Feather After  // Chapter 33 // Bad Jokes and Friendships

Aria's POV 

We sat at one corner of the room, while the other seats were occupied with people I didn't know anything about. The announcements were going on and on if I wasn't an English student I wouldn't have hesitated and blamed everything on lack of my English knowledge. While Zachariah sat next to me, he looked all pumped up. I wouldn't have been surprised if he jumped and landed himself in the glass box at the middle of the fight.

"Let's now welcome, the fighters of tonight's night!" The announcement was made, after hearing him announce that, the crowd cheered, thrust-ed their fist in the air, stood up on their seat, and screamed on the top of their lungs while looking at each other. If it hadn't been the bulky and scary guys surrounding me, it wouldn't have been any different than those one direction concerts.

"If you're new then listen to the rules carefully and if not then sit the fuck up because I want everyone clear on this," the whole auditorium was quite at once, the man was definitely a good speaker. "The fight will go on until one of the two fighters give up, or tabs out. If not then the fight will continue for an hour. The judges will decide who'll win at the end of the fourth hour if the fight goes on. If any of you mother fuçkers will try to enter the glass slab during the fight, you will be beaten to death!" The new announcer finished what he had to say and gave a nod to the other guy who was staring outside the podium. "Hold on to your panties tight, because on one side we have bolt! He is faster than the lighting and-" and the manner-less crowd erupted again, screaming was the only thing that I could be heard.

Panties?

Ew.

Before anything else happened a shiny door caught my eye. The letter B was embedded in it. It shimmered and twinkled. It was like those Barbie entries. The door slides open and a guy (hopefully) who I thought was Ignatius appeared. He wore a black hoodie that covered his face and his chest and trunk. He arms were bare from anything clothing, but his tattoos did the work of covering his arms.

He wore black trousers and a black pair of boots. His hands were covered in a white bandage and he clinched his palms so tight that I could literally see his well carved and worked out the arm from miles away. He walked into the glass before running all around the glass emporium as if he was greeting everyone in the audience. He removed his hoodie and I saw a black mask covering his face. When the audience saw him, they jumped out of their seats to applaud.

"Oh the other we have none of the other, the last year fight the ultimate winner, Lou!" He screamed in his microphone, and when I looked at him, all I saw, was his lips moving so close to the microphone, as if some pervert in the room, he would have surely yelled, 'once more.'

Lou, the guy bolt was fighting with appeared from the other side of the stadium, wore red leather pants and a white top. Only a few blue stars were missing, he would have surely looked like the American flag. He walked towards the audience and pushed both his arms up in the air, when the crowd stood up to applaud, he went wild. He started screaming and saying things one should never say. American flag was definitely on drugs.

With a ting one the bell, the fight began, he shouted something and ran towards the glass box in the middle of the stadium where bolt stood. They stood opposite to each other, and with their hands clenched into a fist, they looked at each other with murderous looks, with both the camera on zooming on each other's faces, everything was visible. I saw a drop of sweat move from bolts face. But he seems oblivious to it.

"Go!" The announcer announced and with a flash of light, the fight started. Bolt was calm and composed whereas the Lou guy looked so angry that it looked like he wanted to stomp on Bolt like a cat on a mouse.

Lou like lighting launched a punch at Bolt and I was surprised to say that bold douched it even more skillfully. Bolt landed a punch on Lou's cheek and he fell back due to the hit. Blood spilled out of his mouth and now his face matched with his clothes. Lou quickly charged again and this time, he tried to kick bolt. He jumped up in the air and then landed gracefully. Before I could know what was happening, bolt raised his left leg turned a three sixty degree and hit Lou on his stomach. Lou grasped on his stomach and ran towards Bolt. Lou looked very angry it was maybe because he was being beaten into pulp or because the fansweres roaring when he was being beaten.

Whatever the reason was the fight was interesting and it was scary as hell. I looked at Bolt and I don't know what happened that his eyes met mine I turned around to see if he was looking at me, but I couldn't find out. I turned back to look at him and I smiled. That's the best I could do to make the situation look less shitty than it already was. He smiled and before I could register what had happened, bolt got hit on his leg and as he bent down talking the chance Lou punched him right on his face, and this time blood spoiled out of bolt's face. I gasped, how could he be so careless?

"So you like the fight?" Suddenly, I became aware of Zachariah's presence. He was there and I almost forgot about him.

"It's interesting but scary as hell," I said and covered my face with my palm. I could no way see bolt being beaten like that. I heard Zachariah sigh and he continued watching the fight, "tell me when it's over okay?" I butted in and quietly peaked at the glass area. This time, Bolt was sitting on Lou's back and had handed his hands laced in his Lou's hair. I don't know what happened. He started banging his head on the floor and more and more blood spilled for his face.

