Expect the Unexpected (discontinued)

Chapter Five

E X P E C T    T H E 
U N E X P E C T E D

C H A P T E R   F I V E

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[ A I D E N ]

I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, my gloves moisening with sweat seeping from my palms. I've done this a hundred times, and I know I'm not nervous, but I always get this feeling right before a match. I don't know why it's there but it always is. An aching feeling that has me dreading what I'm about to do.

Dread.

I clench my fists tightly by my side then unclench them, reaching up to run my hands messily through my hair. He stares at me from across the mat, an eager in his eyes, and a slight smirk that tells me he loves what he's doing. I, on the other hand, can't wait to get the hell out of this damn place.

The loud voice emerging through the speakers cuts my thoughts short and I avert my gaze from the deathly stare I was giving. I shut my eyes, momentarily blocking out all the noise out to focus soley on the only thing I'm here for. For a moment, I feel so peaceful just thinking about it. Everything felt so perfect thinking of her, like I could live in that moment forever with no interuptions. Then, I'm abruptly snapped out of my state of grace and back into reality.

"—and in this corner, we have the reigning champion, Aiden Parker!"

The crowd roars behind me, fueling the tension between Grant and me. I hate fighting this guy; he's insane. Every time there's a match between us, he always shows up here overly-confident with the intent to win, even though I've kicked his ass a countless amount of times. Guess he just hasn't learned his lesson yet.

I feel a tug at my leg and I look down to find Zander and Mason staring up at me from the other side of the cage, encouraging looks on both of their faces. "Yeah?"

"You've got this, man," Zander tells me and Mason nods his head in agreement, encouraging smiles on both of their faces.

I nod my head. "Yeah," I respond casually. I look up to the crowd to see people yelling drunkenly at us up in the cage, passing their money around to one another and they place their bets. I can't help but feel like an animal when I'm up here; in a cage, trapped, no way out, getting bet on like a horse at a race. I try so hard not to act like an animal when I'm here, but sometimes it's inevitable. Take my opponent, for example: this lifestyle shaped him entirely into that very thing.

As I scan the sea of people one last time, I catch something out of the ordinary. I do a double-take because I wasn't sure if I saw it correctly, but when I still see the girl in a floral dress standing awkwardly in the crowd full of buzzed men I become aware that it's my tutor.

Her eyes meet mine and I wonder how the hell a girl like her ended up here. She couldn't look any more out of place standing next to all these people with her small form and the innocent patterns that cover her dress. Not to mention the look on her face; she looks completely and utterly lost. Her widened eyes soon lose contact with mine and she quickly turns away. Her long hair whips the man standing next to her in his face, but he didn't even fathom it probably due to all the liquor he's consumed. I watch as she squirms her way through the crowd. She reaches the edge of the crowd, but something falls out of her bag and tumbles onto the filthy floor. She doesn't notice, though, only slipping further out of the building unseen by anyone except me.

"Fight!"

The words snap me back to reality and I turn back around to face the bloodthirsty look in my opponent's eyes. Once the word he's been waiting to hear all night register, he lunges towards me with full force. I slightly smirk to myself knowing I already have the upper hand. This guy is way too full of himself.