WHEN SHE WALKED TOWARDS the door, she could already hear the cheers of the audience echoing in the hallway. It felt like it had been ages since she last had fought in a tournament, but with how much she had been playing around it probably was. Not that she minded, she had her fun. Now it was time to have her win. She stepped through the door without any hesitation then, the lights blinding her for a moment as she kept walking, blinking to bring her focus back.

In the middle of the room stood a large fighting ring, four paths leading to it from each side, rows of spectators surrounding it. This was only a match for teenagers, but still, the audience always was full, a major part of them high schoolers themselves. Half of them were from St Joseph, but it was the front row on the right which stood out to her. A group of people were holding up large banners with her name on it, cheering so loudly it practically drowned the other sounds.

"SHE'S BEAUTY, SHE'S GRACE, MARTINEZ IS GOING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE" was the one which immediately caught her attention, mainly thanks to Alex jumping around with it like a crazy person. Will beside him was smiling so brightly it practically lit up the room, four leaf clovers stuck on his banner as he waved at her. As always, Sebastian and her mother were there as well, neither of them ever having missed one of her matches, no matter how busy their schedules got. Her mother didn't fit in at all with her emerald pantsuit and pinned up hair, but her brother was shocking to see too, though with him it was for a wildly different reason. Sebastian Martinez, a notorious boxing champion, was wearing a shirt with a picture of her on it, coupled with neon letters which said "NOT THE WORLD'S SWEETEST SISTER, BUT SHE SURE HAS GOT AN EXCELLENT RIGHT HOOK."

Oh Jesus Christ of Nazareth, she had hoped he had thrown that shirt away after her previous match.

"That's my sister," Sebastian beamed proudly to a random person behind him as he pointed at his shirt and then back at her.

Then she spotted Levi. He had switched his usual clothing for an ironed blouse, placing the bouquet of flowers he had been holding down when he saw her as he waved with his banner. She hadn't heard him shout that often, but his voice was loud and clear now, eyes glittering in adoration. Despite the roar of the audience, the only thing she could focus on was him for a moment, her heart skipping a beat before it quietened down again peacefully.

"Get up here, Martinez," her coach said, gesturing for her to move.

She hadn't seen the man in quite a while, but still, whenever she was in town she didn't miss the chance to train with him. He had made her schedule to get back on track again and it had worked, even if it had let her run early in the morning like a crazy person. Her opponent was already there when she got in the ring, talking to the referee. Michele something, Ella remembered.

"Keep your attention on her at all times," her trainer said," she is a boxer, you know how swift their footwork is."

"It'll be fine," Ella reassured him," I've trained with a boxer for a while now."

"That's right," her trainer recalled," your brother. Truly, he's a menace."

"Yeah, to society," Ella nodded, patting him on the shoulder," wish me luck."

"You don't need it," he replied.

"Eleanora!"

A smile was already on her lips as soon as she locked eyes with the person who had shouted. Levi had jumped across the fence holding the first row back from the ring, not minding the men trying very unsuccesfully to pull him away at all as he continued talking.

"Good luck," he said, reaching out to graze his hand across hers.

She crouched down on the heightened platform the ring was on, arms leaning on the ropes tied to the posts as she looked him in the eye.

"You think I'll need it?" she teased.

"You don't," he replied simply," but I wanted to shower you with love and praise."

"Oh, your way of showing affection is so cute," she chuckled warmly as she stood up again, blowing him an air kiss before she turned around. "When I win, I'll show you how I shower someone with love."

Four other guys had come running to pull Levi along, her boyfriend seeming very unbothered as he was dragged away.

"I'll be waiting," he called out," love you!"

"Whipped," someone from the audience scoffed.

"Obviously," Levi replied," you'd be too if you had my girlfriend."

"That's right!" Alex shouted," real men are whipped and proud of it. I have your back, Levi."

"Please don't."

