Dez POV Over a bowl of fruit, I asked Piero, who was standing on the other side of the counter, a very serious question. "Can you show me how to fight?" He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you want to fight?" "Self defense," I replied with a sly smile. "Sure. Do u want to go when you're done eating?" "Yeah, but I don't have workout clothes..." "You can borrow some of Mariagrazia's." "Oh, ok." " Meet me at the stairs when you're changed." I threw my empty bowl in the sink and ran upstairs. I knocked on Maria's door and she opened it, wearing clothes that looked quite comfortable. "Hi, can I borrow some of your workout clothes? If not it's totally fine-" "Of course! Come in." I stepped into her room and followed her to a large walk in closet. Geez, this house is so big. She pulled a neon pink tank top and some black stretchy pants off a hanger and handed them to me. "Thanks," I said while leaving and trying hard not to slip on her smooth tile floor. Heh, that would be funny. Look at the seal flopping around on the floor! I changed in my room and met Piero at the base of the stairs. We walked through a door next to the stairs that I hadn't seen before that led down a hall. We stopped a few doors down that opened into a large workout room. "Do you mind if Ignazio and Gianluca use the room, too?" "No, it's fine." He text them on his phone and set it down on a small table when he was done. "Ok, we're going to start with some conditioning to get you warmed up. You can use the treadmill for 15 minutes." I started the machine and he got on the one next to mine. I was dying, gasping for air, and wheezing after the first 5 minutes. "Are you ok? When was the last time you exercised?" I laughed nervously and muttered, "About 2 years ago... I used to work out all the time, but when I got to college, I was busy all the time. I never left my dorm room, except to eat or use the restroom. It was terrible." "Oh, that sucks. I guess you can't do pushups or situps either?" "Really? I'm not disabled." "Alright. Give me 40." "Of what?" I asked in horror. "What do you think?" "Kisses?" I asked hopefully. He smiled. "Nope. Push ups and sit ups." I groaned and laid down on my back. I attempted to sit up, but couldn't. I laughed in disbelief. How embarrassing. "Just get up. I'll just start showing you fighting techniques because you're clearly not going to do push ups either." I narrowed my eyes at him and got up. He went to a closet and pulled out gloves for me to use. While he was busy, Gianluca and Ignazio came in. Gianluca was wearing black shorts, a muscle shirt and white socks that were almost to his knees. I laughed and said, "Nice socks." "Don't mock me. I can get away with it because I'm famous. Celebrities can do whatever they want. Maybe I'll start a trend," he said while looking for the right weights to lift. Ignazio was wearing the same type of clothes, minus the ridiculous socks, and was also searching for his work out stuff. Piero came back with pink boxing gloves, but set them down. "Before you start punching, you need to learn how to do it properly. Make a fist." I closed my fist, making sure to put my thumb on the outside of my hand, and picked up my hand so he could see. "Ok, I'm glad u didn't put your thumb inside your fist because that is a very big mistake. There's different kinds of punches, but we'll just start with a normal one. Where do you think is the best place to strike your opponent?" "In the face?" "NO, you do not go for the face. Ever. It would be like punching into a wall. Considering that you're just starting, it's best to punch them in the throat. If not the neck, hit them somewhere on their upper body. If you use a left-hook, try to hit the liver. With a right-hook, you want to get it under the heart." "What's a hook? Captain Hook?" "A hook is when you bring your arm around instead of just hitting straight." He demonstrated and had me try. "You have to use your hips, like in baseball, to get more power." I nodded and tried to hit him, but he quickly blocked it. "Let's not get carried away-" I tried to punch him in the stomach, but was blocked again. "Come, on. Just let me hit-" I was cut short when he punched me smack in the throat. I gasped for air and fell to the floor. "You bastard," I muttered. "Always be focused and alert." Still laying on the floor, I asked, "Are we done yet? I don't think I can do this..." "Stop marvelling in self pity. Nobody said it was going to be easy. You're the one that wanted to do this, anyway. What if you're walking down the street one night and a creep just comes out of nowhere and tries to jump you? Are you going to let him?" "No?" He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "It's a cruel world out there. You need to know how to defend yourself." To my luck, Jay opened the door and asked Piero, "Hey can I talk to you for a second?" Piero nodded and told me, "Keep practicing your punching for now. I'll be right back." I nodded and he stepped out with Jay into the hall.
Piero POV "What is it?" "It's Darren. He wants to meet with you. He said it was urgent." I groaned in disgust. I did not like Darren at all, but he was the leader of the pack next to our territory, so I had to shut my mouth. "When?" "He wants to come by later today at about 5." "Alright. Tell him it's fine." Jay nodded and left to call Darren. I went back to where Dez was violently beating a punching bag. "Ready for the next lesson?"
Dez POV We were practicing for about 2 hours going through several techniques. After punching and kicking for so long I was exhausted. I showered and took an hour long nap. I finally got the courage to get out of bed. Everything was hurting and I cursed. This is why I didn't exercise. I hobbled down the stairs like an old woman and was about to raid the kitchen when Eleonora spotted me. "Hey, Destiny, can you do me a favor?" "Sure. What can I help you with?" "I'm going to start cooking dinner, but I don't know what to make. Can you ask Piero what he wants? He's in the meeting room. Do you know where that is?" "Yeah, I've been in there before. I'll be right back."
Piero's POV I sat back in my chair, bored of Darren and his pack's issues. "I want more territory," Darren proposed. "Why? Don't you have enough already?" "Well, I do have quite a lot of rogues hanging around..." "And?" "You know rogues, they like to roam around. They need more space." "It's not my problem if you're accepting that many rogues." "Come on, what's a few more miles?" "I thought you had something urgent to discuss." To my delight, Dez swung open the door and her eyes widened when she saw a full room of eyes staring at her. "Sorry to interupt, but your mom wanted me to ask you if you want grilled chicken or shrimp scampi for dinner." "Destiny, now is not the best time," I said to try to get her to leave. I didn't want Darren to get any ideas... I whipped my head over to Darren when he spoke. "Why, hello there. Who might you be?" "Your worst nightmare," Dez said jokingly. She turned to Ignazio and said, "Ignazio, since Piero is being quite rude, what would you like to eat?" Ignazio smiled and replied, "Grilled chicken." "Grilled chicken it is. Thank you for your cooperation," she said before closing the door. "Who is she?" Darren asks. "A friend," I reply just to be on the safe side. After being allies for this long, I still didn't trust Darren. "A friend, eh? You must have been friends for a very long time if you let her talk to you like that." "Do you have anything else for me? If not you can leave." "I'm good. Thanks for letting me come by," he said while standing up. "I'll let myself out." Thank God he was finally leaving.
Dez POV "Who was that guy?" Piero frowned and said, "Darren, the alpha of the pack next to ours." "I'm guessing that you don't like him?" "Not at all. He's such an ass." "Wow, I'm sensing a lot of hate. What did he do to you?" "He's just one of those people that get on your nerves and make your blood boil." "Totally get what you mean." "I hope you never have to deal with him..."
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Not relevant to this story but it's funny:
https://ilvologifs.tumblr.com/tagged/piero
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