The Trouble With Two Seasons

Chapter 27 : No One But You

"Welcome to Valley View's annual Karate Tournament. I'm Josh Vanderwaal Xu and I'll be your host for the day..." The man in the dark blue suit announced into the speaker, ushering the contestants into the hall.

"You've got this! Keep calm and throw in your best fists." Summer's trainer motivated, patting her back.

It was an hour before her first contest and her nerves had started to kick in.

She was the reigning Karate champion from last year. Yes,but could she defend it?

There were pretty good fighters out there. She wasn't quite sure of her fighting skills,this year had been hectic with everything going on at school. Revision for finals and clashing karate schedules made practices short. All in all,she probably could fight through.

Asher kissed her forehead,"Do you want me to stay with you?" He asked.

Summer shook her head,"I'll be alright."

Asher rose up,from his position where he had crouched to talk to her.

"You'll ace this! I'll be watching with Taylor and the rest from the stands." He said walking out.

Summer gulped,tiny beads of sweat had started to form on her forehead.

She had wanted someone to stay behind with her until it was her turn to fight.But something in her couldn't bring her to voice it out.

She had always been the rich girl who was different. She traded Barbie dolls for PlayStations and chose Converse over heels.

She was an easy target for ridicule in middleschool among the girly girls.

They'd laughed at her short hair, marvelled at why she didn't have the latest Barbie dollhouse playsets and made fun of her outfits.

It was then she became friends with Grayer. He stood up for her, held her hand when she was crying after being laughed at.

Grayer had accompanied her to her first karate lesson,he complained he had won enough fights for her and she needed to start standing up for herself.

Grayer was the one who made her believe that she could fit in when she felt like she didn't belong anywhere.

Then along the way, she'd made other friends and built herself up.

Karate was the first community she felt she truly did belong. It made her feel at ease. It helped her push through the complexities of growing up. That's why she was a fighter. She could do this.

Her smile faltered a little as it suddenly hit her that Grayer wasn't around.

He had a way of usually calming her nerves at times like these.

Sad thing he wasn't around, she shrugged it off,slipping on her gear.

She would probably see him in the stands. Regardless of the condition,she knew Grayer understood what Karate meant to her. He wouldn't miss it for the world.

***

Grayer adjusted the tie on his neck,and looked on at the court proceedings.

Winter sat by his side,her eyes glued to her parents in the witness box as they ironed out their differences.

Grayer took her hand in his when he realized she was digging holes in her thighs with her finger nails. He could decipher the air of dread looming above her.

With his free hand,he checked the time on his phone.

It was fifty four minutes past twelve.

Summer had started her match almost an half an hour ago and he internally prayed she was handling it well.

He knew he was supposed to be there right now, back stage perhaps, offering her his support. They had promised to be there for each other unconditionally and here he was, unmistakably breaking that promise.

It killed him inside,but he couldn't bail on Winter who literally hung on to him like a leech.

This was the first time Summer was going into a rink without his back up. He just hoped everything was going smoothly.

He stole a glance at Winter,her face masked in confusion as she watched on, the judge making his ruling.

A little part of him was glad she seemed more at ease now,but the bigger part of him was tensed up.

Soon the court session would be over,then maybe he could make it in time for the rest of Summer's fight.

Hours rolled on and Summer won six elimination rounds.

It was minutes before her final round started, the crowd cheered her on as she was ushered into the rink.

Her eyes did a quick sweep of the people present, something in her died as she realized Grayer's face wasn't among the throng.

She wouldn't lie,it hurt her bad she couldn't see him anywhere. What had held him up? Did he hate her that much now to bail on her this way?

She sighed, choosing to channel the negative energy to her fights. So far it was working,her energy was unmatched yet.

She bowed down to the opponent who towered above her and launched her first strike as soon as the referee yelled "Hajime!"

The espresso skin girl Summer was up against was too agile and Summer missed, stumbling to gain balance.

She lolled her head to the side and threw in another punch,yet to have it dodged.

The girl was a pro at blocking punches, Summer made a mental note. She had to think of a different attack.

Summer thrust her foot out at her opponent,the girl anticipated a kick and swerved out of the way as Summer rammed her fists into her.

It caught the girl of balance and she staggered out of the rink.

Summer smiled,a point for her.

The degree announced Summer's win was valid and she smiled.

Two more strikes and she'd win.

Her eyes scanned the crowd seeing her supporters cheer,only to get lost in a pair of startling blue irises.

She fought a gasp and an intruding pair of feet pushed her out of the rink.

"One,one!" The referee declared as Summer pulled her attention from Grayer back to the rink.

Her thoughts were all jumbled up.

"Why the hell did he look dressed up?" Summer wondered,bowing to start the next round.

It hit her hard when she glanced in his direction once more to meet him engaged in conversation with an equally dressed up blonde.

Her breath hitched and her heart tightened.

It suddenly felt as if the whole world was closing in on her as she shook her head, trying to blink back the tears.

"What're you doing here?"Grayer asked Winter,his face stern.

"You left in a rush and forgot your wallet."Winter announced handing it over.

"You're not supposed to be here." Grayer chastened.

Winter shrugged,"I didn't know I wasn't allowed into a public space."

Shouts from the spectators drew Grayer's eyes back to the rink.

His heart tore on realizing that Summer had been pushed out the rink a second time.

Grayer gnawed at his lower lip,and Winter tactfully laced her hands with his.

He had wanted to say,"Not now,Winter!" But it was like the words were stuck in his throat as he caught Summer's gaze and it was laced with nothing but anguish and disappointment at him.

Within a matter of minutes,the espresso skin girl had hit Summer again, scoring herself a point and drawing the match to an end.

One thing rang in Summer's head after the referee announced the match results.

Grayer had missed the most important match of her life to be with her?