happens again, you're out.
"I know shit goes down, but you're going to have to learn to walk away. If something comes up that makes you think you can't handle shit on your own, I want you to come to me first. Let's see if we can come to a solution together. I know you haven't had an easy time of it, which is why I gave you a shot here. I see potential in you. Don't fuck it up."
"I understand," Joel said.
"Now get out of here and go train. Lay off the sparring for a few days while that nose heals a bit more. You don't want it any more crooked than it already is."
As soon as Joel closed the office door he let out a long hard breath that he'd been holding. Shawn obviously didn't completely buy his bar fight story, but at least he was still training. He needed to make sure he didn't fuck up again. He may not have earned anything from his fight with the Executioner, losers never did, but he already had enough money from his previous fights to keep paying rent for a few more months. Until then he had time to figure something else out. Maybe he could ask Shawn if there really were any odd jobs around the gym that needed doing - turning his initial lie into a reality.
For now though, he needed to do as Shawn suggested and double down on his training. He needed to stop being distracted by other things.
He walked over to the free weight section. Most importantly, he needed to start working on his power, like Chris had suggested. He wouldn't let brute strength be his undoing again.
***
It was already past dinner when he left that night, one of the last ones to go home. As he walked through the parking lot toward the bus stop, he heard someone calling his name. It turned out to be the bald guy that he'd seen at his fights a couple of times.
"Hey Joel, how's the face?"
"It's healing," he said. "I hope that other guy's fists will be okay though."
The other man laughed. "At least you can joke about it."
Joel nodded. "What are you doing here? Looking to join a training camp?"
The other man cocked his head. "You don't remember me, do you? I didn't think you recognized me, but I wasn't sure. I looked a bit different, of course. Had a goatee."
"Have we met before?"
"Not officially. I was one of the fighters in the tournament at Golden Dragon. My name is Darien."
As soon as he said it, Joel remembered him. He'd fought against Carlos and gotten creamed. "Oh right, I remember now. Sorry I didn't recognize you before."
Darien shrugged. "No worries. Anyway, I still train at Golden Dragon. With Carlos."
"Oh," Joel said. "I guess you aren't one to hold a grudge then."
"A fight's a fight. Nothing personal. Carlos is damn good and he beat me. I figured if I'm going to train from someone, it should be someone like him."
Joel didn't say anything. He had his own feelings about the big Hispanic.
"You hear he was signed to a fight with Titan? It's going to be television in a few months."
Joel nodded. It was a big opportunity for a fighter. If you did well in one of these smaller televised events, it sometimes led to a bigger contract shortly after with a more well known organization.
"Anyway, he wants to talk to you. He asked me to find you. He told me you were training in the Rock camp now."
"What does he want?"
"You'll have to ask him yourself. I have a car here, we can go right now."
Despite his feelings about Carlos, Joel was intrigued as to what the other man could possibly want to talk to him about. As far as he knew, the enmity between the two of them went both ways. He nodded and followed Darien to his car, but his body felt tense. He would be ready for anything.
Amber
As much as Amber enjoyed being able to help nurse Joel back to health during the last couple of days, it wasn't how she wanted to spend the rest of her life.
"I know shit goes down, but you're going to have to learn to walk away. If something comes up that makes you think you can't handle shit on your own, I want you to come to me first. Let's see if we can come to a solution together. I know you haven't had an easy time of it, which is why I gave you a shot here. I see potential in you. Don't fuck it up."
"I understand," Joel said.
"Now get out of here and go train. Lay off the sparring for a few days while that nose heals a bit more. You don't want it any more crooked than it already is."
As soon as Joel closed the office door he let out a long hard breath that he'd been holding. Shawn obviously didn't completely buy his bar fight story, but at least he was still training. He needed to make sure he didn't fuck up again. He may not have earned anything from his fight with the Executioner, losers never did, but he already had enough money from his previous fights to keep paying rent for a few more months. Until then he had time to figure something else out. Maybe he could ask Shawn if there really were any odd jobs around the gym that needed doing - turning his initial lie into a reality.
For now though, he needed to do as Shawn suggested and double down on his training. He needed to stop being distracted by other things.
He walked over to the free weight section. Most importantly, he needed to start working on his power, like Chris had suggested. He wouldn't let brute strength be his undoing again.
***
It was already past dinner when he left that night, one of the last ones to go home. As he walked through the parking lot toward the bus stop, he heard someone calling his name. It turned out to be the bald guy that he'd seen at his fights a couple of times.
"Hey Joel, how's the face?"
"It's healing," he said. "I hope that other guy's fists will be okay though."
The other man laughed. "At least you can joke about it."
Joel nodded. "What are you doing here? Looking to join a training camp?"
The other man cocked his head. "You don't remember me, do you? I didn't think you recognized me, but I wasn't sure. I looked a bit different, of course. Had a goatee."
"Have we met before?"
"Not officially. I was one of the fighters in the tournament at Golden Dragon. My name is Darien."
As soon as he said it, Joel remembered him. He'd fought against Carlos and gotten creamed. "Oh right, I remember now. Sorry I didn't recognize you before."
Darien shrugged. "No worries. Anyway, I still train at Golden Dragon. With Carlos."
"Oh," Joel said. "I guess you aren't one to hold a grudge then."
"A fight's a fight. Nothing personal. Carlos is damn good and he beat me. I figured if I'm going to train from someone, it should be someone like him."
Joel didn't say anything. He had his own feelings about the big Hispanic.
"You hear he was signed to a fight with Titan? It's going to be television in a few months."
Joel nodded. It was a big opportunity for a fighter. If you did well in one of these smaller televised events, it sometimes led to a bigger contract shortly after with a more well known organization.
"Anyway, he wants to talk to you. He asked me to find you. He told me you were training in the Rock camp now."
"What does he want?"
"You'll have to ask him yourself. I have a car here, we can go right now."
Despite his feelings about Carlos, Joel was intrigued as to what the other man could possibly want to talk to him about. As far as he knew, the enmity between the two of them went both ways. He nodded and followed Darien to his car, but his body felt tense. He would be ready for anything.
Amber
As much as Amber enjoyed being able to help nurse Joel back to health during the last couple of days, it wasn't how she wanted to spend the rest of her life.
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