don't be ghost readers and i'll give you a cookie xx
-
matt sat on the field stands with his hands locked together against his lap. the brunette cheerleader cartwheeled over the grass and exhaled with a smile. she was aware of his presence and totally fine with it.
"tell me about your rebel phase." matt said and gazed at her.
"not gonna' happen." cassie laughed and gracefully stood on her hands before smoothly standing on her feet again, doing half a circle.
"come on. can't be that bad, can it?" he squinted with his eyes due to the sun and parted his lips.
"it's not literally a rebel phase, matthew." she breathed out and put her hands on her hips. "i was just growing, and i wanted to sneak out every now and then."
"to do what exactly?" he smirked and raised one of his eyebrows.
"well, if you need to know, i went to small parties and made out with boys." she told him and went down in a split.
"you?" he said in disbelief. "and wow. never seen you go down in a split before."
"yes, me. just a phase." she laughed and leaned her upper body forward very slowly until she could rest her arms against the ground. "congrats. there's always a first."
"that looks extremely painful." he grimaced and frowned at her.
"so, what did you use to do?" she asked and smiled up at him.
"i once threw a party at home when my parents were away. alex came home in the middle of it from a friend and flipped, but she just went to her room. the thought of cleaning up a mess to hide the evidence didn't occur to me until i woke up and saw the house. i got in big trouble for that."
cassie laughed lowly as she sat up properly again and then laid down on her back. matt smiled at her and placed his chin against his folded arms, enjoying the quietness.
"do you want to know a secret?" she asked quietly and turned her head to him.
"does it have anything to do with you?" he asked back and wryly smiled.
"no, but your sister." she smirked and pursed her lips.
"i'm listening." he chuckled and bit his lip.
"our siblings had a thing once." she blurted out and put her hands against her stomach. "i don't think any of them knows that i know."
"wait, what? alex and marcus?"
"yeah. when my brother first visited me in college, they hung out for a few hours and just got along. they didn't know i was in the bathroom when marcus kissed her. then he left of course, but he visited again a few months later and that was awkward in the beginning, but... i think they do like each other, they just don't want to take it that seriously at the moment. they've kissed more than once but that's all."
cassie finished and stood up again, stretched her entire body and placed herself beside matt, who had his eyes slightly widened and a confused smile on his face.
"why won't they take it seriously?" he asked quietly and looked at her.
"she's in college, he's working. he doesn't live here, she's my roommate. it'd be a bit weird, you know. it'd be odd if we started dating and i'd have to tell her tha– no, first i'd ask her if that's okay. she's your sister after all."
"so... it's weird to date your best friend's sibling?" he asked to clarify it and grinned.
"definitely." she laughed and nodded with her lips pressed together. "but it would work because in the end, who cares?" she added with a smile and glanced down.
"do you see yourself as an artist in the future?" he suddenly asked out of the blue and gazed at her. "a painter, i mean. or a photographer."
"i don't know." she shrugged slowly and peered up at him. "i mean, it's the dream, but... a dream."
"hey, it's not an impossible dream."
"so you think i'd make it?" she asked with a stupid smile and raised her eyebrows.
"definitely." he whispered and winked at her.
"so you believe that, one day, i'll have my painting hanging in the national gallery in london?" she tilted her head sideways and felt the corner of her mouth twitch.
"yes, cass." he answered with a steady and severe voice. "i do."
matt wasn't lying; he loved her work, and the few photos he's seen. he didn't doubt for a second that she'd be able to achieve that, to one day have it hanging in london — or any other city and country for that matter.
"thanks, matt." she smiled softly and nudged his upper arm with her own gently.
"just being honest." he laughed and checked the time on his phone. "i have somewhere i need to go, but do you want to tag along?"
"depends. what is this place?" she asked with curious eyes and licked her lips.
"secret." he exhaled and stepped down from the stands. she sighed through her nose when he stretched out his hand but seized it nevertheless, stepping towards him.
matt tried to ignore the fact that they held hands for longer than one second, and cassie smiled up at him. she folded her arms together and walked beside him carefully.
"do i need to change? i'm just in my practicing outfit, nothing particularly fancy." she asked and peered up at him.
matt moved his eyes to her and eyed her quickly. she was wearing simple, soft shorts along with a loose t-shirt that showed just a bit stomach. and that was exactly the perfect thing to wear for the place.
"no, you don't." he assured her and slid his hands down his pockets.
"should i turn around and run?" she joked and pouted a bit.
