It was early. The sun had yet to rise, and Seth was sitting in his truck on the first day of school in his gym clothes. He liked to use the school gym to lift weights before the football team got in there during first period. He sighed and rolled his head on his headrest to look out the window at the silent building, looming in the dark. Senior year.
On one hand, it had started well. He'd finally put down his rivalry with Jayson, and was getting ready to get his instructor black tab.
But none of that really compared to the crushing void he felt when he thought of Madeline. Seth and Emma had used the whole weekend to release their pent-up attraction towards each other—her parents were pulling extra shifts at the hospital for some reason—but none of it did anything to ease the swirling anger and numbness in his heart.
Seth punched the steering wheel half-heartedly and got out of his car, dressed in gym shorts and a sleeveless shirt, carrying his backpack. He made his way into the building, the hallways brightly lit, empty and waiting for the arrival of the new school year's students.
Seth walked in the stillness down the halls to the school gym and began setting up the squat rack and going through the motions of his workout. The weight was heavy, but he just zoned out through it, barely feeling the bar on his back as he descended to a squat and stood back up.
Seth finished his set and added another forty-five-pound plate on each side, then sat down on a bench and waited to begin his next set. Looking around the gym, it was empty. Seth hung his head.
The doors slammed open and broke him out of his reverie. Andrew stood there. He had quite obviously kicked the doors open. "Boom, baby!" He shouted. "Oh, hell, no, Seth. You are not going to act like that!"
Andrew ran over to him. "Get under the bar, you weakling, it's just a fucking relationship! Get a move on and lift some fucking weight it's senior fucking year!" He shook the squat rack like an enraged baboon.
Seth smiled a little and got under the bar, walking it out and setting his stance. Down. Up. Down. Up. Seth lifted it six times, saw Andrew shaking his head in the mirror and did four more reps. Those hurt. Seth racked the weight and turned to face Andrew. "Thought I'd have my morning peace and quiet."
"Bullshit. I'm your best friend and it's my job to make sure you don't have peace and quiet after a breakup. Seriously, though." Andrew punched Seth in the shoulder. "How are you holding up? You didn't answer your phone all weekend. I called you a bunch of times like I was a girl or something."
Seth shrugged. "I'm not a crying mess. So there's that."
"Emma probably helped with that."
"Wait, how do you-"
Andrew held up a finger and whipped out his phone. He scrolled through Instagram, then held up a video. It was posted to Emma's account, but it was Seth crashed out on the couch and snoring. Emma was trying not to laugh in the background of the audio. "Nice, dude," said Andrew. "Emma's hot. Hotter than Madeline, I think."
Seth made a face and got under the bar.
"Uh-uh," said Andrew. "315 was your working set at the start of last year."
"For four," said Seth. "I just did it for ten."
"Nope."
"C'mon."
Andrew didn't reply and instead slapped another 25 on each side. "Ten again, Seth. If I can't give you therapy, maybe a workout can."
Seth glared at him before unracking the weight. Heavy, but manageable. Ten reps came and went with pain, but no trouble. Seth racked the weight. "You working out?"
"Nah, I'm just here to watch you suffer. Wrestling hits the weight room around twelve."
"Ah." Seth sat back down on the bench and looked at Andrew blankly.
"Seriously, bro." Andrew sat next to him. "Have some fun with Emma. Take her to homecoming. Acting like you're over Madeline will help you actually get over her."
"I do like Emma."
"See, good!"
Seth glanced over at Andrew. "But isn't it a little messed up to be dating another girl right after I break up with Madeline?"
Andrew looked at him incredulously. "If any of the gossip that went around this weekend is to be believed, she cheated on you. And I know you. I've known you since fourth grade, bro. You wouldn't have broken up with her for anything less than that. And if that's the case, then you shouldn't feel the slightest bit of remorse for banging Emma."
Seth sat up and got ready for his next set. His legs were full of blood and lactic acid as he settled under the bar and hoisted it out of the rack. One. Two. Three. The set continued.
