The Heart Of A Fighter

Chapter Two

The weekend had arrived. Cass had done her best in school that week so her mother wouldn't bother her about it. Her mother was going to be working overtime that weekend, so it was going to be easy getting out of the house.

Cass had made her mother's lunch and put it in the fridge for her, just like she always did for her, then waited patiently for her to leave for work. She peeked through her bedroom curtains and watched her mother disappear down the road and around the corner.

Cass glanced at her watch, "I should be able to make it just in time."

She grabbed her bag and her house key, then made sure everything was off before she left. When she got to the bus stop, she was annoyed to see Cade waiting there. The bus came up the road and stopped for her to get on. Cade got on behind her.

She rolled her eyes and walked to the back of the bus, determined to ignore him. She put on her earbuds and turned up her music player so he wouldn't try to talk to her. She knew he was following her, even though he would deny it.

When they reached her stop, sure enough, he got off at the same stop. Cass turned off her music, but pretended she was still listening to it so she could hear anything going on around her. She had learned to do that as she grew up in the city, since one never knew when someone would try to mug or assault you.

Cade found her habits fascinating, he figured out what she was doing and saw she literally had street smarts. Anyone else would've thought she was being paranoid, but Cade understood. Part of the reason he had come here was to make sure she was safe. Mostly out of curiosity though, he had followed her, wanting to know where she was sneaking off to.

Cass stopped and faced him, "okay, what is your deal exactly? Why are you even here?"

"I wanted to visit the city, since you seem so fond of it," Cade smiled.

"It's not so much fondness as it is familiarity, and don't play dumb with me, I can take care of myself, just so you know," Cass said irritably.

Cade chuckled, "I have no doubts about that, but still, you're not invincible, anything could happen in a place like this."

"Duh, I never said I was invincible. Everyone has their weaknesses, and yours is that empty head and your lack of compassion for your fellow, less-fortunate beings," Cass poked his forehead then turned on her heel and continued walking.

Cade rubbed his fingers over the spot where she had touched him and snickered, "is that so? Then perhaps yours is the need to charge into trouble and get involved."

"I'd rather be a moron than a coward, at least I think of other people," Cass snipped.

"You're really mad I didn't help that kid, aren't you?" He questioned seriously.

"I wouldn't say I was so much mad as I was disappointed. He got hurt, and you could've prevented it," Cass glared at him.

That was the one thing Cade didn't understand, "you know, there are so many people who get bullied. There can't always be someone there to help you, sometimes, you either put up with it, or you man up and do something about it."

"That's a rather bleak perspective, I believe one person showing the least bit of compassion for others help make the world a little less crappy, trust me, I know how cruel people can be. So what are you exactly? A bully? Or the one being bullied?" Cass stopped outside the fence surrounding the warehouse and looked him in the eye.

Cade hesitated, but he wanted her to understand his perspective, "I've been on both sides."

"I see. So when you said bullying victims should man up and do something about it, you were referring to yourself?" Cass raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"I didn't at first. Originally I just kept my head down and put up with it, but I grew sick of it, no one ever helped me, then I got stronger and did something about it," he had resentment in his eyes.

"Then you of all people should be reaching out to the victims, since you were once just like them," Cass left him at the gate and went up to the door.

He caught up to her, and much to her dismay, she allowed him to enter with her.

As they walked to the changing area, Cade changed the subject, "so there are spectators here, are there not?"

Cass removed her jacket and sweat pants and started taping herself, "yes, not as many as there are at professional fights, but enough. Most of them are associated with other fighters, scouting out the competition."

"I see. So since I'm associated with you, I'll be fine right?" Cade inquired.

Cass sighed, "yes, now get out of here, I need to focus."

Before Cade could leave, a man named Ezra came in, he didn't see him, "Ms. Rourke, the boss is still waiting for your answer."

Cass flinched at the mention of him, "can't this wait until after my match? Wouldn't he like to see me win first before he invests all his time and money into me?"

