❝ Golden Gloves ❞
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17
Today was the day everyone had been waiting for -that is, the people who knew about Adonte and Jeremy's rivalry. Printouts of the match were made and posted next to prom posters.
Adonte spent most of his week watching old Muhammad Ali and mike Tyson fights, studying their methods -when he was at home and not at school or work. He did push-ups and jumped rope every other night.
Adonte stood in his area in the back of the gym, blowing out constant breaths. Mr. Willis just looked towards him, giving him his moment of mediation as Don wrapped his hands. He stood up and glanced up at the ceiling, doing a cross over his chest.
Jeremy was at the other end of the gym, throwing air punches aggressively while high grunts left his mouth. His group of friends nodded with wide grins at his routine as two passed blunts back and forth.
"You got this bruh." Danny stated, smacking Jeremy once on his back. Jeremy stood back, took a sharp breath and looked at Danny with a nod.
"Hope they have my belt ready."
Meanwhile on the other side of town a fight had already broke out between Stacey and Rhonda. Isla pulled Rhonda from her with all her might, yelling for her best friend to let go of her other friend.
"You trick ass bitch!" Was the last thing Rhonda said as she stormed away, pulling her cardigan back up on her arms. Isla looked between the two as Stacey poked her tongue into her cheek and rolled her eyes, shutting her front door back.
Isla rushed off to Rhonda quickly while chanting her name. Rhonda sat on the curb and cried in her arm sleeve silently, sniffling being heard between. Issy sat beside her and rubbed her opposite arm.
"Rhon what happened? Why were you guys fighting?" Is asked once again since she still didn't get an answer.
"Here I am trying to check on her and I find out she's on the phone with Jeremy! They've been sleeping together for a month now Is." Her friend explained and shook her head, wiping her constant falling tears as she looked out in the distance at the street they were on.
Isla mouth was slightly dropped as she was surprised. She cleared her throat and shook her head also but in disgust that Stacey would do her own friend like that. It was hard to have sympathy for her about the other situation with this one revealed.
"I'm sorry Rhon." She rubbed her friend back, trying to comfort her in some kind of way. She glanced at Stacey's house then back at the side of Rhonda's face. "He wasn't any good anyways."
Rhonda scoffed as she looked up at the skies. "Here I am trying to be a good friend and comfort her over her being raped and she's been hiding this for me. Some friend. It's crazy though how he raped cause of some stupid bet."
Rhon sniffles as Isla furrowed her eyebrows. "A bet?"
"Yeah some sex bet or something. It was so stupid like who does that." That's when Isla remembered Kain was close friends with Adonte and his clique. Who else would the bet be between besides those four? Now, she needed confirmation.
Is grabbed Rhonda's wrist and pulled her up from the curb, trailing towards her car. "Come on! Let's get his sorry ass at this match."
At the gym, the boys were just called out and climbing into the ring. Jeremy readily shuffled his feet as he tilted his head from each side, trying to pop any stiffness. Adonte looked over him and became nervous, wishing for those pills as he adjusted his mouthpiece.
Then however, he thought about how he reacted to his grandpa from using that drug. He shut his eyes tightly, regretting it more and more every time the memory came to mind. He shook it off, getting a drink of water squirted into his mouth by Willis Jr as he mentally prepared himself, sticking on his boxing gloves.
"Sometimes Don, things don't always go as planned. The saying of you can be whatever you want to be only goes so far. Every decision you make affects your future. Yes, I wanted to be like him but it's too late."
Their conversation was cut short as the backdoor opened and in came two men into the dim room-one held a black gun as the other was the man he needed to talk with. Adonte's uncle pushed his small chest for him to stay behind him as he stood up.
Adonte looked from behind his uncle Cardel's large frame at the men, wondering what all of this was about. "What are you here for?" The guy who Cardel was here to talk to, Yadd, spoke. Adonte's uncle cleared his throat and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I need some money." Yadd looked at him for a moment before chuckling beneath his breath, tilting his head at the same moment he squinted his eyes tight together.
"What kind of fool do you play me for? You still owe me fucking money from before you got booked Car, don't fuck with me." Yadd spat angrily, causing Adonte to flinch to small degree. "Now I'm asking where's my money?"
"I'm going to get your money, I just need -" Cardel was cut short as Yadd laughed lightly again, shaking his head and mumbled. "It's always the same shit." His loaner stared at him.
"Just say you don't have it so I can have a reason to blast your ass, brah brah."
