Grimm

Death was never the end. Death wasn't even the beginning. It was just an obstacle I had to overcome. Something I had to force my way through to get home, to be free. Death couldn't hold me, but even as I escaped, it hasn't stopped chasing me. It won't stop. It won't stop until I go back. And I won't go back.

Not again.

The name on my headstone reads Nathan Shaw, but nowadays, everyone just calls me Grimm.

I have died. I am dead. I have faced Death. And I am not going back.

***********

The inaudible chatter and squeals of teenagers filled the high school’s hallways alongside the cold winter air. I didn’t mind the cold, but I was in New York City and nobody likes New York’s winter cold.

I sat away from the noise and curled into myself under the slight warmth of my black leather jacket. Regardless of how warm my arms and chest were, my legs still frozen over as the wind pierced the threading of my dark blue jeans.

“I’m gonna start dressing warmer,” I promised myself, knowing full well I’d forget to keep it.
Resting my head on the cold stone wall, I shut my eyes and tried to relax my ever flowing mind some. Just another day. Just one more day of school I had to make it through.

Could be worse I suppose. I used to not even have this. Thanks to my…how do I put this nicely…drunkard of a father, I used to have to work full time. Not something a seventeen year old kid dreams of doing, but I had to eat, so the choice was out of my hands.

I turned the thought from my mind and opened my eyes back to the cluttered mass of students. Nobody paid me any mind. I was just another kid sitting half asleep against the wall. There was a dozen more just like me in this hallway.

The only real difference was who I was waiting on. Scanning through the crowd again, I found my object of affection. Dressed in a pair of ripped blue jeans and a white tank top under a leather jacket, she looked astounding. Her shining black hair fell over her shoulders loosely, somehow staying away from her dark blue eyes. I looked her over again and again. Each time I did, I was more amazed that she was walking to me.

Still not sure what she sees in me.

I really was no one special. I wasn’t above average smart. I was barely making it through high school. I wasn’t overly handsome. I had short black hair and dark grey eyes, which girls have claimed to be cool, but I don’t think that makes me handsome. Really. I don’t know. Whatever it was, I was glad for it.

“You awake, baby?” my girl asked me as crouched down at my feet.

Smiling, I took her hand in mine and answered, “Somewhat, Wicked. You?”

Wicked smiled back and moved onto my lap, throwing my arm around her shoulders as she did. “Of course I am,” she exclaimed, “I get to watch you fight Connor in a few minutes. It’s gonna be fun.”

I groaned in complaint. “I forgot about that. Do I have to go?” I asked Wicked.

“Yes. It’s going to be the only entertaining part of the day,” she explained.

Sighing, I rested my head against the wall again and waited on the bell that would urge me to go to gym class. As I lulled to a near sleep, Wicked tucked her head into my shoulder and followed my suit.

Wicked isn’t her real name, by the way. It’s actually Dana, but considering how she blatantly disregards pretty much any rule she is given, the name Wicked fits. I don’t really know where she got it. She’d had it longer than I’d know her.

After a minute or so of relaxation, the school bell rang and forced my eyes open. I tried shutting them again and was in hopes that I would be left alone to sleep, but Wicked had other ideas. She was really looking forward to me fighting Connor.

“Come on,” she said as she pulled my arms.

“You wrestle him,” I joked.

“Maybe I will,” she replied in jest. I pulled my arms free from her grip and shot her a look. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean that,” Wicked apologized quickly.

I stood up abruptly and cricked my neck to the side. “Yeah. At least now I have a reason to fight him,” I said angrily.

Wicked frowned and laced her fingers in with mine, walking with me slowly to the gymnasium. She was more anxious about this match than I was. I had no care for Connor. The guy was a jerk and had gotten in my face on more than one occasion, but I didn’t really have any reason to hurt the guy. Not until Wicked made that joke. It kind of ticked me off a bit and the last place anyone wants to be is in the iron sights of my anger.