"no. unless you want to, but i'd be offended." he smirked and annoyingly bumped his body against hers.
cassie giggled and looked up when they left college ground. she licked her bottom lip inside her mouth and kicked on a rock as they walked, while matt talked to keep a conversation.
"if zombies existed, do you think they'd be quick or slow?" she asked with a frown.
"what do you mean?"
"in some movies and tv shows they walk very slowly. in others they run faster than usain bolt."
"oh, yeah. i don't know, probably a mix." he shrugged and smiled.
"i hope you have an apocalypse plan." she snorted and looked up at him. he glanced away with a whistle, causing her to part her lips. "you don't have one?"
"should i?" he chuckled and cocked his head sideways.
"everyone should have an apocalypse plan." she stated as if it was obvious.
"then what's yours?"
"i'm not telling you, but if we get close and a supernatural creature takes over, i'll let you be a part of it." she winked playfully and slowed her pace down.
matt looked forward and held a door open for her. cassie read the sign, glimpsed at him and then walked inside the building.
"good to know i have a safety." he said and closed the door after him.
"why are we here?" she asked quietly and turned around to look at him.
"because, cass..." he breathed out and put his hands on her shoulders. "this is a hobby of mine that basically no one knows about."
"boxing?" she snorted and averted her eyes to him. "boxing is a hobby of yours?"
"don't look so surprised."
"matt?" the man behind a counter finally acknowledged them. "hi, man."
"hey." matt grinned and stepped closer, the brunette following his move. "this is james, the owner of the club."
"cassie." she warmly smiled and shook the older man's hand.
james seemed to be in his middle thirties, altough he looked rather young and fresh. cassie was certain that if she was around seven years older or so, she'd find him extremely attractive — he was a handsome man.
"nice to meet you. may i ask what she's doing here? we haven't had a female in a very long time." james asked carefully and locked his hands together against his lap.
"well, i have my training time now, and i was going to ask if she can try it out with me?"
"wait, what?"
"okay, you need to stop saying that." matt laughed and cassie pursed her lips with a stupid smile.
"yeah, of course. you know where the gloves are, and be careful." james approved without hesitation and nodded.
"always am. come on." matt nodded forward to cassie and walked over to the room with equipments. cassie took in their surroundings and briefly watched a few people hitting either a punching bag or each other.
"may i ask why you box? and do you box in serious competitions?" she asked quietly and accepted a pair of fingerless fighting gloves he handed her.
"i don't know. one day it just happened. even though i'm not an angry person with problems in my life, it's kind of relieving to punch on a bag for a while. i don't know, makes me feel calmer afterwards. and no, i only do it here for fun." he answered and bit on his lip. "i have to change my pants, i'll be right back."
cassie nodded and gazed at him as he disappeared into what seemed like a locker room. she stretched her fingers several times before looking over at two guys boxing in the ring. matt returned a short while later and put a hand on her shoulder, startling her completely.
"oh my gosh, matt you can't– where's your shirt?" she exclaimed but cut herself off, eyeing him quickly.
"in my locker." he laughed and fixed his own gloves firmly.
"uh huh." she mumbled with her eyes fixed on his chest.
"hey, eyes up here." he teased and raised her head by putting two fingers underneath her chin.
"do you know how tall you are? i'm gonna' get some serious neck pains if i have to look up at you." she smirked when he rolled his eyes and then followed him to a big room with punching bags.
"right, blame my height."
cassie peered up at him and pressed her lips together to refrain from commenting. she took in a deep breath and glanced around her, feeling extremely disoriented, but also excited.
"i have no idea what to do." she laughed and raised her fists just to drop them a second later.
matt smiled at her before placing himself behind her. he licked his lips and thought about the basic routine and stance in his head before speaking up.
"which is your dominant hand?" he asked, and she raised her right hand as answer. "alright. that one is in the back. lift your hands and put your elbows down." he instructed.
"like this?" she mumbled and did what he told her.
"exactly." he nodded and carefully seized her wrists. "right hand back and left forth." he mumbled and moved her hands the way he explained.
"to gain more power in every punch." she figured out and nodded a bit herself. "makes sense."
"yeah." he shortly laughed and used his foot to separate her legs carefully. "you need to have your feet diagonally and a bit wider than the width apart of your shoulders. and then the back heel raised."
cassie listened and moved her body the way he told her to have it. she cocked her head to the side and suppressed a wide smile.
"is that it?" she asked quietly and looked to the side and up at him.
"basically. keep your chin down a little too and your eyes above the gloves. should i get you the bigger, boxing gloves or...?"
she looked down at her fists and shrugged, having no experience. but she wasn't weak, and she was just going to punch a bag and not a person.
