Today's the day
The day that can make or break my career.
Losing is not an option.
It was ten minutes until one of the biggest matches of my career so far.
I stretched within my locker room, practicing some breathing exercises to calm my nerves.
"There's my champion!" I heard from behind me.
Turning around, my eyes fell upon a grinning Lance who had Malia tucked into his side who greeted me with a soft smile and a small wave.
"The match hasn't happened yet, idiot," Talia replied as she and West trailed into the room; the pair glued to each other as West sent me a nod, which I returned.
"Trust me, I have no doubt that Myles will be the one walking away as the winner!" Lance said confidently as he patted my back.
"Thanks," I said with an appreciative smile.
I was happy to have my friends who believe in me and support me every step of the way, here.
Though I had my family's support as well now.
After the trial that took place almost a week ago now, I had a serious conversation about what I've really been doing with my mother.
I told her everything from when I started training, all the matches I participated in, and how boxing is my passion and I hope she understands the reason why I didn't tell her was that I didn't want her to look at me with disappointment like Liam did.
Her response shocked me as she immediately pulled into a hug and told me how proud she was of me and that she'll always be proud of me and support my dreams no matter what.
After that conversation, I felt a burden lift off my shoulders, glad to know I have my family by my side.
She couldn't come to my match tonight as she couldn't get anyone to watch over Kyle and we both agreed that a boxing match isn't somewhere Kyle should be.
However, she assured me that she would watch me at home, as the match was being live-streamed all over the country.
Though she wouldn't be watching the match alone as I heard her earlier invite William over.
"Thanks for leaving me behind, guys,"
Said an annoyed Jesse as she walked into the room glaring at the others who shrugged and mumbled half-hearted apologies.
Jesse looked beautiful as always, a smile gracing her face as her gaze fell upon me making my heart rate increase.
"Hey," She greeted happily as she stopped in front of me.
I opened my mouth in reply but my words got caught in my throat as my attention shifted to the black and red jersey that she wore.
The front of her jersey had red boxing gloves that were outlined in white and above them was Langston in red with a white outline.
Noticing where my gaze has fallen, she slightly turned so I can get a glimpse of the back.
On the back of the jersey, Rocky was spelled out with a pair of boxing gloves beneath it.
"What do you think?" Jesse asked nervously as I stared at her in awe.
I can't believe she got a personalized jersey to wear to my match.
"There aren't any jerseys for boxing, so I got my own, so I can wear it to every one of you matches as I cheer you on." She explained her words making my stomach swarm with heat, my ears become more aware of the blood pumping through my veins as my heartbeat erratically.
How can someone be so perfect
I watched as she nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously due to my silence.
The urge to kiss her senselessly was overwhelming my senses, but I refrained.
"You're incredible," I said, my words coming out uneven as I pulled her into a tight hug.
Her arms immediately wrapped around me and I pulled her closer into my chest my head burying within her neck.
I couldn't help but delight in the shiver she had as my breath hit the nock of her neck.
"Thank you," I whispered gently against her.
Before pulling away I placed a delicate kiss on the curve where her neck and shoulder movement, her arms tightening around me in shock before relaxing in my hold once more.
"Your welcome," She replied as we pulled away from a soft smile on her face.
She pushed back the wisps of hair that fell forward, her hand trailing down to softly caress my left cheek.
I leaned into her touch, a sigh of contentment slipping from my lips.
"As much as I hate to break up a beautiful moment, such as this, I think we should head out as the match begins in less than three minutes," Lance interrupted a small smirk on his face as I glared at him.
I felt the urge to give him the finger, but somehow being able to read my thoughts Jesse gently gripped my hands in hers.
"You guys go, I'll meet you guys in a second," Jesse replied as Lance nodded in understanding.
On their way out they all sang choruses of "good luck" and "you got this", Lance making sure to send a wink in our direction.
A gentle squeeze brought my attention back to the amazing girl in front of me.
She traced patterns on the palms of my hands, instantly soothing any worries I had away.
I almost let out a whine when she let go of my hands, only to wrap her arms over my shoulders her hands locking together behind my neck bringing us closer.
My arms wrapped loosely around her waist, our heads leaning closer to one another until our foreheads touched.
We stood in silence for a few seconds, her hand gently caressing my hair.
