Capturing the Star's Heart

Teach Me Your Ways

Despite Adam's plan for me to stay away from Connor, I still felt uneasy at the thought of running into him again somewhere. I would rather not get my face pounded to a pulp, so I decided that maybe asking Matt for some self-defense tips might help. I have to come up with a way to do it discreetly. Matt is my bodyguard; it would be weird for me to ask something like that. Hopefully, I can come up with a reasonable excuse.

I was shocked that my parents scheduled a little break for me during rehearsal, so it was the prime opportunity to ask Matt. I walked out of the dressing room and saw Matt standing at the end of the short hallway, watching the other crew members scurry along. I made my way over to him, finalizing my "reason" in my head.

"Hey, Matt!" I called, secretly praying he'll say he'll do my favor.

"Yes, Mr. Oliver? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! And haven't I told you to call me Oliver? You don't have to be so formal."

"It's just respect, sir. Though, I guess if you're absolutely sure, I will stop with that formality."

"Good! We're friends, so you can call me by my first name! But I actually had a question I wanted to ask you."

"Yes, what's up?"

Here goes nothing, "Can you teach me a few self-defense moves?"

Silence.  Pure, dead silence.

It was starting to worry me how he wasn't saying anything. He was staring at me with utter confusion.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he answered, "I'm sorry, sir, but may I ask why?"

"Well," I said, putting on my best sheepish face and rubbing the back of my neck, "I've been thinking, and I just thought that it might be a good idea to know a couple of tricks in case something was to happen, and you aren't around."

"I don't know, sir. It's in my contract to keep an eye on you, so you wouldn't need to know any tips."

"I know your contract says that, but you never know! Something could happen, and I feel I should be prepared just in case. Please, Matt. I'm just looking out for my safety."

"But that's what I am for, sir."

"I know! I know. Matt, please. I'm not asking you to teach me everything, just something simple and helpful."

Matt looked at me, conflicted. I know he didn't want a scenario like I described to happen, but you never know! He also wouldn't be violating his contract by teaching me anything. He'd keep his job, and I'd get to learn the moves I have to know. It's a win-win for both of us! I need to get him on board with me.

"Please?" I asked once more.

After another small beat of stillness, Matt sighed. Is he going to agree?

"Alright. I can show you a couple of things, but that's it. Are you good with that?"

Glee, and relief, filled my being, "Yes! Thank you!"

He nodded and motioned with his hand for me to follow him, "Come on while you're still on your break. We can work outside in the back alley."

I dashed after him, and we headed out the door into the back. Once we were in a good spot, he moved all the trash cans to the side and stood with his back to the wall. I stayed in front of him, waiting on his next orders.

"So, when fighting an opponent, you want to keep a couple of specific body parts and your face protected. Watching the hits that come toward your face is crucial, especially when they are coming at your nose. Getting hit in the nose will not only hurt, but it will cause your eyes to water. If your eyes water, then you will lose your sight. A punch or hit to the jaw or temple will almost always result in an instant KO, so be careful of that. A throat strike can cause your breathing to become labored, not to mention that if the is hit hard enough, your trachea could end up broken, so be careful.  Finally, a hit to the groin. It...doesn't exactly need an explanation."

It took a quick second for me to understand what he meant, but I shuddered at the thought when I did. I nodded in his direction to show that I understood what he was saying.

"Yeah. Not exactly ideal. Watch your opponent. They could go for a low blow like that."

I made a mental note to remember that as an extra hot tip.

"Now that you know that, we need to get you in the right stance."

I flashed him a confused look. I knew nothing about fighting and defense, so to learn that you had to stand a specific way was a little odd in my mind.

"You have to stand a certain way?"

Surprise showed on Matt's face, but it faded almost as soon as it was there. He nodded and moved into what he called "a fighting stance". 

"Yes. The way you stand is all about and requires balance. If you stand the right way, you won't be knocked off your equilibrium."

I made another mental note.

"Copy the stance I'm making."

I glanced at the way he was standing before copying it as best as I could. His posture was relaxed; his feet planted firmly on the ground. He had his hands up in fists, keeping them close to his face. 

"How's that?" 

Matt straightened himself and walked over, examining my posture with a calculating eye.

 He walked a circle around me and then stood in front of me. 

He finally answered my question while crossing his arms over his chest, "Not bad, but there are still some things that need to be tweaked."

"Like?"

"For one, your feet aren't far enough apart. Spread them a little further like this."

He moved his foot out and kicked my legs a few more inches away from each other. 

"Remember to keep your dominant foot behind you, so you can stay balanced."

I bobbed my head, taking in every word. 

"Next, keep your thumbs on the outside of your fists. You could risk breaking them when you punch if you don't. It's common sense to know to keep your thumbs out when making a fist, but I know that you don't know anything about fighting as a whole yet, so I'll cut you some slack." 

I felt embarrassment flush my face. I felt like an idiot for not knowing the most crucial thing about fighting, but, as he said, I know nothing about this. It doesn't exactly help that I've had bodyguards and security almost my whole life.

"Now that you're standing right, let's practice throwing punches. Hit my hands as hard as you can, but remember to turn with your hips, keep your feet on the ground, and punch straight ahead."

I took a deep breath; Matt held his hands up, palms facing me. I began throwing a couple of punches, keeping his advice and words in mind. We kept working and working until I landed a hard hit. From that point, he made me punch harder and faster. When he finally called a time-out, I looked up at him with a grin. He stared at me with an appraising look, moving to put both hands on his hips.

"Good job. You're a fast learner, Oliver."

My smile grew at his praise and the fact that he didn't call me sir.

"Thanks, Matt! Is this all I'm going to learn for now?"

"Yes. We'll stop for now and, maybe, pick this back up later. You've learned the basics, which is all you need to know for now."

"Got it. If I need any more help I'll come back to you."

"Right. But before we go back inside, I want to ask you something."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"What's the real reason you wanted to take defense lessons?"