Alex got off the bus and stared up at the school building in front of him. His shirt was untucked, tie loose, hair looking like he had just rolled out of bed. His run that morning had gone long as he had lost himself in his thoughts, leaving him precious little time to prepare for the rich elite that walked around him. Alex, to his credit, didn't care. He had come up to New York for his mother, who had finally gotten the opportunity to showcase her art. After years of working three jobs to support her children, he welcomed the knowledge that he owed her. But that being said, he cared little about his last year in school. Knowing that he would be an outsider made it much easier.

Chuck and Nate arrived moments later, getting out of the limo and stepping out onto the broken concrete with an air of superiority. Chuck caught sight of Alex, who turned and noticed the man. No words were exchanged, but the hate that the two had quickly come to harbor for one another was reflected in the chilling scowls that they sent towards one another. Chuck snapped his jacket, flipped his collar, and strode in towards the courtyard, leaving Nate to send Alex an apologetic glance before following his friend.

Serena caught sight of Alex walking into the courtyard and walked over, giving him a smile as she did so. He caught a glance of the bubbly blonde and gave her a grin. She bounced up next to him and slid in stride with Alex. She remarked, "Did you get what I sent you last night?"

He nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I've gotta admit, your list of favorite country songs? Not bad!"

She smiled wider, happy to get affirmation on the little efforts that she had made to try and connect with his world. "Well, it's early, to say the least. But I figured after meeting Gary that the least I could do was get a couple Rascal Flatts CD's and try them out. One thing led to another and before long…"

Alex grinned. "Yeah, I'm like that too."

She asked, "But I do have one question."

"What's that?"

"Do you have a truck?"

Alex grinned and Serena felt her heart melt as she looked at his joy filled expression. "Ohhhhh, I've got a truck alright."

Serena raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen you as happy as you are right now."

Alex nodded. "I've got an old ford back on the farm. She's a beauty. My uncle is bringing her up here with some of our stuff in a couple weeks."

Serena nodded and cleverly said, "You know, I've never been in a truck before…"

Alex gave her a look before bursting out in laughter. Serena, incredulous, chuckled and replied, "What's so funny about that?"

Alex managed to calm his laughter long enough to reply, "Serena, don't take this the wrong way, but I kinda figured that one out on my own."

Serena lightly smacked his arm and said, "Well, if you care to stop making fun of me for a minute, there's a few spots out on Long Island where you can go mudding."

Alex shook his head. "Muddin'."

She clinched her eyebrows in confusion. "What did I say?"

Alex chuckled and said, "It's muddin', not mudding. If you're gonna talk country, you gotta roll the words of your tongue like molasses."

She remarked, "Well, that explains why whenever you say "right" and "like" I have no idea what you're talking about."

Alex shrugged. "Say what you want, you find it cute and you know it."

She grinned and looked away, biting her lip and kicking her heel as they walked. He was right. She found it INCREDIBLY cute. Alex caught sight but decided not to say anything. No need to embarrass her. He was just happy to know that he wasn't the only one catching feelings.

Without a chance to step back and second guess himself, he asked, "Hey, do you wanna go out tonight? Not on a random get out of something date, but like…an actual, real date?"

Serena could barely respond, she was caught so off guard. She stuttered for a moment, the normally sure and confident blonde at a loss for words. Catching notice of that, Alex held up his hands and said, "You don't have to if you don't want to!"

She shook her head violently and smiled, "NO! I meant, yes, I really want to!"

He chuckled and asked, "You sure? You seemed pretty hesitant!"

She replied, "Well, it's not everyday I have gorgeous guys ask me out!"

Alex smirked, "Well, you and I both know that's not true, but I'll take the compliment. Italian tonight? 8:30?"

She smiled, bit her lip, and squeezed his hand as she slipped back and headed for Constance. Alex squeezed back before turning around to walk into first period.

Alex walked out of class a few hours later, intent on eating lunch. The tall southerner was met by Chuck, who fell in step alongside him as he walked to the common area. Alex glared but stayed silent. Chuck said, "So…I need a little favor from you."

"Screw off, Chuck."

Chuck smirked and replied, "Woah, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Alex clinched his fists and bit off a reply. "Chuck, you got five seconds to walk away before I put you through the damn wall."

Chuck ignored him. "I've got a business proposition for you. From the looks of things, you need it."

"You got Gucci on but you're dirt, Chuck. I don't need your money."

Chuck simply said, "You pack a punch, kid. Five grand if you can take that out on someone else at my party tonight. I need entertainment. You can provide it. Think about it."

Chuck slipped a card inside Alex's pocket and walked off, leaving an angry Alex storming through the hall alone.