"You got this Rocky," She spoke confidently a small grin on her face as she peered up at me.
"Now go show everyone out there why you're the best boxer they'll ever see," Jesse said with utmost confidence before placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.
"Good luck,"
Were the final words she said before exiting the room.
____
The cheers of the audience were deafening, which was expected with the over 100,000 people in attendance, the arena sold out.
The moment my feet touched the matt a feeling of ease fell upon me.
My gaze narrowed upon Kyle Woods who was sporting a blank expression his cobalt black eyes staring at me in disinterest.
Kyle was known as one of the best up-and-coming boxers in the scene, he quickly rose through the ranks, having an undefeated streak and being a two-time champion of the Golden Gloves.
He's extremely skilled and has been training since the age of ten, the pros of having a father who was a professional boxer before.
Looking at Kyle I knew he wasn't playing any games, he was set on winning.
Kyle had a lot on the line.
He had a reputation to uphold and a championship belt to keep, if I win this match I can ruin everything he worked for.
If I won this match it would show that he isn't undefeatable and that he might not be the best up-and-coming boxer.
I would be
This is probably going to be one of the hardest matches of my life, but I'm willing to fight tooth and nail until they declare me the victor.
The ringing of the bell signaled that the first match of eight has begun.
With a right jab, I threw the first punch, already sensing beforehand that he wouldn't.
Kyle easily dodged my punch but wasn't lucky when I sent a powerful kick to her left side.
His eyes slightly widen in surprise before they hardened again.
He quickly recovered from my attack and began sending blows of his own.
Round after round we battled against each other, each of us earning harsh blows from our opponent though neither of us was willing to give up.
It seemed that as the rounds progressed our attacks become more brutal almost animalistic, adrenaline pumping through our veins distracting us from the pain we'll experience afterward.
By the time we reached the final round we were neck and neck, no one knowing who could possibly win as it was still anyone's game.
I didn't miss the comments of surprise the announcers said as they narrated the match, stating how I'm the first opponent ever to stand in this ring this long with Kyle.
I didn't miss how Kyle's jaw clenched in agitation as they mentioned that I could possibly beat him.
Sweat dripped down my face stinging the cut I had on the side of my forehead, my upper lip stained with blood from the nose bleed I experienced earlier.
My ribs ached as I breathed, more than certain I fractured a few of them.
Despite the excruciating pain I was in I didn't allow it to derail me, the hope of victory and the encouraging smile Jesse had as my eyes glanced at her was all the motivation I needed to win this match.
Looking back at my opponent I can see the tiredness within his eyes, not used to having a match go on for this long as he's used to knocking out his opponents halfway through.
The bell soon rang signaling the final round of the night.
Unlike the last couple of rounds, Kyle was the first one to attack.
His hits coming rapidly, one after the another, becoming harder and harder for me to dodge.
I knew he was trying to back me into the corner and continue his brutal assault but I quickly ducked underneath his arm, his back now facing me.
By the time Kyle turned around and noticed what happened I threw a swift uppercut to his jaw.
Blood splattered the mat as Kyle let out a growl of anger.
Once again he was on the pursuit, his movements becoming sloppy as his frustration grew, while I continued to weave through his attacks.
Working this to my advantage I ran around Kyle in circles, making sure to attack every open area I could find, from his ribs to neck.
Before I knew it there were only ten seconds left in the match and we were both breathing heavily.
Knowing if there was any chance of me pulling a win tonight I had to be the one to end this fight.
I dodged another jab in my direction before throwing a kick at Kyle's midsection causing him to hunch over in pain.
He didn't recover quickly enough giving me time to unwind my right arm and deliver a brutal blow to the side of Kyle's head.
Almost as if we were in slow motion, I watched as Kyle's head snap back viciously, blood spluttering from his mouth before his body crashed against the matt, his eyes closed signaling that he was unconscious.
A hush of silence fell over the arena as Kyle laid against the matt unmoving.
However, the silence was soon interrupted by the ringing of the bell indicating the end of the match.
Immediately the crowd went into an uproar.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! MYLES ROCKY LANGSTON HAS NOT ONLY DEFEATED THE UNDEFEATABLE KYLE HANDS OF STONE WOODS BUT HE IS NOW THE NEW GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPION!!!!" The announcers yelled over the mic in both surprise and thrill.
