The Heart Of A Fighter

Chapter Five

Cass had gone a whole month without getting into any trouble. On a Saturday morning, Clarissa called her up.

"Hey Cass, you should come visit us tonight. Bryce and I are in a mixed tag tournament. Come support us, please?" Clarissa pleaded.

"I don't know Clare, I don't think my mom would like that. Is this street fighting, or is this a legit martial arts tournament?" Cass asked skeptically.

"It's totally legit, just ask her" Clarissa begged.

"Okay, hold on..." Cass held the phone to her shoulder and turned in the direction of the kitchen where her mother was, "hey mom, is it alright if I go into the city tonight?"

Her mother stopped what she was doing, "for what?"

"Clarissa and Bryce are competing in a tournament, they want me to come see them," Cass explained.

Her mother hesitated, "I don't know sweetie... It isn't illegal is it?"

"She told me it was all a legitimate competition."

Her mother wasn't sure, but she knew Cass had been doing well, "okay, but only if you promise you'll stay out of trouble. Do you promise?"

"Yes, mother. So I can go?"

Her mother nodded and Cass gave her a big hug, "Clarissa, I'll be there."

"That's awesome, maybe you could stay the night with me too?" Clarissa beamed.

Cass asked her and was told it was fine as long as it was okay with Clarissa's guardian. Early that evening, she packed her gym bag and waited for the bus. Cade was passing by and spotted her.

"Hey, you're not sneaking out again are you?" He smiled mischievously.

Cass sighed irritably, "not that it's any of your business, but no, my mother is aware this time."

"What are you up to?" He asked, suddenly interested.

"I'm going to a mixed tag tournament to cheer on my friends," she replied, hoping he would stop pestering her.

"Oh yeah, I remember that Bryce guy mentioning it, mind if I go watch?" He smiled warmly.

Cass shrugged, "it's a free country, do what you want. Just so you know, I won't be coming back this way tonight, so don't expect me to babysit you and help you home this time."

He chuckled, "that's fine, I remember from last time."

"Yeah, we'll see," Cass scoffed.

They took the same way, except they went further into the city. Cass got off in front of a huge apartment building. She walked up to the intercom and pushed a button.

Clarissa answered after hearing Cass's voice, "I have to grab some things, come right up."

She buzzed Cass in, before she went in she turned to Cade and opened her mouth.

"I know, don't follow you," he folded his arms and leaned against the wall, smiling smugly.

Cass ran to catch the elevator and rode it to the top floor, then knocked on Clarissa's door, which was right across from the elevator. Clarissa opened it for her as she sat down and put her boots on.

Cass glanced around the massive 3 bedroom apartment, asking the obvious question, "are they working?"

"Yeah, of course. Tomorrow, they leave for a business trip actually" Clarissa said, without an ounce of emotion. "I'll take your bag and lock it up in my room."

Clarissa actually came from a well-to-do family, but her relationship with them was non-existent and she didn't trust any of them. They all did their own thing, none of them caring what the others did. In that respect, Cass and her were complete opposites.

They went down together, Clarissa smirked when she saw who was standing there.

Cass rolled her eyes, "oh yeah, that person decided to follow me here, sorry."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Clarissa's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Maybe he'll get to meet some of your exes."

Cass's face turned white, "I hadn't thought about that. Crap."

"You're afraid of me meeting your exes?" Cade teased.

Cass remained serious, "actually, I couldn't care less... I just don't want to run into any of them."

Clarissa giggled, "you probably have nothing to worry about, I haven't seen any of them in months. Pretty sure they've all gotten over their heartbreaks and moved on."

"Please, none of them were that devastated," Cass put her money into the machine as they got onto the bus.

Cade had hidden the fact that he disliked the idea of meeting any of her exes. It wasn't his place, but at the same time, he wondered what type of guys she had dated before. They reached the school gym where they were having the tournament.

Clarissa waved to their friends waiting by the door, "there they are Cass, come on."

