Chapter 191: I’m Not A Monster
Joe had stepped into the cage, and right away it was clear that a number of the Clapton students recognized him from his recent visit. Their stares were heavy, their fists pounding into open palms like war drums, itching for a chance to take him down.
"I told you," Rick sneered from the sidelines, "that Bloodline group of theirs didn’t just send some nobody. They sent one of their top guns."
"It’s a good thing we’ve got some heavy hitters ourselves," he added confidently, eyes narrowed at the ring.
Joe could hear Rick and the others loud and clear, their voices carrying above the buzz of the crowd. It made him rub the back of his neck out of habit, an old nervous tick. Despite all the noise, all the attention, he didn’t feel like a "top gun." Being called one of the best fighters at his school? That felt wrong. Like a label someone had accidentally slapped on him and forgot to take off.
"How do you think he’ll do?" Jay asked, nodding toward the cage. The question was clearly aimed at Steven, who stood quietly beside him, arms folded.
Steven took a breath before speaking. "I think Joe’s biggest problem is being around you lot all the time," he said. "Everyone around him is a monster, freakishly talented, strong, and the same age. He watches you all do things that seem impossible to him. And it gets in his head."
He looked straight at Joe. "But what you don’t see is how hard he’s worked. The guy’s poured everything into this. Every day. Just to feel like he’s earned the right to stand next to you all. That kind of hunger, that’s not something you can teach."
Jay nodded slowly. He’d noticed it too. Even when they asked Joe about how he beat Ko, he never took credit. He’d brush it off with a shrug, claiming it was just luck or basic boxing skills.
But what Joe didn’t understand was that not just anyone could pick up boxing and use it like that in a fight. He might not have been the quickest learner, and maybe he wasn’t naturally gifted like others, but he had one thing they didn’t. Grit. Relentless effort. Joe put in 200 percent where most people gave 100, and Steven would back that up any day.