GTLive: Karate Kick To My Heart

chapter seven:MattWantsToBattle part.2

Matthew woke up on the couch to the sound of a loud alarm clock. "That alarm clock is so loud I can hear it till here." He thought as he gently moved steph so he can go upstairs. Stephanie woke up from the sudden coldness that surrounded her. She sat on the couch, trying to shake all the sleep from her body.

Matthew went towards her and pecked on her lips. "Good morning." He said with a sweet smile. "Good morning to you too. You look awfully happy today." She said with the same adorable toothy smile. "Well, that's because I got to wake up next to you." He replied happily. "C'mon, let's go get ready for school." Said Stephanie, as she broke Matt's hold on her body and rose up from her sit on the couch.

They entered the school holding hands. They were laughing and talking about the karate lesson that was canceled today for some reason. "Hey, Patrick!" Said a voice. A voice that Matthew knew too well.
Joey's.

He came to stand in front of them, and as he got closer, steph could feel how Matt's grip on her hand is getting stronger. "I see that you got yourself a little bodyguard didn't ya?" He said with a mocking tone. All the students in the hallway stopped what they were doing and listened to the heated conversation.

"Can't fight back, so he goes around with his human shield. How much are you paying her to follow you anywhere you go and defend your pathetic self?" He asked with an evil smirk. The boys that were behind him were more than pleased by the sight of him getting hurt but still trying to stay calm and emotionally strong.

After seeing Matthew's face expression, he turned around and started walking slowly to the other way. "Hey, Joey!" Shouted then Matthew out if nowhere. "You think you're so strong that you can beat me? I say that we'll do a bet. The person who gets knocked out first loses. Two weeks from now, school's backyard. Be there."

He said sternly and then walked back and outside of the door, Stephanie right behind him. "Matthew, what...the actual hell...was that?!" She shouted at him. A little taken aback by the sudden outburst, he looked at her with big eyes. "Nothing. Just me showing him that I can be a badass if I want to." He said proudly.

But his pride went all away right after he got bitch slapped by Stephanie. "Why did you challenged him to a match?! He practically beats you up almost every day, and you can't defend yourself." She yelled at him in anger and shock, maybe even fear. "Steph, it's alright. I have two weeks to prepare and now I have you. You can help me with this. With your help, I might have a chance to win this thing."

He said as he brushed a strand of hair behind Stephanie's hair. "Matthew, it's not how things work. You can't fight like an expert in two weeks. It took me eight years to get my black belt." She said in a softer voice. Now she was positive that she was afraid. "I know that Steph. But if I'll try hard I can learn some basic drills that can help me out. Please, trust me."

Matthew said as he activated puppy eyes mode. Stephanie did nothing but sigh a small sigh and smile at him a weak smile. "I guess that I can teach you a thing or two. But you have to try really hard or you'll have to be dragged to the hospital in the first minute of the match." She joked as they walked inside.
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It was now 5 pm. Matthew and Stephanie, we're practicing some of the old drills that he was taught. After they decided to take a short break, Stephanie finally asked what she was so curious about. "Matthew? Just one question-why is he here?" She asked as she pointed at mark who was leaning on a wall, looking at them. "Moral support." He simply said as he gave him a high five without looking, which caused it to turn into a face five.

Stephanie chuckled but didn't bother to ask more questions. Throughout the entire practice, Mark looked at Matt. It was the first time that he actually did something that involved hitting someone. He could easily say that he was proud of his friend. The practice was over, and the three of them went out of the gym with smiles on their faces.

It was a good practice, and Matt was clearly showing signs of improvement. Mark was walking with Matt and Stephanie to Matt's house, just because he was feeling slightly scared to go around in that hour of the day. Stephanie entered the house, claiming that she was going to bed, which left Mark and him on the porch alone.

"I'm glad that you found someone like Stephanie." Said mark with a small smile. Matthew did nothing but blushing and smiling back. "She has this effect on you. She's a keeper.don't you ever let her go. Well, I have to go before it'll get more dark and scary. Bye-bye." He said as he turned around to walk away, his third finger in each hand is pointing up in front of him in a protective manner.

Matthew only chuckled and went inside the house.

Here begins the countdown.

One week and six days until the match.