Breaking Promises (B-Boy #1) Read online

  “So, what do you say? You stepping on board or…”

  “Or what?”

  He let out a puff of air from his nostrils and though I couldn’t turn my head to see him, I could almost hear the smile in his voice. “You thinking of starting your own crew? The same way your girl did?”

  “Nah. I did that once and look what happened. I was usurped within a few years.”

  “It’s because Craig’s an asshole, man. He plays by ranks. Knight Crawlerz don’t do that. We all think of ourselves as equals and we think you can really help us level up.”

  I could almost feel Craig glaring at me. Though the judges were just about to make their final decision, even though everyone in the gym knew Annihilation would take the round once again, he was definitely not paying any attention to the deliberation.

  I rolled my eyes. “You do realize that I can’t battle for a while, right? My neck’s fucking broken, dude.”

  “And Annihilation is gonna lose this battle. Tell me something that I don’t know.”

  I blinked in surprise.” You really think so?”

  He shrugged. “Well, besides not having you in their corner, they’re battling us and the Belladonnas.”

  Words could not express how much my chest swelled with pride. “Do you really think they have a chance?”

  “Oh, yeah. The thing with the Belladonnas is that they bring something different to the table. Nowadays most people bite what other people do, but seeing as those girls aren’t stereotypical b-girls, it definitely sets them apart.”

  I beamed. I felt like a proud dad…or coach.

  “So what do you say? Wanna hang up that old shirt and get one of these?” He pulled at his t-shirt, which I had to admit had a more kickass logo than Annihilation’s clichéd graffiti font.

  I clenched my jaw. “Like I said, I won’t be able to battle for a while, Chase. Why even take a chance on me?”

  “And like I said, we get it. No hurry.”

  I shot one last look at Annihilation, who were taking their victory walk back to the bleachers. For some reason, they seemed as distant to me as ever.

  “Mitch? Decision?”

  Keeping my eyes on Craig, I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll join.”

  Nocturnal grunted in approval. “Sweet.”

  Aurora

  We just won the last three rounds. What is happening with my life right now?

  Mitch

  Shit! The Belladonnas were going to the semi-finals! Fucking amazing.

  Aurora

  There was no better word than ‘relief’ to describe the collective feeling that buzzed among us when it was announced the Knight Crawlerz and Annihilation were paired up in the semi-finals. Once again, I had an inkling that Craig pulled some strings to make sure there was a possibility we didn’t have to battle Annihilation at all. Either way, I was more than happy to face off with Gold Royce, the only other crew with b-girls in it

  Seriously, this sport needed more women on the floor!

  Winter and Bamboo gave the San Francisco crew a once over and smacked their tongue in disapproval.

  “We got this,” Bamboo commented. “They can’t expect to come to our turf and not get kicked all the way back home to Nor Cal.”

  “How are you so sure we can take them?” Katy asked doubtfully.

  “We just won the last three rounds, right?”

  “Yeah, but truthfully, I don’t know how we did!” she whined.

  “This is so ala Mighty Ducks,” Bianca whispered, never taking her eyes off the stage.

  “Yeah, only I hope it doesn’t have a twist ending,” I muttered.

  The lights dimmed dramatically and the speakers blared a funk song. Craig once again was the first to the floor, looking like a snake getting ready to strike. He kicked out his feet into a fast top rock and immediately transitioned into baby wind mills.

  “You do know he’s saving his best moves for us, right?” Bamboo’s lips curved down as she closely examined his every twist and turn. “He’s great, but he’ll only get better.”

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, I know…”

  Bamboo shut her eyes and sighed. “Do you really think we can beat them?”

  I turned my head in shock. “Where is this coming from? You were always so confident.”

  She bit her lip and watched Leo jump in beside Craig. The two did a mock routine, which seemed more freestyle than choreography. Regardless, it still looked pretty impressive. “I guess I’ve just never made it this far into battle. Now that I’m here, I’m bracing myself for a rude awakening.”