Alex arrived home to see his mother sitting at the kitchen table. He noticed the sorrow in her tense facial expression, the tear stains on her cheeks, and the somber quiet of the apartment. He walked over turned a chair out, and sat down, leaning forward onto the back of the chair. "Mama? Everything okay?"

She sighed and put her head in her hands. "Alex…they pulled the job from me at the gallery."

Alex didn't outwardly betray any expression, but inside he screamed, his emotions rolling over. Carefully, he asked, "What happened?"

She shook her head. "They didn't factor inflation of foreign currencies in their investment pricing models. They have a few pieces on contract and the prices spun out of control. They couldn't find investors. They had to cut down costs. They let me and a few others go today."

Alex angrily snapped, "But those people didn't move up here to take this job! To chase their dream!"

His mother simply dropped her head, no doubt feeling the crushing weight of guilt. She had pulled her kids from school, moved them to a different part of the country, and had started them over, all to chase after something that she wanted. For the first time in her life, she had gone for something that she had dreamed of instead of sacrificing for her kids. Now, a mere few days into the move, it was all falling apart under her feet.

Alex slid over and knelt down next to her. He slid his arm around her and pulled her in close. "It's okay, Mama. It's gonna be okay."

He squeezed her tight one more time, allowing her to fall into his shoulder. After a few moments of silence, he stepped back, standing up and slipping out of the living room and into the hallway. At that moment, it didn't matter how homesick he was. It didn't matter how much he hated the city. It didn't matter how much he wanted to leave. His mother had sacrificed everything for him. He was the only person she could rely on and he didn't intend on letting her down, even when she didn't want to ask for his help. He stared down at his phone, looked at the card Chuck had slipped him, and then went against everything in his soul and dialed the number.

Serena finished getting ready, her excitement palpable. She had been on cloud nine the entire day, barely able to contain her glee. She had rushed home after school to get ready, even though Alex had told her that she didn't need to dress up. She smirked as she thought of that comment. "As if he thought I wouldn't dress up. He doesn't know a whole lot about New York socialites, does he?"

She finished her makeup and then stood in front of a full-length mirror to gauge her appearance. A tight red dress and heels adorned her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back yet elegant. She muttered, "My lipstick is going to smear but it's worth it for some good wine and authentic Italian."

She looked at her watch. 7:55. She pulled out her phone, sent a quick text to let him know that she was ready whenever he was, and then slipped back into her bedroom and took a seat on a lounge chair, trying not to count the minutes, knowing that would only make them pass slower.

Every few seconds, she would pull out her phone, hoping to have heard from Alex. But she got no response, only a couple of texts about a party at Chuck's. The minutes passed and Serena began to get agitated. The closer it came to their reservation, the more agitated and annoyed she became.

She looked down at her watch again a while later. 9:01. She typed out a snarky text, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed send before heading out for Chuck's party, deciding that a drink would be a good way to end the day that had not turned out any way that she had wanted it to.

Alex stood in a bedroom in the back of the penthouse that he had been brought to. He was shirtless, wearing thigh length shorts, and was finishing taping his hands when Chuck walked in. Chuck smirked and said, "You know, it isn't too late to back out, tough guy."

Alex remarked coldly, "You know the biggest difference between you and I, Chuck?"

"That I have value?"

Alex ignored the downright evil attack on his human worth and replied, "The biggest difference between you and I is that I'm a fighter. This isn't what I do. It's who I am. I've been fighting since the moment I found life on this earth. You know what that means? It means that I don't quit. I can't quit. I win or I die trying. You don't get that, Chuck. You come with an off switch. At some point, you'll throw in the towel. At some point, it just won't be worth it to you and you'll give up because it's easier than pushing forward. I'd rather never make it out of this moment than throw in the towel."

Chuck smirked again, glared and replied, "Well, we'll see about that."

Chuck walked out and left behind Nate, who told Alex. "No refs, no rounds. Knockout only. Good luck, man. You're gonna need it."

He walked out, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. Alex stayed on the bed for a moment, staring at the wall in front of him, before sliding over to the dresser staring at himself in the mirror. "You can do this. It's just another fight."

Alex took one last look at the wrap on his hands. There would be no gloves for this fight. Bare knuckle brawl, no referees, no doctors, no medical stoppages, no submissions. It was the closest thing that a civilization would come to the cutthroat reality of life thousands of years prior for their ancestors. Alex knocked his knuckles together and then turned around, walking for the door. He knocked on it, said he was ready, and then two security guards opened the door and escorted him out through the crowd to the terrace.

Alex stepped out into a small mob of screaming people. He didn't look around. He didn't catch any glances. He simply walked forward, chin held high, staring ahead at the large terrace that overlooked the New York skyline. The crowd parted as security pushed through, trying to separate a narrow lane for Alex to walk through. Finally, after a few moments of suffocating tension, he walked out into the makeshift circle.

