Untamed Hearts

C h a p t e r 12

Caden's POV

"Dammit London, must you remind me again? I'm clueless about this Dante Omaha guy. Nobody's ever seen nor heard of him, so how am I supposed to know who he is?" I snapped, exasperated as I glared at my idiotic friend. He raised his hands in defense.

"Fine, I'm sorry okay? but if you don't know Dante, then you're in deep shit" I sighed.

"Yeah I know. Guess I'm getting my ass kicked tonight" Just then our teacher interrupted.

"Care to share what's so fascinating, that's distracting you from my lesson, Mr Valtori and Mr Nate?"

All eyes turned to us, awaiting a response.

London stumbled over his words. "I-I mean, Caden here was just sharing his...uh..future plans of having nine cats just like you, sir" He forced a laugh, trying to cover up our conversation. Mr Sutton raised his eyebrows, skeptical.

"I'm not sure what's more surprising, Caden Valtori having such wonderful future goals or the fact that you're sharing your feline aspirations with Mr Nate"Mr Sutton said as the class erupted in snickers and stiffed giggles. I shot London a 'Are you for real' look, which he returned with a sheepish grin.

I rolled my eyes as my mind wandered to the fight I'll be having tonight. I never thought I'd end up here, in this world of blood and sweat but life had other plans. After the death of my mother I was lost, angry, and searching for a way to lash out. That's when I stumbled into the underground circuit. It was like a magnet, drawing me in with it's raw energy and promise of release.

Fighting became by escape, my way to channel the pain and rage into something tangible. And I was good at it, Really good. The rush of adrenaline, the thrill of victory, the respect of the crowd......it's like nothing else matters.

They call me 'The Viper' now, the one who's unbeatable. But it wasn't always like that. I had to fight tooth and nail for every win, every scrap of respect and I earned it, one bloody nose at a time.

But tonight is different. Tonight's match against Dante Omaha, the unknown quantity. London has been going on about how I'm in trouble, how this guy is the real deal. But I've heard it all before. I've been the underdog, the newcomer, the one they all thought would get taken down. And yet, here I am. The champion, the one they all fear. But this Dante guy....there's something about him that's got me off balance. Maybe it's the fact that nobody knows anything about him, or that London seems so convinced that I'm in deep shit.

My mind keeps telling me I've got this, that I'm unbeatable. But my gut.....my gut is saying something else. What if I'm not as invincible as I think? What if Dante is the one person who can take me down?

"No" I said quietly to myself as I shook my head. I'm The Viper, the champion of the underground. I'll take Dante down like I have to every other opponent. The crowd will cheer, the money will flow, and I'll be the one standing tall.

The bell rings, signaling the end of our torturous lesson with Mr Sutton. I breathed a sigh of relief as I gathered my stuff, ready to escape the confines of the classroom. London catches up to me in the hallway, his long strides easily matching my pace.

"Yo' man, ready for a chill PE session!" He asked, hanging his left arm around my shoulders. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You know I'm not exactly the athletic type, London" He chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah I know. But I need someone to slack off with. Besides I don't fell like running drills today. Coach would kill me if I don't show up, but I can at least pretend to practice if you're with me" I shrugged, following him towards practice center.