The Nerd's Secret |Ongoing|

☫ Chapter 26 ☫

☫ Chapter 26 ☫

I might as well be an abomination to humankind.

     "Concentrate!" Jude yelled and went for a straight punch.

      I ducked and slid my foot in an attempt to trip him. And he trusted me. How could I just do that to him? Oh my goodness, I'm a horrible person. Horrible. Just horrible. Dr. Robertson is going to hate me. 

     "Jeremiah!" He snapped, clicking his tongue in aggravation and shaking his head. "Get your mind out of the bloody gutter and concentrate.

    "I-I'm trying," I said breathlessly, short exhales escaping my lips, making my throat dry and sore.  But I'm kind of a terrible person right now and it's hard.

      Jude gave me a side eye stare filled with disbelief. I found myself sheepishly hiding a grin at that. The look on him was amusing. It was a rare sight. 

     I did a little jump into the T stance and nodded my head, gesturing for him to continue. He raised an eyebrow but obliged despite the apprehension he must have been feeling.

    Okay, let's not think about the whole situation with Dr. Roberston and how I'm officially every bad word in the book.

     Besides, this is good. I mean, I'm not a violent person but there's something therapeutic about boxing. There was a science behind it, that I was sure of that. If I recall correctly it was like a stress reliever-- endorphins were being stimulated. All this punching was relieving the muscle tension that had been accumulated through stress, thus the title, stress reliever. Maybe that's why I was beginning to like it.

     "Apricot!"

     My nose scrunched up at the word he said with such a serious tone. I did a double take, almost getting punched in the face during the process. I quickly dodged it, my eyes wide and heartbeat quickening. 

     Did I hear correctly? Did he just say apricot? He never told me anything about the word apricot. Is this more boxing terminology? I doubt he's talking about the actual fruit.

     I pursed my lips. I thought we already reviewed all of that in the beginning. Ugh. I'm so confused right now. I genuinely believed that I was finally understanding this all.

     "Uppercut, Jeremiah!" Jude instructed, not seeming to notice my sudden panic. 

     Oh, uppercut, yeah. That makes much more sense than apricot. 

     We were both in the boxing ring with our fighting positions planted firmly. I was absolutely breathless and a mess. I squinted my eyes, panting and pathetically trying to throw a punch. I stumbled a bit as Jude avoided the hit with ease. He was calm and nowhere near as exhausted as I was. I could see him going in for a right hook. He was aiming for my stomach. I could see it so clearly. This birds-eye vision wouldn't let me not see it. But I was too tired to even dodge it. I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally preparing myself for the pain. 

     The hit never came.

     I opened my eyes slowly.

     "Never," Jude began sternly, clenching his jaw with anger. "Never ever do that."

     I stared at him, puzzled with the way he was reacting so strongly. "I--"

     "Always fight back," he continued appearing almost disappointed. His forehead was creased and his eyebrows drawn together. I frowned and looked down, rubbing my arm. He let out a low sigh. "Hey, Jeremiah, it's fine, but come on. You're better than that, bruv."