The Hart Game

Chapter Seven

LUKE

I can do this. Stay focused. Head down, hands up. Just keep fighting. Take this man down and you win. But who is he? He hasn't shown his face yet, but something about him sends chills down my spine. I'm waiting in the corner of the ring. High paying people betting against who will win this fight. Scott is not telling me who I'm fighting against. He's wearing his hood, and I can't see his face. People are cheering, screaming in my ear.

"One knockout, Luke! That's all its gonna take. You can do this!" Scott yells in my ear. He's rubbing my shoulders trying to relax me but it's doing nothing for how tense I am. Something in me is just telling me that I may not come out of this the same.

"Garrick! You ready?" The Ref asks coming towards, all I can is nod. Then he goes to my opponent and asks the same. I can see him nod. Scott helps with my hand bandages and I make my way to the center of the ring. Bouncing up and down trying to keep my adrenaline up. My opponent finally shows his face and I freeze in my spot.

My chest starts to tighten as I look into those hazel eyes that have haunted me for almost two years. The air around me slowly contracting from my lungs making it difficult to breath. I can hear Scott and Brady asking me what was wrong. But all I can really hear is faint screams of everyone around me and my own beating heart getting louder and louder by the second.

Kyle is just standing there looking at me as if in disappointment. His head has blood running down. He looks like a walking corpse with the same hazel eyes. I feel like I can't move from my spot. He's still looking at me but this time it's like he's looking into me, like he always does. He was the only one that knew the real me.

"Kyle?" I say almost in a whisper as he walks up to me putting his hands up. I'm still frozen in place, trying to move but it's like I'm paralyzed, stunned. He throws a punch and I still don't move but my cheek is hurting. Moments past and he's punching me again and again and again. I'm begging for him to stop and telling him I'm sorry and to forgive me. It wasn't my fault. "Please Kyle! Please! I'm Sorry!"

Punches after punches but he is still not stopping. Soon he throws me to the ground. I keep trying to fight back, but I'm still paralyzed. He stands over me and I'm looking at him silently begging him. He's looking at me then I see his lips moving but nothing is coming out. I try to ask what he's saying but nothing is coming out either. Then it's coming in clearly now. He's saying my name.

"Luke! Luke wake up!"

What?

"Luke! Wake up!"

"Luke! Wake up! You're going to be late for school." My mom's face comes to view. And I'm glad that it's only a dream. Or more like a nightmare. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine, just bad dream. What time is it?" I ask getting up and looking at the clock. It reads 7:45am. Shit! I'm going to be late. I get up fast before my mom answers but when I run to the bathroom, I trip over something big. I look over and see Brady still sleeping on the floor as if I didn't just hit him. There can be an earthquake and he can still be sleeping peacefully. My mom leaves to the kitchen and I'm rushing to brush my teeth and gather everything.

I barely make it to school before the first bell. Most of the night I stayed up with Scott and Brady, reminiscing about the good ole days back in Minnesota. My dad had to come downstairs to tell us to be quiet at least five times. So now I'm running inside the school with sweatpants and a hoodie hoping people wouldn't notice the bags under my eyes. If you glance at me, you would think that I was hungover. I might as well been.