I found my old english essay book and I always wanted to do my take on my favourite essay. It is still perfect beyond measure to me and I wish I could find all the authors in it to thank them for the lovely read.
Regardless,
i.
"He cannot do it."
"Why don't you have faith in him?"
"He's too distracted. Him and his endless stream of girls. He can't get his head in the game. I have been doing this for 20 years and I'm telling you - nothing works like anger. He has to be remembered. Nobody wants the fiery fighter from nowhere. They want a fighter they cannot forget."
"What about me? Only one of us can make it, and you know that."
"That's why you never do what your best buddy is doing, son. Common interests turn common people onto each other. You have to choose between your friendship or the championship."
ii.
"Get your fucking face out of here - I won't break it now, I'll break it in the ring."
Constantine shoved Demiris' hand away, and drew himself up to his full height. He pointed a single finger on to Demiris' chest and glared at him up close, spitting his words out with distaste.
"Don't you dare call yourself a friend of mine. Get your fucking face out of here - I won't break it now, I'll break it in the ring. And then, I'll break you. You're done."
Grabbing his duffel bag, Constantine stormed out of the arena, slamming the door shut behind him with unnecessary force.
And alone, Demiris let his nails dig raw into his clenched fist.
iii.
Constantine and Demiris were childhood friends.
Constantine was six and mischievous. He had a particular penchant for ponytails - which led to him always pulling his classmates' hair and running away manically laughing afterwards. It happened one time too many and his teacher finally warned him that the next time he did it again, he's seeing the principal.
And precisely because she offered trouble, he took it. He waited for Alma, his classmate who had the curliest, longest ponytail in class. She frowned at him and tried to hurry by him, but he winked and tugged hard at her hair.
She burst out into tears simultaneously as their form teacher burst into the classroom. She screamed his name and Constantine hid under his table, shutting his eyes with a little smile dancing at the corner of his lips. When her scream ceased, he took a peek and realized that a stupid classmate had taken the blame.
This particular classmate proceeded to convince the teacher's mind by pulling a distracted Alma's ponytail, to which she gave another small cry. The teacher screamed again, but this time it was a different name, one that Constantine will remember for a long, long time.
"DEMIRIS, PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE NOW."
And they were inseparable troublemakers since.
iv.
Constantine grew up to be a stunning man. He was all of 6 ft and he had a hulking frame, a body sculpted enough to make a god cry. His eyes were piercing gray and mesmerizing, and his lips were forever in a cheeky upturn. He was a charmer, exuding vibrant passion and effortless charisma wherever and to whoever. He had girls swooning and he enjoyed every moment of it. He entered the discipline of Muay Thai and reveled in the blood rush of a fight.
Demiris grew up to be his opposite. He was a little over 6 ft. and had a lean, model's body. His eyes were blue and they promised empathy. He had a smile that rarely left his slim lips. He was a quiet man, of few words but deep emotions. He dedicated himself to the discipline of Muay Thai and allowed no distraction. He couldn't enjoy feeling an opponent's jaw break at the crunch of his fist, but he enjoyed the immense relief fighting gave him.
Constantine's father was a figure in the sport and was their personal coach. They had trained in lieu of the their first underground, no-holds-barred match. It was the year that'd kickstart or kill their fighting debut and both of them were ready to make a legacy for themselves.
It was the fall of 2004.
Yet another of Constantine's girlfriends walked out on him after finding out about his one-night-affair with a new girl at his gym. He called her twice and when she refused to pick up, he broke his phone in a rage and proceeded to drive to Demiris'.
"Women will be the fucking death of me. The lot of them."
Demiris laughed and flicked a finger at Constantine's ear.
"You asked for it man. Letting Noelle down like that. You know she's a fiery one."
Constantine shoved him away and continued a senseless mumble that Demiris didn't bother to decipher. He lit up a joint and Constantine took a long drag. Demiris flicked his cigarette away and proceeded to glare at him, willing him to fight. Constantine started to sit up but decided against it and slouched further into his chair, restarting his senseless mumble.
"God damn Noelle."
v.
Noelle did a little stretch and purred happily at Demiris' chest. She nibbled on his neck and tried to snuggle further up to him, but she was met with the same, usual coldness. She attempted to throw a fit but then thought the better of it.
Demiris stared straight ahead, his eyes giving away nothing.
vi.
Constantine's knuckles were bleeding raw. He clenched his fist deeper and stretched his jaw, pulling onto an already-strained nerve in his neck. His thoughts traveled to the intimate photos that he shredded to pieces just minutes before.
He saw the photos in his locker.
He knew Demiris was trying to break his spirit before the match.
Oh you stupid man.
vii.
It was the day of the match.
Constantine had won 5 matches in a row, with a blind fury that even the commentators noticed. They used standard words like "on fire" and "in top form" and "impressive" but deep down, everybody knew it was a flimsy word mask for "cruelty". He made a show of winning and made a bigger show of his fights and the crowd lapped it up.
Demiris had won 6 matches in a row, with easy dodges and quick combat. He was completely cool and level headed and was starting to etch into the audience's mind as the fighter who ends fights - no match lasted beyond 3 minutes with him. He was quick and lethal. The crowd was impressed.
The next match was Constantine against Demiris, and his father watched on cautiously.
"Alright contenders to your corner."
Demiris caught Constantine's piercing glare. He returned it with a cool glance and adjusted his gloves. For a moment, he wondered what he was doing here. And then the first bell sounded.
"I'll fucking destroy you."
The match started.
Constantine heartily let his rage consume him. He went straight for Demiris' jaw and attempted to smash it out. Demiris tilted his head smoothly and refused to retaliate. Constantine forced him into a corner and rained blow after blow on his former friend, shouting and demanding Demiris to fight back.
But he would not.
The match was getting dry. The betters saw the odds of Demiris going down and started to boo, hoping it'd trigger a reaction from him. The crowd followed suit and soon the pressure was onto both of them to give them what they want - a fight to remember.
Constantine rose and aimed straight at Demiris' chest and said in a low, dangerous voice.
"If you don't move, I'll hurt her later."
Demiris smiled.
"Go ahead, pretty sure my dick last night hurt her enough though."
And Constantine lost it.
He pushed Demiris into a corner and slammed a punch across his left eye, temporarily knocking Demiris off his feet. He then took his body and threw it up against the ring, aiming a deadly uppercut at his jaw. When Demiris finally seemed to be out of breath, Constantine knocked him back down onto the ground. He put a cold, determined feet on Demiris' knee.
"You'll never have any worth again."
And using all 170 pounds of his body, he crushed Demiris' limb beneath his feet.
viii.
"He never touched me!"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean. He said he did you last night. Since when aren't you proud of the people you've done, Noelle?"
"Get a grip on yourself. He never gave a rat's ass about me. All he does is brood and brood and brood. He wouldn't even let me touch him if he could help it. Cold, lifeless man. He didn't need his right leg anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"The doctors said it is beyond mending now. It's gone."
ix.
"Did you see, son? You're the name on everybody's lips! Every single person in the arena that night knows who you are! Our legacy is right here, son, right here! You were unforgettable, you were the fighter to remember."
"What did you ask Demiris to do?"
"I didn't ask him to-"
Constantine slammed his father's phone on the coffee table. It lit up, and the screen was a single message sent just 5 days before the fight.
"Your friendship or the championship?"
Constantine's father stopped and dropped the newspaper he was holding onto. He took a step back and gripped onto a chair. And he realized he had forgotten to ask Noelle about Demiris' leg.
Constantine started crying.
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Andddd I'm on a mental block, so goodnight!
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