Grey Thorns

Chapter 49- Feathers

I resumed to my normal self. I trained alone the next few days. Everyone has kept to themselves. Kurt is to my right. He still acknowledges me. I was doing something easy, blades. Gabriel has a match set up for this evening. I want the energy then. In the middle of my session, I stopped once I noticed Liam talking to Gabriel not too far away. He stood so relaxed with one shoulder on the door frame and his hands in his pockets. I didn't realize how hard I was staring until he made eye contact with me. I looked away and picked up another circular blade but couldn't find the energy to throw another one. I let a few minutes pass before looking back at him. I also noticed Rachael glancing at him, but he was too busy talking to Gabriel to notice either one of us. I felt more let down then I should.

***

I was matched against Mika and I was petrified once I stepped in the ring. I stood nervously towards the corner while he was stretching. I jump when someone grabs my shoulder. "Go for the back of his knee. He'll throw the first punch. Drop down and wipe him out." Liam's voice instructs in my ear. I look over my shoulder enough to see him and nod. "He's stronger than me." I say nervously and he pats my shoulder. "And you're smarter. Kick him in the dirt." he says and walks away. I watch him walk away until other people noticed and I turned back around and looked at my opponent. Gabriel was writing the rest of the line up on his bored. Liam joins him and Gabriel yells to quiet the others. "Quiet!" he instructs and the 10 of us fall quiet. "Mika and Max, are you ready?" he asks and we both nod.

We approach one another and crouch down. I stare right in his pretty blue eyes. I don't want to hurt Mika. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I know Mika enough to know he doesn't care about anyone enough to let them interfear with what he wants. The bell rings and he steps forward and takes the first swing. I act on Liam's words and duck before swinging my legs out underneath me and wiping him off his balance. He lands with a thud and I climb on top of him before taking swings at him. His weight had the advantage because he quickly flipped me underneath him. He got two swings on my face and my vision blurred for a moment but I shook it off and punched him dead on in the nose. He fell backwards and I stood up but before I had any chance to act, he grabbed my arm and slammed my back into the corner of the ring. The wooden beam broke and I fell onto the cold ground.

He waited with a bloody smirk for me to pull myself back on the plate form. Once I did, I waited for his strike. And once he did, I simply dodged it, and the next one, and the third, I caught his arm and twisted with all my strength. He landed on the ground and still I didn't let go until his arm was twisted against his back and I heard him groan. I stuck my knee between his shoulder blades so he couldn't get up. I waited while he tried to move out of it but either move, he couldn't resist without discomfort. I grabbed his other arm and cranked it up his back until drew in a breath. "Okay, okay! I'm done!" he yells and I look at Gabriel who nods his head so I let him go.

I didn't know whether to help him up or not so I watched him go on his own before joining the others. I noticed Liam was gone and it made me a little upset. "Is your nose okay?" Kurt asks and I nod. "Yeah he didn't get me too bad." I say and he reaches out to touch my nose. As soon as he does I flinch and he laughs. "Really now?" he asks like he doesn't believe me. I wipe some of the blood off. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Promise." I fake a smile and he faintly smiles back after flicking his hair out of his eyes.

I didn't want to see the other fights so I went back to the dorm to clean up my face. My eyes were glassy but I beat Mika. That's not necessarily a good thing but I actually did it. I wiped my face off before looking in the mirror. I usually avoid mirrors becuase the person that people see is not the real me. I have changed into a stranger. I close my eyes before walking out of the room. I heard Kurt's and Rafael's voice in the other room. Most of them had came back. Mika had an ice pack to his nose, and Rafael was holding one to his cheek.