Serena

Chapter 1

Serena's POV

The crowd roars and cheers ignited the arena alive as the bell rang, starting the battle. The people's cries carried both anger and desperation, knowing either their money, fingers or life is on the line because of their selfish bets. In the centre lies the stage where two fighters began to circle each other with small side steps... watching each other, waiting for an opening to strike. Both their fists raised, protecting their faces but their eyes still peak, preying like hungry beasts.

"Fucking hell, they're slow!" Madeline Lewis groans in frustration, nearly snapping out of her seat.

My dear cousin sat on my right, eyes never leaving the stage and her heels tapping the floor in desperation of winning against me. My attention draws back to the stage as the crowd behind us cheers louder, seeing one of the man had landed a decent punch to the other's jaw. Anger lit across both the fighter's faces causing them to lose their sanity, going at each other's faces endlessly without a single remembrance of defence.

Men.

After a few minutes, one man manages to knock the other fighter to his knees. With the final blow he ends the opponent out cold. The last man standing stubbles back to the centre where their blood and sweats covers the mattress like a puddle and raises his right arm up, claiming his victory. His bare chest rose and fell fast, tryin... no, struggling to control his breathing.

"Who won?" I ask Madeleine's guard who I had ordered to sit on my left side as I did not want him to stand behind our backs and draw attention to us.

"You did, Young Miss." Her guard answered without a questioning tone of why I couldn't tell who I had betted on. Like I care to remember their faces to the end.

"Fuck! Why do you always.... aghhh!" Madeleine jumps from her seat also losing her cool like the crowd behind us.

"Maybe next time, Maddi." I say, pulling a forceful sad face then rising from my seat ready to leave when she suddenly stops me.

"One more round." She please, holding one finger on the side of her check.

"Maddi, I have things to take care of and I...-"

"Please," she swings my hand childishly and attempts to throw her 'puppy' eyes towards me. My brows knits together struggling to resist her plea.

"I really can-"

"Please~~~" she squeezes my hand tighter with a higher tone to her voice. Her eyes still glittering with hope. And just like that my heart aches and shatters into millions.

I sigh and surrendered, sitting back down to our seats. She lets a small giggle of success and faced forward, both waiting for the next two fighters to be introduced for the night.

The cleaners had already polished the ring fresh as it was from the start and the host makes an arrival once again. And judging by the tightness of the air, it is clear that there was more of an audiences than before. I figured the next round is going to be a better fight than before.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here for our very last match for tonight we had saved you, the Best for last, of course." The host smiles in between his announcement and the crowd going wild behind us, "Please welcome; Nate and Koen!"

The crowd cheers and whistles grew vicious as the two fighters appear from each side of the ring, entering in just knee lengths shorts. Their backs turned away from my side view as they faced forward, putting their mouth guards in.

"One's in black and the other in light grey shorts." Madeleine informs me, "I'm calling on the grey, Nate, heard he won fights without a hit on his face in the past months."

"I'm confident in the black short." Though I had only seen his back, I'm sure he would win. Just by a short comparison Nate is slightly taller and built like the human version of Marvel's hulk but Koen's height is not much shorter. He's clearly taller than average men and is a muscular man himself but standing next to Nate he seen to have a disadvantage to other's perspective. All men believes size is all that matters but in boxing, fighter needs to be light on their feet to carry speed and agility, and if he were to be too bulky and masculine it would make it difficult to move.

The bell rings once again reviving the crowd alive as the fighters waste no time to circle each other as Nate initiated the first blow, a straight punch to the face but was dodged with ease. Koen's back is still turned back towards our sight with only Nate's face in view. Nate continues to strike from an uppercut to a hook to a straight and to a low punch continuously but Koen only taken hits to the body with his arms protecting his face.

"Looks like I'm going to win this round." Maddi leans to her right and smirks with fire glowing within her eyes. In any matters, I'm always surprised by my own of how I could tolerate her childish behaviour for all the years together.

I continue to watch as I soon figured his plan. A risky plan to take going against a strong opponent like Nate, not sure if he's experienced or arrogant.

Koen was soon backed into the side of the ring in front of us as Nate still carried the upper hand in attacks. Left with a single step to the nets, Nate pulls his final punch further back ready to release his final blow to victory but was suddenly launched back to the near centre when Koen had tackled him by the ribcage within the short time of Nate's pull back punch. Koen held Nate in a tight hold by the shoulders before quickly releasing it as Nate went for an elbow to the jaw. They both backed away, circling.

"Oh, fuck." I muttered when I recognized the fighter's face. Koen, not just the fucking underground boxer but Koen Kendrick, a damn senior at North Coastfield High School where I'm currently attending... undercover.

Nate and Koen still circled with closer steps but once Nate was out of view, Koen's eyes had noticed mine instantly before returning his attention onto the fight when Nate charges forward taking the opportunity when Koen was distracted.

"Fuck! I need to leave, now!" I stood from my seat and headed straight towards the back exist door leaving Madeleine and her guard behind. I head straight to where I had parked my car.

But before the door closed behind me, the crowd's cheers echoes erupted louder than it had ever did. I quickly dialled my phone to call April.

"Why call so lat-" she picks up annoyed but not as pissed as I am fucking right now.

"Koen Kendrick. You didn't inform me how he does underground boxing." My voice laces out deadly calm.

"There was nothing on him about underground boxing.... why did you-" I cut the line before her ignorant mistake would push me to strangling her dead tomorrow morning. I hurried towards my car which is parked behind Madeleine's huge Mercedes GLC SUV when quick steps caught my ears.

"Amelia, stop!"