The Fight Club (4 page)

Julie

Gavin asked me to take a couple of days to decide, and today was the second day. When he offered me the job initially, I was excited. But later, I wasn't sure if I should do it because it, after all, was in a fight club.

I checked my options, but I didn't find anything left for me. L.A. wasn't a feather in the book-of-my-life experience. From the moment I got here, I was shown hostility, and then an attempt on my life. Gosh, still I couldn't believe Tom tried that on me. He could have easily asked any girl in L.A. to sleep with him, and she probably would’ve said yes. He chose the wrong person to try that on. When he pulled a gun on me, my heart stopped for a moment. I saw my death in his eyes. Thanks to Gavin, I'm alive, and now he was saving me from remaining jobless in a strange city. Why was I even bothering to think twice about taking the job?

Gavin looked genuine, and on top of that, he was an FBI consultant. I could trust him. But nothing good had happened to me in last few days. My boyfriend abandoned me, and one of the top actors in Hollywood tried to rape me. God, what was happening with me these days?

What could be the worst outcome? He asked me to join his fight club, not personally train him.
It’s
done then. I will join his club after seeing it with my own eyes.
Yes, that would give me enough confidence to join the club. If the pay was good, I could comfortably live in L.A. and see my mother every weekend.

That day, I was on my way to the address Gavin gave me. When I reached there, to my surprise, it was a rich area in L.A.. When I first heard about the martial art club, I thought it would be downtown, some alleyway where only shady people would go. But when I reached the address, everything surprised me. The street had all the rich brands I knew. It even had a couple of corporate offices.
Gavin must have shelled out a hell of a lot of money for getting the club on this street.

From outside, it looked like a nightclub, only minus the fancy dressed couples roaming around. I walked inside with curiosity. I had never visited a fight club before. I found it was a strict fighting environment. I saw men with six packs roaming around, punching bags and lifting weights. I suddenly felt like I was entering a UFC arena, only, no audience was present there. It was a fight club.

The club had four rings at four corners, and one enclosed cage ring in the middle, which they must use for commercial matches. At least a dozen people were fighting in the four corner rings, and a couple dozen people were stretching or doing some exercise in the space between rings.

I was glad I would not be alone in the club. I would work alongside at least three dozen men and woman, so I would be safe if something went wrong.

"Good evening, Julie. I was wondering about your decision this morning?" Gavin emerged from my left side with a smile on his face. He was in business dress, which didn't suit the atmosphere of the club.

"I thought of seeing the club before I said yes," I said."And you mentioned about the martial art club, this looks like a fight club."

"Well, I didn't know if you would be genuinely interested in the offer. And telling you about the fight club would have put me in danger if you happened to be meeting another cop. Anyway, I'm glad you are here. So, tell me about your first impression?" As he glanced at the whole arena, pride flashed through his eyes. I could see it was his baby.

"It looks fantastic, but I was wondering if you could give me a tour. I'm especially interested in the therapy area, if you have any such place.”

He looked at his watch. "I wish I could, but I have a business meeting to attend. But don't worry. One of my friends can help you look around." He spotted someone on the other side of the arena and called his name, a man named Mark.

"Hey, champ!" Gavin hit the man’s shoulder hard when he walked to us.

"Dude, do you think I can hit the ring next month?" Mark asked eagerly.

"Why wouldn't you? You’re doing everything right. I bet I can predict the next runner-up in the upcoming tournament." Gavin chuckled.

"I will wipe that smirk from your face when I get the gold." Mark frowned at Gavin.

"We will see. Anyway, I was wondering if you can help the lady here by showing her around the club? She may join us as a trainer in the next couple of days."

"Hi. Mark Peterson." Mark extended his hand.

"Julie McCord." I grabbed his hand. He had a firm grip.

"A good handshake. I like that. Come on. Let me show you around."

For the next fifteen minutes, we talked about the facilities. It was a state of the art club, with a complete gym on the second floor, a physiotherapy room on the third floor, and Gavin's private office on the fourth floor.

