Chapter 10
It was Monday after work and Casper, Holly, Mark and Louise were in the gym. Holly was hosting another sparring session, this time with Mark as well as Casper.
Mark took an interest in taking part with them after Holly mentioned her and Caspers sessions while chatting in Louise's cell two days previous. Mark hadn't done any martial arts since he attended Taekwondo lessons with his brother as a child. He knew there was a lot to learn but felt motivated by Caspers encouragement.
Holly wasn't gentle on the boys. She ordered both Casper and Mark to fight her at the same time to their reluctance. They tried their best to attack and hold their ground against her but to no avail. Holly had a seemingly unlimited well of stamina coupled by several years' experience under her belt being coached by a former pro boxer she worked with at the docks before her arrest. Not to mentioned the experience she also obtained in the numerous street fights she found herself in during that time.
She pummelled Casper and Mark mercilessly on the sparring mat, none of them could land a single hit on her and often both found themselves sitting on the mat catching their breaths, violently exhausted after a round of her clobbering them. This was one such moment. Holly looked down at Casper and Mark in disapproval. She barked at them as if she were a drill instructor to cadets at a boot camp.
"C'mon! You are supposed to be men! Get up and fight! Who cares if you're out of breath! Someone trying to batter you certainly wouldn't!"
Casper looked up at her in desperation still catching his breath, sweat dripped off of his face. "Please Holly, can we call it a day yet? I'm tired of getting my arse kicked, Mark is as well. I don't think we've got any fight left in us."
"Hmph!" Pouted Holly with her boxing gloved hands on her hips. "Gimme fifty more push ups and we'll call it even."
Both the boys sighed, got into position, and started doing push ups despite their exhaustion. Louise walked over to them as Holly stood counting their reps.
"Bloody hell." Said Louise. "You're turning Soft Boy Prison into Hard Boy Prison! Even with the Provos we never got pushed like this in training. Is it not a bit much?"
"Mark and Casper have been timid and shy their whole lives." Replied Holly not taking her eyes of them.
"People walk all over them. They need confidence and a sense of self-worth so they respect themselves enough to tell someone messing with them to fuck off. Casper did with grace but it was just the tip of the iceberg. He's got a long way to go. As does Mark. If I don't push their limits, they'll never know what their truly capable of and they'll keep getting pushed about." Holly turned to face Louise.
"Is that what you want? They're our friends after all."
"I suppose, just maybe be a bit easy on the punches. There was one I saw you landed on Mark's tummy earlier that looked really sore." commented Louise.
"Well, he's gonna remember to defend it now, isn't he?"
"Heh, you're ruthless."
Louise noticed a guard walking towards them, it was Jane.
Uh oh,
she thought. She carried the neutral expression all officers had as a default.
"Good afternoon, ladies." She said.
"Hey." Replied Holly. "There a problem?"
Jane turned her gaze to the boys still doing their push ups. Mark and Casper hadn't noticed her approach, being too focused on their exercise. Casper wasn't wearing a top and sweat was dripping off his arms and hairy chest causing Jane to get slightly aroused.
"No problem, I just need to take Casper to Jannet to get his medication." Replied Jane fixated. Holly turned to look at her.
"Oh, he never mentioned he took meds." She replied. "What for?" Jane was caught off guard, the alibi didn't go that deep.
"Errm, I don't know actually. I've never asked him. I just take him to Jannet to get them and back." Jane turned back to look at him. "What is it yous are doing now?"
"A wee bit of one-on-one training, or one on two in this case. We did some weights then sparring, now finishing off with some push ups."
"I hope you're not training to fight anyone again." Said Jane.
"Nah." Smirked Holly. "Just for fitness." Casper noticed Janes boots Infront of his eyes as he pushed up to do another rep. He looked up, saw her then smiled.
"Jane!" He exclaimed with joy.
"He seems happy to see you." Laughed Louise. Jane maintained her neutral expression trying not to express her disapproval of his excitement towards her Infront of company.
"Time for your meds." Said Jane.
"Hold on, how many reps have you done?" asked Holly.
"Thirty-three" He replied, strained.
"Well, you're not leaving until you do your fifty." Said Holly. Casper looked over to Jane. she looked back at him still with her neutral expression.
"You heard the woman." She said. "Finnish your reps."
Casper was disappointed. He was completely exhausted and his arms felt like jelly with every subsequent push up he did. He was hoping Janes arrival would relieve him from the torment of Hollys gruelling training but instead she was an active participant. He reluctantly got into position once more and slowly resumed his reps.
Jane loved it. Watching Casper work out allowed her to witness more of his masculine features in action. It was a whole new side of him she'd never seen before and couldn't get enough. Mark was taking a break from his reps, his arms appeared to have given out. Knowing Holly, she wouldn't except this as an excuse and he was still far from done. However, the focus was solely on Casper. Louise began to count aloud his reps and the other women chimed in.
