My dearest rival

XII

Jayden's pov

I'm startled back into real life by the painfully loud ring coming from my phone.

As it turns out, it's ten o'clock on a Sunday morning and I have exactly one hour to get myself off the bed, change, eat and go meet Kianora at the bowling club not so far from here.

After a quick trip by the bathroom, I open my closet, looking for an appropriate outfit. I have multiple tee shirts and shorts that I usually use to practice tennis and will do the job here. I take a compress shirt and black shorts to match and throw my thin puffy jacket and head downstairs.

"Where are you going so soon." I hear Mateo asks from the couch, playing a video game with Terik.

"Didn't I tell you? Jayden, here, proposed on his own willingness, to be Kianora's boxing partner for the day." Terik announces, taking a low voice dripping from sarcasm.

"You are?" A shocked Mateo turns to stare at me, stoping the game and making Terik hit him on the back of the head so that he can concentrate.
"yes I am. End of the story." I lean on the counter, grabbing the milk bottle and apple as I pass.

I drown the glass in record time, and look at my reflection on the microwave to see how I look.

I try to tame a few messy strands swaying everywhere on my head but it's doing nothing to help so I choose to just let my hair live it's messy life as I bit on my apple.

"Are you checking yourself out, Jay?" Mateo's joking voice startles me, making me drop the bag I held in my hands.

"Oh fuck off. Both of you." I indicate both of them with my finger, lingering on Terik because I know it'll be a long time before lets me live this down, I can hear his smirk from here.

After collecting my things and grabbing my black running shoes to go with the rest of the outfit I make my way outside to my car. It's standing just in font of the door, tall and pretty, and I can't help but to mentally pat myself on the back for making this more than useful purchase.

I make it to the club in record time, still knowing my way around from the multiple holidays our families used to crash in the big city.

Kianora always used to drag me or Terik here, asking us to practice with her so many times that we ever naturally have in and always came down with her.

She usually asked Terik.

And I tagged along.

I avoided as much time as I could with Kianora but I weirdly liked looking at them boxing.

Terik mostly, obviously.

Not her.

Our town is pretty boring when you think about it, so our families took us here as much as they could, and since they were pretty close, Kianora and I's families, we went together and Terik felt like a brother to us so he just went with.

I surprisingly parallel park really fast, climbing out of my car and taking my bag with me. I open the door to the club, and take in everything,but everything is the same as I remember.
I register in and ask the man at the reception where I can find a brunette probably holding a white Nike bag and a hot red sweatshirt.

He told me where the ring she was on and I thanked him, walking down the corridors to the boxing ring. Surely enough, I saw her behind a punching ball, readjusting her gloves, head down and giving me time to look at her outfit.

Here was the hot red sweatshirt, her favorite, which she apparently own multiple copies specifically dedicated to boxing, the white Nike bag she received for her birthday three years ago and brings with her every time we do anything physical. She says it's for good luck.