Page 7 of Pulse
Chapter 3
Ren
I didn’t know how to cope with my feelings, so I beat them out.
The Underground was pumping tonight. Mid-season was the time where the weak were weeded out and things started to get good. Bouts suddenly became a lot more challenging as more skilled fighters were put up against one another.
There were new fighters and old and some from last season that hadn’t returned at all. I’d missed the first few weeks but I’d more than made up for it in thepointsstakes. If I wanted to win this thing, I had the skills to get to the Championship bout. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was possible.
I was sitting in the stands, minding my own business watching the men go at it, when I felt a bulky form sit next to me. With a scowl I glanced up, ready to give the guy a mouthful, but I ate my words when I saw it was Dean.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” he replied.
He was dressed in a pair of sweats and hoodie, like he’d come straight from Beat. I was actually starting to believe that he didn’t own any other clothing. Dean and this place…well, they didn’t mix. He was too good for this stink hole.
I frowned. “How did you even know it was here?”
“Wasn’t hard.” He glanced around the crowd, the expression on his face making his opinion glaringly obvious.
“What do you want Dean?” I asked, my patience already wearing thin.
“What I want is for you to quit fighting.” He winced as a guy in the cage got pounded in the face with a fist. “Shit, I’m not afraid of a fight, but this is brutal.”
“You’re in an Ultimate Fighting Championship,” I drawled. “You’re scared of a little blood?”
“It’s more than that Ren,” he argued. “There’s rules. Here,” he gestured wildly with his hands, “there are no fucking rules.”
“That’s the point.” Of course there wasn’t. It wasn’t exciting enough being illegal; it had to be brutal as well.
“I can’t believe you get in there and risk yourself like that. Isn’t there a coherent thought in your head?”
“Ugh, you’re worse than Ash,” I spat.
“What do you mean? I thought he was the one that got you into this thing. I still want to slam him one for this you know.”
“He never wanted me to compete,” I shot back. “He fought me every step of the way. I was the one who wanted to fight.”
Dean cocked his head to the side, obviously surprised. “Why Ren? Why would you do this when you’ve got your shot at pro?”
I shook my head, not knowing how to explain it. He’d think I was crazy. Maybe that was my problem. I was slipping into crazy town, population me.
A referee tapped me on the shoulder. “Reign, you’re up after this one.” I nodded as he passed.
“Reign?” Dean asked, his lip curling.
“They call me Reign of Terror.”
He snorted trying to stifle a laugh. “You’re fucking joking right?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