Mia, Elisabeth and Ava had reached the front row at the exact moment Levi sat back down again, all three of them clearly having rushed to get here, though Ava showed no sign of the flustered cheeks and relief like the other two. They took their seats and Levi stared the guards pulling at his arms to get him to come along for a warning long enough until they simply gave up, clearly uncomfortable by his very much emotionless stare. Elisabeth and Mia were both nodding warmly as Will proudly showed them his banners, Ava beside them shaking her head amusedly at something Levi was saying.

"Now, let's start, ladies and gentlemen!" the presentator announced loudly, waving a hand at her opponent," on this side we have Michele Alaoui, our national female kickboxing champion, who branched out into MMA several years ago. Now, with any other opponent here this would have been an easy match, but we have our one and only title holder here on the other side. Give a warm welcome to the current MMA champion, Eleanora Martinez!"

Michele glanced at where Sebastian was sitting, her brother cheering so loudly his voice had become high-pitched, before looking back at Ella.

"Now, let's start this highly anticipated round one. Three, two, one -"

"Eyes on me, Martinez."

Michele was quick to cross the distance between them. Strikers were always more fun to go up against, because Ella honestly didn't have much patience to chase. She evaded Michele's blows, ducking for the kick that followed after. Despite how obviously talented she was, Ella was sure of the outcome of the match before it even ended. In a kickboxing tournament she would have lost, but here, she had the upper hand.

As soon as Michele spun for a kick again Ella tackled her, nothing as fatal for a kickboxer than losing their footing. Her training in jiujitsu sure was useful now, her hands on Michele's leg to twist it into a foot lock. Her opponent managed to get out before she could do so, clear relief on Michele's face as she hurriedly got back on her feet that she hadn't been immobilized that quickly. It was fine, there were many more chances for her to tap out.

"Fuck," Michele said, making sure she couldn't come all too close," I had heard a lot about you, but I thought most of it were rumors because you are Sebastian's little sister."

"Rumors never do me justice," Ella smiled, before adding," and you know, around here, Sebastian is my older brother instead of vice versa."

She didn't waste any more time speaking then, cornering her and taking her down. Sure enough, within no time Michele was tapping out and the first round was over. It felt like she was made of pure adrenaline as the match continued, everything flying by until the referee held Ella's hand up, announcing her the winner. She looked in the crowd, filled with lights and cheering people, the sound deafening and the referee's hand cold on her hot skin, breathing out. Through it all, she saw her friends jumping up and down, her mother proudly nodding at her.

"If I was going to lose to someone anyway, it might as well be you," Michele sighed, holding her hand out for a handshake," those were quite the moves."

"Thank you," Ella said as she shook her hand," it was a good fight."

They walked off the platform, Michele grabbing her wrist before she could head off to her friends.

"I don't know if this is somewhat inappropriate," she said, scraping her throat," but you know what, can't hurt to ask."

"What?" Ella blinked.

Michele's cheeks tinted pink as she looked at the floor, before glancing back at her. "Is your brother single?"

"Oh my," Ella blurted out, her dorky brother always surprising her with how he was somehow still ever so popular.

"Yeah, I have a girlfriend."

Sebastian had popped up out of nowhere from behind her, her friends clearly having as little patience as her as they all immediately started hugging her. Michele seemed unbothered by her brother's answer though, instead cockily lifting her head.

"Can she fight?" she asked.

"She doesn't need to," Sebastian said," because I can."

"So no," Ella said," but she can knit really well."

"That's true!" Sebastian said warmly," she's making scarves for us."

Michele chuckled, shaking her head. "Can't win against that. See you later, Ella."

She was off, but Ella didn't have long to ponder about it, because she saw Levi then.

"Congratulations," he said, an actual smile lighting up his face as he hugged her tightly, only letting go to offer her a bouquet of flowers.

"These are so beautiful," she said adoringly," you know I didn't win the tournament yet though, don't you?"

"You will," he replied simply, before proudly waving at the flowers," and anyway, they all have meanings and stuff. I asked the lady working there, this one is wishing you good luck and this one is..." He paused, narrowing his eyes in thought as he stared at the flower. "Fuck, I forgot, but something romantic, I promise."

"I believe you," she said, placing her arms around his neck.

"I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have you as my girlfriend," he murmured.

When she kissed him, she couldn't believe her luck either.