Madison was jogging along the road, heading to the 365 combat club, as she did about three times a week though there was no hard or fast rule on which days or even what time she’d show up. It was turning dark, but Madison, like her mother before her, didn’t really care, running alone on the street in the dark. Like her mother, there were few men she couldn’t easily kick the crap out of. Granted, her mother was once a soldier and had taken lives, but even so, they’d both had similar amounts of legitimate MMA training, even if Madison couldn’t wrestle and had no interest in doing so.
It was dark when she actually arrived, and the first thing that she noticed was the sign on the door, so she looked at her sports watch. The sign said ‘closed’. Her watch said ‘not yet, it’s not’. She made this call a lot, but as she was bros with Owen, she usually got away with it. Upon entering, she froze in the doorway, with her eyes and mouth both wide open, looking around at all the damage. She didn’t even hear Owen’s comment about the sign. After an age, her gaze made its way to him.
”What the fuck happened?" she asked in a shaky voice, with the emphasis strongly on ‘fuck’.
Owen stared at Madi, and carefully considered his words. What had happened here? He couldn't tell her the truth. Well, he could, but she'd surely judge him. He wasn't ready for that right then… Owen took a breath and paused, before offering, “there was a big rat?” Hopefully, Madi caught the hint and didn't press him for any details yet.
“I got him, but I had some trouble. Wanna help me clean?” He asked, looking around at the mess of a gym.
Madison blinked, and nodded while looking around. She’d caught the hint. The rat story was horseshit, but she knew Owen well enough that she knew this was his way of saying he didn’t want to talk about it. If a punk had done this, he’d have told her, so it was either a fight, which didn’t make sense as the damage wasn’t in one area but literally everywhere. The other possibility was that he’d trashed the place himself. Which was much more likely. She wouldn’t press it.
”Alright, yeah. Where do we even start, though?" she replied.
“With the… glass.” Owen muttered, gesturing at the broken glass that more or less covered the floor. Without another word, he disappeared to a janitor’s closet, returning with a broom in each hand. He held one out to Madi, and let out a long breath, the gauze on his left hand showing red spots from the blood underneath it. “Long day,” explained, before heading to the glass and beginning to sweep some of it up, slowly. Owen was coming down from a very emotional outburst, and he would talk about it when he was ready. “I’m gonna have to get this fixed before tomorrow…” He said glumly, sighing.
Madi started sweeping too, though she wasn’t doing it slowly. She wanted to get this mess cleaned up pronto, and she came here in the hopes of getting some exercise and/or kicking somebody’s ass, so she was dearing to go. ”This isn’t the workout I was expecting to do tonight. Maybe if we get everything cleaned up and there’s still time, we can do some actual sparring."
Madi kept sweeping in silence until the glass was all in a neat pile, before getting the dustpan from where she knew it was kept, without asking for permission, and brushing it all up and dumping it in the trash. She looked around. ”What should we tackle next?"
“I mean, there’s a lot more glass.” Owen grumbled, gesturing at the blowed out vending machine, and manager’s office windows. He dropped the broom, as Madi had cleaned up most of the glass in front of the door. Owen stepped over to the vending machine, and pulled the bar out of it, turning to face Madi as he walked over to the bench. “Rat wanted a protein bar, I guess.” He said, shrugging his shoulders, as he racked the bar back onto the bench. Madi’s response to that comment was to look away and bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself laughing.
“I appreciate you helping out, by the way. I’m gonna have to call my parents though. I’ll wait till you leave.” Owen said, running his good hand through his hair, before his thoughts went back to Madi’s earlier statement of sparring, and he held up his bandaged left hand. “I’m not gonna be doing any sparring.”
”That’s a shame," Madi sighed. She made her way into the hall, and started to pick up the splintered wood. As she did so, she got a splinter and swore. She dropped the wood and looked back at Owen. ”Must have been one fucking big mouse, Owen. It better start squeaking soon or I might start losing my patience." she said in a pretty intense voice as she turned back at tried to get the splinter out with her teeth. She eventually gave up, stormed agrily over to where the gloves were kept, put one on, and lifted the wood again. ”Where do I put this?"
“Well, they weren’t mice. I like mice. These were rats; one or two of the beasties may have been snakes. If I had to name them, I’d say… Jamie, Marshall, Hailey, and Ophelia would be good names. What do you think?” Owen asked, as he sweeped some more of the glass up into a pan, and frowned. “I fucked up.” He said in explanation.
“Jamie came here, to talk to me about Trixie. He said he wanted to publish a story out of it. I didn’t want to do that, but he kept pushing. Called me a homophobe. It set me off. So I knocked him upside the head and kicked him out, then I lost my mind and I trashed the place. Blame the snakes and the rats and the general populace of our high school.”
