"I brought smoothies," Karmin sang as she danced her way to Maddox, who sat against the fighting ring with his phone.

He glanced up from his phone lazily. "You're late."

"That's because I stopped for smoothies," she reiterated as she held up the two fruit drinks in her hand. Karmin didn't get the chance to eat before class, so she had stopped by a shop. "I got you a mango smoothie. You look like a person who likes mangos."

Maddox raised a brow and got up from his seat on the ground. "What part of me screams tropical fruit?"

She glanced at his dark hair along with his grey sweatpants and a loose NYU faculty black t-shirt. His facial expression was blank with a slight hint of amusement from his quirked lips.

"You don't like mangoes?" she asked dejectedly, her excitement deflating.

"No, I like mangoes," he muttered, reaching his hand out to grab the drink.

Her smile widened as she passed him his drink with him grumbling a quick 'thank you.'

"So, what are we doing today?" she wondered as she took a sip of her strawberry drink. "I am ready to learn. Look, I even got a matching gym set. It's cute, right?" she said excitedly, pointing to her lilac shorts and cropped tank. Karmin never got the chance to wear it during her fights with the fear of them being ruined, but today was the perfect opportunity.

"Um... it's nice," Maddox complimented nervously as he rubbed the back of his head and looked away.

Karmin plopped onto the edge of the ring contently, her eyes analyzing the gym atmosphere. It wasn't a usual gym, but instead, located in a building that was once abandoned. The ground was made of concrete with the walls chipped and windows tinted. An array of large machines and complicated contraptions were scattered around with a few buff individuals working out. The fighting ring sat in the farthest corner, the ropes ripped, and threads coming out.

"How did you hear about this place?" Karmin asked as she turned to Maddox, who sat across from her with folded legs. His limbs were long, so he looked slightly awkward in the position.

"This was where my Dad trained me growing up," he said. "Before he moved to Massachusetts."

"Why did he move?"

He swirled the drink in his, focusing intently on anything but her. "My parents got divorced a few years ago, so he moved."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Karmin said sincerely.

Maddox shrugged. "My sisters and I still have a good relationship with him. He comes to visit on weekends, or we go. It's my Mom who... strongly dislikes him," he explained with a slight smile.

"That's nice to hear," she replied, thinking of how to change the topic when she noticed he looked a little uncomfortable talking about his life. "What do you want to start with first?"

"Before we start, we need to talk about you and how you need to stop making conversation with your opponent," Maddox remarked.

She sighed dramatically. "I can't help it, alright. I like talking and making new friends."

"They don't want to be friends with you. Most of them would not hesitate to kill you for money," he retorted, slurping his drink to emphasize the fact.

"You don't know that," she grumbled.

"You gotta stop being nice in the ring. You have to be quiet and ruthless."

"So, like you? I'm Maddox, and I'm tough. I'm silent but deadly," she said with a deep voice, chuckling at her joke.

Maddox leaned to the side, grabbing a pair of forgotten boxing gloves and threw them at her. The plush gloves hit her in the face lightly, causing her laughter to deepen.

"I'm serious," he said firmly, but he couldn't fight back the smile that threatened its way on his lips.

"Okay, okay," Karmin breathed out, a few giggles escaping her mouth as she attempted to become serious. "I promise that from now on, I will not partake in any type of conversation with my opposition."

He didn't exactly believe her but shook his head lightly and placed his now half-full cup at the end of the ring. Maddox dusted off his hands, picking up a pair of plush pads that would be used as a punching surface, and sliding them onto his hands.

"Use those gloves," he instructed, motioning at the ones he had thrown at her earlier.

Karmin settled her drink on the ground and grabbed the pair. She jumped to her feet, putting them on. They were a little big for her, but they felt like a soft, protective layer. She grinned widely at her, smacking the gloves against one another.

"What's first, Coach?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes, walking towards her until he was a foot away. He glanced down at her, putting up his padded hands. "I need you to punch these."

"No problem," she shrugged, getting into her stance with one foot in front of the other. Karmin raised her right hands, driving her arm back, and swung it forward. The material of the boxing gloves took most of the impact, but Maddox only flinched a bit once she made contact with the pads.

"It's good, but you drive your punch with your fist. You should be using your elbow to gain momentum," Maddox explained. "And make sure you exhale after every punch."

She nodded. "Okay, I can do that." She readied herself once again, lifting her arms, but this time around, when she pulled her arm back, she focused her energy onto her elbow. Her fist connected with Maddox's hands, and he jolted back slightly. Karmin felt the strength of the punch and was impressed with it, but he had other things to say.

"Stop holding your breath when you attack," he urged. "Again."

Karmin sighed and repeated the motion several times, just for Maddox to say they weren't good enough.

"Remember to breathe," Maddox reminded, putting his hands up again.

"I am breathing," she retorted irritatingly, placing her hands on her hips.

"You know what I mean," he deadpanned.

"You know what I mean," she mocked in a high-pitched voice.

Maddox smacked her in the head with the pads lightly as he rolled his eyes once again. "Stop playing."

She gasped, her hands immediately going to her hair. Karmin huffed, slapping him on the side of his head as he did with her. She smiled smugly as he glared at her. The grin was quickly wiped off when he hit her again.

It soon became a back-and-forth as they took turns smacking each other on their heads, both yelling at one another to stop.

"You stop," he hissed, ducking her hand.

"You started it!" she huffed, jumping on to her tippy toes to get a good hit.

"Maybe, if you took this a little seriously," he fired back.

Karmin gritted her teeth, and swing back her arm, landing a punch on his stomach. She exhaled sharply once her fist collided with his toned abdomen. "How was that?" she smirked as he doubled over.

"A lot better," he choked out, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.

"That's what I thought," she hummed, but her victory quickly turned into concern as Maddox's face turned red. Karmin bent down, placing her hand on his arm and the other on his stomach. "Are you okay?" she asked, but she couldn't push down the few chuckles that left her lips.

"All good," he whispered, his green eyes meeting her honey-coloured ones.

"What if you're internally bleeding?" she wondered with wide eyes.

"Don't give yourself too much importance," he mumbled, his gaze travelling all over her face that was too close for his usual comfort. But for some odd reason, he couldn't get himself to push her away. "Besides, aren't you pre-med? Shouldn't you know?"

"I'm a freshman, alright? We don't get to the cool stuff until later on," she replied as she stood up straight. "But come on, I'm ready to learn."

"I don't think this is going to work," Maddox said while he ran a hand over his abdomen.

"I'll take this seriously," she promised. There was nothing funny about the situation she was in. She knew that. But it was hard being serious around him. All she wanted to do was have fun, and although he constantly reminded her how important and grim this was, she couldn't sober up.

"I think I have a better idea," he said, gaining her interest. Maddox looked her in the eye, tilting his head. "How do you feel about a mini road trip?"

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

What do you guys think Maddox meant by a road trip?

Also, prepare yourselves for a few light-hearted chapters ahead! I can't wait to see your reactions

Until next time – m.k.t