"I guess I will work on the third floor, if I take this job," I said.

"I doubt it. The lazy asses here prefer the trainers come in the ring and work on their injuries there. And there are
lots
of injuries happening daily here."

"How many trainers do you have?"

"I guess five or six. A few more work as personal trainers, though none of them are in-house like you will be."

"Five is a good number for thirty odd people. We only had seven for a daily inflow of seventy people in the health club where I worked in New York."

"What brought you to L.A.? New York is much more happening than this city. I say that with experience." He smiled with pride.

"That
city didn't suit my expectations." I sighed. "But why did you leave New York?"

Mark didn't reply for almost a minute. When I looked at his face, he had his eyes fixed in the distance. I guess he had bitter memories associated with New York, too. "Gavin told me about what happened to you. Don't worry, you can trust Gavin completely. He’s a good man, with the cutest baby girl you can find in town."

He smiled. "I will leave you now. Training time. Call me if you need anything."

He abruptly left me there. I guess memories of New York touched some painful string in his heart.

I checked out the physiotherapy room on the third floor first. When I came out of the lift, I was amazed. The third floor had every therapy machine I knew that existed on earth. They even had a small gym customized with keeping physical therapy in mind. When I looked around, I found a couple of girls working on one muscular man. They were working on his shoulder. I could easily see them ignoring the upper shoulder in their treatment.

"I think you should work on the pectoralis major,” I said, walking to them.

One on the girl looked at me with puzzled eyes.

"If you work on pectoralis first, he will achieve relaxation faster." I touched the muscle and pushed on the knot I found there. When I did, he moaned in relaxation. We had been taught a complete lesson on this in college. I knew what I was doing.

"Wow. I'm already feeling great. Thanks a ton, new lady." The man I was working on grinned.

With a smile, I moved away, walking to the right side of the floor. On that side, they had three sections, a mud room, a sauna room, and a small swimming pool.

"Isn’t the pool sweet?" One of the girls I’d met earlier walked to me. "You must be the new trainer Gavin spoke about."

"I haven't said yes, technically." But in my mind, I had said yes already. The place had impressed me so much that I couldn't even think of declining the offer.

"You can even watch them sparring in the club, from the other side of the pool." She opened the door, and I saw that the room was wider than the other section. It had a medium swimming pool, covering eighty percent of the room. The other end of the swimming pool had a wall of glass.

"Wow. It's awesome in here."

"Come on. A match is going on in the main ring." I followed her to the other side of the room.

Mark was fighting with another equally-strong man in the main ring. One was charging on the other, and when he jumped in the air to hit first with a flying punch, the first one jumped back to avoid his attack. They were treading blows like shown in UFC. The fight looked intense, and it warmed my blood to spar with someone.

"Is this a friendly fight?" I asked.

"No, it's an internal qualifying match. Soon, the L.A. novice tournament will start, and Mark has eyes set on it. He looks great, doesn’t he?" Her eyes lurked with lust as she stared at Mark.

"He fights like a beast." I observed Mark. One second he was flying in the air, the next, he was performing a round kick on the ground. He was present everywhere in the ring.

"Yes. He’s really good," she replied.

"I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself earlier. Julie McCord,” I said, turning to her.

"I know. And I'm Rose. Just Rose." She smiled, flashing her beautiful teeth.

"I think I’ll take this job."

"And I would say you made a right decision." Rose flashed her teeth again."Welcome to the Fight Club, Julie."

***

Gavin wouldn’t come back until late that evening, so I decided to grab lunch from a pizza joint I spotted earlier. I opened the big glass door, and heard Mark calling me from inside. I turned to look at him, and then…

BAM! The ground was coming to meet me quickly. I was falling fast. Somebody had pushed me so hard that I was on my way to kissing the hard wooden floor. I closed my eyes, knowing I’d get a bloody nose when I hit, but then a hand swiped under my chest and flipped me in midair so I landed on my back. We stared at each other for a moment. He had beautiful brown eyes.

