"Ace, you rest for a while. Alex, you fight with me," Asher informs, entering the ring.

Welp, now it is my time to run. "It was nice knowing you guys," I say and turn around to run. I am running on the same spot, though. I look behind and see August has a finger around my belt loop, holding me in place.

"I don't want to die," I say to August, shaking my head like a madman.

"You won't die, Alex," August chuckles.

"How do you know that? I can't defend myself against Ace, and he is not even that str-" I stop abruptly. I look at Ace, and he raises his eyebrows, daring me to finish the sentence. I was about to make a huge mistake again.

"Alex," August calls, letting go of my belt loop and taking my hand.

"You won't get strong if you run away from this now. It is not like my brother is going to kill you,"

"He is right," Ace says, picking my bag from the floor and approaching us, "You have to face this. You can't run away, Alex," He says, handing me my bag.

"I promise I will go easy on you," Asher winks. He must go easy on me because I will die if he goes full-on Asher mode.

"Alright," I sigh, taking my bag and heading to the changing room.

I close the door behind me and take a seat on the bench. I didn't want to fight Asher because he would show me how powerless and weak I would be against people like him. I am aware it sounds pathetic because Asher has been fighting much longer than I have. But, it still makes me feel vulnerable that people can still put me down and walk over me.

I guess I am still not completely over what happened. I mean, can you blame me? The person I loved and trusted the most broke my heart to pieces that in no way can be put together.

I want to be strong, that no one or nothing can put me down.

I remove my jeans, leaving me in my top and shorts. I tape my hands and take deep breaths to calm myself.

I can do this. I am Alex Freaking Carter.

I go outside and see Ace and August talking. Ace puts his head back and laughs at something August says. A small smile overtakes my previously stern face. I enter the ring, and Asher smiles at me.

"Ready?"

"Always," I reply. Ace and August take a sear, ready to watch the show, or should I say, to watch me die.

"I won't go too easy on you, Carter," Asher smirks.

"Thanks, but you don't have to hold back. I can handle pain," I smile, rotating my neck and jumping to loosen the muscle.

"You are strong, Alex. Don't forget that. You are an unbeatable champion. Give yourself some credit," Ace yells, and I nod with a smile.

I take a deep breath and focus only on Asher and the match, cancelling any unnecessary noises, that is, Ace's and August's yelling.

Asher and I circle each other, getting the hang of the tension and nervousness. Then, I attack,

I make the first move by putting my right foot forward and punching him with my right arm. Asher stops my punch with his left hand by catching my wrist and bringing it down with force.

Knowing that he has my left-hand captive, Asher punches me with his right hand, but I move closer in time, and his arm misses my face, and I use my left hand to block him from punching my face from the side. All of this happens within two seconds.

I forcefully free my wrist from his grasp and move back.

"Not bad, Carter," Asher scoffs.

"Well, I must admit, the dolls were helpful," I snort.

Within a second, Asher is in front of me and, using his left leg, kicks me in the side of my stomach. I stagger back and hold my stomach.

"Your opponent won't give you enough time to recover from the little boo boo," Asher taunts.

"Haha," I laugh, getting agitated by his tauntings.

I recover and bring my right hand out, my palms facing outward. Asher, realizing I am about to hit his face, protects it with both hands. Bingo, I punch him in the stomach, but instead of keeping my fingers closed, I keep them open and tighten them so I won't get hurt. The impact is forceful and pointed. It hurts more than a punch.

I hold my fingers, pain shooting through them. Even though it hurts the opponent, the force in which you punch makes your fingers bend backwards.

"Feint attack," Asher smirks, "Good job,"

"That's it, Carter," Asher smiles. I smile, knowing I have landed a hit.

"Don't lose focus," Asher warns, lifting his left knee to hit my stomach. I place both my palms on his knee to stop the attack. He smirks. Shit.

"Too slow, Alex," He smirks and hits my throat, not enough to hurt but make me stagger back. He catches my wrist before I can go too far, capturing me. With a smirk, he brings his right leg to the back of my left knee and pushes hard, making me lose my balance and fall face first.

I close my eyes, waiting for the impact that could break my nose. Nothing happens. I open one eye, and my face is dangerously close to the ground. Asher is holding the back of my shirt, holding me still, preventing my possible death.

"Alex, when you are about to fall face first, try to let the ground touch the side of your face or bring your hands up to protect your face. But in no circumstance use your palms to stop yourself by placing them on the ground. The force of the impact could sprain it or, in rare cases, even break it," Asher advises, slowly letting go of me.

"If it is a real match, I would have a broken nose right about now," I wince, imagining the pain.

"You are right about that,"

"Still, you did well. I am glad the training is working," Asher smiles. I smile back in gratitude.

"Yeah, just another three years before you can beat him," Ace snickers and I give him my death glare.

"Nope, just another month is enough. It hurts my pride to say it, though," Asher groans.

"Hey, what about me?" August asks, offended.

"I would say she has a good chance of winning than you," Asher informs his brother.

"HEY," We all laugh at his expression.

"That is enough for today. You still have more than enough time to train. Rest well. I will see you guys next week," Asher informs and leaves.

I collapse to the ground. Ahhh, It was tough. The fight lasted for a minute. Asher defeated me in a single minute. This means, at this rate, The Don will knock me down in less than ten seconds.

"I need to train more," I mumble and cover my eyes. I feel a shadow towering above me. I open my eyes and find Ace grinning like an idiot.

"So, how did it feel to lose?" He questions, offering me his hand.

"It felt great," I sigh and take his hand.

"Are you okay?" He questions, looking at me weirdly.

"Yeah, it's just that, whatever you do, there will be someone always stronger, prettier or talented than you. It's the worst if the person has talent and works hard," I sigh.

"Like you," Ace smiles.

"Yeah, like m- what?"

"You practice every day, Alex. You think I don't know your secret training sessions?" He smiles.

"I am still weak," I mutter.

"No, Alex, you are stronger than most boys out there. Learn to take pride in that,"

"If you only need a month to beat Asher, I guess one week is enough for me, then," Ace says, defeated.

I hug Ace, thankful I have someone who can cheer me up like this. Not minding my sweaty body pressed against his, he hugs me back. From the corner of my eye, I see August trying to leave as quietly as possible. It looks like he got his memory back from the hangover yesterday.

"August," I shout, letting go of Ace.

"He is running away, huh,"

August stiffens but does not turn back.

"I know you remember. Wait, I will change and come. Let's go to my house," I say, leaving the rink.

"We have to talk,"

____________________

Sorry for the late update you guys. I am so happy, we reached nearly 8K views, and steadily climbing ranks in the tags. AHHHHHHHHH. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR READING THIS BOOK. What do you think is going to happen next. Vote and leave a comment. I love you. Jesus loves you.

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