by Claire Adams
I would like to think that one day I could wipe his image from her mind completely, so that she would never have a need to think of him again. That was my hope, because considering what little I knew about him, I would never want her to miss a guy like that, but instead be with someone that made her grateful that she was no longer with him.
Maybe she didn't think about people at all. It was possible that when she drew that she imagined places instead of bodies, or maybe her mind went to superficial areas and she thought of last night’s episode of Law & Order or The Office. Did she think about what she was cooking for dinner that evening or what homework she had to do? Was it at all possible that she thought of me just as much as I thought of her? The girl was a mystery, and one that I thought I may never be able to figure out, but one thing was for certain, and that was that I wanted to figure her out. I wanted to know about the things that went through her mind. I wanted to know everything.
What made her happy? Yes, that was very important, and I needed to know that part of her. What made her tick, and what would push her away from me? That was the last thing I would ever want. I had finally won over the little vixen; the last thing I wanted to do was to lose her.
Those were the thoughts that pored through my head as she sat there in silence drawing me. When she finally looked up to let me know she was finished, she smiled in a way that made me think I might be the luckiest guy in the world.
Chapter Five
Natalie
Class had ended, and I was due to get to the training center right after to meet Jet for more self-defense training. I’d had a headache all day, and no amount of pain medication made it go away. I almost teared up when I closed my eyes to try to alleviate the pain. I knew what the problem was; I was stressed out about training with Katie again. I had just about enough of seeing her flirt with Jet, and now that he was my boyfriend I was far less willing to deal with it. I wished that she didn't have to be a part of my training but I understood how important it was for me to work with a female, since in a fight I would only be up against a woman of my own size.
I liked working with Jet, though, and it's not like I ever intended on going in for a real fight, so there was no reason for me to have to train with other women. Well, at least not women who wanted to steal my boyfriend away from me. And this was no normal female; she was gorgeous and more fit then I would probably ever be, and she was “one of the guys.” Guys always loved those girls, the kind who would go to a baseball game and eat hot dogs and drink beers with you. I was not that kind of girl. Not that I would ever be opposed to going to a game, but I had never been before, and I certainly wasn't “into” sports.
I knew that as soon as I saw Katie, my migraine would probably make my head explode. But I needed to get over there and not be late, as the later I was, the more time Katie had to spend with Jet alone. I would just get the session over with and then go home. I’d make myself some tea and a bath, and retire to bed early that evening. It was a surefire way of getting rid of my headache.
When I walked into the gym I looked around. I saw Jet on the bench waiting for me, and after a quick scan around, I didn't see Katie anywhere. Maybe she was still in the locker room changing.
“Hi Jet.”
He looked up from where he was sitting and smiled.
“Hi, baby, are you ready to work hard today?”
“Is it just us?”
He smiled. “Yeah, is that okay?”
I nodded, and just like that, I started to feel much better about the day. I wondered if Jet consciously didn't invite Katie or if it was just a scheduling issue.
We did a circuit, which was a little more extreme than I had anticipated in terms of a workout. But the idea behind the circuits now focused solely around making my kicks and punches more explosive, and therefore more powerful, which made sense to me. The way Jet made me feel while training was incredible. It made me feel like I could take over the world.
I was rounding down to my last few minutes in the circuit. I was dripping sweat everywhere and feeling exhausted. Maybe taking a break from the gym in general the last few days had been a bad idea, but I was feeling energized and alive. I figured I should probably consider hitting the gym more, especially since my boyfriend was there so much. I felt ready to kick some butt.
I thought the circuits were my entire workout, but that wasn't the case at all. Jet wanted to go through my techniques again in regard to my punches and kicks. After we worked on the pads, we started in on defense once again. It was quite incredible how after doing these procedures for so long, things just started to come naturally. Jet didn't even have to tell me what he was throwing―I would just automatically react to the movement I saw in his shoulders, and move to avoid whatever he was throwing my way. It was all really quite astounding, and it made me respect the game that much more.
