Erudless

Pretty Little Candor Crush

Afterwards Laura told me how to get to the gym and I led the others there like Amar asked me to.

The gym looked a lot like a smaller version of the Pit. One of the walls was lined with 8 punching bags and the fighting ring was located in the middle of the room.

Amar walked in behind us, still wearing his warm, friendly smile.

"How was lunch Transfers?" he asked.

Everyone looked at him as if he were crazy. Like, "Why is this guy asking about our lunch? It has nothing to do with training."

"My lunch sucked. I didn't even get to eat. Sucks even more when I hear rumors of leftover cake being served in the lunch line. So I for one am quite looking forward to this next half of the day. Fighting!" he said.

I smiled. Finally I can learn how to fight. I was forced to read about it in my room back at Erudite. It seemed interesting.

"For the first half of the afternoon you will practice moves on those punching bags over there. Then you'll be separated into pairs and put into the fighting ring right there. Simple enough?"

The fighting ring was more of a slightly elevated square platform. Resting on the wall behind it was a large chalkboard like the ones from school. It was separated into multiple sections all of which were empty. Maybe they're used to grade us on our fighting.

Amar of course demonstrated a few basic fighting moves to get us started then allowed us to go and practice.

He paced back and forth behind us giving the occasional, "Good job Transfer", or, "Here try standing like this" every now and then. We did this for a long time until Amar quit pacing and told us to come near the chalkboard which was no longer blank. In the sections were our names were written in groups of two. Mine was next to someone named "Hazel O'Riley" whoever that is.

"The first two in the ring are the first jumper and the last jumper. Take your positions." Amar said.

Okay no problem. I walked up to one side of the square, placing my glasses in my pocket. When I looked up the girl facing me was not a face I wanted to see at the moment. The Candor girl I've had a crush on since yesterday when I first saw her on the train, was looking me in the eye from across the fighting ring. Shit. Not her. I mean yeah she sort of threw a knife at my face earlier today but I don't want to beat her up. We stood opposite each other near the edge of the square.

"The fight ends when one of you taps out. Go!"

The Candor girl looked me in the eye.

We sprinted towards each other. Her fist flew through the air, I ducked. I tried to hit her in side, but she jumped away from my hand. We went on attacking, dodging, attacking, dodging, and so on. What I possessed in strength she made up for it with speed causing our fight to continue for a fairly long time. She had to have a weakness. The girl aimed for my face which I dodged by stepping back. I noticed her arm move from her stomach to her face as she attacked, leaving her stomach wide open. That's her weakness.

She aimed for the other side of my face this time, but I side-stepped and hit her in the stomach. Then I crouched and swiped my leg under her feet so she would fall to the ground. The girl quickly adapted and rolled over, hitting me in the nose. She hit me a few more times but at one point I grabbed her fist, swiftly moved behind her, and held her arm behind her back. She screamed as we stood up. Then she brought her leg back to where Laura hit me at lunch making that the third time I've been hit there today. Three goddamn times! I cried out, loosening my grip on her arm, and she tackled me to the ground. We rolled around punching each other.

"Hey you two! Stop! That's enough!"

Amar pulled the girl off me and we both winced.

"Christ Transfers! Go sit over by the punching bags. I'll go get some ice."