Ok so here is the chapter. Finally! I've had to submit and resubmit this thing over and over. BUT, it is finally here. I hope you enjoy.
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Declan stared at himself as he stood in front of the mirror. He was alone. The other few fighters that had been in the locker room had gone out into the hall to wait for their names to be called. Declan didn't mind being alone though. It gave him a moment to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. Listening to the hum of the overhead lights, Declan could feel himself go into a mental fog that usually meant his body was in the zone. Each and every muscle was toned, amped up and ready for battle. Flexing his hands, the muscles in his arms rippled underneath the skin. He was ready for this fight. This was the fight that he was waiting for. The Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. A whole year and he was finally going to be that much closer to gaining a championship title.
Then why did he feel like something was missing.
It probably had to do with...
No. No, he was not going to think about that right now. He wasn't going to think about...her.
She had made herself very clear last Wednesday, and Declan still hadn't decided what to do now that their relationship was on pause. So he decided to do nothing. She was the one who ran out of the car that night and left him a mess. She was the one who made the decision to ignore him over the past couple of days. So she was going to be the one that decided there fate, and what ever happened after that happened. He wasn't going to worry about it anymore. He hadn't even though about it since that night. When he woke up the next day, he had shoved all those feelings aside and focused on the one thing that mattered to him. His championship fight.
And now here he was, in London, getting ready to kick his favorite jackass's butt. He was going to reveal in that victory, and the best part is he was going to be doing it with his family.
The thought of his family brought a small smile to his face. The first smile he's had in the past few days. They had all driven five hours from Liverpool to London to come see his fight. Knowing that he had there support made him feel that much more confident. Without them, he didn't know if he would have kept on competing after his first failed attempted. But they had convinced him otherwise, and the still rooted for him now.
He had left the night before to get to London ahead of time. Before leaving, his dad had a small talk with him.
"Now listen to me, son. I want ya ta know dat wha'ever happens in dat ring tomorrow, yar still mi son. Yar still apart of dis family and we love ya." Rapping his arm around Declan, he leaned in close. "I love ya. Ya understand."
Nodding his head, Declan brought his dad in for a more formal hug. "I know, da."
With one quick squeeze, Ducky pulled away. "Good." He leaned in a whispered. "And make sure ya fuck up da guy real good."
"With pleasure." Declan didn't even hesitate to answer.
"Good." Before turning from his son, Ducky made a quick comment. "Maybe wit his face so messed up, Darcy will stay away from him."
Thinking back on it, he doubted ruining Jagger's face would help. For whatever reason, his sister was hooked on the buffoon. Hopefully it wouldn't last long. One day soon, their dad was going to put his foot down and put an end to it. Something about that thought made Declan give a hollow laugh. Seemed like their dad was always in the middle of their relationship problems.
Declan shook his. Not now. He didn't need to think about that right now. Didn't need to dwell on it. He had to focus on one thing and one thing only. Winning.
Just then, Declan heard the door behind him open.
"McCarthy," Fergus quickly popped his head in. "You ready? Your match is up next."
"Yeah." Declan gave a quick nod. "Jus let me put on mi hand wraps."
Picking up the long cotton strips of fabric, Declan carefully took one and wrapped his right hand up, going through his fingers and around his palm. Picking up the other one, he began wrapping the other hand in just the same manner.
"Here." Fergus came over and took the other hand wrap. "Let me help you with that."
"Thanks." Extending his hand palm up, Fergus quickly went to work wrapping his hand in the cotton material.
Fergus lifted his eyes to look at his student. "So how are you feeling?"
"Fine."
Fergus raised his eyebrows at that. "Just fine?"
Declan shrugged. "Yeah."
"You're not feeling," Fergus lifted his shoulders and shook his head, "I don't know, nervous or excited or..."
"I feel fine." Declan answered quickly.
Declan's calm demeanor confused Fergus. Usually his student would be a bit more excited about this. On most occasions, Declan would be doing small exercises before the match to keep from bouncing off the walls. Sure Declan always remained calm, but never this calm.
Fergus got to the end of the cotton strip and quickly tucked it and tied it off. Slapping Declan on the shoulder, Fergus gave his best fighter a warm smile. This was it. They were ready. No more time to waist.
"You ready?"
Declan paused before answering. "As I'll ever be."
"Good." Fergus smiled and opened the door. "Let's go kick some ass."
Declan could feel strong vibrations move through the concrete walls of the stadium he was in. The grey hall they were walking down led straight to the ring in the center of the stadium. Small electric shocks were traveling down his spine. With each step that they took, the low hum of vibrations began to grow into a loud rumble. The arena must have been packed with people. At least two other fights had gone on today and about three more would go after him. But to Declan, the huge crowd was rooting for him.
Taking a right turn, the two men headed toward a large opening leading into the middle of the building where the ring was set up. From far away, Declan could see tons of people jumping up and down in their seats. Flashing lights meant that people were snapping pictures. Hopefully some were from big newspapers and sport magazines. When he won, his name would be plastered in them and then his fighting career would finally be taking off.
"Ok, They just called Jagger's name." Fergus turned him around and pulled him off to the side. "Now remember everything I taught you. Keep your head down and protect your sides. You've worked around this guy, so you know what he can do. He's a cocky son of a bitch, so knock him down a few times, show him who's boss, and he'll start fumbling around. But don't get to confident. You don't want to make the same mistake this year." Fergus laughed, knowing that the likely hood of that happening again were slim to none. Declan had worked too hard to slip up so easily. That's what made him a better fighter this time around.
Declan took a deep breath and nodded his head.
Fergus smiled. "Good." A guy with a head set on walked over time him from the arena opening and quickly whispered in his ear. Nodding his head, he turned back to Declan. "Get ready. Your up."
Deep from inside the arena, a man with an official voice began speaking over the crowd.
