Chapter 6: The Edge

The gymnasium hummed with raw energy for the next match. The game had attracted a larger crowd than the last one. Tyler stepped on the mat to meet his opponent. Elena’s relentless sessions had helped with his flexibility immensely. He was eager to test his results on the mat. His opponent, Derek Walsh, met him with a warm handshake.

“Heard you got fancy moves, Reed,” Derek asked. “Let’s see if they are worth it against the proper technique.” His tone held a friendly challenge.

Tyler nodded at him. “Bring it on, Walsh.”

Caleb watched the action from the sidelines. The kid moved differently today. Tyler’s posture was relaxed, eyes sharp. His movements were fluid and coordinated. Caleb’s gaze flicked to the bleachers to find Elena. She was leaning forward, and her gaze was locked on Tyler. Her tank top and yoga pants drew eyes as usual. Normally Elena loved the attention, but she ignored it all today. Her intensity sent a prickle of unease down Caleb’s spine. He forced his focus back to the match.

The referee’s whistle announced the start of the match. Derek moved first. He yanked Tyler off-balance with a precise arm drag before he could react. The crowd gasped. Tyler’s instincts kicked in, and he used the momentum to twist free. Tyler was surprised by his own newfound flexibility.

“Flow, Tyler! You’ve got this!” Elena cheered from the crowd.

Her words hit like a spark to Tyler. He caught her nod from the bleachers. A subtle smile played on his lips as her belief warmed his heart. He wanted to perform better today, for her.

But the new opponent brought new challenges. True to his words, Derek stuck to his basics. It was hard to find the opening in his defense. Where Jake had relied on brute force in the last match, Derek used textbook moves. Derek’s surgical sprawl smothered Tyler’s unorthodox spin. A single-leg takedown scored him two points against Tyler. The scoreboard blinked: 4-2.

Caleb’s shout rang out from the sidelines. “Hips down, Reed! Stop dancing and wrestle!”

Tyler ignored Caleb’s advise as usual. He was cocky but not dumb. He had caught on Derek’s flaws in their last exchange. While Derek had shown pride in his basics, he was not perfect. Derek simply had more years of practice under his belt. Tyler had a simple plan now. He was going to use aggression to expose Derek’s weakness.

Caleb expected Tyler to ignore his advice. What surprised him was Tyler’s aggression in the second round. He had thought his training had tamed Tyler but that was not the case. This was the same Tyler he had met more than a year ago, fierce and unruly.

Tyler faked a high shot to bait Derek into a sprawl. Derek lunged, and Tyler hooked an ankle to his legs with an agile low dive. The crowd roared as he flipped Derek onto his back. The score was tied at 4-4 now.

Caleb’s eyes narrowed as he caught Tyler’s gaze towards Elena. The kid was fighting for her approval, not his. The realization twisted Caleb’s gut but also lit a fire in his heart. This is what he had asked Elena to do. His reckless plan was working but not the way he had expected. He had not accounted for Tyler’s suppressed anger and aggression to flair again.

The next few minutes were a blur of action. Tyler dominated the game and put Derek on defensive. Derek used his experience well and did not concede the points easily.

Derek showed his resolve in the final minute of the match. He managed to lock Tyler in a vice. Tyler’s flexibility saved him from getting pinned down. With final few seconds on clock, Derek gave another desperate try. He lunged for a double-leg takedown and overcommitted himself.

Tyler took his chance. He spun low and hooked on Derek’s leg in a wild roll. The move was equally desperate and risky, but he executed it with precision. The mat shuddered as he pinned Derek’s shoulders. Derek tried to wiggle free, but he held on with every ounce of his strength.

The buzzer sounded and the scoreboard flashed: 8-6. Tyler had scored his win. He staggered to his feet while looking at Elena. The crowd cheers, and Caleb’s hoots of laughter did not register to him. His focus was on Elena’s bouncing ponytail as she clapped for him.