Welcome to Oceanside High: Revenge of the Bully

Chapter 13

Tap-tap-tap. "Testing...is this thing on?" Travis' husky voice asks to no one in particular from beyond the doors.

"Hey," I take a breath, gathering my voice. "Open the doors." I struggle to tell someone, anyone that'll listen.

I hear feet squeak against the locker room floor and turn to see Annabelle. "Hey bitch!" she says, with a big smile and puckered red lips from what looks like hours of smooching her boyfriend. "You look good for a fight! I didn't miss it did I?"

I look at her and take a swig from my water before I tell her, "What do you think?"

"What's going on out there? It sounds like somebody announcing the fight."

"Travis McDurn. But it's not mine."

Annabelle looks at me like she doesn't want to ask me, but she does. "Did I miss something?"

I nod and take another gulp of water. I never knew how water could taste so delicious and feel sooo good going down inside of me.

"Shit. Who's up next then, and why is Travis the announcer?" She looks as excited as I feel.

"Let's go have a look before Esteban stops him."

We go to the double doors and she opens them. "Holy shit! Travis McDurn is a boxer!" She says but it sounds more like a question.

"Not exactly," I reply. I look around at the expectations of everyone else who stayed behind after my fight. The place is still packed and it looks like people who had started to leave are coming back inside. Everyone looks around at each other in all the confusion.

Travis shouts into the mic, his voice comes out loud over every speaker, it's commanding, and alluring all at the same time. He walks from corner to corner of the ring. "Let's give it up for the winner of that awesome fight! Brittney Bahalia! Let's face it, she was up against more than just Nella. She was up against all you haters who came here to see her fall." There is some applause, it seems, from people who don't know any better. But from those who came to see me lose...they don't clap at all and it looks like quite a few.

Bitches.

Coach Lisander grabs my waist and tries to pull me back from the doors. "You sit back down. You rest."

I snap her a serious glare, some might say the stare of a thousand daggers. She pulls her hands back and puts them up in surrender. I turn my attention back to the ring, and to the hottest guy here.

Fuck, what's he doing? He's torn his shirt off, his muscles look taut and he glistens underneath the hot lights of the ring. I haven't seen him all day but he looks like he's been performing, readying himself for this moment.

"It's time to turn the tides and show you what, or, who else you came to see." Travis announces. I'm standing here fortunately with only a bruised cheek, and my brain feeling a tad fuzzy, but I'm listening. "Donny." Travis is pointing at Donny who is not smiling so big anymore, but he's eyeing Travis with narrowed eyes. "Donny please stand up so everyone including your fellow student body can see you!"

Donny does as he asks with reluctance and nods at everyone in the stands. There's some clapping but no one seems appalled about this little side show. Everyone looks as clueless as me.

At the same time I can't help keep watch and admire his hard body beneath the fluorescent lights. It's unbelievable I was just curling up with that last night. There's so much more rippling going on with each defined muscle tensing as he talks and his puffed out chest makes a thin shadow over the upper portion of his abs.

Travis shouts, "Let's give them more of what they want Donny!" His arms wave out to the audience who are now watching him with hungry eyes like they've caught the scent of blood, or a wounded animal. I can't seem to not watch either, even though my temple is beginning to throb. "Somebody, I won't say who, but I'm sure we all know, got everyone all riled up bout a fight with you in it and we never got to see it the last time...so I'm here this time. Come fight me!" He beats against his chest.