"You're gonna have to give me details, Seth," said Andrew. "Whenever you're ready, I mean. All I know right now is from this cheerleader I was hanging out with this weekend and it seemed unreliable at best. She heard from a friend who heard from Sarah, so..."
Seth grunted his acknowledgment as he stood up and racked the weight. He turned around and leaned on the bar. "She's been cheating on me since before summer, Andrew."
"Oh, shit." Andrew's eyes got wide. "I'm sorry, dude. That's bad."
Seth again shrugged and turned his head away, unsure of exactly how to respond.
"Well, I can tell you want to change the subject," said Andrew. "You should probably know David and Anthony are gonna be tracking you down the moment today starts."
Seth whipped his head back to Andrew. "Why, Andrew?" He said, using a controlled tone with an edge of aggravation to it. "This doesn't have anything to do with you showing up there over the summer does it?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I may or may not have found my ways into certain parties."
"Dammit, Andrew."
"Hey, there's no wrestling over the summer."
"Still."
"Eh. Did you hear about the ER over the weekend?"
Seth glanced at the clock in the gym. Thirty more seconds in his rest. "Huh?"
"I'm surprised you haven't since Emma's parents are doctors."
"They were pulling longer shifts, yeah."
"A bunch of people were killed by a wild animal."
"Get out," said Seth. He started to get under the bar. “What happened?”
"No one knows. They think there’s a bear on the loose, but the police won’t let anyone anywhere near the operating rooms.
"So how do you know?"
"How come you don't, lover boy?"
Seth unracked the weight. "Dammit, Andrew. I'm single. I'm trying wrap my head around that." He started squatting. "It's really... tough." This last set was significantly harder than the ones that proceeded it.
"It'll be in the news in a couple of days."
Seth remained silent through the whole set, doing one extra rep before he racked it. He sucked in air. That was painful. He looked back at Andrew. "Sure it will. Cheerleader was just saying that to impress you."
"Bet."
Seth shook his head and started taking weights off the bar. He finished, then moved over to the pull-up bar. He gripped it, locking his arms out, then drawing his body up so he was parallel to the ground and began counting to thirty.
Andrew started doing muscle-ups on the bar beside him. The two worked out in silence for a good while, Seth doing his front levers and Andrew doing his muscle-ups. Seth wordlessly moved on to some empty floor space and started doing bridges for his lower back muscles. Andrew popped into one beside him, balancing the position on his head.
"You and Emma are good together. You've had that crush on her a long time," said Andrew. "What you don't know, what I kept from you because I'm a good friend and you were in a relationship... She's had a crush on you damn near as long."
They both sat down from their bridges. Seth looked over at Andrew. “Yeah, she told me, but how do you know that?"
"I swear. Her and I got to talking at a party. You came up. Then Madeline came up. She made a face so I pressed. Turns out she was hoping you'd ask her out at that bonfire last year."
Seth looked down. "Well, damn." He shrugged. "Maybe it would have turned out just as bad."
"I don't think so, man. Emma's had several boyfriends, but no one has ever heard of her cheating. She's loyal, or at least honest enough to let someone go when she's had enough of them. Enjoy your time with her." Andrew glanced over. "And don't be mad at me with what happens next."
"Seth Blackwell," came a voice from the entrance to the weight room. "Fancy seeing our next biggest contender here!"
Seth looked over. David and Anthony stood in the entrance, dark, curly hair perfectly combed into waves, both dressed like wannabe fight promoters. He looked at Andrew and groaned. He still couldn't tell if this was going to be a good senior year or not.
***
"No, no, no. Fuck no. No, absolutely not, get away from me." Seth slammed his locker shut, snapped the lock closed, and turned away from Anthony. Anthony stepped quickly to catch up with him as Seth made his way through the halls toward History class.
"Come on. School wants to see you fight."
"I fought in Grand Island two weekends ago. They could have come out. You just want to make more money on bets."
"Damn straight I do. I don't want to have to be the one to tell people that Seth's pussying out this year. Again. It would absolutely break my heart to have to tell them such a courageous warrior simply couldn't hack it."
