Mafia // Ryan Blaney

eight // training day

We left school right after that. Their words stung a little bit, but I didn't let my emotions show. I don't want them to know that I am utterly terrified of what could happen not only to me, but to all of us.

"Where are we going?" I asked once we got to the car.

"Bubba's basement," said Chase. No one said anything else to me the rest of the way. They talked amongst themselves about what they felt I needed to be taught first, and they kept arguing.

Upon arrival, we made our way down to the basement where the equipment was all scattered around. There was so much stuff, I didn't know where to look first.

"It's all state of the art. Pop bought it for all of us when we still in the mafia to make sure we were in top shape all the time. Any piece of equipment you could imagine, we had it. When we left, Pop sent some guys to come get it. We moved before they could find us. Now, we're using the best to train you. You ready for this?" Bubba finished.

--

"The first rule in a fight is to never let your guard down. Hands up and ready to punch and block at all times." The first part of my training is how to fight, with Erik teaching me. "When your opponent tries to hit you, your non-dominant arm goes up to block, while your dominant goes to punch, like so." He demonstrated. "Understand?"

I nodded, even though I was incredibly nervous.

Before I knew it, Erik went in for a punch. Catching me off guard, he punched me in the chin and I stumbled backwards, falling on my ass.

"What the fuck, Erik!" I yelled, jumping back up and lunging towards him. I punched, and punched, and punched, until I could no longer feel my hands and Erik was on the ground moaning. Chase ran over and pulled me off of him.

"Kacey, calm down!" Chase screamed, struggling to hold me back. Erik sat up, spitting blood out of the corner of his mouth.

"Nicely done, K. I underestimated you. If anyone asks, I got in a fight with Ryan," Erik said, standing back up. "What's next?

--

"Weight training is essential to any fight, whether it be physical or even with a gun. You need to be physically fit at all times. We've been training for years, as have Austin and Ty. They're in top shape, and are 100% stronger than you. You need to be prepared. The more damage done to your opponent, the better." Chase is my mentor for the weight training portion of my training.

"There are three main things you need to do for weight training. We have the bench press, hand weights, and leg weights." Great. I can't even lift the bench bar without any weight on it. They're going to thing I'm such a fucking wimp.

"Every muscle needs to be tight and toned, as it helps to prevent injuries in a fight. The less toned you are, the more you'll feel the blows as you receive them. Toning your legs will make your kicks more powerful, and more damage can be done while punching when you don't have flabby arms." I looked down at my arms and tried to hide them. They jiggle. "Once we get you into shape, you could do some serious damage." Chase finishes.

I looked around, trying to figure out where to start.

"Bench press," Chase said, ushering me over to it. He began putting weights on the bar when I stopped him.

"Chase, those are going to have to wait."

"Why?"

"Because I can barely lift the bar by itself."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." The other guys were holding in some laughs, and I was embarrassed. Maybe they were beginning to regret their decision to let me in. I wouldn't blame them if they did.