causes any injury, and I can guarantee I won’t let you off easy,” Finn said before he stepped back and let a few paramedics take Conner’s vitals.
“Hey, guys, these two are overreacting. I’m fine.”
“Sounds great, Sarge, but we’re just going to get this brace on your neck and a board under your back to be safe.”
He groaned as they rolled him and his back met with the cold hard plastic. Next thing he knew he was being hoisted into the air, and Finn opened the ropes with the help of his other brother, Rory.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” he heard his dad call out.