Seth glanced over at Anthony. The kid had a way about, him, a charisma that was both warm and unsettling at the same time. He could usually convince anyone of anything, and Seth was certain he was going to wind up as CEO of some Fortune 500 company someday. Either that or push Dana White out of his seat as president of UFC in about a decade. Seth was just stubborn. "No."
"What if I give you a better cut that the rest of the fighters? Most make two hundred and fifty a night. I'll double that for you. What do those private lessons you give at your gym make anyway... twenty bucks an hour?"
"Thirty," said Seth.
They dodged around a group of loud and boisterous football players, dressed in their letterman jackets and talking at a level better described as a shout.
"Make it seven-fifty, then."
Seven hundred and fifty dollars did sound good. That was gas money for two months, maybe three. Seth sighed. "No. People get hurt at your fights, and it has nothing to do with the fact that its bare-knuckle. Your fighters don't know when to quit. I don't want to have to send someone to the hospital or- OOF!" Seth plowed into someone below his line of vision and the two tumbled to the floor. Seth's backpack full of books cushioned his fall somewhat. He blinked.
That girl from Madeline's birthday party lay on his chest, her arms over his shoulders to prop herself up. Her short raven hair just brushed his face. Seth glanced over at Anthony, who was grinning. "I'll leave you two to it." He walked off with his usual swagger.
Seth looked back to the girl, who stared at him with her dark brown eyes. He could have sworn they were a shade lighter the last time he saw her... He cleared his throat. "I'd appreciate if you'd let me up."
She smirked and moved off him. The two stood up almost in sync. Seth stared at her. "Have I earned your name now?"
She laughed. "No." She looped her thumbs through the straps of her backpack. "Gotta do more than just run into me."
Seth narrowed his eyebrows. "Usually the guy plays the mysterious bit."
"I enjoy moving to a new town and keeping people guessing."
"You move a lot?"
"A bit." She raised an eyebrow. Her lips were coated in a deep shade of crimson and it stood out brilliantly on her pale skin.
"Seriously, I can just follow you to your next class and find out."
"Probably not, I'm in track."
"You're short."
She stuck out her tongue. "Doesn't mean I can't run fast."
Seth looked at the clock on the wall nearby. "Tell you what. I make it to your classroom before you, you tell me your name."
She rolled her eyes. "You'll lose, but okay. It's classroom two forty-nine. Science lab."
"I know it."
"Then run," she said and took off like a bat out of hell. Seth took off after her. She was fast, way faster than he had anticipated. He'd thought his height would make it easy to outrun her, but each of her steps seemed to be more of a jump than a stride. She propelled herself forward. She hadn't been lying about track.
Seth's only saving grace against her hyper-efficient technique was his endurance from the martial arts, his lungs barely registering the exertion as he pushed himself to run fast. People were moving rapidly out of the way as they rounded a corner, the girl just in the lead. Seth couldn't believe it. She was actually faster than him. Room 249 stood at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, watch it!" Shouted some guy as Seth hurtled past him. He became aware of the fiery burn in his legs. Seth glanced at her again. She seemed to be well within her capacity. Seth reached down deep and applied every bit of strength he had into his sprint. He wasn't going to let the girl say 'you haven't earned my name' again.
Seth surged ahead, slapping the door as he ran past it, skidding to a halt and turning to face the girl, who had somehow stopped on a dime and now leaned casually against the wall. The only sign she had made an effort was that her pixie cut had been blown all out of place. She raised an eyebrow. "Damn. You should try out for girls track."
Seth gave her an aggravated half-frown. "Name. I squatted this morning."
She smiled. A genuine, cheerful smile. Nothing like the smirks she'd shot him every time he saw her. "My name is Nicole. I'll see you around, Seth."
"Yeah, see you."
Nicole disappeared into 249 and Seth bent over, putting his hands on his thighs. Running was not his sport. He glanced up at the clock on the wall. 9:58. It looked like he was running again.
