Mark warned me to take it easy. I should have.
But I didn't.
A few minutes in to the match, my opponent gets a face full of fist and staggers back spitting blood. I put my hands up.
"No harm intended, bud.", I say as he steadies himself and catches his breath. He grins, and somewhere in the back of my head there's a voice screaming, 'YOU'VE SEEN THAT GRIN BEFORE'. But before I can process it, he's back with an attack and I have to focus on not losing.
Its almost ten minutes before he yields.
Fortunately for him, he was wearing a helmet. His arms were covered with sweat. There are bruises too. But that was normal when you were learning martial arts.
I get out of the ring and picked up a towel. It's soft and comforting after a fight. I'm just about done wiping my sweat off when Mark arrives with a bottle of water. I nod my thanks and take the bottle. I lift it to my lips, and I hear the voice I've associated with all ill fate and misfortune.
"Are you following me?"
I aspirate and spray all the water that I haven't inhaled on Mark. He makes a strangled sound and grabs the towel in my hand. He pretends to retch as he wipes the water off his face. I glare at him and turn around.
My mind says that I'll meet my nemesis yet again. But I refuse to believe it till I've seen his exasperating face. It is him though, his hair stuck to his forehead in wet clumps and his black shirt drenched in sweat. For a second he looks like a poor, beat up soul. But, the look in his eyes make him a beat up jerk. I wipe my lips with the back of my hand and decide to intimidate with words as well.
"Your hair is not a mess today. That's an improvement.", I say, pretending to not feel guilty of the fact that I caused our biggest order this year to be cancelled. The reason being that it was his order.
He grins at me, his smile stretching and tearing his already wounded lip. It looks grotesque, and I know my face says it does.
"I hope I have begun to match your high expectations", he says. He leans in and a wave of warm, sweat-infused air washes over me. I take a quick step backwards and draw a line with my foot.
"Lets cross this line only after taking a shower, sir. Both of us reek of sweat."
I wait for him to nod in response before I grab the towel from Mark's hand and walk briskly towards the door and up the stairs. I walk into Mark's house and shut the door firmly behind me. I rummage through the mess in the small living room and find a pillow that doesn't smell. I stuff my face into it and scream. That releases all the pent up restraint I've got.
I stalk into the bathroom and open the taps. The water is cold and leaves me feeling fresh and feisty. I grab a shirt out of Mark's closet and yank it on. It catches my ear and I angrily yank at it harder. My ear is sore now, my mood, bad and Disaster's waiting for me downstairs.
What a wonderful day it is.
I grab a snack on my way out and slam the door shut. I stomp down the stairs and into Mark. I smack my head hard into his shoulder. I add that to the growing list of wonderful things that have happen to me on this wonderful day.
"WhAT is YoUR PRobLeM?!", I glare at him.
"Says the one who bumped into me.", he says. "Is he the one who made your day but undid it, yesterday?"
I don't answer him, but he reads my silence and chuckles. He directs me towards the gym and pats my back.
"I wish you good luck, though your Friend might need it more than you do."
Friend? What bull.
But before I can say anything we're inside and Joshua looms over me. I gulp. He looks so much taller in a suit.
But I'm not done with him. Not today.
I lift my chin as he walks towards me with that nauseating smirk on his face. Mark behind me starts giggling, and I clutch the snack in my hand tighter. I never go down without first putting up a fight.