  I reached out and squeezed her arm. “We made it this far, didn’t we? And let’s say we don’t beat them, so what? We made it farther than anybody else thought we could. That has to count for something, right?”

  “Yeah.” Bamboo’s shoulders relaxed. “We sure did.”

  It was Knight Crawlerz’ turn to take to the stage and they hit each move just as fast, just as smooth, and just as clean. If there were visible scorecards I knew the two crews would be tied. Out of all the rounds, there was something different about this one. The whole gym seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seats, gripping on for dear life!

  “Oh my God, I can’t even…” Katy’s voice trailed off.

  Winter snorted. “Don’t go basic on me. This is how battles are.”

  Of course even our veteran b-girl couldn’t help but wince as Nocturnal completed a clean head spin.

  “There’s no way the judges are going to decide who takes this. They’re both so good.” Clemence’s mouth dropped open. “If they tie, would we have to battle them both? I mean, considering our battle goes as planned.”

  Bamboo rolled her eyes. “There are no ties in this world. One of them is going to take it, but the question is who?”

  “Fucking lame.” Craig lifted his hands in the air just as Nocturnal finished his turn. Given that the music was turned up so high, he must have been yelling pretty loud in order for all of us to make out what he was saying. “Is that the reason why you have to score our sloppy seconds? Because you know you can’t ever beat us without stealing from us?”

  “What is he talking about?” Winter whispered.

  I shrugged my shoulders and kept watching the scene play out with wide eyes.

  “Shh! I can’t hear them above the music,” Bamboo hissed.

  Everyone in the audience seemed to lean forward, wondering what was going on. It was not uncommon for crews to intimidate one another, but this was definitely something different.

  “It’s because you’re scared of us, you piece of sh—” Craig’s tirade ended once Nocturnal’s fist hit the side of his face with a sickeningTHUD. I couldn’t help but scream and cover my eyes.

  The record screeched to a stop as security, the judges, and even Julian jumped on stage to break up the brawl that Nocturnal had started with that one punch.

  The audience stood on their feet and most people were busy recording the fight with their phones. I couldn’t help but scowl. “People these days need to step away from social media for just one second.”

  After a brief scuffle, both Annihilation and the Knight Crawlerz were shoved back to their respective sides of the stage. Julian, who was breathing heavily, as if he were the one caught in the crosshairs, threw Nocturnal an angry look. “And that is exactly what we don’t do during battles, people. Sorry, dude, but Knight Crawlerz is disqualified.”

  There were a chorus of boos that cascaded down the length of the gym. I watched in shock as the Knight Crawlerz walked off the stage looking disappointed. Well, everyone except Nocturnal, who shouted, “Fucking worth it to finally give Craig what was coming to him!”

  “Stop riding our coat tails, dick!” Craig yelled back.

  Confused as hell, I looked for Mitch to see what he thought of the whole thing. To my surprise, he was walking toward the Knight Crawlerz’s area. A light bulb went off in my head, along with a surge of intense pride.

  “I think Craig’s pissed off because M
itch joined the Knight Crawlerz,” I told my friends.

  “What?” all the girls screeched in unison.

  Bamboo looked taken aback, but couldn’t stop the grin forming on her face. “Well, good. He deserves better than those jerks.”

  “We may be seeing those jerks in the next battle,” Katy reminded us.

  I shrugged. “That’s what we wanted, wasn’t it?” I took a deep breath and motioned toward the stage. “Ladies, it’s time we move on to the finals.”

  Mitch

  “What the hell did you do, man?” I smacked Chase on the back, but couldn’t help but laugh. “Not that it wasn’t awesome seeing Craig get jabbed, but still.”

  Chase shifted uncomfortably. He knew he ruined it for his crew, though none of the other guys seemed to care as much. I was guessing they were all just extremely happy to land some of their own punches. It was no secret that the two crews hated each other, but that rivalry only began when Craig stepped up to bat.

  We watched as the Belladonnas took to the stage. The difference in their demeanor between the first battle and the semis were clearly inked on their faces. They looked a lot calmer, more determined—even excited.

