in the crowd • luke hemmings

1. round one

the first thing lola realised about that night, was that the actual arena was on the level below the gym - in the basement - which definitely didn't help with the painful stuffiness.

the second, was that crowds at boxing matches here were much more unruly than any on the tv. lola had never felt like such a rag doll in her whole life, and she was beginning to seriously question why she was going through such an ordeal for a boxing match she truthfully had no interest in.

the ring itself was smaller than she'd thought it would be, and the floor of it was already splattered with blood, much like the floor she was standing on that was undoubtably colouring the bottoms of her black converse a sickly scarlet. painfully white strobe lights shone over the crowds; burnt out bulbs leaving the outer perimeter in almost total darkness. her ears were already ringing with the shouts from the crowd and the clangs from a rusty bell to start a round off, and without high hopes - or hopes of any sort - for the night, lola was already fantasising about the cup of tea she'd be having when she got home.

"lola! they're upfront, they got good spots." even in the harsh light, bella still looked absolutely radiant, her blonde hair shining like a halo and her wide smile reassuring lola more than she'd realised she needed to be.

however, it was also bella who'd dragged lola to this match, purely for the sake that their friends michael, ashton and calum were there, and bella happened to have a 'slight' thing for michael.

still, lola held tightly onto bella's outstretched hand, allowing herself to be lead through the packed crowds until they finally found their friends upfront, along with a welcomed breath of fresh air.

the group's reasons for being at the match were still foggy to lola. bella's were understandable, but she'd never known the boys to be interested in boxing - or any sport whatsoever for that matter.

she was accustomed to going over to their shared apartment and finding them engaged in heated video games sessions, or listening to obscenely loud music - even once comparing sizes. they were always so happy and sweet; so why all of a sudden were they here?

lola could remember meeting them all almost three years ago; when she first made the move from home. bella worked at the cafe across the road from the ballet studio she trained at, and was possibly the friendliest waitress that had ever graced the face of the earth. lola had worked at the cafe alongside bella for a year before beginning to teach her weekly ballet classes, and with bella, came the boys.

michael, calum, ashton and bella; the best friends that lola could've ever wished for. welcoming her so easily into a friendship group that had been so solid for so many years. it still brought a smile to her face whenever it crossed her mind.

the bell clanged again, and lola was drawn out of her thoughts, her attention fixing on the ring that her friends were cheering so wildly at.

two men stood at opposite ends, both tall, dressed in black shorts and gloves. even in the dim light, lola could see the wrinkles between their eyebrows as they scowled at each other, the ice in their eyes making her want to look away.

their staring match was broken when michael screamed "luke!", drawing the taller boy's attention over to them. the boys waved and hollered excitedly, bella bouncing happily alongside them. luke turned towards the group, and lola felt her breath catch slightly as she noticed just how blue his eyes were. he didn't smile, but tilted his head up in a nod of gratitude, and the boys went wild.

"alright boys, i want a fair fight. no tricks, nothing below the belt. round one, go!" the referee ducked out of the ring, and both boys raised their fists in front of their faces. they stalked around in a circle like animals, and suddenly lola really didn't want to be there.