It was around 4:30 and the class Alex had joined didn’t start until five pm. As he was walking in he wasn’t surprised that the main floor was empty. Students gathered along the sides and along the front window that was just to his left. He glanced at them, and one or two looked back at him. But they were all chatting in their groups, so didn’t bother with a second glance. Alex put his shoes in the cubbyhole. He noted that no one was sparring on the right; though there was a group of five doing floor exercises that looked like it might be judo.

Alex made his way to the back and to the right, where the locker rooms were, and went in. He changed quickly but was a little nervous about going back to sit near the other students. He noticed that there were only a few who had on gi. The rest were wearing more normal exercise clothes, like t-shirts and sweatpants. He saw a spot that didn’t have a lot of people and made his way over there. He remembered to bow before he stepped onto the main floor, cutting across to the wall on the other side.

He slid down, grasping the water bottle he had brought. Alex took a sip from it as soon as he sat down to try and calm his nerves.

“Hey man, you ok? You look a little shaky.” A guy shuffled up closer and tapped Alex’s shoulder.

Alex looked at him and almost choked on his water cause he was a little surprised. The guy just didn’t look like the type to do martial arts. The young man looked near his age and had a thin frame with pale skin, like he stayed in a lot. He had short black hair with bangs that swept down over his right eye. He also had multiple piercings, in both ears and one on his lip. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a skull on it and black jeans with straps on them. He looked like a goth, or something along those lines.

Alex coughed. “S…Sorry I was a little surprised. You don’t look like the type to do martial arts.”

Crap, he did it again. He was too blunt and said what he thought without thinking it through, but the guy laughed a little.

“No problem. I know it’s a little strange. I’m usually never far from my computer screen when I’m not at school. But after getting beaten up for the hundredth time I figured I might as well learn how to defend myself. I’m Chris Harken by the way.” He said the last and smiled slightly.

“I’m Alexander Kent, please call me Alex, and I understand; I often have a similar problem. Still, I wanted to find a place where I could belong, you know?” Alex blushed and turned away, capping the water to have something to look at. He was a little embarrassed that he had said something like that to someone he had just met.

“Ha ha, I totally get you! That’s great. That means you just started too right?” Chris put up his knees and leaned his arms on them as he looked at Alex.

Alex pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked back at Chris. “Yeah, though I took martial arts when I was a kid, this is my first class here.”

“Great, you can give me pointers then. And since we are both new here, we can hang out.”

Alex relaxed a little. Even though the guy had looked weird at first glance, he seemed like a laid back friendly kind of guy.

They chatted about a few things and Alex was surprised to find out that Chris was a hacker and also wanted to design computer games. Alex didn’t want to say too much, since people change when they find out he’s from a rich family. Not that his father ever gives him much money. All the money he had, he had earned himself. So they chatted a little about anime and manga, which they both shared a little interest in.

Their conversation was interrupted when Mike and a few other instructors came out. Everyone gathered in the center in lines facing the wall where Mike and the others were standing. By this time Alex had practically forgotten his earlier pain so was ready for the class.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to our beginners class. We will start with some warm ups and then do some basics and the teachers will go around to make sure you have the proper form. First though I want to remind everyone about the rules. Always give respect to your teachers and fellow students as well as the dojo. We don’t wear shoes on the floor and it is polite to bow before you walk onto it. It is also proper to bow to your teachers before and after the lesson. Everyone bow.”

Alex followed along as everyone bowed to the teachers. The class followed the teachers in a few warm up exercises.

Then the teachers fanned out and Mike said. “Get into a front facing stance. Make sure your legs are shoulder width apart and slide your dominant foot forward with your knees slightly bent. Don’t look annoyed. I repeat the form every time because it is important to always remember the basics, and because we have new people joining us.”

Alex noticed a few people groaning or rolling their eyes. They probably had done a similar class before and new the stances and felt like a review wasn’t necessary. Though Alex was grateful since he had trouble remembering the stances and forms clearly.

“Ok, put both hands up close to your face and then pull your right hand in against your side, this is called chambering. Make sure to keep your elbow close to your side.”

The other two teachers went around correcting those that had the form wrong and that included both Alex and Chris.

For the next fifteen minutes they continued learning and getting corrected. They went from punches to front kicks to a few other moves.

“Ok, now we will use what we have learned along with some music and up the tempo a bit. This not only adds some fun but it helps you learn through rhythm and repetition.” Mike said and one of the other teachers went over to where a table with a stereo was and turned on some music.

Alex was already sweating and tired and after just a few minutes of the intense work out, he thought he would pass out. Chris looked even worse than him.

“If you need some water or a brief rest, don’t hesitate to step out briefly but you are encouraged to hurry back in to keep up your heart rate.” One of the other teachers said over the music.

Chris gasped gratefully and slid out to the side to gulp from his water bottle and sagged against the wall. Alex was tempted to join him, but was determined to keep going as long as he could. Finally after another fifteen minutes the music part was over and Alex collapsed on the floor. Chris had managed to come back for the last five minutes but he was huffing pretty hard.

“Ok for the last half hour we will go over some self-defense techniques and then cool down with forms. So get into pairs.”

Chris came over to Alex right away. Alex just nodded and they both smiled. They were both too tired to bother talking.

The teachers showed the class a technique and then had the students practice it, correcting those that got it wrong. The teachers corrected Alex and Chris Many times. Alex was a little surprised. He thought he had remembered more, but he was out of shape, and there was so much he had forgotten. Practicing by yourself, your form can break down since there isn’t anyone to correct you. It’s different practicing against a real person rather than shadow boxing or hitting a sandbag.

Bruised and exhausted they finally finished with learning the forms. The two boys collapsed side by side against the wall when the class was finally over.

“I have never been so tired in all my life.” Chris gasped out between heavy breaths.

Alex wiped the sweat off his forehead and nodded, huffing. “I don’t remember it being so hard. I had to be corrected often,” he finally managed to say after a few minutes.

“Ha ha, yeah and I’m pretty sure my punches were stronger than yours. Are you sure you’ve done this before?” Chris said good-naturedly.

Alex understood by Chris’ tone that he wasn’t trying to make fun of Alex. “Well I never said I was good at it.”

Alex laughed a little. “I guess I need a lot more practice and maybe some strength training.”

Chris showed off his very thin arm. “Well heck, I am sure I need that more than you. At least you have a little muscle.”

Alex grinned. He felt like he had finally met someone he could call a friend. They had just met so it was a little early, but he was sure they would continue to get along.

When Alex could finally make himself move he rolled up onto his knees and then stood, his muscles feeling like jelly. He helped Chris up too and said good bye before meeting his driver outside. Alex left the window open on the car so the cool September wind could cool off his still sweaty body. He would shower and such at home, it felt too odd to shower at the gym. The air felt great and he enjoyed the ride home with a small smile on his face.

It was only seven, so after eating dinner Alex went and stretched. Then he got into the shower, taking his time to let the warm water relax his muscles. He spent some time doing his homework before checking his stocks.

It was a little hard to concentrate because Alex was still a little psyched up from the MMA class. He was glad that the strange pain from this morning had gone away by the time the class started and he hadn’t noticed anything. If he had gotten injured like in the dream it most likely would have taken a lot longer to heal. Based on how he had hit the wall, it had looked and felt like a broken rib but no broken bone would heal in less than a day. Though his leg and arm had healed faster than normal it wasn’t that abnormally fast.

He kept rationalizing everything in his head. Alex hoped that because of his exhaustion, he might be able to sleep tonight without dreams. Despite his tiredness, he stayed up past midnight. He read and messed around on the internet, before he finally went to sleep.