KAGE (KAGE Trilogy #1) Read Online Free PDF

college boy.” He turned to go, his friends leading the way. But just at the last second, he glanced back over his shoulder at me with a cocky smile and graced me with another of his little winks.
    Jesus, that guy was something else.
    “It’s Jamie,” I called after him, watching his back disappear into the crowd. “Hey, where can I see you fight?”
    I don’t know if he heard me or not. The three of them disappeared into the crowd as if they’d never existed, leaving me wondering what the hell I was going to write for my project, since I’d spent all night trying to bond with a fighter even Google had never heard of.

3
     
    S OMEHOW, I pulled an A out of my project. Between the bits Kage had told me, the stuff I could learn from the internet, and getting to watch the fights in person, I was able to craft an interesting and informative report about how fighters prepare for upcoming matches.
    My roommate Trey, an art major who wanted nothing more than to get into a good film school, recorded a video of me doing a mock newscast. I flipped through the photos and video footage I’d shot of Kage that night, but I didn’t use any of them. They seemed too personal. Instead, we used a few of my grainy action photos along with some actual tournament footage found online. I created a makeshift news desk out of the kitchen table, and Trey hung his green screen behind me, then superimposed a newsroom background on it during editing. The end result was enough to put every one of my classmates to shame.
    “You looked very professional in your video, Mr. Atwood” Dr. Washburn told me after class. “I wouldn’t have thought you owned a traditional suit.”
    “Only because I was a pallbearer in my aunt’s funeral last year.” I admitted. “Not much opportunity for formal attire when you’re a college student.”
    “No, I suppose not. Especially when you’re an underachieving college student.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Not the underachiever speech again. I would have thought you’d be tired of that by now.”
    “I never get tired of encouraging students. Not if I truly believe in them.” He rested a hip on his desk and crossed his arms. “Jamie, I see you languishing away, settling for mediocre, and it makes me want to give you a swift kick in the pants. Because when you put your mind to it and really call up that passion that’s inside you, you’re capable of so much more. I want to see you get fired up about something. This project was the first thing I felt like you’ve really put your heart into, and it was a refreshing change.”
    “Doc, no offense, but I’ve been hearing that same speech since I was in the first grade.”
    “Well, maybe it’s time to listen to it.”
    I turned his statement over in my head. On the surface, it sounded like a platitude, but he did make a good point. If I kept hearing the same thing coming out of different people’s mouths, maybe there was some truth to it.
    “Look, Jamie,” he continued. “I’d be glad to stand behind you in any kind of recommendation, review, reference, referral… whatever you need—”
    “Does it have to begin with an R ?” I interrupted with a grin.
    Dr. Washburn rolled his eyes in annoyance but didn’t miss a beat. “However… in return I want to see you putting out some real effort. Take an active part in shaping your life. Partying and video games may be good enough for your friends, but you deserve more than that, and all you have to do is reach out and take it.”
    I nodded, at a loss for what to say. The man seemed so earnest, I was actually beginning to believe what he was saying. But my mind was also full of doubts.
    “You know, I was lost at that MMA event,” I admitted, stuffing my hands into my jeans pockets and giving a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Half the stuff in my report just came from research after the fact. At the event, I looked like some idiot who had found a press pass on the floor,