It hurt, but not as much as it would have if I had slammed my face on the ground. When I opened my eyes, I saw the face of the mystery man who saved me. But what was he doing so close to me, his breath caressing my cheeks, his hair scattered on my forehead?

"What are you doing, Mister..." I saw his face clearly, dark brown eyes with a hint of haze’ in them. A rock hard jaw, and a fully grown beard. If I wasn't in my current situation, I would’ve taken a moment to appraise his beauty. Yes, he was beautiful, in his own terms.

"I should ask
you
that, miss. I'm bored with girls like you hitting on me like this." His voice was rough, and arrogant.

"What the heck? What do you mean by that?" I stood up the moment he moved away. I smoothed my jeans and looked at him.

Eddie was handsome, but not as handsomely beautiful as him. He was wearing a black, sleeveless tee, and a white jacket on top of it, with dark-washed jeans. I suspected any clothes in the world would look awesome on him. But he seemed like a jerk, who didn’t know how to talk to girls.

"I meant what I said." He was staring at me with those arrogant, dark eyes.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't be naïve. I know your tricks. You were opening the door, and when you saw me walking in, you just turned back and stumbled on me. I guess you were planning some meeting, like a cheesy romantic movie." He smirked.

If I could I would’ve wiped that smirk out of his face right there, but couple of trainers rushed in to see what had happened.

"Are you all right, sir and ma'am?" one of them asked us.

"I'm fine. Just take care of this lady." The arrogant man grumbled before jetting out of there. He didn't even have the courtesy to say thanks to the trainers.

"Thanks. I'm fine." I smiled at them and walked out. I wonder where the hell Mark vanished after calling me. He was responsible for the accident with that jerk.

I walked away. No doubt he was handsome, but I was done with men after recent experiences.

I decided to shop, to better this fucked up evening. Yes, shopping would ease my mind for sure. I decided to catch a cab and visit the mall. I’d get my lunch there. But before I could call a cab, a man stumbled upon me,
again.

"What..." I cut my words as I saw he was an elder, in his late sixties.

"I'm sorry, miss. I just didn't know that you were there. I hope you’re okay,” he said in a lenient voice.

This was the kind of man I wish most could be. This man had also run into me, but he had the manners to ask me if I was all right.

"I'm fine. How are you, Mister…?"

"I'm Sam. Nice meeting you, young lady." He gave me an innocent smile.

"Same here, Sam." He was a gentleman. I guess it was the generation difference that made this man a kind one and that man I met at the pizza place a jerk.

"See ya around." He smiled and walked away.

I watched him go round the corner and disappear. "I wish brown eyes, could be as good as him, handsome,” I whispered.

Noah

"Gavin's Fight Club.
What a lame name," I muttered as the neon sign flashed in front of my eyes. My friend had recommended me to join this particular club. Nina wanted me to fight again. But did I have to join this lame club? I could pass on it without a second thought.

I'm here, so I might as well try this one and then decide.

I took a deep breath and opened the gate. BANG, a girl banged on my face, her pony tail crushing in my eyes, and I lost my balance. I was falling down fast along with the girl, and she would smash her face on the ground. I could have saved myself easily, but with an unintentional reflex my hand moved and flipped her in the mid air by grabbing her chest so she could hit ground on her butt. I fall on her because there was no time to save us both.

Next moment, I was an inch away from her eyes, dark purple beautiful eyes, like Tonya. Tied in a perfect pony tail, exactly the way Tonya tied her, swung in the air. My heart pounded faster than ever, it was like seeing Tonya again. No, it can't be true. She left my life for good. She wasn't coming back. And the girl wasn't Tonya, she was someone else, she had a spark in her eyes which I never saw in anyone. But she disgusted me by turning purposefully so I could fall her in trap.

She wasn't half bad, but the way she tried to lure me in her trap was an atrocious way.

"What are you doing Mr." She pushed me away. Now she was showing me arrogance.

My voice raised as I stared at her. "I should ask you that, miss. I'm bored with girls like you hitting on me like this."

