I Wish I could Fight you, but I can't

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Beck's POV

"So, you ready for this afternoon?" Andre asks me, shouldering his backpack. He, Robbie, Rex and I are waiting in line at Omar's for our pizza. We all have a study period in period five so we decided to go out for lunch. Tori said she was busy and couldn't join us, which I was disappointed by but I don't mind. Why? Because tonight I finally get to kiss her. I nod as a reply to Andre's question. "Large supreme for Andre?" yells the chef and we head over and collect the box. I sit down on one of the plastic tables out the front of the Resteraunt. It's an overcast day, the clouds hanging over Los Angeles a light grey colour. The sun is poking through a gap, shining down warm rays. Robbie hands me a soda and I thank him, taking a long drink through the straw. "Alright, dig in boys" Andre puts the cardboard box down on the table with the lid open. We all (well, except Rex I guess) grab a slice.

"Hey Rob, you gonna work the camera?" Andre asks through a mouthful. Robbie swallows before replying. "Yep, Sinjin and Burf are going to help me with lighting, but with my new ZX-35 Canon camcorder, that shouldn't be a problem" He says smugly. "Nerd" Rex snorts and Andre and I laugh. Robbie glares down at the puppet in his lap. His expression changes as he looks up. "Oh my chiz!" He gasps. I raise an eyebrow. "You have another accident? Because I didn't bring spare pants for you" I grin and Andre laughs again. "No, no look over there" Robbie ignores my comment so we follow his gaze. He's looking over at a large brick building with tall windows. Printed across a sheet of glass is "The Jungle Gym". There's a little bubble over the top reading "Home of CFC champion Shelby Marx!" I remember the name from that video I watched the other night. "Oh no way, Shelby Marx?" Andre says excitedly, taking a drink. "I'm not gonna lie, that chick's hot" Rex admits and I roll my eyes. Gross. "Oh man, I love Shelby Marx, she's so so hot" Robbie sighs. Andre and I share a quick glance, both thinking "Robbie would get pounded into the ground by that girl. "You've got a point there Rob, that girl's got style" Andre replies with a nod. Robbie looks at me expectantly. "What?" I laugh, pulling apart two slices of pizza and shovelling one into my mouth. "You think Shelby's hot too?" He asks, pushing his glasses up. I shrug. "Yeah, I guess so, she's crazy fit" Rex gives me a nod of approval and I raise my eyebrows at him.

"We should go over there, see if we can meet her" Andre says and Robbie laughs, wiping a tear away. Andre and I share a glance. "Oh poor sweet, stupid Andre" Robbie sighs. "Why exactly am I stupid?" Andre asks with a frown. Robbie scoffs. "She's the best young female fighter in the WORLD, we can't just walk right in" I shrug. "Sure we can, we'll just go through the back door" Robbie laughs again, then realises I'm being serious. "Oh, well...alright-y then!" I can see him tense up and his hands start to sweat.

We finish our pizza and walk over to "The Jungle Gym". A sign on the glass double doors reads "Gym closed for Shelby Marx's use, platinum members may enter through the rear entrance, Thank you!" I look through the glass and see that the front desk is empty. "See? No way in, oh well" Robbie says nervously and spins on his heel. Andre grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him back. "Wait, the back door" Robbie frowns. "But that's only for platinum members!" He whines. Andre and I grin. "Who says we're not platinum members" I say casually. Robbie pales and opens his mouth to object but Andre and I haul him around the back of the building. We creep around the corner and Andre spots a small door on the side. I reach out and turn the door knob. The door swings inward, revealing a hallway. "Too easy" I mutter to myself. "C'mon boys" I say, louder this time. Andre follows me in but Robbie stays planted. "Guys, this isn't allowed, what if we get caught!" He protests. Before Andre and I say anything, Rex pipes up. "C'mon Rob, don't be a weenie" He grumbles. Robbie reddens. Andre gestures to the open door. Robbie hesitates, before sighing and walking through. "Hey, there you go" I pat him on the shoulder. Robbie exhales. "But if we get caught-"

"Relax dude!" Andre cuts in. "We're just gonna see if we can find Shelby, then we'll go" I nod and Robbie looks away. We walk down the hall before spotting a little room. Andre steps inside and I follow. "No...freaking...way" He breathes.

I think we may have entered Shelby's private locker room. There's a large couch on one side with a small coffee table. Posters of Shelby's best fights are stuck up on the wall. A mini fridge is stocked with sports drinks and protein bars. Another door leads to a small bathroom off to the side and there's a large gym locker built into the wall. The third wall is a large sheet of one way glass, looking out onto the gym. That's when I spot her. She's darting around a figure clothed in red protective gear. Her lean body is gleaming with sweat as she jabs, punches and kicks. Her toned stomach is on display, she wears a red and blue sports bra and little satin shorts in the same colours. Her hands are in padded blue gloves. A Latino man is standing to the side, yelling out things in Spanish. They must be fighting moves, as every time he yells, Shelby does something different. I can hear AC/DC playing through the gym speakers and Shelby attacks in time with the music. "Wow" Andre breathes. I look over to Robbie, whose speechless as well. He's dropped Rex and his arms are hanging limply beside him. "That girl is a machine!" Andre says to no one in particular. "Wonder when she's gonna take that guy out" I reply. Shelby quickly answers my question.

Quick as a flash, Shelby leans forward onto her hands and springs herself up onto the man's shoulders in a backflip, slamming him downward. Her leg drapes over his torso and she pins his arm behind his head. With his free hand, the guy in red quickly taps the ground and she releases him. "Well then" Andre raises his eyebrows. Shelby gets up off the floor laughing, her smile shining. She helps the padded man up and pats him on the back. The latino man tosses her a towel and she wipes her sweaty face. "Very nice niña, Feckner won't stand a chance, all we have to do his perfect that routine and you'll remain Champion!" He cheers the last word and Shelby laughs again. Something about her laugh, the way her head tips back slightly and her nose scrunches; it's very very familiar. "Don't get ahead of yourself Juan" She chides, tossing the towel over her shoulder. Juan puts an arm around her shoulder and squeezes. "Hit the showers niña, you've had enough for today" He says gently. I wonder if he might be her father? She nods and heads towards a door. Then I realise something. "Guys, guys she's coming!" I hiss. Andre and Robbie's eyes widen, they grab Rex off the floor and we all dive behind the couch just as the doorknob turns.

Crap.