Expelled

by Claire Adams

  I started getting things ready to go. Coach always took care of things like Gatorade, first aid kits, ice, tape―all the things I needed in order to stay hydrated and safe. I always brought my lucky gloves, though no one used shin pads or headgear in professional MMA fights. I wouldn't need much else except my fighting outfit, which consisted of shorts and a T-shirt that had the school sponsorship logo on it. I put everything I needed in my gym bag, and set it by the door. Now it was “me” time. Kyle was hanging out with video games, and that wasn't the scene I wanted before heading out for my fight.

  I headed back into my bedroom and closed the door. I put some meditation music on my iPod and lay down on my bed. I got in a comfortable position, and placed the earbuds in my ears. I turned on the iPod, and the music found its way into my head. I needed to zone out to experience my win in my head before I ever got into the ring. I needed to be a winner before I ever got out there. My goals would be realized before I even left my apartment; it was all part of how I won―not only in fighting, but in life, as well.

  As the music took over, I imagined myself warming up with Coach, getting my head in the game, moving the way I was taught, throwing punches and kicks. Next, I imagined what it would be like to hear my opponent’s name called out in the ring. I imagined what it was like to know he had already lost, and was only going out to meet a good, old-fashioned beating. I then pictured my own name being called, the music that I had handpicked for my walkout playing through the speakers as I broke through the curtains, my team following close behind. I imagined my team, and how hard they, too, had worked to make sure I arrived that night prepared for the fight. To know that I was ready to knock out my opponent. They were there to support me, and would have my back no matter what.

  I would walk down the aisle proudly, with my head held high, waiting to destroy. I would not have that natural fight or flight instinct that kicked in when I knew I was about to enter the cage with another man who looked to cause harm. I was now at the octagon door, my team placing Vaseline on my eyebrows, talking to me, preparing me for what lay ahead. I removed my shirt and walked into the ring. I envisioned the bell going off, and I struck my way into a knockout as I pummeled my opponent, never allowing him a chance to break my guard. I landed a sweet head kick that knocked him out, and he never got back up. It was my goal to get him done in the first round, because no one liked working overtime when they didn’t get paid more to do so. The crowd was going nuts around me, and I raised my hands high, knowing I was the victor before the judges called it.

  I opened my eyes, and I was already smiling. I turned off the music, took the earbuds out of my ears, and set aside my iPod. I lay there for a few minutes, reveling in the feelings I was experiencing at that moment. I was king of the world, and no one could have taken anything away from me just then. I had never felt more alive, and I couldn't wait to unleash that feeling tonight when the fight was live.

  I rolled out of bed and headed back out to the living area. Kyle was predictably, as always, still playing his video games. I hadn't realized I had been meditating for an hour; time flew when I was enjoying a victory.

  “Hey, man, are you coming to the fights?”

  Kyle looked up briefly from his game. “Not sure yet. I may have plans.”

  I almost laughed out loud. Yeah, plans that consisted of drinking beer and playing video games all night.

  “Okay, I will see ya later then; I'm heading to the gym.”

  “Cool. Good luck tonight, Jet. Make us all proud.”

  “Will do,” I waved as I picked up my gym bag and opened the door, heading out.

  I grabbed my gym bag out of my car and headed into the gym arena. The fights were taking place at our gym this time, and they had transformed the area into a fighting arena. It looked amazing, and it got me jacked up in anticipation for the fights. I headed to the locker room, where I would find my coach, as well as the rest of my teammates. I was the main card for the evening, but I wasn't the only one of my teammates fighting on a card tonight. There were three other guys preparing for a fight as well.

  I walked in, and everyone yelled out hi, or various forms of good wishes. I did the same, and went to go find my coach.

  “Hey, Robbie, how's it going?”

  “Great, buddy. How are you?”

  “I feel great. I can't wait to get in there and destroy that guy.”

  “That's just what I like to hear. Make sure you stay hydrated with some water throughout your warmup. Give me a minute, and we will wrap your hands.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I headed to the cooler, and at that moment wondered what Natalie was doing with her evening. She would probably be bored to tears at an event such as this. I got a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and brought them back to the locker room. I downed one immediately, and saved the other for later. There were a couple of girls hovering around the locker area, and I had to assume they were girlfriends of the other fighters. I wondered what it would be like having a girl standing in my corner, cheering me on. I had never had a long-term girlfriend before, and my conquests were never invited this close to my fights. On occasion, one would be in the audience at the fight, but they were never allowed near the corner, or in the locker room. They were only my prizes after I had won the fight, or my consolation prize, if I lost. The idea that someone would be there to kiss me good luck, and support me like a team member, was interesting. I walked back into the locker room and went to talk to the other two fighters.

  “Hey, Craig, are you ready to go to war tonight, or what?”

  “Hey, Jet, yeah, are you kidding me. I can't wait. I hope to accumulate the same record you have.”

  “Oh, you will. It just takes time. You're a strong fighter, man, you will do just fine.”

  “Thanks.”

  Joshua was the other fighter going out tonight, and he joined our conversation when he noticed me talking to Craig. “Hey, man, I can't wait to see your fight tonight. I heard your opponent is brutal. He hasn't lost yet, at least.”