"What do you mean by this," she said, in a very melodious voice. She had an amazing voice, if it was a different time I would have loved to hear her talking for hours, just to listen to that voice. But she wasn't the girl I would ever listen to. I hate girls who try to act smart to get rich men like us in their bed.

"I mean what you heard."

"What the heck are you talking about?" She rolled her eyes. God those purple eyes, I could swim in those eyes.

"Come on, don't be naïve. I know your tricks. You were opening the door, and when you noticed me walking in, you turned back and stumbled up on me. I guess you were planning a meeting like a cheesy romantic movie."Someone, please stop this girl talking anymore. I just hate these types of girls. I wanted to walk out of there, never to comeback. Joining the lame club was turning a stupid idea already.

"Are you all right, sir and ma'am?" Two people showed up. Damn, they were so late to interfere. If they had come a little sooner, I could have been saved from the chit-chat with this arrogant girl.

"I'm fine. Just take care of this lady." I walked inside the club. I had enough of her already.

"Where is Gavin?" I asked a man near the door.

"He is out. How can I help you?"

"I’m Noah Rich. Do you work here? I want to meet your boss."

"No, I don't work here. But I'm a member here. I'm Mark Peterson.” He gave me a quick handshake. “Gavin will be back in a half hour. If you think you can wait, I’ll show you his cabin."

I could walk out and visit another club. But then I canceled a few of my meetings to come here. Walking out now would waste my time, without even inquiring about the club.

"I will wait. Please, show me his cabin," I replied.

"Follow me. It won’t take long for him to show.”

***

"Hello, Mr. Rich." A man in gray suit walked into the cabin. When I heard his name first, I thought he would be an old man. But he was a young man who owned this club. " How can I help you?" He took a seat across the table.

"I want to join your club. I used to be a fighter, and want to fight again."

"Let me ask you one question, Mr. Rich. Why do you want to fight?"

What kind of question that was that? "I don’t understand."

"Let me tell you about my business. I only train people who are serious about the sport. So, tell me the reason you want to fight in the ring. If you satisfy me with your answer, I will take you in. Otherwise, there are plenty of other clubs out there." He looked at me with a complex expression.

Why did I have to tell this guy anything? Who was he, with his dumb questions? But I decided to answer him. I didn't want to waste my complete morning.

"I want to join, because my therapist advised me to." It was simple, I didn't care if he knew that owner of Orange Computer Systems visited a therapist. Nobody cared, and I didn't care even if someone cared for it. It was my personal life.

"Join another club," Gavin replied. "I can even give you a couple of recommendations if you wish."

"What the fuck? I gave you an honest answer, and you’re telling me to fuck off?" A nerve on my forehead popped out. But why would he do that? I just told one of my secrets to him, and he just declined me? "Do you even know who am I?"

"I know you well, Mr. Rich. Every other month you’re on the cover of some men's magazine. And it may be the deepest secret you have, but you aren’t honest with yourself. I don't take people in just because they think they are being honest."

He paused, and looked into my eyes. "Everyone has a motive for fighting in the ring. Some form of emotion. You aren’t doing this for money, so you better tell me what emotion that is.”

"But it's the truth. I have no other answer to give you," I replied. What could I have told him differently to convince him? But why was I convincing him at all? His club wasn't the last remaining fight club on the earth. There were three different clubs I knew of in L.A.

Fuck you, man. I will be out in no time.

I got up from my chair. I hated that man. No one insulted me. I could easily destroy his business with my money.

But you won’t do that, Noah. You have to give him a correct answer, because you want to get her out of your mind,
I thought.

"Listen, Gavin." I put my hands on the table. "I want to live. If I don't fight, my therapist thinks that I’ll never come out of the trauma I'm facing."

Gavin looked at me, but this time, his eyes had something different. I think he saw hope inside me. At least, I felt like he did. "Come tomorrow, and be prepared. I will test you and decide where you fit."

