Sugar Coated Pain [Boxer!Calum Hood AU] PUBLISHED -- SAMPLE ONLY

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

ALL OF NOELLE'S questions were answered as soon as they stepped through a pair of—what Ashton told her—soundproof doors leading them inside an old building somewhere in Brooklyn, her mouth drying and eyes widening as they stepped within an unexpectedly rambunctious environment. The stench of alcohol mixed with cigarettes lingered in the air, along with what reminded Noelle of a dirty men's locker room and the unmistakable coppery smell of blood. Her hand, which was clasped with Beverly's, tightened its grip instinctively as she took in the roars of the people inside—people who mostly consisted of men either her age or older, with only a handful of women sprinkled around the boisterous group, most of who were gripping bottles and cans of beers in their hands as well as some holding little paper slips.

But it wasn't just the people screaming that had Noelle's heart jumping in her throat—it was what they were screaming at. They were all gathered around in a square, along the perimeter of what Noelle realized in astonishment to be a boxing ring, where right in the middle two men, to put it simply, were beating the shit out of each other. Noelle's eyes widened at the violent sight, feeling her feet freeze as she noticed that the two men weren't even wearing gloves—just bare fists connecting with skin as they tried to knock each other down. The atmosphere was laden with excitement and tension as Noelle made out some of what the people were shouting; calling out insults or praises towards the two fighters and cheering or jeering when either one landed a hit or got hit.

What in the actual fuck?

Noelle stumbled slightly as Beverly pulled her along, tightening her grip on her younger sister's hand as her other one held Ashton's, who was guiding them through the thick crowd. And while her gaze never wavered from the ring, staring at a tattooed brown skinned man punch a darker skinned man in the face with eyes widened and lips parted in both shock and mild horror, Noelle did feel her skin prickle in discomfort. She could feel shifty eyes belonging to the overzealous men on her.

Which, much to her chagrin, wasn't surprising because she was in the midst of a crowd full of uproarious men filled with testosterone, wearing a loose full sleeved crop top and black leather shorts that exposed her legs. Some men looked away from the ring long enough to admire her legs and Noelle let Beverly pull her along to get away from them, her gut twisting at the unwanted stares.

"Fucking shit," she heard Ashton curse from ahead, looking at his profile as he stared at the ring, brows drawn together in an exasperated glare. Suddenly they were at the front of the crowd, approaching one corner of the ring where Noelle saw two guys leaning their fronts on it. "Why the hell didn't he wait for me?" Ashton demanded towards the guys, who looked over at the sound of his voice over the exuberant crowd.

So much was happening at once, Noelle had no idea where to focus. The men behind and around her were cheering nonstop, there were two guys beating each other up where she noticed drops of blood splattered on the floor of the white ring, and Ashton was staring at two other guys in frustrated anger. And even though Noelle was no longer looking into the ring, she winced every time she heard the unmistakable sound of fist colliding with skin.

"He said you were taking too long," one of the guys responded to Ashton with a casual shrug. Noelle noticed he was tall, taller than Ashton and the other guy, with hair blonder, curlier and slightly longer than Ashton's and bright blue eyes. He was handsome, just like Ashton and the other guy who stood next to them in glasses, blonde hair swooping into a fringe he somehow worked yet was hidden under a beanie. It was the middle of summer in the city—wasn't he hot in that beanie? "It's not a set match, Ash. Montgomery was ready to fight anyone if Calum didn't get in the ring and he wasn't about to pass on the money people were betting. Besides, they're already on the last round."