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Uproot

2. Lane

2. Lane

Mar 07, 2025

I’m not very confident in how I look, no matter what I’m wearing. I end up deciding on a pair of black skinny jeans, gray doc martens and a tight black t-shirt. Well, Lola decides on that outfit. I became struck with a bad case of indecision after my shower, caused by the sense of anxiety that going out tonight is giving me. Lola, for her part, is wearing a pair of Carhartt overalls over an orangey-brown t-shirt with converse. 

She pecks a small kiss to the side of my head as I come out of my room and spread my arms out for her to inspect how I look. “You look great,” She says, “Let’s go.” 

The arena the fight is taking place in is full to the brim with people. I cling to Lola as we move through the crowd to our seats. We end up in the very first row of seats which seems to please her, but I feel exposed. I cross my legs and arms, trying to shrink into my seat. I don’t like being around a ton of people. I always feel like they’re all staring at me even though Lola assures me they all have enough going on in their own lives and aren’t paying me any attention.

Lola takes my hands and puts my arms by my side. “Relax, darling, we’re here to have fun,” She says softly into my ear instead of yelling over the crowd. 

The two of us aren’t dating but she’s very affectionate with me, which I’m fine with. We went on a few dates before and have hooked up twice, but that’s all. 

Two men come out into the ring and Lola points to a man who looks to be around my age with a copper mohawk. “That’s him,” Lola says excitedly. “He’s a looker, isn’t he?”

“Are you interested in him?” I ask, nodding as an answer to her question. He is very attractive. I can tell how green his glaring eyes are from my spot outside the ring and his nose is slightly crooked in an unnatural way, a sign that it’d been broken in the past. I think it adds some charm to him. He looks familiar.

“No, but he seems like your type,” Lola states simply. I hate that she’s right. The guy she pointed out to me is tall and muscular but not overly so. He looks like he could lift me with one hand. He probably can’t, but he looks like it. I give her a weary look. “What?” She asks with a laugh.

“You’re trying to set me up with him?” I ask.

Lola shrugs. “You could use a friend besides me,” She says, “You need to get out of your shell more.” 

“What’s his name?” I ask, glancing back at the boxer in question. As I ask, the announcer does his job and announces the two men. “Oh,” I say, feeling stupid for not waiting to listen for the announcer before asking. 

“He prefers Mell over Michael, just so you know,” Lola says as the fight starts. 

I nod and find myself becoming absorbed in the fight. 


Mell wins his fight and the crowd erupts. He’s apparently the rookie favored by a lot of people into the local boxing scene and from what I know of boxing, which isn’t much, I can see why. He exits the ring with a small smile and a wave to the crowd. Lola taps my shoulder and jerks her head to the side, indicating for me to follow her. 

“Where are we going?” I ask loudly over the crowd that’s buzzing with excitement from the fight. 

“Introducing you,” Lola shouts back with a grin. She flashes her tickets to the guy at the door in the back of the arena and he lets us pass with a nod. All the noise of the crowd melts away as the door closes behind us. 

I find myself exhaling in relief as I find ourselves walking through a quiet corridor. There are a few official looking people mulling about as well as Mell. Someone hands him a water bottle and he takes it, thanking them. He throws his head back and chugs the water from the bottle, then takes a deep breath as he finishes. He turns to notice us. “Oh! Lola!” He says cheerfully. He has a deep voice and his eyes have a softer look to them now that he’s away from the chaos of the fight. 

There’s a celtic symbol tattooed to his right shoulder and an olive branch spread out on the right side of his chest. Lola did a really good job on these tattoos, and I can’t help but admire both her artwork and the man’s body. 

“Hey Mell! I wanted to introduce my roommate,” Lola says, her tone jolly, and slaps me on the back. I stumble forward slightly, not expecting it. 

Mell’s eyes fall on me and he grins. “Oh, I’ve seen you at the gym before. You come in often.”

That’s where I remember him from. He works at the gym I go to for his day job. “Y-yeah,” I stutter out, anxious about being thrust into a social situation, “I’m Lane.” I pause and then thrust my hand out for him to shake, remembering that it’s the polite thing to do.

“Nice to officially meet you,” Mell says with a laugh, “I’m Mell.” He takes my hand firmly, but only firm enough and not in a painful way, and shakes it. 

Lola is right about him being my type. I could see it from our seats at the fight but upon closer inspection it’s even more evident that he’s someone I could see myself falling for. I just want him to lift me the way I lift the girls during dance class. I fidget in place, blushing at the thought of that.

“Lane and you go to the same gym?” Lola asks, looking between the two of us. “Why didn’t you say anything?” She asks me, lightly tapping my arm in admonishment. 

“I forgot where I knew him from,” I say uneasily. “I’m sorry about that,” I apologize to Mell. 

Mell shakes his head. “Not a problem. How’d you both like the match? Lola’s been before but is this your first one?” He asks me. 

“Yeah,” I admit, “I haven’t been to a boxing match before. It was violent, but interesting to watch.”

Mell chuckles and scratches the back of his neck. “I hope you mean interesting in a good way,” He says. I detect a hint of uneasiness in his voice, as if I’ve dealt a blow to his confidence. 

“Yeah!” I say quickly, trying to make up for making him feel bad, “It’s just new to me.” I wring my hands. “Sorry.”

Mell gives me a kind smile. “No need to apologize. Thanks for coming out tonight.” The official-looking person from earlier comes back and whispers something in his ear and he nods. “I need to go. You two enjoy the rest of your night.” He waves as he walks away.

I find myself waving dumbly until he’s out of sight. Lola snickers at me. “I knew you’d like him,” She purrs as I finally put my hand down. “Shall we head home?”


spacepig94
Emu

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Comments (2)

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Averi Kailis
Averi Kailis

Top comment

Mell is a nickname for Michael I've not heard before. It's interesting! I like Lola too, ha. "Lemme introduce my roomie to the hot guy I tattooed~"

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Uproot
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2.1k views12 subscribers

Lane is going through the motions, trying to become a professional ballet dancer, when things start to shift and change in her mind and heart. Male pronouns become uncomfortable, her name no longer feels like her own.

Meanwhile, she meets a boxer named Mell who takes interest in her for who she is, anxiety and all.

When Lanie's parents don't take her coming out seriously, Lanie begins to doubt herself as well. Lanie must figure out what she wants for herself and fight through the haze of her declining mental health while doing it.
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2. Lane

2. Lane

114 views 4 likes 2 comments


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