They reached the door and a loud motorcycle pulled into the parking lot. A girl hopped off the back and a guy pulled his helmet off and handed it to her.

Cass's eyes flashed in recognition and she turned away, "...great."

Cade turned to Clarissa with a questioning look on his face.

Clarissa turned to Cass, "sorry Cass, I had no idea he was going to be here."

"Who is he?" Cade couldn't stop himself from wanting to know.

Red stepped in, "that's Steel. He and Cass used to be... You know, together, but he just used her to win, she dumped him when she found out. Ever since then, Steel has been trying to find another partner that equals his skills. He's a jerk and I would beat the life out of him if they'd let me, he's the worst."

Megumi and Krista giggled, "yeah right, like you could."

Red frowned, "you don't know that, I could."

Cass walked into the gym and they followed her, Cade glanced over at Steel, "why do they call him Steel? Is that his actual name or is it his nickname?"

Bryce cleared his throat and spoke low, "he's called Steel because every guy that has ever tried to punch him ended up breaking their knuckles. The guy is freakishly toned."

Cade felt concern for the people that would be facing him. Cass remained expressionless. If she felt uncomfortable at all, no one could tell. She was there to support her friends and that was all. Steel walked past her and backtracked as soon as he realized she was standing there.

"Cass? I didn't know you were going to be here, you look good. Are you here to compete?" He glanced over at Cade, obviously wondering if he was her new partner.

"Steel... You don't seem to have changed much. And no, I'm not here to compete, and I don't plan to anytime soon," Cass avoided his gaze by watching Clarissa and Bryce warming up on the mat.

Steel smirked, "that's surprising, competitive fighting was your life, what changed?"

"Nothing, I've just sorted out my priorities," Cass was thinking about her mother as she answered him.

Steel seemed all too thrilled she wasn't fighting. Cade imagined she was the only real threat to him at this tournament. Cade wanted to knock his teeth out, Steel certainly had a way of getting under people's skin.

Red was clearly furious at him, he was close to losing his cool, "you better watch yourself Steel. Cass may not be fighting, but she's still better than you!"

Steel laughed, "there's no way you could possibly know that dweeb. It's been a while, hasn't it? I could've excelled far beyond Cass already," he turned to Cass, "I'm actually quite disappointed I don't get to show you the improved me."

Cass just stood there and stared straight past him. She had no intention of giving him the attention he wanted. The announcer started calling up teams to start the tournament.

Steel turned serious, "I suppose you'll see enough of me tonight though. I guess that makes you a lucky girl."

Cass still remained calm and didn't react to his antagonizing. Cade wasn't sure how she was doing it. Anyone else would've snapped.

"I believe you're being called, Stewart," Cass emphasized on his name with a clearly faked sweetness.

Red smiled smugly, amused that Cass had called him by his real name. Cade watched Steel's reaction with deep interest. Cass had done it deliberately to psych him out, that much he could tell. Steel scowled and walked away, giving a threatening fist to anyone who dared to glance at him.

Krista and Megumi snapped their eyes in Cass's direction, "you guys are out of your minds for pushing his buttons like that."

Cass shrugged with a hint of a smirk, "I'm not scared of him."

Steel and his partner had demolished their rivals. Jaws dropped, nails were chewed, and despite the proof that Steel was someone to be feared, Cass remained unfazed. It was down to 4 teams now. Clarissa and Bryce were one of those teams and had done very well in their matches up until that point.

Clarissa came up to Cass with a pleading look on her face, "Cass, they want us to have alternate fighters, would you please be mine?"

"You're kidding, right? You know I promised my mother I wouldn't," Cass whispered to her.

"Please Cass, there's no guarantee you'll actually have to fight in my stead, it's just a precaution, and how will she know?" Clarissa begged.

Cass sighed, "okay, fine. Just try not to get yourself pulled from the match."

Clarissa threw her arms around her neck excitedly, "thank you so much, I'll do my best."

Bryce had come to ask Red, but Red had stepped out and there was no time, "Cade, would you be my alternate? Just in case I have to be pulled out? I'd ask Red, but I don't have time to wait for him."