"these will do. so, what's the punching secret?"
"be relaxed." he replied with a breath inhale and gazed at her. "you're tensing up. don't."
with his hand still on her shoulder, cassie slowly relaxed and let her shoulders sink down. the corner of matt's mouth twitched to the side, and he wasn't sure whether to remove his hand or keep it there.
"alright, i'm relaxed."
"good. when you throw the punch, exhale, and then tighten your body muscles at the impact. always be quick to relax and pull your hand back to defend your body."
"you talk like i'm actually going to fight someone." she laughed quietly and licked her lips.
"come on, i'm just trying to show off here and teach you the basics, it's important. anyway, that's basically it. go when you're ready." he frowned with his lips and waited for her to act.
cassie glanced at him as he moved over to the wall and watched her from there instead. she blinked and was just about to throw her first punch when someone opened their mouth from behind her.
"well, ain't this interesting. a girl at a boxing club."
"cut the crap, billy." matt quickly spat with an unamused expression.
"what? i'm just saying. besides, she looks a bit tiny, don't you think? wouldn't take her for a fighter at all."
"that's just sexist."
cassie blinked with a clenched jaw and noticed someone staring through the corner of her eye. one thing was certain though — she would not stand and listen to some bullshit.
without any other contemplating, she turned around and tilted her head to the side before stepping forward with fast feet and colliding her right fist with billy's cheek.
the punch held enough impact to make him fall to the ground, but it must've also been partly surprise that knocked him down. either way, she straightened her back and walked backwards to matt, who stared at her proudly.
"marry me, please."
"of course." cassie laughed through an exhale and caressed her fist while looking up at him. she pursed her lips and closed her eyes with a sigh.
"you're trying not to show your pain, aren't you?" matt chuckled and nudged her body with his.
"yup." she nodded and shook her hand for a short moment. "okay, now it's over."
"in all seriousness, that was one damn punch." he said impressed and moved her towards another room.
"i'm strong, matt. i've just never boxed before." she winked and raised her hands again and lowered her elbows.
"i never doubted your strength." he retorted and created some space between her feet again with his foot. "diagonally."
"right." she mumbled and glanced down at the floor. "okay, do i just punch now?"
"yeah, if you want. i mean, there are some combinations, but they're mostly for fighting someone else."
"like an uppercut?" she asked and looked at him. he just stared at her, speechless, and nodded after a while.
cassie sent him a crooked smile before focusing on the punch bag. relaxing her body, she began punching with force and a steady body.
matt wide-eyed gazed at her and had his hands against his hips. he couldn't have been more surprised, or happier. she was strong, he never even doubted that, but it seemed so natural, as if she practices at home.
she grinned shortly when feeling that rush inside of her and continued throwing hard punches. after doing that for a while, she took advantage of her flexibility and kicked it.
"oh my god, you're unbelievable." he commented and folded his arms together. "how do you do that?"
"what?" she huffed and turned her body to the side, looking at him innocently.
"fight me." he challenged and held onto his own elbows. "that punching bag looks like an easy target."
"you're kidding, right?" she laughed in disbelief but shut her mouth when he remained serious. "you really want me to fight you?"
"yes. come on, show me what you got." he smiled while stretching his arms beside his body as if to challenge her.
"okay, but if i end up in the hospital it's your fault." she pointed her finger at him before tightening her ponytail and aiming for it.
matt dodged her punch by leaning to the side and took a step back. cassie kept her eyes glued on him and tried to throw another punch, but he quickly wrapped his fingers around her clenched hand and spun her around, pulling her against his body.
"you're predictable." he mumbled and released her hand.
"i'm also a newbie." she remarked while turning around.
cassie exhaled before getting into position again. she purposely moved her hand towards his cheek, knowing he'd grab her wrist, and placed a hard punch on his stomach with her other hand. as he dropped her wrist from the sudden pain, she pulled her now free arm back and then collided her fist with his cheek.
"ouch." matt groaned and caressed his cheek briefly. "nice."
"come on." she mimicked him and raised her head the slightest.
"definitely." he weakly smirked before aiming a fist towards her, which she dodged smoothly.
they continued throwing punches back and forth, shielding themselves with their arms and moving. cassie had never really put such an effort in her arms before, so it slowly became struggling to keep them up.
"you know," she began, hitting his stomach again. "i'm still mad at you."
"for what?" he frowned and almost stopped his movements.
cassie used a bit too much force in her next punch, almost falling forward unless matt hadn't caught her and pushed her back against his chest.