The terrace had been cleared of all furniture. The wide concrete balcony had no ring. There was simply a circle of people roughly five yards wide in every direction. There would be no running. Chuck was making sure of that. Alex stared across the group of people as an enormous cheer went up. He caught sight of a head with long dreads standing above the crowd, storming towards him. Alex cracked his neck and watched as the tall figure emerged into the ring to a chorus of cheers. Alex recognized the man instantly

Kofi Kingston. Number four ranked light heavyweight in the MMA. Thirteen career wins, no losses. All of his wins had been knockouts or submissions. Alex gulped down a sudden lump in his throat. He had come too far. He couldn't quit now. Alex simply gripped his hands into fists and muttered, "Guess we'll find out how ready I am to fight with the big boys."

Serena entered the penthouse angry, wanting a drink as quickly as possible. She was surprised, however, to find that the interior of the penthouse was practically deserted. She looked throughout the first few rooms of the luxurious apartment in hopes of finding friends, but other than a few drunks who had passed out or were close to it and a couple that was hoping to find some privacy, she saw no one. Then she heard a muffled cheer go up from what seemed to be the deck. Serena, confused, walked over to the master bedroom door to the outside.

She opened the door and was assaulted with the roar of a crowd. Serena pushed through, trying to find a familiar face and figure out what was going on. She rolled her eyes as she slid through, imagining that Chuck had gotten some strippers to perform or had a freshman doing a keg stand. What she saw, however, was nothing like that.

Serena emerged at the edge of the crowd to see the makeshift circle that Chuck stood in the middle of. Chuck, always the showman, stood in the center in a flashy blue and white pinstriped suit with a matching pocket square and white shirt, said, "Ladies and gentlemen! We have a show for you tonight!"

The crowd cheered and Serena rolled her eyes again. "Great. Chuck is running a fight night. Just what I need."

Chuck pointed over to a tall and muscular African American man that was standing three feet away from Serena. His black dreads were shoulder length and hung down free, swinging as he jumped up and down, pounding his fists together. Chuck yelled, "In this corner! The fourth ranked light heavyweight contender in the MMA with a career record of thirteen wins, no losses. From Accra, Ghana and fighting out of New York City, KOFI. THE KILLER. KINGSTONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

The small crowd let out a deafening roar, leaving Serena to cover her ears and turn her head slightly to the side. That's when she saw Alex. He stood tall and strong, muscles rippling as he shook his arms and stretched out. Her mouth opened in shock as she realized that he had lied to her.

Alex stared at the crowd, looking at the many that were cheering for Kingston and logging their faces in his mind, searching for yet more motivation as he prepared to step into contact. As he did so, he scanned the group of people on the edge of the circle. Just as he passed Kofi, he saw her.

Serena stood there, her arms crossed, lips pursed, eyes narrowed as she stared at him. Alex took a deep breath, not betraying any outward emotion but inwardly feeling his heart fall as if he were falling off the ledge to the ground below. He was caught. He didn't have time to sit on the feeling, however, because soon Chuck had finished with Kofi and was taunting Alex.

"And in this corner…some little punk with no career, no money, and no value. Fighting Kofi Kingston for pennies…it's nobody."

Chuck smirked and Alex glared, Serena now forgotten, hate emanating in his glare. Serena watched, her own anger now replaced with fear as she watched Alex clench his fists and stare down both Chuck and Kofi. Chuck stepped to the side, caught sight of Serena, and walked over, winking and telling her, "Well, how nice of you to come out for the show."

Serena pleaded, "Chuck, please, you need to stop this fight! You're going to get him killed!"

"I'm knocking him down a few pegs, S. You of all people should understand that."

She grabbed his arm and yelled, "Chuck, this is dangerous!"

Chuck yanked her hand off his arm and glared at her, mere inches from her face. "Then he should have thought better before crossing me, S…enjoy the fight."

Chuck waved his hand and fireworks exploded off the edge of the building. The fight had begun.

Alex and Kofi moved towards one another. Alex kept his hands up, guarding his face as he watched Kofi push towards him. Kingston struck first, swinging his fists towards Alex in rapid succession, connecting a combination that pushed Alex backwards. The first punch landed, and white spots danced in Alex's vision as he stumbled backwards. He kept his hands up but mixed in a few kicks, trying desperately to keep Kingston at bay.

Kofi laughed and mocked Alex, stepping back and hitting himself in the chin. Overcome with fury, Alex pushed forward, lashing out for the first time. He landed several punches, the last of which landed solidly across Kofi's left chin, snapping his head back and knocking the fighter into a slow, stumbling backwards walk. Alex, sensing his opportunity, charged forward and tackled Kofi, picking him up before slamming him back down onto the concrete to a chorus of cheers.