After our pad work was complete, Jet took me over to a matted area and we did windshield wiper ab exercises, which to me were easily the hardest exercises I had ever done with my abs. As he applied pressure to my legs and pushed them away, I had to stay stabilized within my core, and raise them back up again.
We also did a medicine ball exercise that consisted of Jet dropping a large weighted medicine ball on my stomach as I released my breath. Not only was it meant to strengthen my core, but it was to train me how to breathe out when throwing punches or taking hits. If I had no air inside my body when I took a hit, then someone couldn't knock the wind out of me.
“Do you want to see something cool?” Jet asked.
“Sure.”
“I'm going to jump on your stomach.”
“What? You can't do that. You will crush me; you're too heavy.”
“No, I'm not at all. I will jump on quickly and jump right off. If you keep your core tight and flexed, it won't hurt you at all.”
I agreed to allow him, but I was nervous about it. I decided to trust him, though.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded as I focused on keeping my abs flexed. He jumped lightly on top of my stomach, and although I felt the pressure of his weight, it didn't hurt at all, and he jumped back off. I laughed. “Wow, that was kind of cool.”
He held his hand out to help me off the mat.
“So, how do you feel about fighting an amateur MMA fight, just as practice to test your skills?”
“Are you joking? Jet, I'm not a fighter. I've just been coming here for fun.”
“I know, and that's okay, but you will get to see how much you have progressed, and I think it would be fun. Everyone else who fights amateur is doing it for fun as well, and they are just as inexperienced as you are.”
I stared at him and thought about it. The idea terrified me in a way, and I wasn't sure how to respond, as I didn't want Jet to think I was weak. “I don't know if I'm comfortable with it.”
“I understand that but look at the girl in the ring, for example.”
I turned to see who he was looking at. She wasn't much bigger than I was, and didn't seem to be much more advanced that I was, either.
“See her? She has only been here for a few weeks, and she's not even sure if she wants to fight a real fight. She just likes coming to train. Would you want to try going one round with her and see how you do? I think it would be really good for you to see how much you’ve learned.”
“Jet, I suck at it. I know that for sure.”
He chuckled. “Natalie, you definitely don't suck at it. Believe me, I would never even suggest this if I didn't think you were ready. I have no interest in humiliating you. I think you would do really well, and like I said, you are no more experienced than she is, and vice versa. She's the perfect person for you to try fighting with.”
I looked back at the girl and thought, what the hell? You only live once, right?
“Ahh, okay, let's do it.”
The grin he got on his face after that was well worth my acceptance. I loved that smile.
Jet left me momentarily to go and talk to the girl
in the ring. While they were talking the girl looked over at me, smiled, and then nodded to Jet. I was relieved when I didn't see any flirtatiousness from her.
“Okay, you're all set. Get your gear on and meet me in the corner. I will be instructing you throughout the round, so make sure you focus on my voice as you are fighting. You have to just go for it, though. Don't wait for my instructions. Pretend it’s a real fight and remember all the things that I have taught you so far.”
I nodded, terror running through me, and I had the instant urge to flee the scene. I quickly got my shin pads and gloves on. My mouth guard was in place, and I headed into the ring to the corner where Jet stood. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I hoped for his sake that I would not live to regret the moment.
My nerves were jangling, and I had the fight-or-flight reflex warring in my head. It was really freaking me out. This was a lame little practice round; I couldn't imagine how I would feel in a real fight where there was a chance I could get hurt. Jet had warned me about that, everyone had them, he said, you just had to fight through the fear. I had nothing to worry about, though. Jet would be in my corner guiding the fight, and since it wasn't real, I could always stop if I felt I couldn't do it. I waited for the other girl to get ready, and when she got back into the ring, Jet set the timer. The girl was relatively the same size as I was, but a bit more muscular.
