Visible Ghosts

21

Zane POV

The ride back to campus is quiet. Callum seems lost in thought as he drops us back off in the same parking lot Spencer picked us up in. "Aye see you two later." Are the only words he spoke.

And just like this morning, I'm rushing across campus to make it to Raven's class on time, not that it would matter if I was late. When I walk into the small gym, Raven has already started leading the class in some stretches. He looks at me for a moment before breaking eye contact and moving into the next stretch. Dropping my bag at the back of the room, I take my spot behind everyone else. The course is mostly females, with only a handful of guys. Most of the guys seem to be on the smaller side, probably looking to defend themselves from other guys who pick on them. No matter where you go, bullies always make an appearance. I hate bullies. I'm glad these kids are here, finding ways to protect themselves. The girls especially, they have it worse. I would have argued for Sang to be in this class if she couldn't already kick my ass. Her five foot two stature might not seem like much, but she is a force to be reckoned with.

Nathan is front and center, performing the stretches with ease as he and Raven chat about something. I don't mind Nathan, he has a real knack for showing other students how to do certain moves if they don't grasp what Raven is saying. He's patient, repeatedly letting other students drop him to the mat until they have the motions down. He also is a really good opponent. He has me in bulk but I'm a few inches taller than him. Our matches are intense, neither one really gaining the upper hand until someone makes a mistake or has started to get tired.

Today, I don't want to go against Nathan. Sang is right, it would be smart to spare with Raven. Get some of my pent up emotions out. Guys don't do the whole talking about feelings things, a couple good punches and I'll feel a tiny bit better. When Raven finally calls the warmup, he starts pairing off people. Today we're working on escaping someone if they already have us in their hold.

"Lane, come demonstrate." He calls me forward. I grin, this is perfect. As I step past the other students and stand next to Raven, he gestures to stand in front of him. With my back to him, he steps up to wrap both arms around my chest, locking them tightly against me. "Break free." He commands.

There's a few ways to get out of a hold like this, I go for the one that will cause him the most pain. Taking a wide step out and slightly to the back forcing him to ease up on his hold. Once I feel some of the pressure release off my chest, I put one leg behind his, lean over and pick both of his legs up forcing him backwards. Raven falls with a thud, his arms dropping as his body weight draws him down.

Turning around, I look down with a wicked grin. That felt good. With a grunt, Raven sits up. Reaching down a hand, I help him up. Even though I'm mad at him, I'm not a complete asshole. "Explain how you did that." Once again, I start Raven through the motions, explaining each step as I go through them. I know that most of the students here won't be able to pull this type of move off but it's still smart to know about them, a potential last resort. When Raven hits the mat again, I lift him up.

"You should only attempt this move if you know you're strong enough to lift their weight, otherwise you'll end up hurting yourself." Raven explains, then shoots me a look. All I do is smile, he didn't specify how he wanted me to break out of his hold. "Now we'll show you another way to get out. This would be good if you're much smaller than your attacker." Raven waves me forward again. This time he pins both of my arms back.

Now that I've at least got Raven on his ass once, I try a move that most of the students should be able to replicate. Stepping my right foot back into Raven, I twist my body forward on the opposite side, pulling my left arm free. Once that is done I throw the trapped arm backward, breaking the hold. At this point you can either go for the legs or run away. I go for the legs. When Raven hits the ground again, another grin spreads across my face. This is exactly what I needed after the last 12 hours.