Alex crawled on top of Kingston and began to land shot after shot on Kofi's exposed face and body. Kofi kept his hands up, trying to block the strikes, before sliding backwards and managing to slide his knee up into Alex's midsection, catching the young fighter by surprise and knocking him off Kingston.

Alex stumbled backwards, clutching his midsection as he gasped for breath. The next few minutes went by like a painfully slow blur. Both fighters landed strike after strike, takedowns, and kicks a plenty. Eight minutes into the fight, both fighters were exhausted, bloody messes. And that's when Alex made a critical mistake.

Moving to strike, Alex slipped forward and threw his right hand out, dropping his left arm from guard as he did so. Kofi, seeing an opportunity, slid to the side and threw an overhand punch, connecting with Alex's left eye in a brutal strike.

Everything in his vision went hazy as Alex slumped to the ground. He screamed in pain as he dropped to the ground, the cracking noise he heard when Kofi connected with the strike no doubt signaling a broken orbital bone near his eye. Kofi lunged forward, landing on top of Alex as he landed strike after strike, trying to end the fight in that moment.

Alex managed to twist his eyes up as Kofi landed strike after strike. Everything in his body felt distant and cold. Alex felt as if he were watching the fight from afar, in another body as his own was brutally hit time and time again. As his eyes shifted up, he caught sight of Serena, who had her hands over her mouth, a shocked expression of terror radiating out from her. Next to her stood Chuck, a smug grin adorning his face as he watched Alex being beaten to a pulp.

Alex, now furious as he watched the smug rich kid winning yet again, shot his right hand up, catching Kofi around the throat before pushing and throwing the man down to the ground. Alex screamed in fury as he began to throw strike after strike. Kofi managed to defend himself for a moment, but soon his arms dropped to the side and his head fell to the ground. Alex kept striking, swinging his arms in a rapid and angry dance before four security guards rushed over, grabbing him and pulling him off the knocked-out MMA fighter. Alex had won. But as he looked up and saw Serena, still frozen in fear, he felt as if he had lost what mattered.

Serena stared at Alex, who was standing on the other side of the ring and looking back at her. His left eye was dark red and swollen. He had multiple gashes on his face that were pouring blood. His entire face was red, covered in blood, sweat, and grime. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving up and down as he gasped for breath. She looked at him for a long moment, their eyes locked. He dropped his gaze and drifted through the crowd, heading back to the room to grab his gear, shower, and escape.

A few minutes later, Alex was showered, dressed, and waiting for the crowd to die down. He sat outside on the terrace, staring off into the New York skyline, wistfully thinking back to simpler days. He heard a few quiet footsteps and turned his head to see Serena walking over to him. She looked at him with hard eyes and pursed lips before slowly sitting down next to him and sharing his gaze out into the night. After a few moments of silence, she asked, "So…this is why you blew me off?"

Alex replied, "…Yes. This is why I blew you off."

"Was fighting some guy worth it? Am I just not that important to you?"

Alex shook his head. "Look, Serena, there are some things about my life that you don't understand. It's complicated. I just need you to trust me."

Serena stood up and twisted around, kneeling back down in front of him and pulling his face up to look into hers. "Alex...I don't want there to be secrets. I want us to be open. I want you to talk to me."

Alex stared back, unfazed, and responded, "You don't understand."

Serena, exasperated, replied in a heightened tone, "Then make me understand!"

Alex, now slightly angry, yelled, "I'm poor, Serena! My Mama barely had the money to make it up here and she just got laid off! I can't do much for this family. But let me tell you something. There is one thing I can do. I can FIGHT. It ain't pretty. It ain't classy. But it's the one thing that I understand."

Alex lowered his head, shaking it as he stared at the ground. "Mama sacrificed everything for me. Now, she finally has the chance to chase what she loves. There is no way that I am letting her give that up. I'm the man of the house. It's my job to take care of her. I won't fail."

Alex put his head in his hands and whispered, "I can't fail."

Serena sat back down next to him and put a hand on his back, gently rubbing it as she quietly said, "Hey…I'm sorry. I-I was wrong."

Alex shook his head again and said, "Serena…this is who I am. If you can't accept that…then there's no point in running circles around one another. This is who I am. I'm not changing for anyone. I was born a fighter."

Serena soothed him and said, "Shhhhhh. I'm not asking you to change. I just want you to be able to talk to me."

Alex looked up and asked, "Do you want to get out of here and grab some pizza?"

She smiled and said, "I'd like that a lot, yeah."