"You make a valid point, I'll call him up and let him know," Ezra pulled out his phone right there.

Cass just wanted him gone. She finished taping up her hands and tied on her mask, then waited for Ezra to finish.

"The boss has permitted it, but says he'll revoke his offer indefinitely if this fight goes south for you," Ezra smirked. "You should've just accepted it when he asked in the first place. I hear this next fighter is impossible to beat."

"Well they'd have to be to make it this far, isn't that how it works?" Cass had every intention of winning that fight, but then it would mean Rue would keep bothering her.

Ezra left her with her thoughts, she had a reason to think about it now. She had heard many stories about the ruthless Rue Griffin, unsure if he was someone she wanted to work for. She couldn't trust him, even if she wanted to. With him, there were always stipulations.

It was time for her to walk out to the ring. Cade pushed himself through the crowd as they announced her opponent, a woman they were calling Beast.

The announcer got on his microphone, "Beast, is our three-time undefeated champion. Next, introducing a young woman, who has made quite an impression, ladies and gentleman, as a first-time finalist, Scarlet!"

Cass stepped into the ring and sized up Beast, she was a huge woman. Her name suited her, but she knew it was in reference to her fighting style. She had heard she was merciless.

Beast gave her a crooked smile, revealing some missing teeth. Cass cringed.

Cade wanted to pull her out of the ring, but he couldn't resist the look of determination on her face. He didn't know why she was here, or why she needed to do this, but there was no mistaking she felt the need to do it. An act of some kind of desperation it would seem.

The match started, everyone cheering for their favorite fighter, he could hear them chanting Scarlet. She was clearly the underdog in this match, but she wouldn't have been in the ring if she hadn't already been dominating her competition. Cass took hit after hit, but she kept getting back up. By the end of the second round, Cass had found her pattern and got some hits on Beast, even though they seemed ineffective.

He heard a group cheering especially loud for Scarlet. He looked over to see three girls and two guys, the girls were wearing matching red leather jackets, each done in a different style, but the same shade of crimson. They seemed like they knew Cass.

He turned his attention back to the match as the crowd got louder, "Scarlet! Scarlet! Scarlet!"

Cass had Beast in an arm lock, Beast slammed her down, but Cass got up again and made a side swipe to the side of her knee, making it buckle, resulting in Beast laying on her side. Cass seized the opportunity and started beating on her relentlessly. The last round, both of them were clearly running out of energy. They sat in the corners to take a short break.

Rue watched from his seat from his own personal ledge, he turned to Ezra, "do you think she'll go through with it?"

"You really think she'll throw the match, boss?" Ezra stayed focused on the match.

When they had first offered her a contract with them, he had told Rue what he saw in her eyes. It was his job to read people, so Rue could use situations to his advantage. He could tell Cass didn't want to be tied down like that, but there was a kind of desperation in her, so whether she won the match or not would determine how it would be dealt with.

Cass looked up at Rue Griffin, something just didn't feel right about him, then poured water over herself and patted herself down with a towel. It was time to finish this. She cracked her neck and knuckles, then got into stance. Beast looked ready to charge. Once they resumed the round, Beast came running at her, Cass dodged her and hit her side. Beast crashed into the corner, she made a growling sound then charged at Cass again.

"Well I guess we can see you're all about brawn and brute force," Cass smirked as she dodged her again.

She made another strike at Beast, getting her in the knee again, and watched her fall. Beast got up, made one last swing, hitting Cass on the side of the head. Even though her vision was blurred and her ears rang, Cass kicked her in the jaw, causing her to stagger back, then she made a sweeping kick, knocking beast hard onto her back. Beast tried getting up, but she was too tired. Cass took the chance to beat on her again until the referee stopped her, Beast was done.

After consulting with the judges, the referee declared Cass the winner of the match, she had won the tournament. Her fans cheered at the top of their lungs.

Rue smiled cruelly, "it looks like we have a new champion, Ezra."