Madison nodded. She was on the cheerleading team. She knew all about the snakes and the rats. Lee, her best friend, she was hesitant to admit, was among them. ”I’ve never paid much attention to gossip, but maybe it’s time I started. Hailey and Ophelia haven’t earned any love from me today. Hailey had a golden girl, and Ophelia kicked a perfectly talented freshmen off the team to make room for them under Hailey’s orders. I don’t really know Marshall or Jamie. I like to think I know you, though. I don’t think you’re a homophobe. Hell, I don’t even think you chea…." she trailed off. Her name might be the last thing he’d want to hear tonight. ”Anyway, where do you want me to put this wood?"
“Just put in the trash can. And of course I didn’t cheat on her, but I feel like the only people who know that, are the people who workout here. It sucks,” Owen said, dumping more of the glass into a trash can. How was he going to explain this away to his dad? “I’m definitely not a homophobe. Marshall was my best friend for like five years, but he gave up on me too.” Owen was miserable, and he could feel his head starting to throb.
“Not important. It’s over now, I’ll tidy up around here, and maybe nobody will even notice. I’ll buy new vending machines. And a new door. I hope we don’t rent those machines… But, I don’t think we really rent anything, so maybe it doesn’t even matter.” Owen looked around the gym, which was slowly beginning to look usable again.
Madi nodded as she looked around and dumped the wood in the trash can. They were making visible progress. She looked back at Owen. ”I’ll keep quiet if you want, but I feel like this situation is either going to stay fucked, or get even worse, if we leave it alone."
“Doesn’t matter to me. He ain’t comin’ back, and if he does, I’ll break his neck.” Owen said, walking over to the broken vending machine, reaching inside and withdrawing a bag of chips. “You want a snack? It’s on the house.” Owen said, gesturing toward the loot of the vending machine.
Madi nodded and wordless took a bag before opening it. By saying ‘doesn’t matter’, he may not yet realise that he’d basically given her permission to get involved. And she was going to take it. It’s not how she imagined her journey to be a more active part of the social scene would start, but it was what it was. ”You need to work on your temper, and your ability to let go of grudges. I mean that as the advice of a concerned friend. Not suggesting you try to mend bridges with anyone connected to the H.O.T girls, though. As far as I’m concerned, those bridges are better off not existing."
“Maybe. I think they’re just warped by the hive queen herself. And my temper isn’t that bad, I just get a little upset sometimes. Look, I don’t need to be lectured. And I’m upset about it still because it wasn’t even that long ago. It only happened like two months ago. Let me grieve.” Owen replied tersely, crunching on a handful of Funyuns. He looked down at the bag and frowned, “I don’t even like Funyuns. Why did I grab these?” He asked, his mouth full of more Funyuns.
”This is a blessing in disguise. Now you can buy a vending machine that sells good shit. Maybe one with protein shakes," Madi spoke, not being afraid of saying those sorts of things, because they’re bros. She knows Owen well enough that changing the subject like that was a good move, and her not being polite about it just means she’s not faking. After finishing her own Funyuns, she threw the empty bag in the trash from where she was standing. It would have gone it but bounced off the wood. ”I’ll help you finish cleaning up, then I’ve got to bounce. Can’t spend all night here."
“Don’t worry, I’ll be staying here all night, Madi.” Owen grumbled. It wasn’t like he really went home, anyway. He liked it at the gym, plus he didn’t have to deal with his mom being… well, emotional… “I appreciate the help though, I really do.” He said, with a smile shot in Madi’s direction.
After a while more of cleaning up, it was finaly free of glass and debris. Things still needed to be fixed and replaced, but nothing Madison could do there. Sh took the glove off and put it back, and headed to the front door. She turned back to Owen before leaving, and held her fist up for a bump. ”I’m off. Take care of yourself, bro."
Owen nodded, bumping her fist. “Yeah. Okay.” He said, shaking his head as she walked away. Owen walked over to the drink machine, reaching inside and grabbing a Monster. He cracked it open, and drank from it before he walked back to the ring. He laid down in the center of it and pulled out his cell phone, staring up at the ceiling and thinking back to how it got this bad. He scrolled through the contacts until he reached his mother, and tapped her smiling face. He held it to his ear and listened to the dial tone. When she picked up, Owen hardly gave her a chance to talk.
“Mom? I fucked up.’
Xaltwind,
op2024,
Expendable,
Noctis,
Carlyle,
The Otter,
wintersoldier,
TheMushroomLord,
Neziul,
Pen Name