The bell rang, and we met in the middle of the ring and touched gloves. We circled each other with Jet in the corner shouting out commands. I went in for a straight one-two, made contact, and then backed off. The girl came back at me, and went with a high kick that I blocked. I couldn't even believe I reacted that quickly but I was also grateful that I had stopped the hit. I came back in, landing an uppercut into the girl's chin. The hit made the girl a little dizzy and she backed off. Seeing a weakness in the girl, I came back in and connected with a roundhouse kick, and then gave her a liver shot. The girl backed off again. I could hear Jet calling my name, and it was amazing how it was only his voice I could hear, and nothing else. I was getting tired, but I looked up and caught my breath, noticing the girl’s hands dropping. I came in quickly with a straight punch and then a left hook, making a connection with her head. When the girl staggered, I swung around and went for the head kick. She didn’t see it coming, and it knocked her flat on her ass. Jet was going nuts, and the fight was called. I had won my first amateur round.
I came out of the ring to where Jet was standing. I ran into his arms, jumped up, and encircled my legs around his waist. I was so excited. I couldn't believe how well I had done. A few weeks ago I would never have thought that was even possible for me to accomplish, and now there I was, I had knocked a girl on her ass with a kick. I didn’t care what anyone thought about me and Jet at that moment--I was on top of the world, and this was my man. I kissed him passionately as the girl came up to me and shook my hand while I was in Jet's arms. She congratulated me, and told me we could train together anytime I wanted to. I was so ridiculously happy at that moment I didn't know what I was going to do.
“My little warrior. I told you that you had come a long way.”
I kissed his mouth, loving the warmth against my skin. “It was so amazing. No wonder you want to do this as your career. It's such a rush, and the feeling is addictive.”
He laughed. “Yes, I know. I'm proud of you, Natalie, you did extremely well. Congratulations, my beauty. She didn't even get a chance to draw blood.”
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. I hadn’t felt that good in quite some time. I was truly blissful in the arms of a man that had helped me get this far. Bring it on, world, because at that moment I felt like I could conquer anything.
It was the night of Jet's fight at the nationals, and I may have been almost as nervous as he was. It was a big night for him, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Julie and I had gotten seats front row center, and the arena at our school was jam-packed. You couldn't fit another body in there, it was that full. I had done girlfriend duty already by being backstage in the locker room with him. I kissed him good luck, and gave him a complimentary smack on his ass as I headed out the door. All eyes had been on me while I was in the locker room with Jet, and I assumed the rumor mills would be cooking in overdrive after that. Despite the fact that there were other girlfriends in the locker room as well, eyes had followed me around the entire time. Maybe I was that big of an anomaly in Jet's life.
I had been thrilled to see Jet's entire family at the fight. His brother and girlfriend were there, as well as a sister I never knew he had, and his mom and dad. Although they were divorced, they still sat side by side in support of their son. I wondered what it had taken to convince Jet's dad to show up that night. Well, at least he was there. That was all that mattered, as I knew it would mean the world to Jet.
“This guy must be in love, Natalie. Look at the seats we are sitting in. Either that, or you give a mean BJ.” Julie laughed, enjoying herself. I couldn't help but laugh; Julie was a riot.
The seats at the fight were magnificent, but Jet wanted me as close to him as humanly possible. And, hello, I was his girlfriend, after all―shouldn't I get great seats? I noticed however that Katie managed to get herself backstage with the teammates. She was going to be part of his corner for the evening, but I refused to let it bother me.
“Well, to be honest, Julie, I haven't got that far with Jet. The penetration alone was quite breathtaking, though. The guy is good, and to be honest, I can't get enough of him.”
“You're kidding me? Well, don't start bragging or anything.”
“No, I'm being honest here. But I am very eager to get the opportunity to give him one.”
“Oh my God, are you in love with this guy?”
“Oh, quiet. We don't need to get into that here. You don't want me to get stoned by all his adoring fans, do you? Besides, it’s a little early for love, don't you think? I was just nominated to be his girlfriend like a week ago.”