"for taking drugs." she panted and glanced up at him, feeling a little anger build inside of her just by mentioning that. "what the hell were you thinking?"
"well, i wasn't thinking." he sighed and looked down at her, trying not to move his hand at all that was placed against her upper stomach.
"obviously." she muttered and jerked herself away. "was that the first time for you?"
when matt closed his mouth and remained silent, cassie scoffed and shook her head a bit. she licked her bottom lip inside her mouth and let the impulsive side take over.
within a second, she punched his jaw and pushed him back until he stumbled down on the floor. throwing a leg over his waist, she straddled him and wished he would've kept his shirt on so she could grab onto it.
"i've done it, like, twice before, okay!" he told her as he pushed her down beside him and then mirrored her position. "i'm not doing it again."
"that's probably what you said the first time!" she spat and tried to press her arms against his chest to get him off of her.
"yeah, but this time i mean it!" he retorted and held her hands beside her head.
"oh, yeah?" she laughed, kneeing him between his legs and rolling them around. "does alex know?"
"oh, bloody hell." he groaned and clenched his jaw.
matt completely took her by surprise when he unexpectedly managed to put his legs above hers and pushed her down on her back, simultaneously sitting up himself.
"okay, i give up." she panted in defeat and tried to breathe normally. "shit, that hurt."
"no, alex doesn't know. why would i tell her anyway? it's a stupid mistake that i won't repeat again." he almost whispered and gulped.
"you better not."
"since when do you care?" he suppressed a smile and raised his eyebrows.
"i don't." she objected and looked up at him. "i just..."
"what?" he asked amused and leaned down a little.
"forget i even mentioned it." she mumbled and glanced away.
"you literally punched me like i was someone you hated because of it." he chuckled and shook his head.
"we were boxing."
"right." he laughed through his nose and tucked away some loose strands of hair from her face. "you're damn good at it too."
"i'm a quick learner." she whispered and cracked a short smile.
cassie stared at him with her brown eyes and felt a strange nervousness crawl inside of her. matt let his hand linger against her cheek and he pursed his lips for a second. she couldn't get herself to get up, because quite frankly, she didn't want to, not when he was slowly leaning closer.
"matt, are you–" someone jogged inside but stopped a few steps from them. "what are you doing?"
matt closed his eyes before standing up. he reached out his hand without hesitation, helping her back up on her feet. cassie awkwardly folded her arms together and looked away.
"we were practicing, james."
"sorry if i interrupted something, really. anyway, i did see your little fight and i must say, you're very good cassie. have you ever considered taking lessons in this sport?"
"hm?" cassie mumbled and gazed back at him, shrugging. "not really, no. i've never even been in a boxing club before."
"i'd love to have you as a member here." james smiled and sent matt a quick, apologetical look before leaving them again.
"wow, a member here." she laughed and bit on her lip.
"you'd be the most busy and occupied person i've ever met in that case." he smiled and walked with her to his locker, putting his shirt back on.
"i have to admit, it sounds tempting. me, a boxing cheerleader." she mused and playfully fisted the air.
"i'd say, go for it." he chuckled and took the chance to take off her gloves when she did that, making a pout grow on her lips.
"maybe i will then." she said and followed him towards the exit. he waved to james before exiting the place, squinting with his eyes.
"i hope so." he smiled and looked at her.
"and matt?" she mumbled and put some hair behind her ear. "no more drugs."
"yeah, i promise." he nodded and temporarily ceased her walking.
"yeah?" she smiled and weakly frowned.
"i promise." he laughed, grabbed her cheeks with his fingers and pecked her nose.
"good." she happily said and continued walking. "but this nose-peck thing is so–"
"say cliché or cheesy and i will kill you." he cut her off.
"it's both." she whispered annoyingly and playfully punched him.
"oh, is it?"
"matthew..."
but before cassie had anytime to react, matt lifted her up by her legs and threw her over his shoulder, spinning around once. she laughed and pulled her fingers through her hair, trying to look up.
"you don't weight anything, oh my god." he chuckled and kept walking.
"you're so annoying, you know that right?"
"i know, but you love it."
"yeah, right." she scoffed with a stupid smile and shook her head, even if there was some truth to his words.
-
a/n
so after thinking about it (and watching eye candy) i definitely needed a boxer!cassie because why not
and i really need to stop ending my chapters this cutely, but im not fond with drama 24/7. why cant people just be happy and have a good time, like thats just as good
ANYWAY hope you like it! cannot believe this story has so many reads, i love you all????