THE VORTEX

One

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I pulled the covers up over my fathers shivering body as he lay in bed. I had to bite my lip to stop myself from tearing up once again. I hated this. I hated how my father, my rock, was fighting to beat cancer. I placed a soft kiss on his forehead and quickly left the room, before I knew it I had closed the front door and breathed a sigh. I pulled my hood on top of my head and placed my headphones in my ears before I pressed play on my music. I made my way to the end of the small footpath before I started to jog down the street.

As the beat dropped to my music, I pushed myself faster. I pushed myself harder every day, to be the best I could be. To be the best fighter I could be in the ring. As I ran I thought back to how I became a member of The Vortex fighters. It was the day I saw my father sitting in our living room, holding his head in his hands and crying.

I had just come home from high school, super excited for the weekend to start but it turned to shit as soon as I saw him. A letter sat on the coffee table in front of him, a letter that held the true meaning of what happened. My mother's handwriting was written across the page.

'....I can no longer see a future together. I had been seeing someone else for quite a while now and I can no longer keep it to myself. I had fallen out of love with you for a while but I couldn't bring myself to tell you.

I'm sorry...'

She wrote some other bullshit but every time I thought about it, it made me so mad. After I had read the letter that day, I changed. I wasn't the happy self I used to be. I became shut off from everyone. After reading the letter I left the house, I took off running down the street and found myself standing at the bench. Watching the waves roll onto the shore but I couldn't help but scream. To be honest it felt good to scream at the top of my lungs but after a while, I felt numb. I felt myself shake but I didn't want to go home so when it got late into the night I walked around town.

That was when I heard loud music playing and then I heard the engines getting louder and louder, heading towards me. That was when I saw them, four street racing cars flashed past me. As I looked ahead of me I saw crowds forming near the underground parking lot. I crossed the street and followed in after a group of people. The crowds were cheering and laughing, chatting and dancing.

As I walked around I bumped into someone accidentally, making them turn around. "Watch it" she growled out, making me stumble backwards into another chest as I stuttered a 'sorry'. I snapped my head around to look at the other person and saw them smirk. Both women were dressed in sports bras and shorts, covered in tattoos. They had this look in their eyes that meant business and not to mess with. "Fresh meat" was all I heard before I was grabbed and placed into a boxing ring, staring at a large woman, snarling at me.

"You better put up those fists or you're gonna get that pretty face damaged." I heard one of the girls yell at me.

A few minutes later I was panting for air as I stood above the large woman. I didn't realise what happened until everyone had crowded around and started yelling out 'FURY'. I stared down at the large woman and saw how she was passed out on the floor. I looked at my hands and saw blood had covered them. I had never fought before but I did take karate classes. I knew how to defend myself but I never thought I would knock someone out.

One of the girls that I had bumped into came into the ring and held up my hand and yelled: "Welcome to the Vortex, baby!" Before turning to me and introducing herself as Rex, the boss of the fight club.

******

I placed my hands on the top of my head and breathed in deeply. Even though it was winter in Australia I could see the steam coming out of my mouth as I slowly gathered my breath back. I watched the dark waves roll onto the shore of the beach, I looked to the sky and saw the dark black and grey clouds roll in. A storm was coming.

You could feel it coming in.

After a moment, I checked the time and turned on my heel. It was time to head back. 

Once I got home, I checked on my father before heading for a hot shower. When I was down I dried myself and pulled on some clothes. Black ripped jeans and a long-sleeved white Skateboarding shirt. My socks and my AirMax 90s were next to be put on.  I grabbed my hoodie off my door before I walked into the kitchen. "Dad, what are you doing? You should be resting." I dropped my hoodie and backpack on the kitchen table before I walked over to my dad. He stood there, pouring milk into two mugs of coffee.

"I'm okay Mac, I have to get up today. I have a doctor's appointment today" he said, my eyes snapped to the fridge. Today was his chemo day. "Claire is taking me. I'll be okay" he gave me a soft smile when I looked back at him. I nodded my head and took the hot cup of coffee he made for me.

It was crazy how just four years ago everything turned upside down. After my mother had left us, six months later my father collapsed at work. He was rushed to hospital and had scans, he was diagnosed with cancer that day. It was a long four years but I pushed myself hard every day to bring home enough money to pay his medical bills.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the front door open. "Morning all" my aunt Claire smiled as she walked into the kitchen. She kissed my cheek and hugged her twin brother. I washed my cup out and placed it on the drying rack before I pulled on my hoodie and beanie.

"Have a good day, sweetheart," my father said before I kissed his cheek and grabbed my backpack. I yelled out bye and grabbed my skateboard before walking out the door. It was getting darker from the clouds, so I quickly made my way to the bus stop.

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Enjoy!