[My answer was quite clear. There wasn't a doubt in my young mind what I wanted. I knew now more than ever.]

'Book me.' I sternly said.

[A smile came across the face of Hans.]

'I told you he was in...' Hans said as I was walking away.

[I walked over to the speed bag. I wasn't there to force painful blows apon it, I was just there. My hand reached up and grabbed ahold the small link that connected the bag to the flat, circular wooden board that clinged to a rather low portion of the ceiling. For once my head seemed almost clear, but my stomache was a tangled, knoted mess of over worked nerves.]

[I didn't know a single detail about the path that lyed ahead. I was barely a teen, and I was scared. For my age I weighed quite a bit so there was no way that I'd be boxing another fourteen year old. At six foot and a hundred and sixty two pounds even I was bigger than probably ninety nine percent of healthy fourteen year olds in America.]

[My eyes were affixiated on the bag. The small seams, running from the top latch, to the bottom of the bag where they met with the other three. The crimson color of the bag was shiney when the sunlight hit it at the right angle. ~BOOM~ My left fist cracked the bag, and it went back and forth a few times before I stopped it, and again cracked it with a viscious left.]

[Again, and again my fists beat at the bag, the pace rapidly increased everytime the bag came close. Finally my right hand had reached the bag along with my left, and I delivered a rapid series of blows. The bag was hitting the circular board faster, and harder each time, my fists were stinging, I didn't have them rapid but I didn't care. I was just pumping ahead, harder, faster, harder, faster, harder...]

[A hand had reached up and stopped the bag, my hands froze. I looked over and there was Hans. Wearing a smile like he won the lottery.]

'You're in.' He said.

[Which amazed me because he said that it was hard to get booked by not being seen, but I guess his credit is good. I was just hoping I didn't mess up at all. Curious to know who I was fighting, I decided to ask.]

'And I'm fighting who, exactly?' I questioned.

[Taking his hand from the bag Hans took a step closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder like he usually did when he had big news, or even something to tell me at all.]

'Kip Reigns.' He replied with a slight smirk.

[The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't fit the pieces together in my head. 'Kip Reigns' I thought to myself over and over again in my head.]

'Kip Reigns.' I said aloud.

[Hans had a look of shock apon his face. He knew I didn't know who it was and it seemed to have shocked the hell out of him. He took his hand off my shoulder and went a couple rounds with the speed bag, himself. Not like me though, he hit it with more graceful actions, softer, slower hits that still rocked the bag just as much as I did when I went all out on it.]

[He then stopped the bag, much like he did to me, and shot another look my way. Punching the bag one last time he said.]

'Kip Reigns.'

[Now I was getting a bit irrated. We could sit here and shoot the name out untill we were blue in the face but it wasn't getting me any closer to even taking a stab at who he was.]

'Yeah?' I asked.

[Hans still knew I wasn't getting a clue at who he was. Taking me by the shoulder he began walking. Pulling me right along. We were heading towards his office. Once we got right outside the office he stopped.]

'Wait here kid.' He said.

[Hans didn't like people in his office, and I could understand why. It was smaller than a cubical in a small building. It was hard enough to fit one person in it, let alone have two in there, and search for something. Atleast that's what I thought he was doing. He was rummaging through papers, books, albums, you name it, he was looking at it.]

[And there I stood. Looking into the glass window of his office, untill something... Something caught my eye. I turned and shot a stare at the two glass doors that were the entrance to the building. There she was. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She stood there with her long black rain slicker, staring into the doors with her hands cupped over her eyes trying to see through the tint.]

'Kip Reigns.' Hans said while pointing at an open album.

[I looked down at the album, almost forgetting completely about the girl at the door. There he was. Tall, lean, suave, and proud. He had everything I had, except, looking down the page... I wasn't the number one contender for the title.]

[This had put a fear in my head, heart, and stomache that made me cringe. My neck got tence, but then a slamming on the door interupted my train of thought, which may have been a good thing. I looked up, remembering that the girl was still at the door.]

'Oh.' Hans excitedly said as he jogged towards the door.

[His somewhat loose fitting clothes moved quickly as he jogged. He went over to the door, and unlocked it. The door swung open, and then girl standing outside came in and gave Hans a huge hug.]

'GRANDPA.' She exclaimed as she tightly hugged his stocky neck.

[They embraced for a few moments and I just sat there staring at them, admiring her beauty. Everything about her was perfect, her dark, soaked, slightly curled hair hung down to her shoulders, and for an instance she shot a smile in my direction. The butterflies were back, but this time I wasn't worried about my bout, I was just...Scared, I guess. I had no idea what to say, no idea what to do. So I just stood there.]

