Page 13 of The Breaking Pointe
He’s relatively new to this size of matches, but I would take that with a grain of salt.Tony told me that he’s only lost one fight this rookie season, which would make him one of the top fighters in his league.”
Inodslowly,asifitmakesherwordscomeoutalot slower—or makes a difference in my opinion.
“Guess this will be one hell of a fight then…” I say, looking back at the big white square.
Colton is on his way back to his corner, taking in any last- minute refreshments he can. Approaching the big red ropes, he kneels down, saying something to the same man he has beenspeakingwiththisentiretime,thistimesmiling.I never physically met someone whose smile was visually as contagiousashis.It’sasmilethatcouldn’tbeanymore alluring, weening you in and begging you to stare at it.It didn’t have to beg me at all, though.He has my full attention.
He stands from his squatting stance, looking in my direc- tion with an unpleasant smug glance towards the crowd,scrollinghiseyesdowneveryaisle.Icouldtelltheex- amination was coming for us, and I couldn’t be any more unprepared.I’mhavingagreattimeadmiring,somuch so that I almost forgot that people can stare back.I’ll bet any amount of money that I look like an enormous freak,watching him like I am.
And I’m right. As soon as his eyes reach mine, he takes a prolonged look at me.
As much as I’d like to look away, I can’t help myself. His lips curl into a warm side smile, and his chin chucks up as he gives me the gentlest of nods. My chin falls to my chest once I realize my cheeks are almost as bright as my hair. At this point, I have tuned out any excess noise. My thoughts
are so loud, they drown out any other sound. The bell goes off, and suddenly I’m reminded that I’m watching two men fight, not a one-man show.
Fists go flying immediately.You would’ve thought they were waiting for this for years.
Daniel is throwing most of the punches, but Colton isn’t having any complications dodging them.Daniel moves fast, but Colton seems to be seconds ahead of his every move, and it’s making everything all the more tense.For minutes, it’s only that, and neither one of them is making any good connections.Some jabs hit bellies, while others are a complete failure. It’s cooking up an uncomfortable silence in the arena, up until one connection is finally made—and it isn’t one I’m rooting for. Daniel ultimately got the hit he wanted, right in the face.Resilient, and confident, Colton comes back to consciousness with no problems, shaking his head like it’s nothing. Daniel spits in his direction, smiling enough to show a few of his gold teeth.
“No…”Iwhisper,graspingthearmrestsofmyseat.
The following silence is burning me. Colton pretty much ate the hit like it’s light work, and if it’s possible, that’s all it took to make him ten times more attractive.
He continues circling the ring with Daniel, deadpanning his full attention to him.Danny isn’t feeling emasculated by it, not one bit.The circles proceed while Daniel yaps on, until Colton seems to finally have enough.He stops suddenly, and lunges forward with a fist like steel, smashing it into Daniel’s face, accompanied by a second one and then one more right after.One of his arms flies back like he’s got more in the chamber, but before anything can happen, the referee blows a storm into hiswhistle.Daniel is already on his way
into a trance, and Colton’s team jumps into the ring, pronto, grabbing him like it’s do or die.
“Oh my God.He obliterated him,” Lauren says in awe, letting out a short bud of laughter.
“Yep.It’s downhill from here,” Tony adds to her state- ment.
I didn’t have any words to add to their shock. If my brain was a DVD player, or a video of some sort, I’d be rewinding it over and over until I couldn’t anymore.
In a matter of seconds, each of them is getting dragged to their corners—Daniel trying to gather himself and Colton getting a hefty pep talk that, based on his expression, I doubt he is registering.My eyes are scanning back and forth at both of their faces, watching the blood trickle down both Colton’s bottom lip and Daniel’s nose.Tony is right; it doesn’t look like Daniel stands a chance.I wish I could thank this man that I’ve never even met for completely destroying this narcissist’s ego in a matter of seconds—right before my eyes.
He has no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that for so long.
As quickly as the break had begun, it ended, sending each of them back into fighting mode. This time, Daniel comes out swinging, getting Colton a few times in his side seconds after the bell rings.
I’m convinced this Colton guy stopped seeing Daniel as a human right after he flashed his ugly grill. And I just know that Daniel’s still talking shit. I’m dying to know what he’s saying, but Daniel’s talking low enough for only Colton could hear.Whatever he’s saying, you can tell that it is making Coltonseered.Helookslikehewantstoholdback,butthere
isn’t any self-control after taking those first three hits. And his team aren’t the only ones looking worried; you can hear the crowd becoming just as concerned.
“Gethim…”Ihissundermybreath,clenchingmyfists.
Colton, leaving all bets off the table, sends his arms swinging at full speed. Each fist connects with some part of Daniel’s face, sending his head cocking back and forth like a rag doll.Colton was going to be able to say he beat the living shit out of Daniel in nearly less than fifteen minutes, and we were just a few moments away.I’ve been to a ton of quick fights with Daniel, but never was it because he was losing. Now, with pride, I can watch his ego get crushed in front of a crowd.
Daniel began taking hits like a champ, but as the hit count increases, his stamina falls lower and lower. As I watch him, he slowly gets closer to the floor of the ring—until he is down for good.
“Yes!”I scream, rising from my seat.
Lauren rises, along with almost everyone in the arena, but instead of screaming, she looks at me with a confused smile. “I don’t think I’ve seen you with this much enthusiasm! You were looking like you wanted to die about fifteen min-
utes ago!”she yells over the cheers around us.
“I changed my mind! You were right about the Kennedy guy, okay?!He’s good, and I should’ve listened!”My yelling shifts into laughter.
“Anything to hear you cheer for someone other than Aguado!” She grabs my arm, squeezing it.