A good half hour later, I was changed into a pair of black basketball shorts and a tight white tank top, waiting on the bench for my turn on the mats. Wrestling day. It was the favorite day of the students here. Instead of running laps, the guys got to try and choke each other out while the girls watched.

The girls used to wrestle too, but after some obscene gestures from the men, that idea was shot in the bud.

Now it was just the guys. One match at a time. All day. Winner gets to go home early with a plus one. That was the only reason most of us participated, even though most didn’t have a chance.
I’m referring to the freshmen. Most of the younger students were already knocked from the brackets and were slouched in the bleachers amongst the mass of girls. A lot of the sophomores were with them, leaving a bunch of the upperclassmen and the wrestling team left. And me, of course.

I was a junior and wasn’t on the wrestling team, or any team for that matter. I was good at it, but I didn’t care enough about it to let it take up my time. I’d rather spend that time with Wicked. She was more fun.

“Hey, Nate,” I heard a girl say from up the bleachers behind me. Turning, I saw Katie sitting with a bunch of the other cheerleaders, each one with their attention fixated on me. Pushing away some of her blond hair, Katie kept talking, her high pitched voice annoying me slightly, “Are you ready?”

“For?” I questioned.

“Connor. You know he wants revenge for the last time right?” she kept on.

I suddenly remembered the last time. Last wrestling day, Connor met me in the semi-finals of the day. He lost and pretty bad at that. I should’ve figured he wouldn’t let it go.

“Your boyfriend can try as hard as he wishes. I’m going to fight him. If he wins, then good for him,” I said calmly. Like I said, I had no real reason to hurt him. Yet.

“Shaw! Lake! You’re up!” Coach Fly shouted from the floor.

“That’s my cue,” I smiled to Katie and her friends as I turned back around on the bench and grabbed my helmet.

Slipping the padded wrestling helmet over my short hair, I stood up and walked to the center of the blue mat laid out across the basketball court’s floor. Swinging my arms out to the side, I watched Connor walk up to meet me.

Tucking a lock of his sandy brown hair into his helmet, Connor turned his hazel eyes to me and smirked. He had the advantage. He wasn’t much bigger than me, but he was built better and was actually on the school’s wrestling team. I wasn’t. I was asked, but I tried to stay away from something that could get me angry. Bad things tended to happen when I got angry.

“You’re going down, Shaw,” Connor threatened.

I smirked, “Wow. That’s original. Next time, plan your taunts out.”

“Quit yapping, ladies,” the coach broke in with his overly cliché line, “I want a clean match. No punches and no kicking. This isn’t that mixed martial crap you watch on TV.”

“Crap, coach?” I muttered.

“I’m not supposed to cuss in front of students, Shaw. Now shut up and get ready!” Coach Fly yelled, smoothing a hand across his shiny bald head as he did.

With a guillotine drop of his hand, the match started. I almost immediately dropped down onto one knee, barely avoiding Connor as he grabbed at my collar. Before he was able to catch on, I dug my fingers into the back of his left knee and pulled, sending him falling backward onto his back.

Landing with a THUD, Connor groaned. I stood up casually and walked to the edge of the ring. Not willing to let myself get snuck up on, I turned on a heel and watched as Connor pushed himself up.

“That was a cheap shot,” he complained.

“You’re just slow,” I replied. Without another word, Connor charged at me, roaring as he did. “Stupid too,” I said as I swayed to the side and let him tumble out of the ring.

“You little…!” Connor began to shout as he charged back at me.

Coach Fly jumped in front of him. “Cool it, Lake!” he interrupted and pushed him back. “The point goes to Shaw.”

Smirking, I repositioned myself back at the center of the ring and waited for Connor to do the same. As he did, I stretched my arms out again and looked into the crowd. Wicked was with some of her friends in the bleachers across from me. She had a bright grin stretched across her face. Wicked was really enjoying this too much.

