Post by me on Aug 10, 2007 12:17:37 GMT -5
He walked into the gym dressed in nothing more than a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He looked around, and immediately saw the colossal mat that covered a large portion of the gym floor. A light hung over the center of the mat, dark, unlike all the other lights attached to the ceiling.
He walked over to the mat, and reflexively took off his street shoes before stepping on the soft surface. He walked to the center of the map, and mournfully toed one of the colored lines in the center of the map, the green one. Only a foot or two away was an identical, red line.
He sighed. Thats where the other team would be, and where the person who beat him would stand as the ref raised his arm, to show everyone that he had lost again. He stared up at the dark lamp, and was nearly blinded as it suddenly brightened.
He shook his head clear, and looked back down at the mat. A startling change had occurred. Now, all the other lights had been doused, and everything beyond the outer circle of the mat was nothing more then a shadow. Inside the twin circles of the ring was the world, the only thing that deserved light or attention, while everything outside of this ring never existed, never mattered.
He heard a pair of bare feet padding across the mat behind him, and soon felt a pair of arms around his waist. He smiled as he placed his own hand over the the pair now joined at his waist, and looked over his shoulder to see her, as beautiful as ever.
"I'm glad to see that you came," she said in her soft, and refreshingly feminine voice.
He smiled, still looking at her over his shoulder, and soon replied, "I'd never turn down an opportunity to see you if I could help it, but I still need to know why you told me to come here."
She laughed, and he could already feel warmth bubbling through the mixture of depression and self loathing he had felt. He had always loved the sound of her laugh, even though she had told him time and time again that it didn't sound as good as he thought it did. She smiled as he finally turned to face her, and said, "Oh, so I suddenly need an excuse to see you again? If you have to know, its because I won't be here to see you win tomorrow, and I want to know exactly what that'll look like."
He sighed at her words, "I haven't won a match in my life, and tomorrow I'm going against the state champion! I haven't got a chance."
"Sure you do," she answered playfully, before taking a seat on the bleachers.
He sighed, and stood int he center of the middle ring. He paused for several seconds, unsure of what to do, before finally raising his arm in a sign of victory he would never again repeat. He heard her begin to cheer and clap, trying to take the duties of an entire crowd onto her shoulders, and for some odd reason, he felt joy as well as pride join the other emotions swirling within him.
So that's what it felt like to win. Even inside the empty gymnasium he felt like he was standing atop a tall mountain, throngs of people all cheering for him and calling his name. All those thoughts were abolished, as he felt a pair of arms enfold him, and awakened to a much better reality. "I'm sorry that I'll miss you tomorrow."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He was striding out into the center of the ring, and saw his opponent already standing on the red line. Lean muscles decorated every appendage of his opponent, and he immediately felt outclassed. Damn farm-boys.
He planted his feet, making sure that one was touching the green line in front of him, and heard the referee tell them to shake hands. He did so, thousands of thoughts running through his head. He had already felt what winning was like once, and that was really all that mattered.
The match started, and so soon after that the whistle was blown. They both once more took the center of the ring and shook hands, and for the second time in his life, he felt his hand being raised into the air. It all felt so empty without her there to share the experience, but soon saw her among the crowd, still cheering, still clapping.
He once more felt to many emotions to classify running through him, and smiled as he shook hands with the opponents coach, and was surrounded by his teammates. He heard cheers and compliments flying at him, but still only saw her clapping for him. Even if she was on the other side of the town, in his mind there were only the two of them.
He walked over to the mat, and reflexively took off his street shoes before stepping on the soft surface. He walked to the center of the map, and mournfully toed one of the colored lines in the center of the map, the green one. Only a foot or two away was an identical, red line.
He sighed. Thats where the other team would be, and where the person who beat him would stand as the ref raised his arm, to show everyone that he had lost again. He stared up at the dark lamp, and was nearly blinded as it suddenly brightened.
He shook his head clear, and looked back down at the mat. A startling change had occurred. Now, all the other lights had been doused, and everything beyond the outer circle of the mat was nothing more then a shadow. Inside the twin circles of the ring was the world, the only thing that deserved light or attention, while everything outside of this ring never existed, never mattered.
He heard a pair of bare feet padding across the mat behind him, and soon felt a pair of arms around his waist. He smiled as he placed his own hand over the the pair now joined at his waist, and looked over his shoulder to see her, as beautiful as ever.
"I'm glad to see that you came," she said in her soft, and refreshingly feminine voice.
He smiled, still looking at her over his shoulder, and soon replied, "I'd never turn down an opportunity to see you if I could help it, but I still need to know why you told me to come here."
She laughed, and he could already feel warmth bubbling through the mixture of depression and self loathing he had felt. He had always loved the sound of her laugh, even though she had told him time and time again that it didn't sound as good as he thought it did. She smiled as he finally turned to face her, and said, "Oh, so I suddenly need an excuse to see you again? If you have to know, its because I won't be here to see you win tomorrow, and I want to know exactly what that'll look like."
He sighed at her words, "I haven't won a match in my life, and tomorrow I'm going against the state champion! I haven't got a chance."
"Sure you do," she answered playfully, before taking a seat on the bleachers.
He sighed, and stood int he center of the middle ring. He paused for several seconds, unsure of what to do, before finally raising his arm in a sign of victory he would never again repeat. He heard her begin to cheer and clap, trying to take the duties of an entire crowd onto her shoulders, and for some odd reason, he felt joy as well as pride join the other emotions swirling within him.
So that's what it felt like to win. Even inside the empty gymnasium he felt like he was standing atop a tall mountain, throngs of people all cheering for him and calling his name. All those thoughts were abolished, as he felt a pair of arms enfold him, and awakened to a much better reality. "I'm sorry that I'll miss you tomorrow."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He was striding out into the center of the ring, and saw his opponent already standing on the red line. Lean muscles decorated every appendage of his opponent, and he immediately felt outclassed. Damn farm-boys.
He planted his feet, making sure that one was touching the green line in front of him, and heard the referee tell them to shake hands. He did so, thousands of thoughts running through his head. He had already felt what winning was like once, and that was really all that mattered.
The match started, and so soon after that the whistle was blown. They both once more took the center of the ring and shook hands, and for the second time in his life, he felt his hand being raised into the air. It all felt so empty without her there to share the experience, but soon saw her among the crowd, still cheering, still clapping.
He once more felt to many emotions to classify running through him, and smiled as he shook hands with the opponents coach, and was surrounded by his teammates. He heard cheers and compliments flying at him, but still only saw her clapping for him. Even if she was on the other side of the town, in his mind there were only the two of them.