[Finally Hans put his arm around her and lead her towards me.]

'Stacy, I'd like you to meet my good friend, who is acctually staying with me, Slash.' Hans said to her.

'Slash, this is Stacy, my grandaughter.' He proudly said.

'Nice to meet you Slash.' Stacy said.

[Ugh, her voice was so her perfect. The way she said my name made my spine tingle, and my body quiver. After a short time of being dumb founded by her beauty I spoke.]

'You too.' I squeeked.

[She giggled a little bit, and Hans could tell I was stunned by her beauty. I could tell because even he was turning a little red, but nothing compared to the shades my cheecks were turning. Although it was probably considered rude I shot a smile over to her, then to Hans, and walked to my small room which he designated to me in the back of the gym.]

[Once in there he took a seat on his small bed that was so small when he laid down his feet hung off the end. The room was about nine feet by nine feet. Along with a bed he had a television set upon a four foot long table. The television had aluminum foil over the antanae so he could pick up a few channels. Also on the table was a few boxing magazines that were scattered almost everywhere.]

[There were no windows in his room, and only a small lamp lay on the floor next to him which he leaned over and turned on. He then got back off the bed and grabbed a rather large boxing magazine. Opening it up to somewhere around the center, there he was. Kip Reigns. It seemed as if he was going to be haunting Slash everywhere he went. He couldn't even read a magazine without seeing him, and it's only the first day, and Slash didn't even know when the fight was scheduled.]

[He threw the magazine to the ground, and stood back up placing his inter twined fingers on his head, and paced around in his room for a few moments untill Hans came in. Slash stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Hans. He thought it was going to be about his grand daughter so he just stood there, waiting for Hans to run the usual 'if you touch her I'll kill you' routine. But he didn't, instead he did his usual placing his hand upon my shoulder.]

'Sit.' He said point towards the bed.

[I took a seat, and he did the same. He noticed the magazine was on the ground, Kip Reigns picture staring them in the face.]

'Worried, aren't you kid?' Hans asked.

'Yeah, a little.' I said while nodding my head.

'That's natural, without fear, there would really be no main purpose in life. Ya' see kid, when you have a fear of something all that means is you have to knock down that fear, conquer it, show it who it's daddy is.'

[My eyes widened, I've never heard Hans say anything like, 'show it who it's daddy is.' To me it just seemed a little weird, but his facial expression didn't change that would aknowledging it to be a joke.]

'Well what do you know about Kip, Hans?' I asked.

'Well Kid, he's a ticking time bomb. He's been suspended twice, but he's gotten more guys suspended than I care to count. Even the league has probably lost count.' He replied.

'I don't follow. How did he get them kicked out?' I asked.

'Well like I said, Reigns is a ticking time bomb. He gets guys so hot that they end up starting a fight with him outside of the ring, and after they hit him once he has the right to fight back, and usually ends up beating the other guy pretty good. He's dirty, stay away from him as good as you can, but he'll be around. Oh yeah, he will, be around.'

[With that Hans patted me on my shoulder, then messed up my hair, and left the room. Out in the gym I heard him, and his grand daughter talking, so I stood up, and walked to the door, and began to listen.]

'So you need some place to stay for how long Stacy?' He asked her.

'For about a year, untill my mom and my step dads divorce is final, I just can't put up with all the fighting and packing, and late phone calls to the police, and all of that.' She replied.

'Well, you're welcome to stay here, but I have no room for you. As it is, Slash sleeps in my old room, and I brought a recliner into my cramped office, and...'

[Silence filled the room. I knew this girl was being put back in her home, where she didn't want to be, all because of me.]

'Well I could try and find you a small cot that you could sleep on in the gym untill we find something else for you.' Hans said.

'That will be fine.' Stacy replied.

'She can have my room.' I said stepping out from behind my door.

'That bed isn't very comfortable anyways.'

[Okay, it was a lie, it was the most comfortable I've ever slept in, but I couldn't just make her sleep on a cot.]

'Are you sure?' Hans asked.

'Yeah, I'll just sleep in the ring. All I need is a pillow, and a blanket, and I'll be fine.' I said.

[Stacy glanced over at me, and smiled. My heart warmed up, and for an instant I felt a feeling like I've never felt before.]

'Thank you.' She said as she came towards me.

[She walked over to me and took ahold of my hand. She gave me another smile, and let go of my hand, and walked into the bedroom to put her bag down.]

'I'm going to get in to some warmer clothes, I'll be right back out.' Stacy said.

[Hans and I exchanged glances as the door close, but another knock was heard interupting our silence. We looked over at the gym doors, and there he was. My heart stopped, and my head pounded...]

To Be Continued...

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