Guard
Chapter 2
"Darcy?" My best friend said in shock when she opened the door. "Are you ok? The whole school is saying you've been expelled? Have you? Are you ok? What happened? Are you ok?" she rambled worriedly.
I dropped my dufflebag to the ground. "Um fine, Yes, Yes, Mark tried to be handy with me and I kicked his butt and I'm fine." I answered smiling at my panicky best friend Ava.
She eyed my bag. "Did you get kicked out of the house?"
Notice how she said house. We both knew it wasn't my home because home is a place where you can be relaxed and I could never relax at Ann and Franks place.
"Not exactly." I said nervously as I knew that she would either be angry, upset or normal, I was hopinng for normal. I quickly explained the scene. After I had explained she looked at me sympathetically then grabbed the bag and my wrist and dragged me inside.
"Mum, Dad can Darcy stay here a while?" she called out.
Ava's mum bustled out into the entryway. She was a short and plump women with red hair and brown eyes like her daughters. She also had the biggest heart I had ever known.
Her worried eyes landed on me and then the bag that Ava had to put down due to the weight, due to all the fighting I was stronger then most girls.
"Whats happened Darcy dear?"
"I couldn't stay there any more." I said honestly while I fidled with my fingers.
She nodded, "Well of course you can stay here you know your always welcomed."
I broke into a relieved smile, "Thanks so much Geena."
"Ava, make sure you get the mattress out for Darcy." Geena told Ava who nodded. "I must get back to the kitchen now. I presume your staying for dinner?" She asked me.
I shook my head. "While that would be lovely I have training in an hour so I should be going soon."
"Right." she said disaprovingly and disapeared back into the kitchen.
"Come on." Ava said dragging at my wrist again towards the staircase.
I picked at my bag.
"This is going to be soo much fun." Ava said enthusiastically.
I grinned. "Definitely."
*80 minutes later*
My first training session was boxing. We had just finished the warm up. Everyone was now stood in front of a punching bag and was throwing light punches. Everyone except me that is. I was throwing my hardest punches that were sending the bag flying upwards even though I had one of the heaviest bags here. I was also throwing some kickboxing into the mix. It was like I was releasing my entire day frustration. I continued the punching and kicking ignoring the stinging sensation that would most likely leave my knuckles and feet bruised and bloody. I steadied the bag so it was completely still then launched a kick that sent the bag flying up to the ceiling and when it hit the ceiling it made a satisfying crash that made everyone stop and turn to look at me in shock.“Working hard I see.” A familiar voice said.
I turned and saw James grinning at me. To his right was a man with brown curls and blue eyes with a hard jaw line. He was staring at me his eyes running up and down my body. I was very aware that in that moment I was only wearing a black sports bra, short black cotton shorts, these kick boxing studio wrap shoe thing that James got me for Christmas last year and boxing gloves. I was also acutely aware that I had sweat running down my stomach, collar bone, and arms basically everywhere. My hair was swept back behind me in a now messy pony tail.
“This is Harry Styles.” James said.
I nodded and took off my black gloves.
“Harry this is Darcy Isley she is one of our best fighters here at the centre.” James said proudly.
“Oh really?” Harry said in surprise with a thick british accent. “A small thing like that?” He smirked at me.
My anger burned up. I wasn’t what a fighter should look like. I was small in pretty much everyway. If we shortened the distance I would probably only come up to his lips. But that doesn’t down my fighting ability.
“Small thing?” I repeated angrily. “I could kick your arse easily.” I said clenching my fists down at my sides I walked over to him and discovered that my height against him was correct I only came up just past his chin. His eyes were on me the entire down twinkling down at me. “But you would be too chicken to do that wouldn’t you?” I challenged.
He grinned down at me. “Certainly not I just don’t make a habit of fighting girls.”
“Sexist pig!” I stated angrily. I looked over at James to see if he was going to say anything but he just stood there looking at his surroundings.
He continued smirking down at me “On the contrary I thought I was being a gentlemen.”
I could barely hold in all my anger. “You. Are. A. Fucking. Sexist. Pig.” I said pronouncing each word slowly as if I was talking to a toddler and to be honest there was much different from talking to Harry to a toddler.
“Hey hey. “ James had finally come back from his distractions. “Darcy this is my friend use more respect.”
Are you serious? He’s lecturing me on respect? It took all of my will power not to retort but I respected James and he was the only adult who had done something for me since I was 9 so I held in my anger.
“There was actually something I wanted to ask you James.” I said turning my attention away from Harry to James.
He looked at me to continue.
“I want to fight and train with the men.”
Harry let out a laugh.
“I don’t know what your laughing at.” I said coldly. “Everyone here could probably beat you including the 4 year olds.”
“Oh really?” Harry said smirking down at me. Deliberately turning his head down to look at me.
It was taking all of my efforts not to fight him there and then but I knew if I did James would never let me train and fight with the men here.
“Please James.” I pleaded turning away from Harry. “I can’t improve here training with the women who I’ve been beating since I was sixteen.”
“Fine.” James said exasperated. “But you have to beat one of them so I know your not out of your depth.
I felt like doing cart wheels and I threw myself at him. “Thanks James!” I said as I wrapped my arms around him.
“I owe you one.” I said as I pulled away.
“Don’t thank me yet you still have to fight and you’re fighting tonight.”
* “You want me to fight him?” I asked in shock.
Him was a man who was nearly twice my height and definitely twice my width.
“You don’t have too.” James said smiling with Harry still beside him who I was ignoring with a passion.
I looked at him and immediately saw his game. He wanted to pair me off with one of the toughest male fighters here to make me bow down and not fight. Even if I did fight him he would expect me to surrender. “I see what your playing at.” I said staring at him icily. “I will fight him.” With that I walked off to the ring where I grabbed a mouth guard. I then put my black gloves back on. I tried not to look at my opponent knowing that it would sike me out. I could beat him. There was more to fighting then size a large part of it was skill. This was why I knew I could beat him.
“Don’t do this.” I turned and saw Harry looking at me worriedly between the lines of the barrio between the ring and well outside of it. He thought I was going to lose. But why he would ‘worry’ about it was a mystery to me.
I took out my mouth guard “And why shouldn’t I?”
“Darcy.”
Butterflies filed my stomach when he said me name. What the hell?
“Bye Harry.” I turned away and put my mouth guard back in my mouth.
James was to be the referee.
My opponent looked down at me when the ref told us to touch gloves.
I then realised he wasn’t that big. Well he was a heavy weight but he was tall but wasn’t twice my height only a bit taller then Harry and with his shirt off you could see his abs and muscles which was a usual turn on for girls but in this moment I was trying to find his week spot.
Then the ref (James) gave us the instructions. “This isn’t a boxing match but a mixed material arts fight you can use any fighting style. The round ends when you, give up, go unconscious and can no longer continue or when you opponent has you on the ground for more then 5 seconds. Touch gloves then return to your corners.
James then rang the bell to start.
