The girl on the bus

Chapter 2 : Hide and seek

Zed
The ringing of my alarm wakes me up. It's like six in the morning. Groaning I stand up, and stretch out while yawning, I always need to stand up the second I hear the alarm, if I snooze it I'll never wake up again. I take a quick cold shower and get in my training clothes, before I get to eat my breakfast. I need a lot of food in the mornings, as it keeps me energized trough the day. I grab a cartoon of eggs and scramble them In a bowl. Letting them fry in a pan, while I cut some cucumber avocado and tomatoes. By the time I plate my masterpiece I'm already starving. I sit down at the table and slice some bread. It's been a week since I last saw her, so I'm actually starting to think, I won't ever see her again. Maybe it was just coincidence or something. It's Thursday and I decided to get going earlier so I finish this training sooner. We have check-ins today, meaning that I will be standing in the coaches office with like five other guys getting weighted, measured and god knows what more. It usually takes an hour to do everything, but I need to do it since it gets me qualified for the match in a week. I pack my lunch, water bottle and spare clothes. I get my boxing gloves and bandages and toss everything in my training bag.

It's quite warm outside, it's the middle of April and it's been quite sunny for the past week, a lot better that the usual April rain. I lock the door behind me and make my way towards the bus station. We live in an apartment complex in the city so it take like five minutes to get to the bus so I'm early again, I put on my headphones, and blast some music on it to distract myself until the bus comes. It doesn't take long, the bus stops in front of me, and some people get out. I step inside not even looking up. I plop down on the first free seat I see and sit down. The sun shines directly on my face making me look up to the back of the bus, where the teenage boys usually sit. I used to sit there too, but it's empty today, it's to early I guess.  Most of the schools open at nine o'clock and now it's seven. The whole bus is relatively empty too, empty enough that all the people inside can sit down. A bit to the back on the left side of the bus, I see a girl with curly hair and my heart skips a beat. Is it her, I ask myself as I spare her some glances. I pay some attention to her, and as if she read my mind she stand up. Turning around she faces me and walks towards the bus door. It's her. She doesn't seem to notice me. She gets off and I'm left wandering about her once again. 

I get to my gym just in time for the first scheduled checkup. Walking in the changing room, I see I'm not the only one who wanted to get done with this early. There is five other guys sitting on the bench talking to each other. I sit down on the bench and check my phone.

" hi bro" 
one of them says when they notice me, I know them all but we are really not that close. I see them like once every month on those check-ins that is it. Coach doesn't even train them, but we are under the same academy so they came to get checked from all other groups in this academy, before the match qualifications.
"Hi " I say back as I untie my shoes. I change into my boxing shorts, and wait for the coach to come get us.
" He said we go in one by one " I hear some of the guys talking. Just as I was about to ask when we start I hear the coach clear his voice.
" Zed Armani"  he says " you are first" I nod my head and stand up. The chart for the checkup must be done by the alphabetical order, I think to myself. It must be since I'm first. Thinking of Luke and his last name Zane, he is probably the last one on this chart. That makes me smirk. Poor guy, he will spend half of his day here just waiting. Following him to the office he laughs at me
"Why are you even here this early, Luke called, in he is coming in the evening"   He says as if he knew I was thinking just about that.
I smirk holding my boxing gloves in my hand " wanted to get it over as soon as I can"  and that makes him laugh
" I get it I hate doing those to" he points to the records of all the boxers still unfinished, as he pulls mine out.
"Step on the scale"  he orders while writing something down, I do as said. I step one and he checks the numbers on the top of the scale.
"80 kilograms, yo did good Zed, fit for the match" he then points to the height measurement on the wall behind me. I step by it while he measures me up. 190 cm, I hear him mutter, writing it down. He then proceeds to measure my body fat and check my gloves and injuries from the past. He smirks at me
" you fit in the weight and height limits for your category"  he then sighs
" but there is still one thing left to check" he says and I know what he means. It's my shoulder. Some fucker twisted it so bad that it dislocated. I had to recover for three months and didn't compete at all, durning the time of it, and I'm not letting my shoulder get in my way. So naturally I lie.
"Does it still feel sore" he asks 
" no it's okay" I say, and it's the truth, well half truth, it's always sore and my doctor said it's normal, since I keep putting pressure on it.  I'm not letting this get in my way again.
" Zed you have to tell the truth" he sighs not believing me.
" It's fine really" I repeat once again,
" okay" he says scribbling something down.
" Well in that case you are done here, get some practice in and after that you can leave" he says while preparing the other records for the guys. I take my gloves from the table and I Walk out.