Quoted By:
<span class="mu-r">“Not my best showing, but no point in making excuses…”</span> you sighed, letting your head fall to the side. <span class="mu-r">“Good fight, Matt. Absolutely slaughtered me out there.”</span>
Matt’s nod probably wasn’t meant to be an insult, so you tried not to take it as one. <span class="mu-r">“You should continue your training, find a fighting style that suits you best.”</span> Matt advised. <span class="mu-r">“But yeah, good fight. You were doing well until you left yourself open for that liver shot.”</span>
You groaned. Just remembering it was too painful to bear. <span class="mu-r">“Speaking of, how long was I out for?”</span>
Angela shrugged. <span class="mu-g">“A few hours, I think. In the meantime, we’ve been talking with your, uh, friend here.”</span> she said, gesturing towards Ana.
<span class="mu-g">“But mostly, we have been sparring together.”</span> Anastasia put in. <span class="mu-g">“The blind one called ‘Matt’ is an excellent fighter! I can see why you lost to him.”</span>
Okay. That stung. You tried, and failed, to suppress a wince upon hearing her words.
<span class="mu-r">“Wait. Did you say I’ve been out for a few ‘hours’?”</span> you asked Angela. She nodded.
Oh, fuck! You’ve gotta get to the hospital.
With great difficulty, you pushed yourself up and rose unsteadily to your feet. Anastasia didn’t help you at any point during that. She just watched you curiously.
<span class="mu-r">“I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”</span> you declared, stumbling down the stone-carved benches. Angela put a hand out to catch you, just in case you fell, but you wouldn’t dare embarrass yourself any further in front of these people.
<span class="mu-r">“Oh, and…sorry about your cash, Ana.”</span> you added.
She just waved a hand and shrugged as if it were the most casual thing in the world. <span class="mu-g">“It is not something that I would miss terribly. I have never found myself wanting.”</span> she said easily.
You gave her the faintest nod and limped out of the Crucible. You could feel their eyes on your back, and at that very moment, you wanted to crawl under a rock. You were embarrassed. Ashamed of your performance tonight. After all that hype, you couldn’t live up to the expectations of your fans, of the promoters, of your friends, of your family, and not even the ones that you set for yourself.
You wouldn’t be feeling so terrible if you’d only managed to stretch the match out for a while longer! It all flashed by so quickly in your mind.
By the time you were outside, you were back in full costume. You took a moment to reorient yourself, and pulled yourself into the air with a webline. For this trip, you stuck to the shadows. As amazing as your costume looked, you weren’t in the mood to be seen by anyone right now. You felt fragile. As if the slightest criticism could utterly shatter your confidence. It was the most vulnerable you’d felt since you were transformed into a Meta.
(Cont.)