Cass would've thrown the match if she hadn't needed the money so badly, if Rue kept bothering her, it was a small price to pay for being able to take care of her mom. She waved as she walked out of the arena, exhausted, sore, and ears still ringing from that last hit.

Cade grabbed her arm as she was walking out, "are you going to be okay?"

Cass was surprised by the sudden gentle touch after taking a beating. She wanted to pull away, but she didn't have the energy.

She smiled up at him, "I'll be fine, I'm used to this."

The group that had been cheering for her were waiting outside when Cass and Cade came out. The main one with the long sandy blonde hair and bangs turned around as they were walking by.

"Cass! As soon as we saw you enter that arena, we just knew it was you! Is that your boyfriend?" She said excitedly.

Cass realized Cade was still holding onto her and shoved him away, "no, I barely know this person, he's just a classmate that followed me here. I don't know why, but apparently he's worried about me or something stupid like that."

Cade learned their names quickly. Clarissa was the blonde one, then there were the other girls, Megumi and Krista, and the two boys, Red and Bryce.

"You should come hang with us, it hasn't been the same without you," Megumi said as she applied some lip gloss.

"I don't know, if I don't catch the last bus and my mother finds me gone, she'll kill me" Cass shifted her bag and was about to go look for the bus stop.

Red smiled, "hey, you know I got you babe, stick around and I'll make sure you get home."

Cass laughed, "okay, but don't expect me to do anything with you or you know what'll happen."

Cade turned to Clarissa, "what does she mean by that?"

"Well Red is what you call a player. He's a huge flirt and has had tons of girlfriends, sometimes more than one at a time. Usually when he does favors for girls he gets them to return the favor with a kiss, a date, or other things."

"I see, and has Rourke ever returned a favor to him before?" Cade asked possessively.

Clarissa caught his meaning, but wanted his imagination to run wild, "Red has done a lot of favors for her, you'll have to ask her how she paid him back, she won't tell me, and I'm her best friend."

Clarissa smirked as she watched Cade's jealous expression, it confirmed what she could already tell. No guy would be following a girl around like this unless there were feelings there. Cass was probably oblivious to it. She knew Cass hadn't had to return any favors to Red because he worshipped her and would do anything for her, he always assured her that he expected nothing back. Especially since Cass had so firmly turned him down in the past, every time he asked her to be his girlfriend.

Cass stopped and turned to face Cade, "I can hear everything you've been saying, must you insist on following me everywhere?"

Red jumped at the opportunity, "is this guy really bothering you Cass? Me and Bryce can take care of him for ya."

"That's pretty cocky of you Red, you know if Cass needed someone taken care of, she could do it herself," Megumi said smugly.

"Yeah, Cass can take anyone. That match tonight was amazing!" Krista squealed.

Red sighed, "come on Cass, let me punch this guy in the face."

Cass eyed Cade, then nodded at Red, "sure. At my new school I heard this guy is the toughest and strongest, let's see if it's true."

Red cracked his knuckles and snickered, "this is going to be fun."

Cade instantly got into stance, he felt like he had something to prove. Red came charging at him, Cade stayed in defense and couldn't be hit effectively. Red may as well be a fly hitting a brick wall.

Cass put her hand up to stop Red and circled Cade, "your defense is good, but that still counts as cowardly. You've made no move to assert your dominance. Let's see how you do against two people."

She motioned for Bryce to jump in, and they both came at him. Cade just kept blocking their strikes. Clarissa observed with Cass, while Krista and Megumi whispered amongst themselves.

Clarissa sighed, "this is pointless, Bryce and Red are mediocre at best, they'll never break through his defense. We all know you're the best fighter Cass, why don't you fight him?"

Cass shrugged, then dropped her bag, calling the boys back, "let me try. You ready Bourne?"

Cade laughed, "I don't fight girls, I'm a gentleman."

"No, you're a coward. Come on, come at me," she waved him toward her.

"I'm not going to fight you Rourke," he stated firmly and smugly.

Cass became annoyed, then she crouched and swung her leg to knock him off his feet. He toppled backwards and fell into a couple of trash cans. She stood up straight and stood over him.