  “Not yet he hasn't, but he will. I'm ending his clean record tonight.”

  They laughed. “That's the spirit, man; it's gonna be a great fight, can't wait.”

  “Well good luck, guys, and I will see you out there.”

  Before I went to get my hands wrapped, I had to go do my weigh-in to make sure I was on par for the fight. They had a medical table set up around the octagon for the time being, so I headed over there. There weren't many people there, and I didn't see my opponent at all yet. It was my turn to head up, and I went on the scale to get weighed. They marked down that I met my weight for category. They took a picture of me, and I headed back toward the locker room.

  When I went inside, Coach waved to me, and I headed over to the back area, where he had set up some chairs to wrap the fighters’ hands.

  “So how did the opposing fighters feel about being located in the girls’ locker room?”

  Robbie laughed out loud. “Well, hopefully, it fucked with their heads a bit.”

  I chuckled along with him. I watched as he finished wrapping Craig’s hands and waved him off. He got up out of the chair, and Joshua sat down. They would be fighting first, so they needed to get ready before I did. I would be the last fight of the night.

  “Things are starting to get busy out there. They are ready to go.”

  “Good, you can help me start warming up the boys in about 20 minutes, and we will get them ready for their fights.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He finished wrapping Joshua, and the guy moved on. Robbie was a genius at wrapping; he could do a solid, protective job of wrapping knuckles quickly. He was the best coach I had ever had. I was lucky to have him.

  He started weaving the cotton wraps over and over on top of each other, until he made a thick blanket of them. He proceeded to place that tiny blanket over my knuckles. When he was done, he taped them down. After that, he taped until my hand was as secure and safe as it could be inside my
glove. I would not be breaking my hands that night. He did the same with the other hand, and I thanked him.

  “Okay, Jet, let's get these fighters ready to go.”

  Chapter Seven

  Natalie

  My day had gone terribly. I was thoroughly exhausted from working on my writing project that day. It was more tiring doing a mental project than going to the gym for an hour. All I wanted to do was relax at home for the evening, but that wasn't what life had in store for me. No, instead, my wonderful photography class was meeting at the gymnasium that night for a live project. I couldn't imagine what it was all about, but either way, I wasn't looking forward to it. I was finishing a cup of tea at the kitchen table when I pulled out my digital Canon SLR. I wanted to make sure it was clean and ready to go for the project. I made sure that there was nothing obstructing the lens, and I blew inside it to make sure there were no dust particles. I cleaned the front of the lens with special cleaner, and put the lens cap back on. I had purchased the camera used at a pawn shop when I started school, and it had been perfect. I had fallen in love with the images it provided, and it was one of my most prized possessions.

  I checked to make sure that the battery was fully charged, and that I had an extra one in my bag, just in case. I doubted I would need it, as I would only be out for a few hours, but I wanted to be prepared for anything. I finished my tea and went to get ready to head to the school.

  The gymnasium was far crazier than I expected; it was no random basketball game playing that night. It was the big MMA fight that Jet had been preparing for. To see what a big deal MMA was to the school was a shock to my system. When I walked in, I saw that they had transformed the gym into an arena for the fights. I barely recognized it. You would not know the difference between a fight there and a live UFC event, except for the amount of people we could fit in our gym. I panicked briefly, because I wasn't sure how I was going to find my class in all the madness. I could feel the charged energy emanating from the room, and I could almost smell the bloodlust in the room. It was kind of exciting being in the middle of it all.

  One of my classmates waved to me from the front, near the octagon. I hurried over, and took a seat beside Brenda.

  “Oh my God, I had no idea the fights were on tonight.”

  “Natalie, you need to get out more. Even I knew your boy was fighting tonight.”

  “He's not my boy.”

  “Well, that's a crying shame.”

  I nudged her with my elbow. “These are great seats.” We were essentially right beside the octagon, and would have a great view of the fights.

  “Yeah, the professor spared no expense. We couldn't exactly do our project properly if we couldn't see anything.”

  I knew immediately that I would need to change my aperture and shutter speed to allow me to stop action. I did that while I had a spare moment. I looked around the room to see if I could see Jet, but he was nowhere to be found. They probably kept him hidden until the last moment. Our professor arrived, and did roll call to make sure we were all present.

  “Alright guys, as I'm sure you have guessed by now, we are here to document the fights for the school. They want to be able to post these pictures on the website, and I'm sure the fighters themselves will want images as well, so make sure you do your absolute best. Try to look for unique angles, kickass techniques―the kind of photos that make people gasp. That's just one aspect of the job tonight. I want you to also keep in mind while you are shooting photos that you will need to submit eight pictures capturing live action, so again, submit your best pics of one fighter in particular. The rest you can give to the school for their purposes. All students will be paid a fee for helping the school capture this event, so lucky you!”

  The class cheered; nothing was better than getting paid for work you had to do anyway. I already knew which fighter I was going to use for my live action shots, and I thought the whole experience would also work really well in my story. I was so excited to get to see his fight now. I planned on taking some pretty kickass shots.

