I tailed Elias, Malcolm, and Andre from a safe distance for what must've been thirty minutes. Although I was supposed to be at work, I'd gotten a coworker to cover my shift. I'll admit, it was a little creepy that I was following after them, but I was curious to know what they were hiding from me and this seemed to be the only way to find out. Besides, it wasn't like they were gonna know or anything.
The boys finally pulled up to a stop in front of a cafe. The tiny building was rather cute looking, with pastel colours and sweet pastries advertised on the front. I carefully watched as the three boys exited the car and entered the shop. This was their dirty little secret? Going for coffee at a little cafe on the other side of town?
"Well that's anticlimactic," I murmured under my breath.
I considered calling it quits and heading home, but still, it didn't quite make sense. Why would Andre and Malcolm lie to me about their plans? There was clearly something bigger going on here.
Girl, just mind your business and go home, my inner voice pleaded. And yet, curiosity got the best of me, so after about ten minutes, I nervously took a deep breath before exiting my car and entering the tiny, innocent-looking shop.
A bell jingled as I opened the door and surveyed my surroundings. Despite the parking lot being full, there were no customers in sight. Confusion overtook me. Where did the boys go? I was certain they hadn't left the shopâI would've seen them if they had. I sceptically approached the worker behind the counter, a scarily buff man. I couldn't tell if he was giving me a dirty look or if that was simply his face. With his intimidating demeanour, he gave me the same vibe as a security guard, or a bouncer, or something of the sort.
"Hello," I nervously squeaked to the man.
Without saying anything, he held out his hand as if expecting cash.
"O-Oh," I quickly reached into my pocket and handed him a crumpled five-dollar bill. He gave me a blank look, as if expecting more. I was perplexed. Wasn't he supposed to at least ask for my order first? Nonetheless, I handed him a tenner, slightly wincing as I did so. That was a whole hour's pay right there.
Much to my shock, the tall man then walked over to the other side of the cafe and pressed a button, which revealed a hidden staircase. My mouth popped open.
"Enjoy the fight," the man grumbled.
Fight?
"I... thank you," I gulped, eyes wide. He gave me a suspicious look before closing the door behind me.
As I began to walk down the grand staircase, cheers and shouts drifted over to my ears. I had never been more confused. Once I finally reached the bottom of the seemingly never ending staircase, my mouth dropped open at the sight that met my eyes.
"What is this, a cult?" I yelped, though thankfully, my voice was drowned out by the loud yells that rang throughout the arena.
I didn't know where to look. There was a woman behind a booth shouting for people to come buy popcorn. Two men in business suits having a heated argument directly in front of me. A sea full of hundreds upon hundreds of men and women chattering and shouting and cheering and everything in between. And then, in the very center of the arena was a boxing ring.
My heart raced as I finally realized what the boys had been hiding from me. "Underground boxing," I whispered.
A group of men pushed past me. "Move it, little girl," one of them sneered.
"Pardon?" I surprised even myself. "You bumped into me."
They turned around and I instantly regretted my decision. I'd dealt with my fair share of teenage jerks, however these grown men were an entirely different ballpark. They looked like they could crush me.
"What's a kid like you doing here anyway?" he guffawed. "These things are for men."
"Sexist much?" I anxiously crossed my arms. "A-And I'm not a kid... I'm seventeen."
The men roared with laughter as if I'd said something funny, and I realized I hadn't exactly helped my case by telling them my age.
The one in front stepped closer to me, so close that I could smell his beer breath. "Well if you'd like, we can step outside and you can show me what a woman like yourself can do for a real man like me, if you know what I'm saying."
He smiled, revealing a set of brown teeth. I gagged at his crude suggestion.
"I'd rather die," I replied honestly.
His face contorted with anger as his friends jeered at him for being humiliated by a girl probably only half his age. Before he could do anything, I turned around and began to weave through the crowd.
My eyes settled on the first girl I'd seen in the whole place.
"Finally, another female," I smiled in relief, gently tapping the back of the girl's shoulder.
The girl turned around, and I was shocked to see that it was actually just a dude with really long hair.
"Sorry," I managed to squeak out before scurrying away. I then saw a group of girls who looked slightly older than me. They looked friendly enough, so I quickly approached them.
"Hi," I began, "have you guys seen a group of three teenage boys about yay high?" I went on my tiptoes and stretched my hand up to show how tall the guys were.
One of the girls laughed. "Sorry, darling, but you're gonna have to be a bit more specific."
Before I could reply, an alarm began to blare throughout the stadium, and a spotlight turned on, revealing a charming commentator in the middle of the ring. He was dressed in an expensive looking tuxedo, and his hair was gelled back. The crowd dramatically hushed.
"And now, the match we've all been waiting for," the commentator yelled into the mic. "This young man, who stands at a whopping six feet tall and has travelled all the way from Chicago, has dared to challenge our greatest fighter for the crown. Is he brave or is he stupid? We'll see about that one. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Mikey Garcia!"
Boos and jeers erupted throughout the arena as the spotlight revealed a tall, muscular man covered in tattoos. Sporting a cocky look, Mikey appeared unaffected by the obscene welcoming he'd received from the crowd, as he stood next to the commentator and flexed his muscles.
"He's bouta get his ass whooped," one of the girls next to me laughed.
I was confused. "But how? He looks so strong."
"Oh, honey, just wait until you see Elias."
I froze and slowly looked back up at the boxing ring as the commentator resumed speaking.
"There's no need to introduce this one, for we all know him well. The man of the century, the three-time reigning champion, the 6'4 beast, ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for Elias Matthews!"
The crowd went wild. Cheers and screams and whistles rang throughout the arena, so loud that my ears hurt. My jaw dropped as the spotlight flashed to the corner, revealing the boxer. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but shockingly enough, this was very much real. It was Eliasâmy Elias.
He was clad in a pair of red shorts that hung just below his V-line. I had never seen his body on full display before, but now, I was able to see his sculpted six-pack, his chiselled chest, and his toned biceps. With a body like that, there was no doubt in my mind that he had been training for years.
With a stoic face, he hardly spared a glance at the crowd. Rather, his dark eyes were trained on Mikey, his opponent, who stared back at him with a look of forced confidence. By the way Mikey's smirk wavered and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, I could tell he was anxious. Despite Elias clearly being the younger one out of the two, he still had the height and the muscles, and judging by the crowd's clear adoration for him, it was obvious he was an excellent fighter.
"I can't believe it," I whispered in shock, reeling over the fact that Elias was living a double life as a secret boxer.
"I know, right? He's so hot," one of the girls next to me squealed.
That too. Although, that was certainly not what I was getting at.
Before I could reply, a bell chimed and the crowd hushed as the anticipated match finally began.
*****
Hope you guys liked this chapter! Are you shocked that Elias is an underground boxer? Excited? Disappointed? Let me know!
QOTD: do you have dimples?
AOTD: yes, i have one on my right cheek!
Currently sitting in math class doing absolutely nothing. I'm so exhausted with school I can't wait for this semester to be over. Also good news, I got into my dream law program! But bad news, it's all the way in England and it's crazy expensive so I can't go :(
Anyways, don't forget to leave a vote or comment, I love each and every one of you!
Until next time, Emmanuela
01/16/2023