"In these parts, turning down a challenge is a sign of weakness and disrespect. You disgrace yourself," she picked up her bag and walked away with Clarissa and the other girls, then shouted over her shoulder, "go home Bourne!"

Red and Bryce laughed and followed after them. Cade wondered if that was actually her talking or if it was just an act for these people who apparently had her on a pedestal for her tough reputation. He decided to let it go and went looking for a bus stop. He wasn't familiar with the area.

As he wandered the streets, somehow, he ended up in a very sketchy alley way. Before he realized it, he was surrounded by thugs. He swallowed nervously as a couple of them pulled out knives.

"You lost kid?" One of them asked with a snicker. "You don't look like you're from around here."

He didn't take it seriously when Red and Bryce ganged up on him, but this was serious. He knew he had to do something, but for some reason, he remembered the scrawny boy he was that got bullied all the time and forgot how to fight. He grabbed the wall behind him trying to get a grip on his mentality. Above all else, he needed to stay calm.

A whistle sounded, he looked up and saw Clarissa standing on a roof. While they were distracted, Cass came and knocked the knives out of their hands, she held her arm out to Cade, he grabbed it and swung her around and she knocked each one of them down. Another guy came charging at Cade from behind and grabbed at him, Cade swung him over his shoulder onto his back. Megumi and Krista had joined Clarissa on the roof, Red and Bryce had barricaded the outlet, so it was up to Cade and Cass to take the thugs out.

With an unexpected turn of events, Cade and Cass were fighting back to back. It had finally clicked in his head to go into survival mode, and Cass had triggered it.

"Idiots, all of you! You knew what would happen if I caught you and your street rats here again, Geo!" Cass shouted at one of them.

Geo wiped his bloody face on a bandana tied around his wrist and glared up at her.

"We thought you were gone," another one chided.

"Shut up Sparky!" Geo said as he punched him in the arm.

Sparky put his head down and rubbed his arm. Cass grabbed Geo by the shirt and got in his face.

"Even if I was gone, I would've found out about the crap you've been pulling and I would've come all the way over here just to teach you a lesson, understand?" She said through gritted teeth. "Now get out of here, before I lose my temper."

Geo got up and waved for his gang to follow him, they all limped and staggered away like puppies with their tails between their legs.

Cass brushed herself off and got her bag back from Clarissa, then turned to Cade, "so it turns out you can fight, my apologies."

"Why'd you come to help me?" Cade demanded. "I could've taken care of myself."

"Yeah, right. We saw the whole thing, you froze up. It took all of us to snap you out of it. Besides, I felt a little responsible for you since I left you in a place you aren't familiar with. Anyway, those boys were asking for it, coming back into our territory like that, mugging and assaulting people, and the cops don't even do anything, they treat us all like delinquents," Cass said bitterly.

Cade wasn't sure if it meant anything or not, that she had helped him. She seemed like she would help anyone.

"So, are you all like a vigilante type gang?" Cade wondered, they didn't seem to be into anything illegal.

Clarissa tapped her chin thoughtfully, "you know, I've never really thought about it, but I guess we are. And I wouldn't say the cops don't do anything, I'd say they are just overwhelmed by all the crime these days. And let's face it guys, we do look like delinquents."

Clarissa had laughed it off and seemed to be the optimist of the group. Cass had clearly been their leader at some point, she always kept a clear mind and cool demeanor in everything, and excelled under stress. Red and Bryce acted as the muscle, Krista and Megumi were most likely the assisting type who were good at diversions. There was no doubt that them working together kept each other out of trouble. They were a fascinating bunch, to say the least. Each of their skills seemed to make Cass's stand out more. He felt like he was starting to get her.

Cass decided to take the bus home with Cade, promising her friends she'd come visit soon.

As they stood there waiting for the bus, he peered over at her, "you have a bit of a hero complex, did you know that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Cass said as the bus stopped in front of them.

Cade smiled, "right, well, thanks anyway."