  “You wouldn’t want us to battle the Belladonnas in the finals anyway,” Chase commented.

  I frowned. “What?”

  “Not that I punched Craig for them,” he motioned toward my girl. “But isn’t it better for them to taste Craig’s defeat themselves?”

  I smirked and nodded my head. “You think they’ll make it all the way too, don’t you?”

  “Everybody loves an underdog.”

  I nodded. “Hopefully, Gold Royce feels the same way.”

  The music started again in full force. The collective energy of the room was still ramped up after the fight, causing the audience to yell a little louder. Aurora was the first to jump in, eyes blazing and face stone cold. The pride once again swelled in my chest as she landed—ironically—a perfect corkscrew.

  “Your girl is pretty good. Any chance we can recruit her too?” Chase asked, never taking his eyes off the stage.

  “Nah, she’s a Belladonna.” I grinned. “She started it and she will make sure it grows in a way I couldn’t make Annihilation grow.”

  Chase nodded quietly and watched as Gold Royce took their turns. As the only other crew with b-girls, it felt as if it upped the ante a bit.

  As one would come to expect, the b-girls were used as Gold Royce’s “weapon” of choice. However, unlike with Annihilation and Knight Crawlerz, there was a certain level of respect prominent throughout the battle. It made it much more fun to watch.

  “Swipe, air baby, turtle…” I cracked my knuckles and elbowed Chase. “Gold Royce is pretty good. They got better since the last time they came down from San Francisco.”

  “They’re all right.” He shrugged his shoulders, keeping his gaze on B-girl Shake City who incidentally was in the middle of completing hand hops—Chase’s move of choice.

  I cracked my knuckles and smirked. “You’re right. Belladonnas are better.”

  By the time the battle ended, Aurora looked as if she wanted to jump out of her skin. I could almost feel her impatience as she eyed the judges, waiting for their decision.

  Julian nodded in approval as each judge pointed toward…

  “The Belladonnas are moving on to the finals!” He winked at the girls, who looked as if they were having a ton of trouble containing themselves. Even the normally calm Clemence looked as if she were going to burst her top.

  Turning back toward the crowd, Julian called out, “Why don’t we all take a break for a bit? Fifteen minute cyphers! Go!”

  The girls rushed off the stage looking like a bunch of squirrels foraging for nuts. Aurora jumped off the last step and placed her arms around my waist. It was a bit awkward side-hugging her while keeping my head held straight, but somehow we made it work.

  “Can you believe we made it to finals?” she squealed in my ear.

  “Yeah, I can,” Chase answered before I even had the chance to open my mouth.

  Aurora looked over at him and narrowed her eyes. “So…about that brawl earlier.”

  Chase scrunched up his mouth and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that…”

  “Safe to assume it was an ex picking a fight with the new guy?” She shot him a wink, grinning up at me.

  Chase’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing. “Yeah, you can say that.” He elbowed me in the ribs. “Meet Knight Crawlerz’s new b-boy, Kickwit.”

  Bamboo and Winter looked visibly surprised. Annihilation, as messed up as we could be, was pretty loyal to a fault. Even when shit hit the fan and things were messed up, we stuck through. It was partly the reason we let Craig take over without resistance. That being said, it only takes one bad apple to break trust, and without trust there is no loyalty.

  “You ain’t cyphering?” Craig walked up with Annihilation in his flanks. He motioned toward the multiple circles that broke out around the gym and shot my two crews a cheesy grin. “So, Knight Crawlerz, you sore from losing? Belladonnas, you too tired to dance before the battle?”

  “Just leave us alone, Craig.” I sighed and noticed security making their way over to us. Of course, nothing was going to happen unless Knight Crawlerz started something. The Belladonnas and I sure wouldn’t, and Craig knew better than to get disqualified, giving the Belladonnas an easy win.

  Craig, also noticing the approaching bouncers, nodded his head and clucked, “See you in a few minutes, Aura.”

