Hammered Humanity (✅)

Chapter Five

Greg sat behind the counter of his family's store like he did every Monday after school. Usually he finished stocking and cleaning early enough to use the rest of his time during the slow store hours to just think about his next piece of work, but this time, the janitor and his punishment escaped him.

Instead, he found himself thinking about Chad Wilson and their history together.

Back in his junior year of high school, Greg's Dad pushed him into trying out for the wrestling team.

"It's just like what you do at Nick's place," his Dad had said.

During the day of the tryouts, the other wrestlers, along with Coach Peter, glared at him with skepticism.

"Matthews? The computer club meets next week, son," Coach Peter joked, followed by the laughter of the boys.

"That's very nice information," Greg said, clearly unamused. "It's always good to see old men joining the age of technology."

It took Coach Peter a moment to understand the insult, since the 6'8, 300lbs man was not used to being spoken down to.

"Well, smart guy, I guess if you wanna wrestle, it's your funeral," the large coach scowled once his brain finally caught up to the situation. "Everybody line up and we'll start with the basics!"

Greg had learned most of the basics beforehand in lessons with Nick, which made him stand out from the other kids there.

"Okay, now for some quick rounds to show some of you what to expect!" Coach Peter announced in his booming voice. "Let's see...Chad! You will go against...Greg!"

Everybody went silent and all eyes locked on either boy.

"But, Mr. Peter!" one of the boys interrupted. "We've never done a round before and he's captain!"

"Yeah, but Greg here is picking things up fast and he's pretty quick witted," Coach Peter replied with a prideful smirk and eyed Greg like a farmer would peer at a hog ready for slaughter.

Everyone watched as the two boys got into position, with Chad going straight for a takedown. He grabbed Greg's legs and attempted to scoop him up, but Greg sprawled out and quickly swept Chad to the ground.

Each set of eyes in the room widened in shock as Greg pinned Chad to the mat, the boy unable to free himself.

"Th-That's enough!" Coach called out, still in shock as the rest of the students watched in awe.

"Greg, I have no idea where you learned those moves from, but I have half a mind to make you the new captain!"

After shoving Greg off him, Chad stared up at the coach with an expression of equally mixed anger and shock.

"With both of you on our team, we could take states!" the massive coach nearly squealed in joy.

"Pass." Greg nonchalantly shrugged to the blatant confusion immediately brewing around them. "This is kind of gay."

Unfazed by the even deeper confusion, and now annoyance from his comment, Greg left without another word, but word quickly spread about what happened, and all types of different stories were thrown around about how badly Chad had been dethroned.

It came as no surprise when on the last day of school, Chad cornered Greg in the empty hallway once everyone had practically ran home.

"Going somewhere, freak?" Chad snarled.

"To work," Greg fearlessly answered with clear annoyance and a furrowed brow.

"Not until I get a rematch!" Chad challenged and started to close the distance between them.

"Look, Chad. I don't have time for this," Greg sighed while rolling his eyes, but not backing down whatsoever as the giant boy approached.

His attention was elsewhere, anyway. Specifically on the janitor he had been watching get in his car from a nearby window.

"Look, I really have to go. No hard feelings, 'kay?" Greg tried to blow the kid off, but Chad continued to block his way.

"I'm going to get that rematch no matter what!"

While Chad continued on and on, Greg watched the janitor's truck pull away and drive off, which would be the last time Greg saw him until summer ended, putting his whole project on hold.

"Wrestling isn't gay, you freak!" Chad yelled out of nowhere and grabbed Greg by the collar of his shirt.

"Is that what this is about?" Greg sighed heavily. "Chad, I lied, okay? I didn't reject the position because I thought it was gay."

"Then why did you?!"

"Because dry humping a bunch of stupid monkeys was not how I wanted to spend my free time," Greg answered with a straight face.

Chad was slightly taken aback, giving Greg the opportunity to push him away.

"Do you really have that little in your life that wrestling is that important to you?" Greg scoffed, speaking to Chad in such a way that it was as if he was the taller one glaring down at the other. "Oh, god! That's why you chose an empty hallway, isn't it?! If they find me beaten to a pulp, the other kids will know it was you and you'll be seen as Big Bad King Chad, won't you? Heh, but if I beat you again, you wouldn't want anyone to see that, now would you?"

Chad immediately snapped and he dived in, pushing Greg against the lockers, but Greg targeted Chad's exposed head and threw in two hammer fist strikes, knocking him out cold.

"In a real fight, people hit each other," Greg sneered down at the unconscious boy before abandoning him right where he fell.

Not long after, Chad's family tried to sue the Matthews for assault, but since there were no witnesses to prove that Greg was at fault, not to mention the drama it would bring to Chad's father's political campaign, the case was dropped.

"That was two months ago," Greg whispered quietly to himself. "The reason we were paired up was because we were both in the same weight class. Now it seems he's put on thirty pounds, developed severe acne, gotten an even shorter fuse, and, as Terra saw, an increased libido... What have you been eating, Chad?"

Of course, Greg already knew his behemoth of a classmate was experimenting with steroids after his humiliating defeat.

"I should have taken care of you that day, but I was too upset about losing my original target," Greg muttered to himself as he stroked a handle sticking out of his backpack, which he hid once he heard his father's truck pull up. "But no matter, your time is very near."