"Listen. . i-i. .not with my nephew here." Cardel put his hand gently behind Adonte's head. He glided it down to the back of Don's shirt and rose it quickly, grabbing the pistol he instructed for Adonte to leave there.
Shots begin to be fired and bullets begun to fly as Adonte screamed loudly, jumping behind the couch as he kneeled low as he possibly could. He shut his eyes and felt the tears fill them from fear as the loud gunshots still rung through the room.
He looked up at the picture of the legend Ali, looking at his formation as he was in the middle of a match. He broke his stare once the noise ceased. The young boy rose to his feet slowly and went around the couch.
"Uncle. .Cardel." His innocent voice called out as he saw an image he could never forget -three men lying in their own puddles of blood, dead. One being his uncle he'd known and was protected by for the last seventy two hours.
He could feel his soul fill with fear again, traumatized by the sight as his bottom lip quivered. "Unc.." He stopped in the middle of his calling, knowing it wouldn't do any good cause his uncle was dead. He looked around the house and saw a cord, house phone against the wall.
He ran to it and punched in the number he was taught to call when he was afraid or in trouble, 911. When they picked up, all he could do was breath heavily and stutter over 'my uncle'. They still responded to the emergency and sent police his way.
Adonte sat in the far corner of the living room, letting his tears dry against his face as he continued to stare at the picture on the wall across from him.
"In the left corner, standing at one hundred and fifty six pounds and five eleven in height we have Jeremy Scott!" A few out of the crowd cheered as most of his friends howled the loudest. Jeremy smirked as he stood to his side, bouncing up and down his shoulders.
"You've got this. Remember he takes a step before swinging. He's not better than you Don. Don't fear him." Willis Jr assured Don as he massaged his shoulders then patted them letting him go forward.
"And in our right corner standing at one hundred and thirty eight pounds and five eleven in height, Adonte Jackson." Jeremy friends tried to boo him out but Marcus, J.T, and others in the crowd made sure to drown them out with their cheers.
Both young men walked up to each other in the middle of the canvas, or the ring's floor and stood before each other with the referee between them towards the side. "Protect yourself at all times.Don't hit lower than the belt line. Make this a good clean fight."
The ref looked between them both and added," bump gloves." They did as told but of course Jeremy his hit being harder.
They backed away from each other again and Jeremy got water while Adonte looked down at the necklace Isla had given him. He had just noticed the word hero engraved in it which made him think on another past event.
"...you've got great things waiting for you, grandson. So, come on home, Adonte. You're my hero, I'm proud of you, and .. I love you."
The atmosphere had became thick with tension as the bell dinged and round one was called. Adonte inhaled in a breath of air as he stepped up along with Jeremy, them both raising their balled fists in same timing.
The crowd cheers and howls echoed as they were surrounding the entire ring. The boys walked in a circular motion as no one threw a punch yet. Jeremy smirked, their eye contact not breaking.
"Going to swing?" Taunted Jeremy as he stepped forward. Adonte halted but it was only a fake out since Jeremy continued walking. "Oh, sorry about your grandpa too. I know that was. . tough for you."
Adonte clenched his jaw, not fond of the emphasis. Jeremy stepped forward with his left foot. Don caught the movement and leaned back, dodging the jab. Don whacked Jeremy in his face with his fist causing ooo's to erupt low within the crowd.
Jeremy back pedaled and twitched his nose in case of any brokenness. He hesitated but soon returned in the rotation. "Good one." Jeremy murmured.
Isla swung the gym doors open and entered as Rhonda followed, being welcomed by the crowd that you could barely see or get through.
"They're already fighting Is."
"Then we'll wait." Is said over the loud audience, pushing her way through them to get in a corner. Rhonda kept following, them both standing in the inner middle of the huddle.
Adonte breathing increased as he almost felt like he was suffocating, or becoming intimidated. It was that same thought like when they fought a couple months ago. Don blinked hard, trying to get it together as he looked off to the side.
Other than the grey walls and group of teens, he saw his uncle's dead body lying in that man's dining room. He saw the evidence photo of his grandpa lying on the ground beside his car. He saw his parents leaving out the front door when he was ten.
Jeremy took Adonte's distraction as an advantage and clocked him in the face with his glove. Adonte blinked back into reality after the hit but not in time to see the next punch come his way. Finally, Don covered up and retreated to the sideline.
He shook his head in a doggish way as he leaned over the ropes, the bell ringing as his opponent's posse cheered Jeremy on. Water from the bottle trickled into Adonte's mouth as Willis Jr smacked his cheek a couple times.
"Come on, boy. Get ya'head in it."