Cade shrugged, "I guess so. Let's hope it doesn't come to that though. Good luck man."

"Thanks man, come on Clare, the other team is already out there," Bryce gestured.

Clarissa took a sip of water from her bottle then nodded and handed her water to Cass. Cade leaned against the barricade separating the spectators from the fighters. He looked over at Cass and saw the anxiety in her expression.

"Are you okay?" He leaned close and whispered to her.

She avoided his gaze, "yeah. Go away."

Cade chuckled, her feistiness was intact and that let him know she was fine. She glared at him through a sideways glance, but she was worried about Clarissa. She wasn't as experienced a fighter, and if they won this match, they'd face Steel and his partner. Cade realized this and also became concerned.

Clarissa and Bryce were a great team and had beaten their opponents mercilessly, but knew their next opponents wouldn't be so easy. Steel and his partner, Lanae, didn't seem like they had lost much energy from their previous matches and were ready to take on their final opponents, Clarissa and Bryce.

After an intermission, everyone was ready for the last match. Steel and Lanae versus Clarissa and Bryce.

The first half of the match, Clarissa fought Lanae. Clarissa wore her out and Lanae had to tag Steel in. Clarissa turned to Bryce and tagged him in.

"Be careful," she whispered to him as they switched places.

After a few minutes of duking it out, Bryce was starting to fade. Steel had exhausted him to his limits already, then made that fatal blow that took him out for the rest of the match. Cade was called in. Cass brought a medic to Bryce. Red had made it back to witness the turn of events and was fuming.

Steel had tagged Lanae back in before Cade had a chance to face him. Lanae had recovered quickly and seemed to have more energy on top of that. Clarissa was pushing her limits as it was, she didn't know how Lanae had gained more strength. Clarissa was beaten down once it was obvious she had only a little bit left in her. She made one last kick at Lanae before she had dodged it and twisted her arm around. Clarissa's shoulder became dislocated and she had to be pulled out. Once again, Cass found herself at Cade's side. That's when the match intensified.

Steel turned to Lanae, "it's time for you to step up your game now. I know Cass, and I know she favors her high spin kick, watch out for that, if you don't have a strong defense, it'll take you down in an instant."

Lanae nodded with determination and laughed cruelly, "at least I finally have real competition."

She said it loudly so Clarissa could hear her. Clarissa waited to the side with her arm in a sling. She knew then, once she healed up, she would train ten times harder and challenge Lanae to a rematch. Cass could see it in her face.

She faced Lanae in the center, "by no means is this over for you princess. You hurt my friend, now prepare to pay for it."

Cade felt his pulse racing. He had never been in a match like this before. Seeing Cass, feared and respected, made him wonder if he was good enough to be there at all.

Lanae tagged in Steel, she was out of breath and sweating from every pore. Cass hadn't lost breath or sweat yet. Hesitantly, she put her hand out to tag Cade.

She held his hand for a moment, looked him in the eyes, and whispered to him, "go for his knees. Yes, he's strong and hard to take down, but show me what made you a top ranked martial artist, I have faith in you."

Cade was completely caught off guard by her words. She trusted him. He knew she barely knew him, but he wanted to show her she was right to believe in him. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, then walked to the center of the matted floor to face Steel.

"So you're the new boyfriend, huh? You don't look like much," Steel sized him up and sneered.

"I'm not her boyfriend, but I'm here for her," Cade stared him down.

Steel snickered, "I admit, that's definitely a first. Cass doesn't usually join forces with someone unless she's close to them, but she's always been too trusting anyway, how do you think I got away with it?"

Cade got into his fighting stance, "you look down on her then?"

"Your words, not mine, but yes. She isn't too bright. Don't tell me you're going to live out the cliche of defending her honor? Chivalry is dead," Steel replied smugly and got into his stance.

Cade clenched his jaw, "only because of people like you."

Cass stood next to a seated Clarissa and folded her arms anxiously, "what is he doing? He's letting Steel get into his head. I can't hear what they're saying, but I know Steel is making him lose his focus."

