Ambivalence [p.h.] - EDITING

chapter 8 || jax is brutal and could hand our butts to us any day

I snorted. "I'm sure you'll get an opportunity soon, Molly.  Hand-to-hand is no fun when your opponent doesn't know their hooks from their backhands."  I thought back to the breakfast confrontation. "Then again, she's not as Stiff as she seems. Got quite aggressive yesterday after I tried to help Al." 

"It's true," Peter chimed in. "I was there."

A smack echoed through the room as Will fell limp against the ground.  Al cowered into himself in shame of having hurt his friend. He was so soft, despite his boulder-like exterior. I couldn't help but smile at his win, even if the boy looked mortified at the smudge of blood on his knuckles. 

"Anyway," I nodded, "my point is that maybe she'll clue in and use those boney elbows of hers. Maybe she'll even leave a bruise!"  Drew stifles a laugh.

"Next up," Eric shouted, "Molly and Christina!" We took turns clapping Molly on the back as she strode towards the ring in the middle.  The crack of her neck and and elbows as she stretched them out were the only sounds to be heard.  Once the girls met inside the circle on the ground, Eric started the match.

For a while, it was just the two of them walking in circles.  Noticing that 1) Eric was beginning to look bored out of his mind, and 2) Molly wasn't paying attention, Christina threw a flimsy kick at her opponent's shin.  Molly grunted and reached for the aching spot on her leg, giving Christina a window to attack again that the girl was too oblivious to take. 

Molly, seeing an opportunity, mauled Christina by the waist.  The lankier girl was pinned down on the floor so tightly she could barely move. Molly first punch landed square on Christina's cheekbone, but the second missed as the letter narrowly dodges her head out of the way.

"Get her, Molly!" Peter and I snapped out heads towards Drew.  "You got this!"  I wanted to spur Molly on too, but both Peter and I were too focused on studying the fight.  Christina wasn't lucky enough to dodge more of Molly's punches; each time the latter's fist came down, a new crack opened in the former's skin.  The bloodied girl finally managed to wriggle an arm out from under Molly and made use of her unusually long limbs to whack her opponent in the ear.  Molly wobbled, this time leaving an opportunity to escape that Christina actually took. The girl clutched her face with one hand as she rose to her knees, the other trying to wipe away furious tears of pain and humiliation.  Each sob that echoed throughout the room brought me back to the dorm in the wee hours of the morning.  This time, nobody was there to comfort her.  Molly's last kick landed hard on her side, sending Christina sprawling on her back once more. 

"Stop!" Christina pleased as Molly wound up her leg for another kick.  "Stop!  I'm..." she coughed, "I'm done."  Eric clicked his tongue in deliberation. Not a moment later did he fold his arms across his chest and walk to the ring.

"I'm sorry," he spat, "what did you say?  You're done?"  Pinching her bloody nose, Christina nodded.  Eric's nose twitched. "Get up," he growled.  He clawed his nails into Christina's arm and yanked her to her feet.  He gazed at the rest of us with malice in his eyes before finally uttering: "follow me."

We followed closely behind him and a whimpering Christina through the door and out into the compound.  Nobody spoke.  As intolerable as she was, I couldn't help but feel scared for her as the sound of rushing water became clearer and clearer.  Eric came to a stop on the bridge, shoving Christina against the railing.

"Climb over it," he instructed.

"What?" Christina's eyes were wide and full of fear, praying that he was messing around even though all of us knew he wasn't. Scary Eric didn't have much of a sense of humour.

"Climb over the railing," he repeated, spacing out his words as if Christina was a child.  "If you can hang over the chasm for five minutes, I will forget your cowardice.  If you can't, I will not allow you to continue initiation."  The sudden gush of water that splashed high against the platform made Christina flinch backwards.  She screwed her eyes before following Eric's command.