“Hey, I've heard of love at first sight, haven't you?”
I cackled. “Well, as you well know, that certainly wasn't the case. We almost killed each other for the first few weeks, and poor Jet, every time I think of the first time we met, I'm surprised the guy didn't curl up into the fetal position after that.”
Julie was laughing pretty hard at that point. “Yeah, you were a real prize that night for sure. Drunk and bitter at the bar and you wouldn't even look at the poor guy.”
“Yeah, and then he asked me to dance. As if I even know how. What a spectacle that would have been.”
“Yeah, dancing isn't exactly your strong suit.”
We were dying laughing in our seats, and I think we were even starting to draw a crowd.
“Here's the moment you all have been waiting for! Come on out, Jetttt!!”
“Oh, Julie, he's coming out.”
The crowd, as usual, were losing their minds screaming at him as he came down the aisle toward the cage. My hard was beating hard in my chest as I watched him come down with his team in tow. He looked so sexy, I thought I would lose my mind. Katie wasn't far behind him as she brought up the rear of his cornering team. The crowd was calling out his name in a fury, and it was obvious that he had some very loyal fans. Jet rushed into the cage and circled it, awaiting his opponent’s arrival. I admired him as he circled the cage, and I could tell he was searching for me in the crowd. When our eyes met, he grinned devilishly. He was a little cockier when he was fighting, and I liked seeing that side of him. Actually, I liked seeing all sides of Jet. I was definitely a lucky girl.
Julie gasped as the other fighter came out and headed down the aisle toward Jet.
“He's so hot!”
“Hey, whose side are you on?”
Julie laughed. “Oh, sorry. He is hot, though. Like, ‘I would throw my own mother off a train just to go out for dinner with him hot’.”
We bent over in fits of laughter again, and I hoped our behavior wouldn't get us kicked out. We weren't even drunk
or anything.
“I love you. Julie, you are so funny.”
“Thanks, girl. But if Jet beats him up, I'm taking him home to give him a pity fuck.”
I laughed loudly as the crowd continued to go wild around us. It was a blessing it was so loud in the arena because if people were to hear our conversation, they would probably think we were nuts.
Curtis joined Jet in the cage, and the two fighters positioned themselves in their respective corners and waited for the bell.
With the ring of the bell, Curtis charged at Jet. The movement was so abrupt that it took me aback. I almost fainted when I saw Jet's head fly to the side from the impact of Curtis's punch.
I saw the blood from his eye and my stomach dropped. “Oh, God.”
“It's not a big deal, Natalie. It's not like he's never been punched before. Try to breathe,” Julie said with a giggle.
All I could hear were the sounds of bone cracking against flesh, and it turned my stomach every time. God, why had I agreed to come and watch this? Curtis pummelled Jet with three blows all at once, and all to his face.
I couldn't bear to watch, but Julie shook my shoulder until I looked back at the cage. Thankfully, Jet recovered quickly from his attack and came up with a front kick as Curtis was coming back into him. After that, he followed it with an uppercut and a left hook. Curtis took both hits and stumbled backwards.
Curtis swung again, but Jet blocked it, and they exchanged jabs for a few minutes before the bell rang and they returned to their corners. Jet's coach was applying something to Jet's wounds, and then gave him a drink of water, all the while yelling at him. This fight was just as important to Coach as it was to Jet. He had been training with Jet for so long that it was important to him that Jet be successful. I wished I were up in the corner with all of them, hearing the advice they had for Jet, and cheering him on for the next round. I felt a pang of jealousy when I saw Katie lean in and whisper intensely into Jet's ear. She tapped his shoulder and went back to the corner with the other teammates. I wondered what she had said to him. What words of encouragement had she given him, and would her words be what caused him to win that round? Did she have that kind of effect on Jet? I shook my head and decided to let it go. That was, until Julie opened her big mouth.