Unhinged [h.s]

chapter 6

a/n: ooh long one

I stand around the locker room for a bit until the fights begin at 11, when we all go and stand in the main gym, getting ready to watch some other fights before they go on.

"Who's fighting first of you guys?" I ask them as we stand around a circular high top table in the back of the room.

I haven't spotted Harry since I left the locker room. I'm considering just not getting my book back, I already bought a new one and it would avoid any awkward confrontation.

"Me, baby face." Niall says as he slings his arm around my shoulder.

"Stop calling me that." I cringe at the name that he made up for me in middle school. I was a really pudgy kid and had a baby face, I kind of still do, but he knows the name bothers me and that's why he uses it.

"You should probably get back there, Ni." Louis tells him.

"Probably." Then Niall gives me a big sloppy kiss on my cheek.

"Gross" I push away from him as he backs away from the table and heads back to the locker rooms. I lean my forearms on the table and watch the fight happening in front of us.

The guys cheer as one of the fighters knocks into the other guy with his fist.

"I need a drink." I mutter after watching the hits. Drinking after being hungover is probably the worst idea right now, but I know it's not going to stop me.

The fight ends shortly after that when one of the men can't even get back up and his coach has to drag him to his chair on the mat. He has blood dripping from his face and it's leaving prints on the mat.

We hang around for a little between the fights, talking about Nialls odds, and the guys say they seem good. Niall is cocky so he'd never admit that he couldn't take someone but after talking to the guys I feel better.

The are only half as many rounds in these fights to make sure there's enough time for everyone. The winners of these fights will continue next week at the next fight night, and the losers will just hang around.

I see Niall hop up onto the platform at the same time that I see a very muscular man in gold boxing shorts step up. He's very large, but Niall will use that to his advantage and outsmart him with this agility. I already know all the tactics.

The bell sounds and Niall and the other guy pound each other's gloves together in a friendly way before they rip each other to shreds.

Niall punches the other man right off the bat, in the side of the head, but it doesn't seem to faze him. They go around in a few circles, bouncing as they move, planning their next steps.

Niall fakes a left just to smash his fist into the other guys chest, stumbling him back. We all cheer for him with the people on the floor that betted on him.

Just as he's getting in a flow, the other man takes three good punches at Niall's stomach, instantly making me flinch and turn around so I don't have to watch.

"Chill out, Kota. He'll be fine." Liam tries to comfort me but I remain turned around with my eyes closed. This really shouldn't faze me as much as it does, I just can't handle all of it.

Once I hear the guys cheering I peak through my eyes and over my shoulder to see the man now on the ground with Niall on top of him, beating him into next year. I start to cheer with the guys, yelling for Niall and as soon as the bell rings, the round is over and we all cheer even louder.

After a couple more rounds Liam and Louis leave to go get ready, since their fights are coming up and are back to back. The last few rounds don't feel as long as the first and before I know it the match is over and Niall is striding over to us all sweaty from the match. I applaud as he comes over with his arms out in front of him and his gym bag over his shoulder.