***

The next day, I arrived at the club, and was instantly thrown in the ring. "You’re up against Oliver." Gavin introduced me to a man in a track suit. He was well built, and covered his fists in cloth, which I didn't like to wear. When I used to fight, many people advised me to cover my hands, but I loved the feeling of fighting with them bare. Though it made me prone to injuries, I still went with what I liked.

"How old is he?" I asked.

"Old enough to kick your ass," Gavin chuckled.

"We will see." I walked into the ring. I had just gone through my stretching regime, and I was already feeling good by just the thought of fighting again.

Oliver entered and we bumped our fists. It was a ritual they followed in the GFC.

"Watch yourself, kid," I advised. I wouldn’t go easy on him. I had a point to prove, and this first match was a good platform to do so.

Oliver gave me a cunning smile and then took his stand.

The whistle blew, and the match started. Oliver charged. A rookie mistake. No experienced fighter would charge his opponent. He tried to punch me, which I dodged. I hit his oblique with a punch from my left hand. Oliver was pushed back by the blow, but he still had a smile on his face.

Why is he still smiling, even after I hit him first?
Something was missing.

He charged me again. This time, I didn't dodge him. I instead blocked his punch with my arms. To counter, he balanced himself and hit me with a swing kick. It was unexpected, and I wasn't prepared. An acute pain struck my shoulder, which forced me to take a step back, leaving my face open. Oliver took that chance and hit my jaw hard with his other hand. I lost my balance and slammed to the floor on my back.

Oliver smirked at me and walked back to his corner. He had shown me my place. The metallic taste of blood, and the bitter taste of defeat covered my mouth. I had become a novice after leaving the ring for almost three years. I was nothing but a noob in front of some stupid kid.

I looked around. People had gathered around the ring, and I could see a smug smile on everyone’s face, expect for two people. Gavin wasn't smiling. He looked completely serious. And there was that girl with the purple eyes and blonde ponytail. What was she doing here, and why wasn't she laughing at me?

If Tonya was here, she wouldn't have laughed.

Fuck you.
I stood up, anger consuming every ounce of blood in my body.

"Oliver, focus." I cried, charging towards the kid.

He wasn't ready, and I could see the surprise on his face. He didn't expect me to get up and run.

He took a quick defensive stance, but I didn't care. When I reached him, I dropped on the ground and performed an angular kick. He expected that, and jumped in the air, like I knew he would. I changed my stance mid-kick and jumped on him, my fist hitting his jaw.

He fell back on the ground. Surely he wasn't ready for that. I put everything I had in that punch. Now that kid knew where he stood when I was in the ring.

"You never smirk at Noah Rich, kid," I whispered, walking out of the ring. Gavin was standing there, waiting for me.

"Congrats on the win,” Gavin said dryly. “But if you hit another guy in the ring with that kind of remark, I will kick your ass out of the club."

"Okay boss," I replied with a winning smile. I didn't care what he said. I had just shown him what I was capable of.

"Let me introduce you to the trainer we have selected for you,” Gavin said.

"A trainer?"

"Yes. A therapist who will make sure you break no bones or tear down your muscles. You need her to work on you after every fight."

"So you’re gonna squeeze every penny out of my pocket." I chuckled.

"Not as much as you squeeze from consumers’ pockets," he replied swiftly.

We walked to the lift and went directly to the third floor.

"Julie," he called. One girl came forward. She walked like a fighter. She didn’t have much of a curvy body, but she had actual muscles. Her purple eyes looked at me with hatred. It was her! The girl I stumbled up on yesterday! I despised her from the moment I spotted her resemblance to Tonya. "Meet your first client, Noah Rich."

She extended her hand to me. "Hello, Mr. Rich."

I wanted to ask Gavin to assign me some to other trainer, but then I got an idea. I could make her life miserable, then she’d resign from the club. I didn't want a Tonya look-alike roaming around me.

"Interesting,” I muttered.

"What did you say?" Julie asked.

"Nothing. Nice to meet you, Julie." I shook her hand and smiled. But all I had inside were hatred. She would get her life fucked up, very soon.