Chapter 7

"Only you can run straight into a wall while throwing a punch," I laughed, earning a scowl in return. "That's why your stance is important. We wouldn't want you to run face first into a man's chest."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep making fun of me." Chase huffed out as I applied a small amount of disinfecting ointment in the middle of his forehead where he earned a scratch.

In case you were wondering, we were in the middle of practicing when I instructed him to throw a punch so that I could teach him how to dodge it. This resulted in me dodging the punch and stepping out of the way too fast for his liking, which made him stumble over his own feet and run into the wall behind me while trying to regain balance. Needless to say, I spent a good amount of five minutes rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off.

"I think we should practice on your stance first. For you to block or dodge any punch or kicks thrown your way, you must have a good fighting stance to prevent accidents," I said and placed a band-aid on top of the scratch. "Stand up and show me your best fighting stance."

He grumbled but did as told and stood in front of me. His look turned uncertain as he separated his legs a bit and held his fists in front of his chest. I couldn't help but give him a lopsided grin and stepped forward. He looked at me nervously and skeptically as I placed my hands on his chest and kept grinning. Without any notice, I shoved him backwards, making his eyes go wide as he lost balance and landed on the yoga mat.

"Don't worry if you feel ridiculous, that's normal," I chuckled. "Come on, try again."

"Why? It's obvious that my position wasn't even close to being right." He huffed. I just raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed. I offered him a hand, which he accepted, and helped him up. He positioned himself back in the same position and looked at me with a frown.

"The reason you lost balance quickly is because of your legs. Are you a lefty?"

"No," he answered with his brows furrowed.

"Then that means that your dominant side is the right side. Now, put your left leg in front of the right one and flex them. Your body must be facing your right while your head should keep staring ahead," I said and kicked his legs apart, putting them in the right position. "This way, when somebody pushes you, your right foot will prevent you from losing your balance. Now, to improve your abilities with your left side, you will use that side for defense while the right is more for offense."

"Alright." He nodded in agreement. I helped him position his legs correctly and he watched attentively.

"Don't tense your body, especially your legs. Your knees need to be relaxed for you to sidestep quickly. Also, if you tense your body, that will only cause each punch you receive more painful, so relax," I said, and he nodded. I watched as his shoulders visibly relaxed and his body became looser. I smiled in satisfaction and nodded. "That's it."

"What now?" he asked.

I stood beside him in the same fighting stance and positioned my arms the right way. He eyed my every movement and did his best to replicate my stance.

"Your left arm will be used for defense, so it needs to be straight, facing your opponent. The only reason to tense this arm is to block a heavy attack. Your right fist will be positioned under your chin; you will use it for offense. We will use the remaining time to learn blocking and dodging. We will get to the punches another day," I instructed.

We spent about an hour and a half practicing, and I was surprised, to say the least. I knew he was a know-it-all, but I didn't expect him to also learn defense moves quickly.

He was panting in front of me, wiping off some of the sweat with the back of his hand. I smiled at him, then got him a bottle of water and a small towel. "You earned yourself a well-deserved ten-minute rest."

He eagerly grabbed the bottle and took a big gulp, downing the water in an instant. I watched as he wiped off any visible sweat with the towel and draped it over his shoulder.

I grabbed a water bottle for myself and drank it calmly. I didn't mind the sweat considering that I liked to exercise, and I sweat quite a lot.

The minutes passed agonizingly slow as neither of us uttered a word to start a conversation. Seeing as there were only a few minutes until six, I turned to him.

"Come on, I want to show you something cool," I told him. He furrowed his brows a bit and dropped the empty bottle and the towel to the ground. He stood in front of me and I straightened up, offering him a small smirk. "Punch me."

"I'm not running into the wall again," he said defensively.

"You're not going to, I promise." I laughed. "Now, punch me."

He hesitated for a bit before positioning himself on a fighting stance, and without a warning, he threw a punch to my face with his right fist. Reacting on time, I brought my left arm upwards, blocking his punch. In a swift movement, I took hold of his arm and twisted it around before kicking him behind the knee. This sudden movement caused him to fall forward and collide against the yoga mat, while I held his arm behind him and sat on his lower back.