***
Seth leaned against the wall outside the main doors of the school, dressed in his usual jeans, Converse, and a plain black tee to match. It was a gray day, the sun refusing to come out from behind the clouds since the morning. He could whiff smoke... Someone was blazing somewhere nearby. Idiots. School was about to let out and the teachers would be out to smell that all-too-identifiable scent. He sighed and looked down at the text messages on his phone. His phone buzzed again. Another Snapchat from Jessica, asking if he wanted to go out with her and Andrew to get his mind off things. Seth couldn’t think of a reply just now.
Seth shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked around the mostly empty parking lot. He'd loitered long enough. It was time to head to CFA and train for the evening. Seth put his hands in his pockets and started walking to his truck. The air had the feel to it that summer was about to end. That sort of dying heat that's still as warm as it was a week ago, but with a faltering edge that speaks of the coolness of coming months.
College was coming soon. Seth's grades were good enough to get scholarships, and he'd done well enough on the practice ACTs he didn't think he'd have much of a problem getting into a school. The last thing he wanted to do was take out a big student loan.
"Hey, track and field."
Seth started out of his reverie and looked up to see Nicole perched on the corner of the tailgate of his truck. She held her backpack by a single strap and it dangled between her legs. She was wearing black jeans today, accompanied by boots that looked a little too 90s, and a V-neck tee that toed the line of the school dress code. She had a single wireless earbud in.
"What are you doing on my truck?"
She grinned. "Well, I was waiting, but honestly if you took much longer I was planning on vandalizing it."
Seth blew air out his nose. "We'd have a problem then."
"Sure we would." Nicole hopped down and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "What are you up to?"
"Training."
"Where at?"
"Central Fighting Arts."
"What martial art?"
Seth blinked. "Dutch kickboxing... But I started with Kyokushin."
"That explains why I had you pegged for Muay Thai."
Seth folded his arms. "Okay, spill, what do you do?"
"Whatever I feel like." Nicole stepped up to him. "And I have the urge to train. Does your gym have a drop-in fee?"
"Yeah, ten bucks, but we do month-by-month contracts that are pretty cheap."
"Perfect. Wanna give me a ride?"
Seth stared down at her. Her brown eyes were intense. "You don't have one?"
"Duh, or I wouldn't be asking you."
Seth looked back at the school. The doors opened up and people began to pour out. He wanted out of there before the parking lot got crazy.
"Yeah. Hop in."
Nicole smiled. Seth walked around, unlocked the doors, and got in his truck. He turned the keys in the ignition as Nicole climbed into the passenger seat, holding her backpack in her lap in a manner that suggested it had valuable contents.
"You have clothes to train in?"
"Does your gym require a gi?"
"Not for kickboxing."
"Then I do."
Seth popped the shift into reverse and pulled out of his parking space, then began navigating the maze of lanes to get out of the school lot. He glanced over at Nicole. "Where did you move here from?"
"A ways away."
"Okay, you're being difficult. I'm giving you a ride, the least you could do is entertain a conversation that's not aggravating."
She fixed him with a stern look. "I'll answer your questions however I want."
Seth put the truck in park right at the exit to the parking lot. "Okay, then, get out." He placed one hand on the wheel and turned to look straight at her.
She smirked. "Florida."
"Yeah, bullshit. You're way too pale."
"That's rude."
"Answer my damn question and we'll keep driving."
"Alright, we moved from Montana."
"Oh my god, was that so hard?" Seth shifted the truck back to drive and pulled out into the main road.
"It was entertaining."
Seth pursed his lips and drew the corners of his mouth downward. "You're a troll."
"That's not nice."
Seth didn't reply, and instead turned the stereo to Bluetooth. Spotify automatically started playing metal over the speakers. He glanced at Nicole. She seemed to be into it. They pulled to a stop at a red light.
"How long have you been doing martial arts?"
"A while. I grew up in a bad spot and so knowing about how to defend myself was kind of necessary."
"How long is a while?"
"A while."
"Uh-huh."
The light turned green and Seth started forward.
A red streak drew the attention of his peripherals as a vehicle came from his left, heedless of the red light. A semi crashed straight into the side of his truck with enough force that the last thing Seth thought before the whiplash knocked him unconscious was the realization his truck was both airborne and upside-down.
The world went black.
