Maddy rolled over and dusted the grass off her butt. “Well, damn. Okay, then.”
Over the next hour, I showed the initial stages of fighting: footwork and placement, balance, guarding, and spacing. After that first hip check, I found myself holding back, being more careful with her. The lessons my father taught me seemed to totally disappear from my mind. It got so bad that Maddy actually managed to get a few hits in before lunch. Not because she was picking it up that fast or that she was inherently good. She was athletic and a quick learner, but if I was honest with myself, it was because I wasn’t able to give it my all.
When I was a boy, Dad loved us. He loved us, but he still knocked the shit out of us when he was teaching us to fight. That was what Maddy needed, especially with such short notice. I couldn’t do it. The realization was brutal. I could teach her a lot of things, but I couldn’t be the only one. I needed someone who wouldn't hold back—someone who wouldn’t hurt her but would be able to knock her around more than I was able to.
“Hey?” I said to Maddy when we took a break.
She finished chugging her water bottle and looked over at me. “Yeah?”
I took a moment to gather my thoughts before continuing. “I think we need someone else here.”
Maddy raised an eyebrow. “Hey, buddy, I’m not into that three-way stuff.”
I snorted a laugh. “No! Not like that. I’m not able to give it my all when I’m sparring with you. I need someone who's going to give you a true challenge. That’s the only way you’ll learn. I’m doing that thing you were talking about. Treating you like a glass doll.”
“Oh.” Maddy nodded. “Was it seeing me on my ass in the grass?”
I nodded. “Basically. Let’s say I’m too much of a gentleman.”
“Who do you want to do it? Felipe? Luis?”
I sighed and shook my head. “You’d be surprised, but they aren’t the best fighters among my brothers and friends.”
“Who then?”
“I’m gonna grab my phone. I’ll see if Sebastian can be here soon.”
“Sebastian?” Maddy looked like she’d just choked on her spit.
Less than thirty minutes later, Sebastian and Maddy stood face to face in my backyard. He looked as uncomfortable as I’d thought he would. I conned him into coming over by saying I needed him for some one-on-one sparring. Of course, I neglected to tell him exactly who he would be sparring with. As uncomfortable as he looked, Maddy looked equally as irritated. She stared back at Sebastian, her arms crossed over her chest.
I was starting to think this might not have been such a good idea. Although, the two of them needed to get a grip. When Abi had first been taken, Maddy hadn’t seemed to hold any ill will towards Sebastian, but that had changed quickly. His own guilt had kept him from going anywhere near her. They’dbeen becoming friends, and that conscious separation had hurt Maddy more than I’d realized. Plus, I think she needed someone to blame. The royals were so far removed and impossible to strike out at that she focused her anger and hurt at the only person who was nearby. Sebastian. For his part, he’d done a shit job. He’d promised multiple times to talk it out with Maddy, and so far, he’d been too afraid to do it. This would be the chance for them to hash it all out—as long as they didn’t accidentally kill each other in the process.
“Okay,” I said. “Do we understand the assignment?”
Sebastian gave a hesitant nod. “I… uh… try to take her down, right?
“You can try,” Maddy said with a roll of her eyes.
I grimaced inwardly. “Okay then, whenever you guys are ready.”
Sebastian took a couple of tentative steps toward Maddy. After having some success against me, Maddy was probably more confident than she should have been. She took heavy steps toward Sebastian and tried to chop at his neck. Sebastian easily blocked it, slapping her hand away. Thecrackof skin on skin made me wince. Maddy clutched her hand to her chest, hissing in pain.
“Shit, sorry,” Sebastian mumbled.
“It’s fine,” Maddy said, her teeth clenched.
They went at it again. This time Sebastian took a more active stance, bending his knees and moving in low. Sebastian knew more fighting techniques than me, Luis, and Felipe combined. While a lot of kids played baseball or football growing up, all Sebastian had enjoyed was martial arts. Once he became an expert in one specialty, he’d beg his parents to enroll him in a different one. He’d even gotten into boxing in college. The guy was an encyclopedia of fighting. I wasn’t even sure what style he was using when Maddy tried to grapple with him again.
Sebastian shot a hand under her striking hand and grabbed a handful of clothing. He yanked it forward and braced his leg, forcing her to fall face-first onto the ground. From there, things got heated. I stayed back and let things play out. As much as I wanted to intervene, I knew they needed to get this out of their system.
They went back and forth, and to my surprise, Maddywasa quick learner. Once she saw Sebastian use a move, she made sure to watch out for it. Sebastian made sure to still give her verbal clues and explain why she’d been taken down each time, though I could tell he was getting irritated with her for not acknowledging the instruction.
Fifteen minutes later, they were both pouring sweat and grunting while they each tried to get the other into a joint lock. Sebastian was trying to get Maddy’s left arm while she attempted to bend his wrist back. They were so close to each other as they struggled that their foreheads were almost touching. Their teeth were bared as they struggled.
While they tried to get the upper hand on each other, their feet got tangled. Yelping, they tumbled to the ground. They lay there, gasping and covered in sweat, looking sufficiently exhausted.
I stepped forward and crossed my arms as I looked down at them. “Now that you’ve both had a chance to get your frustrations out, are we ready to bury the hatchet? Do we feel better now?”