Adonte could hear Jeremy's laughs and taunts from behind him, making his blood begin to boil in anger. He felt the aggression build within himself as he turned back to him and walked up to him quickly, bumping his own gloves together then with Jeremy's as round two's bell dinged.
Don wasted no time to send his right glove to Jeremy's jaw. He uppercutted within the same time. Grunts came from Jeremy as the hits were unexpected. He did a combinations of wallops on him next, hitting every exposed part between his face and gut.
"You coming or.." Adonte confidently provoked. Jeremy under eyed him before running to raid him. Don avoided his charge and wrapped his arm around his neck, bringing him to the ground in a headlock.
"Sick of your shit." Don warned through gritted teeth as they were faced to face. He slammed his head down and held his throat with his right hand as his left pounded him in the face.
Jeremy shoved his shoulders, arms, and hands up close together to defend himself. The bell rung as Adonte rose to his feet. He bounced on his toes, twirling his head from each side in a mimicking way of Scott earlier.
Jeremy struggled onto his feet, spitting the salty blood to the side. The taste stayed in his mouth as more flowed from within his veins and down from his nose -the same taste of when you put a penny in your mouth as a young child.
It was now the last round considering they were tied up in winnings. They both threw their fists and hard. Blood begin to coat their clothes as slight shattering noises were sounded. Despite her curious state, Isla found herself nibbling on her bottom lip in anticipation at the sight of Adonte fighting like this ;she hoped he'd be okay.
Rhonda rather, felt tears begin to pool her eyes in anger hoping her angry spirit teleport into Adonte's fist as they went flying to Jeremy's cheek repeatedly. She wanted him to feel the heart ache pain she was feeling at the moment -even if it was through another form of way.
They both were growing weak but something help built Adonte's adrenaline to where the next jab he threw, with much impact, sent Jeremy to his knees. Don put both gloves together as he whammed Jeremy in the back and he crashed to the ground in a starfish formation. Adonte breathed heavily as Jeremy laid there, collecting oxygen too.
They both were beginning to bruise up and ache from their injuries. Don wobbled in his knees, nearly falling but stood his ground. "Hero." He could hear Leroy's voicemail voice say in his head as his right hand was raised above him by the referee.
"And the winner is Adonte Jackson!" Don nodded his head in disbelief as he shut his eyes close and patted his vacant hand against his chest. While Jeremy friends remained quiet, the rest of the gym howled in cheers as Marcus and J.T taunted the posse with bucks and yeah now what's. Even Rhonda cheered for Adonte out of animosity.
Adonte saw his corner man to the side, ready to heed to his wounds as Mr. Willis nodded in approval and proudness. Adonte weakly smiled before looking back to Jeremy, who was now sitting on the floor with one arm hanging off his raised knee as disappointment displayed over his face.
The championship belt was snapped around Adonte's waist as he removed his gloves and held his hand to Jeremy. Jeremy looked up at him with his eyebrows furrowed, confused. Don shrugged. Eventually, Jeremy took off his gloves and took Adonte's hand, letting him help him up.
Jeremy looked him up and down as Don patted his upper back. "Congratulations." Scott mumbled and DD simply nodded in a thanking way.
"I'm not fighting you again."
They separated and Adonte got another drink of water before plopping down on his feet to the floor, into the crowd. He felt multiple pats to the back as Marcus and J.T reenacted the fight dramatically. Don chuckled slightly before something in the corner of his eye caught his attention -Isla.
He pushed through the people up to her and looked into her eyes shyly. "Hi." She mustered up the best smile she could and tugged at his belt. "Congrats."
"Thank you."
"I've got a question. Were you in on a sex bet with. .Kain? And your other little friends?" She tucked her lips and squinted her eyes up at him. He furrowed his brows, taken back by the randomness but growing nervous from the truth.
"W-what?"
"You heard me Don." She folded her arms and scoffed a chuckle. "You were. Wow. The sex, the so-called love all for some money huh?"
He grabbed her wrist just as she yanked it back. "Isla it wasn't like that. I liked you before all of this."
"Were you in the bet, yes or no?"
"..Yes but-" She raised her hand up to his face and shook her head, feeling tears of her used feeling begin to approach.
"Save it. Can't believe I was so stupid. I guess you're just an all around winner,huh?" Isla scoffed again before maneuvering through the crowd to leave out the front doors, hurt. Don watched as she did, fixing to follow her but was surrounded by more people congratulating and placing him on a momentarily pedestal because of his win.
~~~~~
The end is close. 😁