Oh god. Suddenly I wished Ignatius was not Bolt. I had never seen anyone beat someone else that badly. I covered my eyes again and took a deep breath. The crowd roared and I opened my eye to see what had happened.

"I think, it's over, Lou has given up, Bolt is the winner of this fight," he whispered in my left ear. I nodded in response and saw Bolt coming out of the glass fighting area. He jumped down the platform and walked up to the announcer and shook hands with his. He waved at the audience and proceeded to greet the judges, who I hadn't noticed until now. He shook hands with everyone while he tried to dab the wet towel on this slightly cut and bruised face. My eyes never left him. I watched all his moves like a hawk. He quickly walked up to the back gate and suddenly disappeared. Where the hell was he going? I wish I knew the answer to it.

"Let's go back, there is a dinner arrangement for the fundraisers," he offered me his kettle hand and I took it. As much as I hated to let someone lead the way, I kept my mouth shut. I pretended to like the fight all night I could pretend to be someone else for the next half an hour. We walked hand in hand to the room where the dinner was supposed to be held at. I wish I could know who this bolt guy was because I wanted to really confirm if he was Ignatius or not. Oh god.

We entered into a hall, which was huge. There was a chandelier at the center of the hall which was massive. I looked around there was a drastic difference between the two places and the environment that I had just experienced. I stepped in suddenly feeling uncomfortable with what I was wearing.

"I'll be back in two," Zachariah said and he left. Before I could ask anything, he left. He turned around on his heels and rushed out of the room. What the hell had just happened? I waited at the corner of the room while others filled the room, the VIP or whatever the name Zachariah had taken. They didn't seem to notice me standing at the corner and I was very thankful for it.

"Are you alone," someone breathed on my neck and suddenly a reading smell of alcohol hit me. I couldn't believe it. He smiled and tried to snuggle to my neck. I moved away from him.

"So you're playing hard to get, huh? I like it, No!? I love it!" He exclaimed and moved closer to me.

"Listen to me bud, I'm not alone. I'm here with someone, and if there are people like you in the game, I would rather be called a loser then have you as a winning price, so if you could excuse me," I said and moved towards the other side of the room. I didn't know what was wrong with me. He was clearly drunk and he was clearly hitting on the wrong girl.

I didn't see him approaching again, for the first time I comprehended what he looked like. One thing was sure, either he had loads of money or he had none. He was well dressed but the smell of alcohol made me puke. I don't still get why people wanted to lose the consciousness and then act so stupid, and the best part of when you're wasted you don't even know what you do. What a great way to lead a life.

"I'm sorry, I had to use the loo, anyways how did it go?" I heard Zachariah mumble while he tried to dry his hands by rubbing them over the sides of his pants.

"Nothing I just encountered a drunk ass guy, nothing major, how was your trip to the washroom?" I looked at him and raised my eyebrow at him.

"It was not like I was on a world tour or something, wait, was it a sarcastic remark?"

"Whatever you want to take it as," I said and smiled at him.

"You know a lot of girls are after me," Zachariah said while he smiled at me.

"Do you mean the non-existent ones?" I chipped in.

"Just get the joke Aria, you're a party pooper, you had to ask how. Now that you have got the drill I'll pretend you didn't say that and well let's start again," he said and I nodded. Zachariah could be one handful guy.

"A lot of girls are after me," he looked at me.

"They are certainly blind then," I smiled at him as he huffed.

"I'll pretend you didn't say that, but we'll try again because practice makes us perfect. So here we go once again, I have a lot of girl falling for me," he said and glared at me. I wanted to laugh at him but I didn't push his buttons.

So, I played along, "how come?"

"Because they slip on the banana peel I drop on the floor," he said and started laughing. That wasn't even funny. What the hell. But seeing him laugh like that I started laughing too. It was not that bad.

"That was not the bad, anyways can we go now. It's kind of late and I have school, tomorrow."

"Yes, why not, I'm sorry that you go to school, let's go."

"I'll use the washroom before going if you don't mind," I asked and then he told me the directions to the place. It seemed like he knew the place and that he often came there. I started walking towards the washroom but I turned to look at him, "I have another great joke left, I'll tell you once I come back!"

"Can't wait," he said and rolled his eyes, but his smile gave it away. I think I liked Zachariah. He was everything that Ignatius was not. I walked to the washroom, I was shocked to see that Ignatius was there and so was Misty. Most of their clothes were on the floor, I didn't understand how I couldn't hear her moans, they were pretty evident now. Ignatius's tattooed back was visible and so was Misty's arms around him, "I'm sorry-" and with that, I rushed out.

One step forward to step back.

I think I was finally giving up on him.