Tate
“I don’t know how the hell you stay in shape with a cookie in your mouth all the fucking time.”
Dante flipped me off and shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth. “Fukmof.”
I shook my head and fell into the chair behind the front desk. “Molly should let you buy interest in Java Spot.”
He swallowed hard and grabbed his water bottle off the desk. “I asked. She said no. Kellan also said he was the only one who was allowed to take interest in Molly’s cookies.”
“You’re an ass for even asking,” I chuckled.
Dante shrugged. “A man will do crazy things for a good cookie.”
I dropped my chin to my chest. This motherfucker was crazy. “You think you can concentrate long enough to make it through class tonight?”
He pushed off the desk and bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’m good, bro. Pumped for sparring tonight. I love watching these kids go a round with each other.”
“You do know we’re supposed to be teaching them and not just watching them beat the hell out of each other, right?”
Dante waved his hand at me, then put his hands up protecting his face as he continued to bounce around. “I teach. Hell, these kids are being taught by one of the greatest sparrers in the past twenty years, and they don’t even know it.”
“Good to see those few titles you picked up haven’t gone to your head.”
He ducked to the left, and then to the right, then jabbed with his left arm. “Eight, asshole. It was eight titles, and I earned every fucking one of them.”
He sure did. Dante was one guy I would never want to meet in a dark alley. The fucker would fuck me up and not even break a sweat doing it.
I grabbed my bag from under the desk, slung it over my shoulder, and stood. “What are your thoughts on Ryker?”
He dropped his arms to his sides and stood straight. “He seems all right. He’s got a mean right hook, although he’s a badass with those kamas.”
“We ever decide what we’re doing with him? I know Kellan mentioned the kid couldn’t afford classes.”
Dante strode to the mat, bowed, and headed to one of the standing punching bags. “I think we’re helping the kid out. He helps wrangle the kids; we give him a school to hang his black belt on. You know it ain’t cheap going to the tournaments, so I think we’re gonna help him get in there too.”
I nodded. It sounded like a good plan. It would be nice to have an extra pair of hands around, and we could all take him under our wing, to hopefully craft the next superstar on the circuit. “He’s helping out tonight, right?”
Dante jabbed the bag and nodded. “Yeah. He should be here around three-thirty to give the mats a quick scrub down, and then I figure he’ll help with classes.”
“Good.” I ducked into the bathroom and turned the water on in the shower. Last night was rough. By the time I finally fell asleep, it was well past four. I slept all day and barely made it to the studio before class.
Sleep had been evading me lately, and it was driving me insane. I was running out of things to do and I always ended up lying in bed watching late night porn and infomercials until I passed out. You wouldn’t believe the seventies porn they play late night. Back then was a very hairy and strange time.
“Hurry the hell up!” Dante hollered through the door. “Roman and Kellan just pulled up.”
I quickly stripped off my clothes and hopped in the shower. Thank god we decided to put one in when we renovated the studio. Although, at the time, we did it so we wouldn’t have to leave the studio reeking after a hard workout, not for my lazy ass to use when I slept all day.
Dante was still beating the hell out of the punching bag when I stepped out of the bathroom with wet hair, and Roman and Kellan were sitting on the mats stretching.
“You look like hell.”
I flipped off Roman and dumped my bag behind the desk. “Hello to you too, asshole.” I bowed into the mat and collapsed by Kellan.
“Ryker should be here soon. I was going to have him give the mats a quick wipe, but I think it can wait until next weekend.” Kellan leaned back on his arms.
I surveyed the mats and spread my legs out. “They’re good. Compared to some school’s mats out there, I’m pretty sure we could eat off ours.” I slowly bent forward, my arms reaching for my left foot.
The small bell above the door dinged, and I turned to watch Ryker scurry in and head straight for the bathroom. “Hi, Master Wright, Holten, Craig, and Yeck,” he called.
A chorus of ‘hi’ and ‘sup’ sounded, and the door shut behind Ryker.
I laid back and put my arm over my eyes. “So, what are you going to have him do?”
“He can fuck around until class starts. The kids are going to start rolling in anytime,” Kellan replied.
I sighed. I didn’t have the energy to deal with twenty rambunctious five and six-year-olds.
I heard the bathroom door swing open and peeked out from under my arm to watch Ryker bow onto the mat. The kid reminded me of myself and the guys when we were his age. We were eager to be doing anything that had to do with karate and had begged to help run classes.
“Did you want me to wipe down the mats, Master Wright?”
Kellan stood up and shook his head. “Nah, not today. I think maybe next weekend we’ll work on them. You can just practice until class starts.”
Ryker glanced around, uncertainty in his eyes.
