There's A Fighter In Me

Chapter 1: Fighter's Club

Chapter 1:

It's 6 am and I'm up and about. I've ditched my homework and I'm ready for a whole day in Fighter's Club, my safe heaven. For once, Mom allow me to go to Fighter's Club for a whole day. And there could only be one reason behind it - She wants me to do something for her. And although I know whatever it is I'll have to do, it won't be good and I'm too excited to think about it.

I'll finally have some downtime with Dad in the gym. I never practice my sweet moves at home, so the only place for me to practice is at the gym. I love the place and the people there too. Nobody calls me a nerd and nobody underestimates me.

I clothe myself in sweatpants and a t-shirt and head out my bedroom door. Mom is still asleep, so I tiptoe down the hallway to the kitchen to eat my breakfast of eggs and bacon with Dad. I sling my bag against my shoulder and run out the door, eager for a gush of fresh air - And I get exactly what I want. I grin widely as the breeze brushes through my cheeks. I feel so blissful, standing in the driveway, arms spread out wide. It's something that I rarely feel, what with all the criticism and pain I experience at school. As Dad tells me to get in the car, I enjoy the last few moments of my curtailed joy.

"Annie dear, how are you getting on with school?" Dad breaks the ice after a few silent minutes in the car.

"Same as always, I guess," I answer in a rather hushed voice.

Dad looks at me with concern as he tells me about how he used to be taunted at school too. I flash him a tiny smile before closing my eyes, blocking out the world.

It's funny how they say that high school can really change a person. Most people I know walk out of high school with that same old attitude and a hint of post-graduate maturity. Nothing special or new. And I have a feeling that I'll just be another example of how sometimes, one doesn't change after high school. I'll just be the same Annie Dexter, probably headed off for college, or venturing into business - Nothing too unpredictable, though. But I still count myself lucky because I'll have a career, unlike most of my lazy classmates. And even if I couldn't find a decent and respectable job, I could always work for Dad at Fighter's Club.

Dad wakes me up and I awake with a jolt. I didn't even realise that I had dozed off. Well, what can I say? Being invisible gives me the opportunity to daydream 24/7.

As Dad unlocks the front door of the gym, I pull my blond hair back into a sleek ponytail and smooth out my t-shirt. It's from the gym's merchandise and it says 'There's A Fighter In Me'. It's my motto and has always been ever since I got the shirt. It truly describes me as deep under all the glasses and nerdiness, there's a fighter in me, waiting for the right moment to be unleashed. But the only person who knows of this is Tracy. And she totally agrees with me.

Tracy Elizabeth, my best friend and confidante. She's no more invisible than I am despite her height. She's beautiful, with blue eyes and blonde bangs. She used to be a really popular girl until she had a major feud with her best friend. Since then, she just stayed in the shadows and decided that being at the bottom of the high school hierarchy wouldn't be that bad.