Chasing Sunlight

Kiran

The school was cold and smelled of fresh rain, something I should have expected entering a school in the early morning of August in Oregon. The walls were gray-painted bricks and the floor was cold concrete, making my shoes tap with every step. It felt like I was walking into a prison, not a high school.

Through the doors and to the right side, there were a few people gathered in a circle on the cold ground and against the wall. One of the students had a guitar with him but wasn’t playing. My first class is off to the left of the school’s entrance, so I wasn’t able to do any more than glance at the group of people, even though my curiosity was piqued.

I haven’t pulled out my guitar in forever. It was just a hobby of mine that I picked up years ago when my dad convinced me it was a sure way to win a girl's heart – to serenade her. My passion wasn’t in music, though, I chose to devote my time and energy to MMA- Kickboxing, more specifically.

I was always short-tempered and getting into trouble, so my mom encouraged me to pick up sports as a way to take out my aggression in a healthier way.

One night, while watching TV and scrolling through the channels, I came across a kickboxing match and my eyes lit up. I turned to my parents and told them, “I want to do that.” And I did. Two days later I began my training, and five years after that, I’m one of the top fighters in LA. At least, I was, until my parents split up and my mom and I moved up North.

We got here a couple of months ago, and the first thing I wanted to do was look for a new gym. The guy's at Pete’s Gym were like brothers to me, they even had a going away party for me when I broke the news that I was moving. We agreed to stay in touch with each other, of course, but it sucks leaving them.

You’re probably wondering why I moved up North with my mom when it seems like I have it pretty good in LA, right? Well, my mom has always been the one to understand and support my dreams in MMA, and dad, well, dad is a cheating narcissist who had that black eye coming to him a mile away.

I had my own demons to leave behind as well, though, so I had my own selfish reasons for getting out of the city and starting fresh.

I got expelled from my old school in LA after beating up a fellow student, and no one ever looked at me the same after that, including my dad. Mom sided with me on the matter, and that seemed to be the final straw in my parent's marriage.

I could have beaten up every guy in the state of California and it still wouldn’t ease the anger, frustration, and pain that comes after finding your girlfriend in bed with someone else. I couldn’t stand being there after that, knowing she’s nearby; the one person to take down Kiran Black, even if it was only emotionally. Your emotional state is extremely important when fighting, and after everything with Nat, my head wasn’t in the game anymore, and my parent's divorce was a perfect excuse to get away from everything.

So, here I am, a seventeen-year-old kickboxer with great potential and a broken heart, looking for a fresh start in a new state, with a new school and no friends.

Fuck. What was I thinking?

*

Aurora

I awoke this morning with a smile on my face, excited to start my junior year of high school at Glenrose High. I learned a few days ago that I share a homeroom with my two best friends Jen and Dani, and I was eager to see them and begin the new school year.