Clarissa pulled Cass down next to her, "rest and stop moving around, you're making me crazy."

Cade could see the anxious Cass out of the corner of his eye, then returned his attention back to Steel. He was cocky and so sure he was going to win. Cade knew he couldn't hide behind his defense this time.

Steel had done his best to psych out Cade. He didn't know Cade or his fighting style, so he had all the more reason to pull out all his tricks. He observed Cade's stance carefully trying to read him and predict his movements. They circled around, eyes locked. Cass was starting to doubt putting her trust in him. Everything happened quickly after that. Steel had given Cade a good beating because he moved fast. Cade had his arm around his ribs and coughed painfully, but he had noticed a pattern in Steel's style and was confident he could take him down. He remembered what Cass had told him.

He slowly got up and got back into stance. He moved his leg in a low swinging kick and hit him on the back of his knees. Steel fell to the ground then made a swing at Cade. Cade dodged it and stayed low, then hit Steel with an uppercut, making him stagger back in surprise. He quickly looked at Cade's fist to see if it had been hurt in the attempt, but it hadn't. Everyone sat in stunned silence.

"But how?!" Steel exclaimed.

Cade opened his hand and examined it, "apparently you're not as tough as you think you are. Or rather, not as tough as everyone perceives you." He turned his hand over and clenched his fist, "it makes me wonder if you ever were."

Steel got up angrily, "all these times I've fought, I haven't used an ounce of my strength, but now it seems I have a real rival before me. Prepare to lose."

"Am I the only one who thinks there's too much talking going on in this fight?" Red turned to his friends and questioned irritably.

Cade heard him. Red was right, this was about actions, not words. He would show everyone that Steel was nothing. He charged at Steel with another uppercut, then struck his ribs like Steel had done to him. He was caught off guard and stumbled backwards. Cade took full advantage of it and beat him down. Steel threw another punch at him, but Cade blocked it and put him in an arm lock. Steel tried to get out of it, but couldn't. After struggling with failed attempt after failed attempt of trying to break free, he finally tapped out.

Cade stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist. Some cheered, some booed, and Lanae glared at Steel for losing. Cass wanted to run up to Cade and hug him, but remained cool and calm.

"Good job Bourne, it would seem you're blabbering was actually good for something," she smirked.

Clarissa watched Cade's disappointed expression and waited for Cass to be out of earshot, "I guess you were expecting more than that, huh? What you need to realize though is Cass just gave you the ultimate compliment, don't worry, she likes you. She might not act on it, but at least now you know."

Cade looked at Cass with a deeper perspective now, she glanced over at him and their eyes connected briefly, but in that brief moment, he saw what Clarissa meant. Cass respected him now, an honor that wasn't very commonly given from her. He knew in that instance, fighting would be the only way he would connect with her.

He wished he didn't have to go home, "hey Cass, I'm going to go before I miss the last bus."

Instead of brushing him off like she usually did, she could see he was hurting, "wait, we need to get you checked out."

"If I don't catch that last bus, how will I get home?" Cade asked skeptically.

Cass rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the arm, "I promise you'll get home, but I'm not letting you go home like this. Red, can your brother look him over?"

Red nodded and tapped the shoulder of a taller guy facing the other way.

"Wait, his brother is the medical personnel? Is he licensed for that?" Cade seemed worried.

"Of course he is. He works in our school's infirmary," Red was annoyed. "Let me guess, you assume all the people we know are into illegal things?"

"No, it's not that, he just looks too young to be working in the medical field," Cade smiled apologetically.

Red's brother laughed, "I like this kid, I may look a bit on the younger side, but I assure you, I completed my medical education and training. Red gets too defensive, he needs to learn how to keep his cool."

"Sorry Cade, it's a habit. I'm too used to people looking down on us," Red responded sheepishly.

"I get it though, I'm sorry if it came out wrong," Cade sat down on a bench as Red's brother instructed.