The crowd seemed to go in a frenzy at the declaration of my win, the referee raising my left arm in the air, signaling my victory.
"ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!"
They chanted my eyes falling upon my friends who followed along with the crowd sporting large grins on their faces.
My gaze soon fell upon a proud Jesse who looked as if she was screaming off the top of her lungs.
My lips stretched into a wide smile as a euphoric feeling flowed through me as I looked around the arena.
Soon a heavy gold belt was hanging onto my arm, chanting along with the crowd, I basked in the delight of my victory.
___
"I TOLD YOU HE WAS GONNA BE THE CHAMPION!" Lance yelled out before tackling me into a hug almost knocking me to the ground.
After almost suffocating me Lance pulled away giving our friends the opportunity to give congratulatory hugs as well.
"I knew you could do it!" Jesse said as she hugged me tightly.
A laugh fell from her lips as I lifted her from the ground before spinning us around.
"Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!" She chanted while in the air a large smile blooming on her face that mirrored my own.
As I began to lower her back onto the ground, Jesse placed a kiss on both my cheeks making my smile widen.
My cheeks were aching from how hard I was smiling but I couldn't help it whenever I was around her.
"Myles!" I heard someone shout from behind me.
Turning around my eyes fell upon Coach Hanson who wore a proud grin.
Though my attention quickly switched to the person trailing behind him.
I can't believe my eyes.
It was Freddie Roach.
"Myles, great match out there. No words can describe how proud I am of you, there is no one who has worked as hard as you have and you deserve this!" Coach Hanson turning my attention back to him and from the man who stood beside him.
"Thank you, but I couldn't have done this without you," I said meaning every word before pulling him into a hug.
"Alright! Alright! That's enough," Coach Hanson said making me laugh.
"Myles, I would like you to meet a good friend of mine Freddie Roach. You may have heard of him before, Freddie is o-" Coach Hanson began to say but I soon cut him off.
"Freddie Roach, one of the best boxing coaches in the league," I said completing his sentence as Coach Hanson mumbled how he wasn't surprised that I knew who he was.
Of course, I did, he was practically a legend in the boxing world.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," I said a shook hands with him.
"The pleasure is mines Myle," He replied with a grin.
"For years Coach Hanson has been telling me about his prized pupil Myles Langston, that I knew that it was time I finally saw you in the ring to know what all the talk was about. I mean if you are receiving such high praise from Hanson here you must be pretty darn good. And after what I saw tonight I was not disappointed."
"I've seen a lot of good boxers in my day, but I have never seen someone with such precision, stamina, agility, and power in their movement like you. You, Myles Langston, are one of the best boxers I've seen in my lifetime and that's saying a lot." Freddie said his words stunning me.
"Wow, that means everything coming from a legend such as yourself, thank you," I rushed out quickly in complete shock.
"Myles," Coach Hanson said directing my attention to you.
"I've had a pleasure training you these past five years, it's truly brought me joy, however, I've taught you all I know and I think it's time you start training under someone who can bring you further in your career than I can." He said causing me to look at him in disbelief.
"Who?" I questioned
"Me," Freddie said making my eyes widen in shock.
"I have no doubt that you have the ability to become a world-renowned boxer Myles and it would be my honor to be able to train you." He continued onto say my mouth parting slightly completely stupefied.
" I understand that you are only a high school student and college is highly likely in your future. I want to let you know that will not be a hindrance to your training as long as you plan to go to college in California, which from what I've deduced from Coach Hanson, you will be attending college in the state," Freddie finished off as I nodded in agreement.
Silence loomed over us as I looked over at Coach Hanson to see if what Freddie was saying was in fact true.
He nodded his head, assuring me that this is very much true.
Turning around to look at my friends who were listened in on the conversation, they all gave me smiles of encouragement.
I felt a squeeze of my hand cause my gaze to flicker towards Jesse.
Do it
She mouthed, with a nod of her head telling me that I can't pass up this once in the lifetime opportunity.
With one last squeeze, I turned back around to face Freddie who was looking at me with anticipation.
"So, will you train with me?" Freddie asked once me.
His words still processing within my head.
The chance to train with one of the best boxing trainers in the world is beyond what I ever imagined.
"I'll do it."