SPARTACUS
After placing my bike against the fence, I reached into my pocket to get his gift out. My hands were sweating and my heart pounded inside my chest. Could I really do this?
I looked at the little black USB-stick I held in my hand. For many hours this week, I'd been busy searching for the right music to put on it. I made a list of love songs and the first letter of each track spelled the following sentence: "Thanks for going out with me."
That's what I was here for, to ask him out for a date, and I begged God to let him say yes!
After inhaling and exhaling deeply, I forced myself to walk to the basketball court where I saw him standing, watching the game while smoking a cigarette. It was only him and two friends, who were in the middle of shooting some hoops.
Gosh, he looked so fine, but he wasn't only beautiful, he was also smart, funny and kind. That's what made me fall for him before his looks. He'd always been nice to me.
When he saw me approaching him, he smiled. "Hey, Dean."
"Hey," I replied.
"Oh, you want a smoke too?" he asked, grabbing into one of his pockets.
In my eyes, smoking was his only bad habit. I normally didn't like smokers at all but for him, I wouldn't mind the fact that kissing will be the same as licking out an ashtray. I'd gladly do it to feel his lips pressed against mine.
I shook my head.
"Oh, yes, you don't smoke," he said, putting away his pack of cigarettes again. "I forgot."
We stood there for some time, watching the others while talking about unimportant stuff. I held onto the USB-stick like my life depended on it, telling myself that this was it, I should do it now, no way back.
"Would you wanna go out with me sometimes?" I asked and held my breath until he answered me.
"Oh, yeah, sure. I and the boys actually are hanging out tonight and—"
"No...uhh...I actually meant... Would you wanna go on a..." I swallowed, "date with me?"
"Oh," he answered and the way the short word came out of his mouth, felt like a slap in my face. This wasn't good, I knew it wasn't. "Well...I would like to hang out with you, but...as friends only...."
"Ok," I said, utterly disappointed. How foolish had I been? How could I possibly think that someone like him would want to go on a date with someone like me?
"Dean—"
"No, it's fine," I said and nodded, not wanting his pity. "I'm gonna go home."
"Oh, ok," he said, looking a tad uncomfortable.
I turned around and walked back to my bicycle as quickly as I could. The boy I was in love with for so long had just rejected me. The one I was in love with for the very first time in my life, just said no. Fuck.
He didn't want me and it felt horrible.
Only after I wanted to grab the handlebar of my bike, I noticed I still held tight onto the small flash drive in my hand. I looked at it and I didn't know why, but I wanted him to have it. It was made for him and I couldn't bear thinking about having to throw it away. I spent at least eight hours on it.
I stepped onto my bike and drove to the basketball court.
With his back facing me, he talked about something, making his friends laugh real hard until the two noticed me and stayed quiet while he kept talking.
I wished he stopped talking when I heard what he was joking about.
"Like I want to go out with him. Come on guys, you would have said no too." His friends both shook their heads but he seemed to miss the hint. Oh, how I wish he would have taken the hint. "I mean, look at his crooked teeth and those gross pimples. And that long thin body. Like, his arms probably would make an orangutan jealous. And have you seen—" He suddenly stopped talking, only to ask something a few seconds later, "he's right behind me, isn't he?"
1 of his friends awkwardly nodded while the other facepalmed and my crush slowly turned around, the shock noticeable in his eyes...
"Oh, hey, uhhh... Listen, Dean—"
"Don't," I ordered, never been so disappointed in someone before.
He was supposed to be kind and sweet, just like his beautiful blue-green eyes were. But I didn't find him kind or sweet at all. He just crushed my heart.
"I'm so so—"
"Here," I said, dumping the USB stick in front of him. It fell before his feet. "I've made it especially for you. I hope you like it."
I rode away, praying to wake up from this bad dream, but the truth was that this was real. Very real.
----- Eight years later -----
My God, why won't he just give up?
As I sat on top of my opponent and my hands were busy beating the shit out of the guy, the audience went wild. They screamed and yelled for me to finish him.
"Just fucking give up, Gannicus," I whispered to him while hitting my fist against his cheek once more. I didn't wanna beat the living shit out of him but if he wouldn't quit, I didn't have any other choice.
Luckily, when I hit him again, he was finally knocked out. My knuckles hurt. Fucking Gannicus, why was he even trying? There was no way he could ever beat me anyway. Don't get me wrong, I respected his effort for trying but it was also just stupid and useless. After I got off him, I gave the audience a little show before the evening was over again. I was the winner, and Hotel Invicta gained plenty of bucks. Another day at the job fulfilled.
"Good match, man," Crixus said, putting his sweaty arm around me.
He was my best friend here and also the second-best fighter. He wasn't tall but he was very strong and the only one who almost beat me once. He was also the most eager to do so.
"Thanks. How did you do?" I asked.
"Second best," he said with a sour face, making me laugh.
"Let's go up, time to claim our prices."
He nodded. "Will you finally let me have Cedi?" he asked. Crixus always wanted to spend the night with Mercedes but he never got the chance yet.
"Nope," I answered.
"Gut match, boys, sehr gut. Time to claim your price," Madame Gremelda said after we entered the pinking room.
The Rewarders stood in line like they always stood, and Mercedes smiled at me, knowing she'll spend the night with the best again. She was my favorite, she was sweet, pretty, smart, and a good listener.
"Spartacus, you're in first place. You can choze first."
I stepped towards Mercedes and smiled at her. "I choose—" I don't know why, but my attention was pulled to the right, where my eyes met a pair of familiar ones. They were kind-looking and a beautiful shade of blue-green.
No, this couldn't be!
After all these years, it was him. What were the odds that he stood here, offering himself to me? The boy that didn't want me, now standing here to be at my mercy for twenty-four hours.
I stepped away from Mercedes, and it stung my heart when I saw her confused look. I was sorry for her, but I couldn't let this opportunity slip out of my hands. Above that, I wouldn't let any of the other Gladiators pick him.
In front of him, I stood still and observed him. Ryder looked at me with confused eyes, but I don't think he recognized me. How could he? I wasn't the thin, goofy, ugly guy with crooked teeth anymore.
"Ah, I zee you have interest in our newest Rewarder," Gremelda said. "His name is Tesla."
"Tesla..." I replied. "I think it's time for me to take Tesla for a test drive," I said, winking at him. I saw he swallowed hard and I think his bottom lip just trembled even though he tried to hide it with an awkward smile.
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