Connor soon blocked my view of her and growled. I don’t know why he was doing that, but I didn’t let it distract me. As Coach Fly’s hand dropped, I ducked again, yet was met somewhere in the middle this time.

Pushing away Connor’s low grip, I spun and wrapped an arm around his neck, still moving backwards as I did. Connor tripped dutifully as I moved and fell flat on his back again. This time, I didn’t give him any reprieve. With a twist and a drop, I had my legs over his chest and the collar of his shirt in my grip, turning my wrists slowly into his throat.

Before he lost consciousness, Connor took action and kicked off the ground with his legs, throwing me off balance. As I tumbled, my opponent spun around and pulled me back into an arm bar.

I fought the hold as best I could but wasn’t doing much. Annoyed, I rolled into the hold and slipped out by pulling to the other side of him. It was a solid move, but cost me a bit of pain in return, which would force me to slow down on the use of my right arm from now on. I needed to end this fight quickly.

Wounded, I rested on a knee and watched Connor closely. He would know that what I just did cost me and wasn’t about to go the rest of this fight without exploiting it. He wasn’t that nice. Hell, he wasn’t nice at all.

Lunging at me, Connor grabbed wide at my waist in an attempt to tackle me. I didn’t allow it. With a duck, I pushed up under Connor’s chest and forced him back. Before he could recover, I moved in and threw my arms and legs around him, tightening around both his neck and his waist at the same time.

In a matter of moments, Connor was done and was tapping my arm repeatedly. Pained, I let him loose and gripped my messed up shoulder. It was still in place but was turned in the socket. That didn’t fell all too fantastic.

“Shaw, you alright?” Coach Fly asked me as he made sure Connor was still breathing.

I held my shoulder in place and answered, “I’ll be fine, coach, but I don’t think I’ll be much of a wrestler anymore today.”

“Sit out then.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, “I’ll do that.”

Dragging my feet, I walked to the bleachers and sat down next to Wicked, who had a concerned look in her eyes. That wasn’t something I got to see often so I relished.

“You okay?” I asked my worried girlfriend.

“Am I okay?” she responded loudly, “What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

“Nothing. Why do you ask?”

Wicked smacked my wounded shoulder and watched me cringe, “That’s why.”

“You wouldn’t hurt someone in pain would you?” I asked hopefully, knowing the answer already.

“Of course I would,” Wicked replied with a smile and hit my shoulder again.

This time, she made up for it. Crawling onto me, Wicked straddled my lap and turned her blue eyes to me. Dumbfounded, I smiled and tried my best to think of something charming to say so she would kiss me or let me kiss her.

Luckily and by the grace of someone I’d shake hands with, I didn’t have to release my ridiculous pick-up line. Trust me, it’s better for everybody that I don’t try and be suave.

Gently touching her lips to my own, Wicked pulled into the embrace of my one good arm and held on as if I was going somewhere. I wasn’t. I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.

Actually, that’s not true. I could think of several places. All of them are somewhere I get to be with Wicked. Only difference than now is that they are a lot more comfortable and they give me and her some much desired privacy. Yeah. I’d definitely prefer that.

“They making you stay?” Wicked asked me suddenly, breaking away from my kiss.

I frowned at the lack of love and replied, “I guess. I didn’t exactly ask.”

Wicked smirked an evil smirk I’d come to both love and worry about. “Wanna book?” she questioned.

I pondered the idea. I shouldn’t leave school. It was wrong. I’d gotten in trouble for leaving before. Keeping it up might not help me any. But then again, if I left, I’d get that alone time with Wicked I’d been longing for.

“You know what,” I said with a grin, “Screw it. Let’s go, but you better be able to make it worth my while, baby.”

Wicked kissed me again and smiled, “Don’t I always?”

“Touché.”

“I don’t speak French,” Wicked commented.

I smirked, “Neither do I. I’m even sure that is French.”

Laughing, Wicked stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling slightly on my god arm. I followed her without delay. She was a lot better at sneaking off campus than I was, so I let her lead.