"Ow... alright, that is actually cool. Though, it sort of hurts," he praised while wincing slightly.

"I know, right?" I asked and smiled sheepishly. I let go of his arm and watched as he stretched it over his head. I was about to stand up, but he managed to turn us around and push my back against the floor. I was too shocked to react, my legs awkwardly hanging around his waist. He held my arms over my head with a mischievous look on his eyes—a look I didn't even think he could muster.

"Lily! We had a deal—" Wesley barged in. "I swear to God, if you are doing the 'dirty' on my yoga mats, I will strangle you!"

Our heads snapped in his direction, and Chase jumped away from me in a millisecond. I laughed at this, making fun of Chase's flushed up face and Wesley's glare.

"We will be leaving now, Wes. Plus, we couldn't get to that part thanks to you." I winked. Wesley rolled his eyes then left with a warning glare. I looked as Chase stood up, all fun aside. "I must give it to you. You surely have the element of surprise by your side."

He muttered a quiet "thanks" before looking for his clothes and heading to the dressing room.

I quickly changed back to the jeans and crop top, crouching down to zip my boots. I gathered all my stuff and secured the keys in my hand.

Not so long after, Chase walked out of the dressing room with his previous clothes on. He didn't say anything as we made our way out, heading to where Wesley was standing at.

I handed him the keys. "We will come back Friday. Thanks for lending us the room." I chuckled. "I promise that the mats are perfectly clean."

"They better be." He chuckled and grabbed the keys. "Drive carefully. That boy is too young to die with you now."

"Will do."

He smiled at us and threw me my helmet, which I handed to Chase as we walked out of the building. He reluctantly pulled it over his head, and we got on the bike. I placed the key in the ignition and brought the engine to life, securing my hair in a tight bun on top of my head. Looking at Chase over my left shoulder, I said, "I'll need you to tell me how to get to your house. I'll try my best to not get us killed."

I couldn't see his reaction through the visor, but he gave a slow nod and wrapped his arms around my waist. I smirked and revved a little, the bike jerking forward and onto the road. Every now and then, Chase would shout directions, telling me where to turn.

It took about seventeen minutes to get to his house. It was a simple one-story house with pale blue walls and an under-kept garden. The house looked humble enough weren't it for the many dead flowers.

"Thanks," Chase muttered, hopping off the bike and taking the helmet off. I couldn't help but smile as I took in his disheveled hair. He seemed to notice this and instantly patted his hair down, his cheeks flushing a light pink.

"Remember to take a warm bath and stretch your muscles. It will help with the soreness and hopefully your body won't hurt too much on Friday," I said. He nodded and watched as I let my hair loose and ruffled it a bit. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Won't you get kicked out if the security guard sees you?" he asked in curiosity.

I tied my hair up in a ponytail and chuckled. "Freddy Fuzzy? Nah, he likes me even if I'm a nuisance most of the time." With that, I put the helmet on and nodded at him.

He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but held back and simply waved goodbye instead.

I drove off to the road and left him standing in front of his house. My stomach started to grumble in protest, given the fact that I haven't really eaten anything.

On the way to my house, I noticed my favorite fast food restaurant and decided to stop by to eat something. I parked the bike in an open spot and turned the engine off. I made sure I had my wallet in my hand then took my helmet off, hanging it on one of the handles. I played with the keys as I entered the building.

To my luck, the line was empty, so I walked over to the cashier and told her my order. She told me the price and I handed her the money, telling her to keep the change and waited for my food.

A few seconds after, a familiar voice spoke behind me, making me smirk. "Well, look who we have here."

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[Edited: August 20th, 2020 by michh_44]

Beware of the clumsy Chase! How adorable. On the other hand, who do you think this mysterious person is? It could be anyone. Perhaps her mother, stepfather, maybe one of her friends...or could it be someone from her past...? Anyways, if you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to comment your thoughts and leave your vote!

Best regards! xx