"My name is Arthur, in case you were wondering. Would you mind removing your shirt for me?" He asked politely.

Cade looked around awkwardly. No one seemed to care, so he did as he was asked. He pulled his shirt over his head, then shivered as he felt a draft.

Arthur ran his hands over his rib cage and back, "hmm, nothing appears to be cracked or broken. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being mild and 10 being excruciating, how much pain are you in?"

"I'm not really sure. I'm not feeling anything at the moment," Cade started feeling eyes on him, making him insecure.

Arthur pressed down slightly on his sides, "how about now?"

Cade winced a little, "a 5 I guess."

"It could just be bruised, I can't know for sure until I put you under an x-ray," Arthur stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Follow me please."

Cade followed him to a large van and Arthur opened the back doors, revealing a mobile examining room. He stepped up into it and Arthur turned on a monitor, along with some other machines. He grabbed a portable laser-looking tool and slowly ran it over Cade's sides.

"What is that thing?" Cade looked concerned.

"It's a new invention I've been asked to test out. It's portable, and scans your bones through all your skin and muscle tissue, pretty cool huh?" Arthur asked as he watched the monitor.

Cade watched the screen anxiously, not sure how to read it.

"You are one lucky duck. Your ribs are still intact, you'll be sore for a little while, but nothing to worry about. You seem like a pretty tough kid, just ice yourself and take it easy and you'll be fine," Arthur smiled.

Cade thanked him and put his shirt back on. Cass and her friends were waiting outside, waiting to hear what Arthur had to say about Cade. He repeated what he had told him and they all went back to Clarissa's apartment together.

Cade was surprised about where Clarissa lived. It was a fancy city apartment, nobody would've guessed just by looking at her that she had money. They played games, ate snacks, and watched tv together. Cass brought Cade an ice pack, "thanks again for what you did. You're actually not horrible at fighting."

"Uh, thanks... I think," he said skeptically, "it was nothing really though."

"But it was. You didn't have to do that for my friends, and yet you did. I'm just curious why you don't help people more often," Cass recalled the incident with the bullies and Rory.

Cade had removed his shirt and flinched as she placed the ice pack against his rib cage. He was reluctant to respond to her.

"Well... I'm just used to being on my own I suppose, I just assumed no one wanted me around or needed me for anything, but it feels nice. Don't see me as some kind of hero though," Cade smirked.

Cass teased him, "don't worry, I won't. You would probably just get a big head over it."

Clarissa nudged Krista and Megumi, "I'm sensing some kind of tension here, don't you girls agree?"

They looked over at Cass and Cade, who were sitting by the fireplace joking around and poking fun at each other.

"How sweet," Krista giggled, "we totally called it."

She shared high fives with Clarissa and Megumi, while Red frowned at the sight. Bryce made fun of him for getting jealous.

"Face it bro, it was never going to happen between you two," Bryce chuckled.

Cass stood up irritably, "would you all just shut up, I can hear everything you're saying."

She climbed up a small staircase leading out to the rooftop. She sat on the edge and stared out at the city lights. Cade had followed her out there.

"Isn't that dangerous?" He stood behind her.

Cass rolled her eyes, "I know what I'm doing. Could you please stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" Cade scratched his head, playing dumb.

"Stop looking at me like that, I'm not your responsibility, so stop trying to look out for me," Cass snipped.

Cade sighed and sat next to her, "I don't see you as my responsibility. Yeah, I admit, you make me nervous. Every time I'm near you, my heart races, always wondering what you're going to do next. Don't think of it as looking out for you or trying to protect you, think of it as observing you for the thrill of it. I can't help it if I find you interesting."

"See, right there is your problem, when you do and say stuff like that, people will think you have feelings for me. Whether that's the case or not, and honestly, I don't want to know, but you're better off staying away from me," Cass stood up and brushed her jeans off. "I'll call for a cab to take you home."

"Actually, I'm not going home tonight. Bryce invited me to stay at his place tonight," Cade said smugly.

Cass was too stunned to speak.