Page 82 of The Genius
I snorted but didn’t reply.
With a million dollars I wouldn’t have to work again. I would have the money to write a book. Nice drones, clothes, and other material things would all be within my reach. Men would envy me, and there was a lot of prestige in being a tournament winner.
So why wasn’t I really fighting for it?
Because I’d rather be with Shelly.
The answer increased the pain I’d felt these last three days. After the party, I’d been ready to declare my feelings for Shelly. It was that damn party game of looking into her eyes that had made me dream. The small chance of her loving me back had kept me up all night thinking about all the ways that I would convince her we could be right for each other. But before I got a chance to embarrass myself it was over. Shelly had made it clear we were done. She’d had her fun and I’d been entertaining to her for a while, but that was it. It was almost comical that I’d thought I could make her change her mind and want to marry me when she had already rejected me several times.
For Shelly, all it had taken was one text to tell me she didn’t have a use for me anymore.
We might be over in her world, but to me it was a big guessing game as I tried to understand what had made her discard me in such a cold and sudden manner.
Maybe she was bored with me.
Maybe it had truly been a matter of research for her.
Maybe she just never liked me that much.
My head had been spinning nonstop to think of reasons, but in the end it was a fool’s game. I should have known from the beginning that Shelly Summers wasn’t a woman any man could tie down. She was meant for greater things. It had been my life’s biggest mistake when I pretended to be Storm and went to test out that sex-bot. No matter who I married now, I would be settling for someone less than perfect. Without wanting to, I would compare any woman to Shelly – which was unfair, since no one could compete with someone as extraordinary as her.
Boom, my opponent’s shin connected with my ribcage. The wind was knocked out of me, and the fucker saw his chance and let hits and kicks rain down on me. It almost felt like a relief when the emotional pain I was in was overshadowed by his physical blows to my body.
Protecting my face and ribs, I took it, and understood for the first time why some people sought out fights in bars. There was a quiet place in the pain – a bubble of disconnectedness where the boos from the audience, their shouts of profanities, and their cheering for the underdog to beat me registered but didn’t affect me. Not even the rejection from the woman I loved mattered in this vacuum of pain. It was like a few seconds of an insane high that I didn’t want to come out of.
“Marco…” Magni’s voice broke through to me and as if someone had turned the radio from silent to full volume, the shouting and screaming from the crowd was back with a vengeance.
“Marco.” From the way Magni’s voice overpowered the others, I knew he had moved down close to the edge of the arena. “Get the fuck up and finish this already.”
I was mortified that the best warrior in the world was watching me take a beating when I’d always wanted Magni to respect me. The motivation to impress Magni got me up, and I focused all my energy on proving to him what a great fighter I was.
My inexperienced opponent was so convinced that he had the upper hand that he was grinning to some of his friends. With his attention distracted, I moved in, placing a strong knee in his stomach and pushing him back to create the distance I needed for a roundhouse kick. He wasn’t grinning anymore when he stumbled back, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“That’s it, Marco, now fucking finish it so we can have some beers,” Magni shouted from the sidelines.
My opponent, who had been so cocky before, was retreating now, shaken from the roundhouse kick to his chest that made it hard for him to breathe. With my hands up in front of me I moved forward step by insistent step with him backing away, trying to avoid my punches by moving his head.
“That’s it, Marco,” Magni shouted. “Show him who’s the champion.”
Empowered by Magni’s words, I used the force of my body to give a high kick. With my opponent turning his head, the impact of my foot was right on his temple.
Like a robot with a breakdown, all the lights went out in his eyes. Knocked out, he fell forward, landing face first on the ground.
Still pumped with adrenaline, I kept my eyes on him, waiting to see if he would get up.
When he didn’t, the announcer finally boomed over the wild cheering from the audience. “And we have a winner.”
Medics rushed to my opponent on the ground as my right arm was being raised in the air by Magni, who had stepped into the arena, patting my shoulder and grinning at me. “Took you long enough, you lazy bastard.”
I swiped at my forehead, brushing away sweat.
“Come on, I’m sure your friends want to congratulate you.” Magni led me out of the arena and I was instantly surrounded by people with smiling faces.
Hunter, Storm, Nero, and four of my other friends were patting my shoulders, and from all around me comments were hailing down on me, giving me shit about this being my worst fight ever.
“What the hell happened?
“Were you too bored to fight, or were you toying with him?”