  “Can’t wait, asshole,” Aurora spat out.

  I raised my eyebrows and couldn’t help but laugh. “Good job.”

  She shrugged. “I try.”

  Chase looked as if he was still fuming and motioned for his squad to leave. “Sorry I can’t stick around to watch the final battle, Aura. Worried that I might do something to get arrested.”

  “Duly noted.” She smiled and shot me a quick glance. “Glad to see Mitch is in good hands now.”

  Chase’s answering smile made me feel a bit of jealousy, which I knew was stupid considering Aurora’s arms were wound tightly around my waist. Still, I wasn’t too sad to see my new crew leave.

  I peered down at my girlfriend and smiled. “You guys ready for this?”

  She nodded. “Oh yeah.”

  Aurora

  I always wondered how Rocky Balboa felt, or maybe Daniel in Karate Kid. To finally make it to the last round of an impossible task and gaining a following in the process seemed almost unreal.

  But the Belladonnas did it.

  As we stepped back onto the stage I gazed around the whole gymnasium and found a bunch of encouraging faces peering back at us. We had done what nobody expected us to do and now here we were, a bunch of Davids battling Goliath.

  I turned back toward the girls, whose faces were all identical masks of determination and disbelief. Though all my prior gymnastics competitions had a certain level of importance, for some reason this battle felt different. This would make me or break me.

  “Ladies, we’re here. We actually did it.” I felt tears brimming my eyes but tried my hardest to push them away. I took a moment to nod at each of my friends. “This battle is for Mitch. It’s also for the sexists. This is for Anthony,” I glanced toward Winter, who nodded her head in agreement. “This is for all the people who didn’t believe in us. It’s a tall order we have ahead of us, but you know what? I know we can do it and I’m so glad we can do it together.”

  The girls smiled and nodded their heads.

  I laughed and held out my arms. “Come on, bring it in.”

  As we took a moment to hug one another we heard Craig burst into laughter on the other side of the stage. He pointed toward us and glanced at the audience. “And this is why we shouldn’t have b-girls in the big boy battles. They get all emotional!”

  I dropped my arms and turned around with a smirk. “Cruel, you know what? It’s the living who feel and the dead who don’t. Get ready for burial.�
��

  The lights flashed and the music started up. Without hesitation, Craig jumped to the floor.

  Backhand spring straight into some perfect windmills, ended with a headspin drill.

  Once he left, I eyed Bamboo, who brought out her best.

  She matched his backhand spring with a rollback to full twisting backflip, and went straight into some complex footwork rounds. She ended with windmill to straight legged hollowback.

  Like a domino effect, one by one each of us gave our all. Things were looking pretty close until one misstep looked as if it would cost us everything.

  Katy stepped in, looking as comfortable as usual, losing herself to the music. She lowered herself into a headstand, pushing her legs up to twist into an eagle when her elbow slipped out. It was nothing she’d ever done before, so I could only blame the sweat covered stage. Whatever the reason, she fell onto her side, looking as if she’d burst into tears.

  “Shit!” Winter gasped beside me.

  The blood drained from my face. That was it. We were done! There was no way we could recover from that. Even Craig and his crew looked as if they were already celebrating.

  The collective feeling of defeat washed over all of us. There really was no hope.

  Just when I was mentally preparing to throw in the towel, I felt a slight tug toward my side. It was as if a magnetic current was slowly pulling me in its direction. My head swung to the side and I saw Mitch throwing me the thumbs up sign.

  “Thumbs up?” I mumbled to myself.

  He then proceeded to pantomime the exact move I needed to blow Craig out the water. My eyebrows raised in realization. We weren’t done! Not yet, anyway. Craig still needed to throw out his moves and I had the answer to each of them. That was how we’d take the cake.

  “Final round!” Julian announced.

  My palms became clammy and slick. I quickly wiped them against my pants, worried that I’d literally slip up just as Katy had done.

  Craig entered the center, smiling arrogantly as usual. He thought he had this in the bag, but he was fucking wrong.