  It wasn't long before the fights got underway, and I was surprised at how loud the arena became. People got pretty fired up when it came time for a fighter to come out into the cage. I watched a few of the fights with growing interest. I could pick out some of the techniques that Jet had shown me, and I smiled as one of the school’s players won his match.

  I took a long intermission, and went to find something to drink. The fights were longer than I had anticipated, and I was thirsty. I recognized a guy over at the drink area, and went to say hi.

  “Hey, Brian, how are you?”

  He turned, and his face lit up when he saw me.

  “Hey, Natalie, nice to see you. I'm surprised to see you here, actually,” he laughed. “Are you here to see Jet fight?”

  “Ahh, no. Well, I guess, but I'm here because my photography class is here to take the event pictures for the night. I didn't even know the fights were on tonight,” I blushed nervously.

  “Oh, cool. Well, I'm glad to see you.”

  “Thanks. Are you fighting tonight?”

  “No, not yet. I'm preparing for my first fight, but I wasn't put on this card. Jet is actually the last fight after this one.”

  I nodded. “Oh, I see.”

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Sure, a bottle of water would be great.”

  He grabbed me one, and handed it over.

  “Thank you.”

  I stood there and chatted with him for a while until the fight ended, with Craig losing his fight for the night. It made me feel bad for him. It couldn't be easy facing your corner and teammates after losing a fight you spent months preparing for.

  “Well, I better get back over there, so I can get these photos taken and go home.”

  He smiled. “Okay, well, I'll see ya around.”

  “Sure,” I waved as I walked away from him. Brian seemed like a really sweet guy. I continued on down the aisle until I found my seat. I squeezed back in beside Brenda, and got my camera ready for the last fight of the night.

  “Are you excited?” she asked me.

  “Yeah, of course. This is crazy fun.”

  “Are you going to make Jet feel better if he loses?” she cackled after she said it.

  “Forget that, Brenda. He can lick his own wounds.”

  “You're no fun.”

  An announcement was made that the final card was ready to go. When they announced Jet's opponent, the crowd went wild. I couldn't be sure if he was receiving cheers, or if they all hated him. It was hard not to get pumped up with all the action going on around me. The fighter headed to the octagon, where he briefly met with his team, and then went inside the cage to wait for Jet.

  New music started to play, and Jet's name was announced. The screams behind me were at an all-time high. The lungs of the women behind me had to be close to bursting as they screamed Jet's name. I almost turned around to glare at them, but then I deemed that behavior inappropriate. They were just anxious to see him come out and head to the cage, and I was kind of excited to see him come out, as well. I had never been to an event like this, and knowing someone who was involved in it made it all the more interesting. It was really exciting when he burst through the curtain and started to make his way toward the octagon.

  Someone screamed, “Jetttt!!” At that moment, everyone got up from their seats as he made his way down, and the high they had for him was addictive. He had a killer smile on his face, and he headed down with a cocky look on his face. The crowd screamed even louder; there were definitely a lot of fans there to see him. I watched as he met with his team and got ready for the fight. He tore his shirt off and tossed it aside, which made the ladies in the crowd go wild. He turned and smiled at the crowd, and it was then that he caught my eye. To say that he was stunned to see me in the crowd was the understatement of the year. A slow smile played on my lips, as my heart was beating furiously in my chest, like a cage full of wild horses. He turned away from m
e quickly, and I couldn't read the expression on his face. I suddenly couldn't breathe, and held my breath until the bell rang and the fight began. I immediately lifted my camera up to make sure I was ready to catch the shots I wanted.

  The opponent’s name was Dillon, and as soon as Jet moved forward, he threw a kick and landed it right in Jet's rib cage. He hit so hard, something that I didn't expect, that it caused me to whisper a silent no at the sight of it. Jet didn’t check the kick―instead he ate it, and I could tell he didn’t like it. He recovered quickly, however, and went in with a four-punch combination that landed wonderfully on Dillon's face, causing his head to snap back repeatedly. Jet's body was strong and flexible, and his movements were fluid―almost like watching a violent dance. It was pleasing to the eye to watch his powerful muscles in action. The crowd started to boo as Jet took another hit to his torso, and I prayed that he wouldn’t crack his ribs.

  Dillon followed with an uppercut to Jet's chin. As Jet's head flew up, blood splattered the mat. I was snapping pictures in quick succession, my heart pounding in fear along with the shutter. I couldn't believe the reaction I experienced when he took a hit.

  Jet regained his position, keeping his guard up, and moved in toward Dillon. I could hear his corner yelling for him to build up to something. He was clearly a strong fighter, and didn’t seem winded at all while he was fighting. Dillon, however, seemed to be getting tired. He moved in too quickly, and went in for another body shot to his side, dropping Jet down to one knee.

  A scream tore out of me that surprised Brenda beside me. “No!” There were screams behind me from the other women whose hearts Jet seemed to have stolen. They were screaming for him to get back up and fight. Jet's eyes flickered toward me, and he got up off the mat and swung, hitting Dillon square in the jaw, pushing him back into the cage walls. Jet took the opportunity to regain his position before Dillon moved toward him again.