The Hurt Game

❧ forty

"Fists in front of your face."

"Watch your stance. Your feet, Waverly."

A small huff fell from my lips as I corrected my feet, placing them in line with my shoulders, doing exactly what Royden's said. "Better?" I asked exasperated.

"Better, but turn your body away from me a little. Don't square up with me fully, because that will make it easier for me to hit you, or anyone for that matter," he explained.

I turned my body to the side, so my left side was facing him more. My eyes glanced down as I checked my feet, shifting them a little.

A gentle punch, but hard enough to knock me off balance, was thrown to my side. Royden acted quickly, hooked his arms around me and threw me in front of his body. Escaping was impossible.

Nonetheless I wriggled in his hold. He tightened his hold on me gently, so not to hurt me. I stopped moving, slumped and sighed.

Het let me go and spun me around to face him. I swiped the back of my hand along my forehead, which was warm and clammy with exercise.

"What did you do that for? I wasn't ready," I said.

"I know," he said with a nod. "And that's how you lose. It is a good moment for your opponent to attack you. Always keep your eyes up."

"But this is practice. Cut me some slack."

A small smile appeared on his lips. He reached up and brushed a couple of hairs behind my ears. "Wanna give you the proper training. Sooner you know, the better."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head a little. "So you've told me." I exhaled through my nose heavily before taking a step back and getting into position again. He jumped in position as well.

Like the beginning of my training sessions about fighting and how to defend myself, which had started last week, I was the one throwing punches. Quickly I came to understand why people liked boxing; it was joyful.

My fist landed below Royden's ribs, close to his kidneys. He coughed a little and stepped two paces back yet a grin was plastered on his face.

"That was a proper hit," he complimented me. I smiled at him. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I bounced on my feet.

We took little breaks while practicing. Eventually I dropped myself on the mat, too exhausted from using so much energy. My arms were spread wide. My chest rose and fell quickly. My breathing was ragged and fast.

Royden stood above me and kicked my leg. "Not giving up, are you?" He was grinning down at me.

I waved my hand at him, too out of breath to speak while closing my eyes and draping my arm over my eyes. "Too. Hot."

A door opened and fell shut a couple of moments later, breaking the silence. I debated on opening my eyes, knowing the gym was actually closed and the only ones who could enter were the owners of this building. However I did open my eyes, sat up and turned around to watch Royden's friends enter.

My eyes flickered towards Royden. He was crouched by our bag, rummaging through the contents before retrieving two water bottles. He stood up, casted a glance towards them before walking over to me. He tossed me one of the water bottles. I smiled at him gratefully.

"Royden, what's up?" Nick called.

"Hey," he simply greeted him back.

"Waverly!" Jesse's voice echoed through the relatively empty building. It bounced off the walls. It made chuckle as I waved at him before pushing myself up on my feet.