Kellan clapped him on the shoulder and took pity on him. “Why don’t you run through your bo staff routine, and Roman can give you some pointers.”
Roman slid to the side of the mat and leaned against the half wall. I rolled to the side a few times to give Ryker room.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes roaming around.
Kellan nodded and glided over to the half cylinder full of student bos. “This used to be my old one. You can use it today. Make sure you bring your bo every day. You never know what we’re going to be doing.” Kellan tossed it to Ryker, and he caught it mid-air.
“Holy hell,” he whispered. He twirled it around, fluidly rolling it behind his back, then transferring it up, and rolling it around his neck. The kid had talent.
“This shit look familiar to you at all?” Kellan asked as he sat down next to Roman.
“Yeah, it was me eleven years ago,” Roman remarked.
Ryker tossed the bo around, weaving it behind his back and through his legs, getting used to the weight and length. He twirled and moved the bo so fast that it sounded like a propeller on a helicopter.
He snatched the bo out of the air, widened his stance, and bowed his head. He took a deep breath and bounced on the balls of his feet.
For one second, he was still, and then he exploded, the bo constantly moving, his yells deep and loud. He zoned out everything and gave it all he had.
“Where the hell did this kid come from?” I whispered to Roman. This was the first time I had seen Ryker pick up a bo. He’d been helping around the studio the past two weeks, but it had just been instructing kids and cleaning up after class.
“Told ya, dude. This kid has fucking talent,” Roman replied, his eyes never leaving Ryker.
Ryker tossed the bo up in the air, caught it behind his back, spun around and yelled “Aya!” as he held his hand out.
His eyes scanned the three of us, waiting for any response. “Uh, was that okay?” he asked meekly.
Roman leaned forward and looked from Kellan to me. “I think that’ll do. Right, guys?”
Kellan shrugged. “For now.”
Roman snickered, and a grin spread across my lips. We were a bunch of assholes when we felt like it. Ryker had poured his heart out on the mat, and we were acting like it was a white belt’s first time picking up a bo.
Ryker bowed to us and shuffled off to the side of the mat. “Hey!” I called.
Ryker turned, disappointment on his face.
“You rocked the hell out of that bo, kid.”
Kellan chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, we can’t let your head get big. We can’t let you know that you’re better than Roman.”
Ryker lit up, and a huge grin took over his face. “Really?”
Roman stood up and shook his head. “Now, now, let’s not get crazy here. I haven’t trained in months.”
“I think having you around is going to be good for Roman’s ego,” Kellan said. “He needs to be knocked down a peg or two.”
Roman held both of his middle fingers up to Kellan. “And that right there is the reason why I’m not going to invite you out tonight.” Roman nodded to me. “It’s gonna be the three amigos, and Tate is going to be my wingman.”
Oh hell. I knew how this was going to go. Anytime Roman called for a wingman, it was a night full of drinks and hitting on any woman within a five-foot radius. I gingerly stood up and quirked my eyebrow. “Wingman?”
Roman nodded and smirked. “Oh, fuck yeah. I heard about a strip club out of town that I think we need to hit up. I’ve heard some great fucking things about it.”
The bell over the door jingled, and Kellan held up his hand. “You three have fun, I’m gonna hang out with Molly.”
“Pussy-whipped,” Roman mumbled.
Kellan rolled his eyes and bowed off the mat to greet the first few students coming through the door.
Roman stood next to me and elbowed my side. “You’re in, right, fucker?”
I watched Ryker walk across the mat and stick the bo into the holder. “You really think we need to hit up a strip club?”
Roman turned to stand in front of me. “Has Kellan’s pussy-whippedness wore off on you? I didn’t think that was possible.” He held a hand to my forehead and shook his head. “No fever, it must be a silent killer.”
I knocked his arm away and took a step back. “You’re a fucking ass. I’ll be there.”
Roman smirked and strode over to Ryker, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “I think we saved him, Ryker. He was close to becoming a pussy.”
“Remind me again why I put up with your ass?” I asked.
“Because I’m fucking amazing.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “Only in your head.”
Students started filing in steadily through the door and lined up on the side of the mat with their attendance cards in their hands.
Roman and Ryker stepped past me, and Roman cuffed me on the shoulder. “Nine o’clock, I’ll pick you up. Be ready, fucker,” he whispered, leaning in.
I stepped back, leaned against the wall, and crossed my arms over my chest. Well, I guess going out tonight would help with my insomnia. By the time we got home tonight, I’m sure I would fall into bed exhausted.
The only thing was, I had no idea what kind of trouble Roman was going to get me into tonight.
Lord help me.
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