《Right Hook (Gaslight series)》3| Black Gloves
Advertisement
♔
______________
y mother always says that there is nothing a good martini can't fix, and she was right. Standing at the side of the ring with Tiana, I can almost forget that this weekend happened, that my boyfriend of two years cheated on me, that I'm the talk of the town. But then I glance at the ring again, where Justin is circling his opponent, and I'm forced to remember.
He'd first mentioned his dreaded fight a few weeks ago, and I'd laughed it off as another impulsive whim of his. It's what happens when you grow up having access to everything you've ever wanted: you grow bored, and in turn, become reckless. This explains his cheating, too.
"I can't believe he's still going through with this," Tiana says, taking a sip of her drink. "He's going to get brain damage or something. Why would anyone who is that good looking risk ruining their face?"
I sigh and scan the room again. Surrounding the ring are all of Justin's friends from the football team. They look so out of place right now, like someone has copy and pasted them from an All-American-Boy rom-com and into this sketchy, rundown gym. First thing tomorrow, this fight will be all the kids at school can talk about; I just hope it at least takes the heat off me.
I turn to the ring again. Justin's opponent, the boy with the black gloves, scans the gym for a second, his eyes falling on me. Our eyes connect, and he stares at me a second or two before turning to face Justin.
He's the same guy I'd seen earlier in the parking lot with Kino. There hadn't been much time to look at him earlier, but standing under the ring with a spotlight above him, I can see him much clearer. He's not beautiful in the same way as Justin. Justin is prim and wholesome and well put together, the way a typical Pali boy looks. Black Gloves has this dangerous beauty, with eyes that look hungry for blood.
My new admirer, Khalil, stands next to me, staring at the ring. "How long has blondie been fighting for, exactly?"
I sigh and take another sip of my drink. As much as I hate Justin right now, I'm not sure I want to witness him being beaten to death. "He hired a personal instructor about six months ago, and they've been training every day."
Advertisement
Khalil almost spits out his beer. Slowly, he turns to me. "That kid is getting annihilated tonight."
My stomach churns as I focus on Justin. His opponent moves slowly, his black gloves raised as he looks right at Justin, his dark eyes wild. It's the look my cat gets, right before he ravages some bird.
A pretty brunette sidles up to us and takes her position near the ring. I sip on my drink and glance over to see she is fixated on the cage. When I start to grow antsy, I take the skewer between my lips and pull off an olive. "Don't tell me you're into this kinky stuff."
The girl turns slightly. She looks at my lips and the skewer in my mouth, then slowly meets my gaze. "Aren't you?"
I smirk a little and pop the other olive in my mouth. "Not in the slightest."
She smiles and points to somewhere behind the ring, in the shadows, where a tall, broody man with red boxing gloves steps out of the back room. "My boyfriend is fighting tonight. I'm here for moral support."
He spots the girl next to me, smiles a little, and pushes his way through the crowd. When he gets to her, his hand snakes her waist and he pulls her in close, whispering something in her ear.
She grins and lightly taps his arm, like he's said something dirty and she's scolding him. Then he pulls back slightly to give her a look. My heart skips a beat. It's the kind of look Justin gave me, once upon a time – the look of someone in love.
"This is Hayden," she says, nodding at him, and Hayden gives us the briefest of nods before looking back at the ring. "He's one of the coaches here at GymCon."
"I almost feel sorry for the kid," Hayden says. "Max is going to eat him alive."
Khalil tears his eyes from the ring to focus them on Hayden. "That's exactly what I said."
My chest tightens at the same time Tiana says, "Hey, that's Alyssa's boyfriend you're talking about." She sounds defensive, because she is. As much as we hate Justin, he's still from The Palisades, and we always defend our own.
Advertisement
Still, I can't help but sip my drink and add, "Ex."
The girl looks between us. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He will have trained for this, right?"
"Yeah," I say, sounding uncertain. "He'll be fine."
I down the rest of my drink and force myself to turn to the ring. Max jabs first, a quick flick of his wrist that my eyes can barely track, and it catches Justin on the jaw. I know it's wrong, but I feel a strange sense of satisfaction like I'm the one who delivered the hit. Justin deserves it, after all.
As an excuse to look away, I turn to the girl and say, "I'm Alyssa, by the way. This is Tiana."
She doesn't take her eyes off the ring; I'm starting to think she's enjoying this. "Maddie."
Justin's hand shoots out, but Max ducks and hits Justin square in the face, causing him to stumble back. I flinch at the impact but don't look away. The pair go back and forth, dodging and jabbing like a perfectly synchronized dance. Tiana leans forward and asks if we can leave, but I don't take my eyes off the ring.
A part of me wants to leave, too. I don't know why I came tonight. I mean, I do – I wanted to find a guy to rub in Justin's face – but I'm starting to think him getting beaten in a room full of people is punishment enough.
Tiana sighs into her martini glass. "Seriously, this is disturbing. Why would anyone want to do this?"
Maddie smiles a little before turning to Tiana. "It can actually be pretty therapeutic, especially if you're going through a hard time."
I raise my eyebrows, because boxing isn't exactly the kind of therapy Tiana and I are used to. "You're telling me that's therapeutic?"
Her eyes flit to mine again. For a second, it's like she can see something in my expression. "You know, this place offers free memberships for the first few months," she says, nudging Hayden slightly. "You should come and try it for yourself."
I glance at Hayden, who squeezes Maddie's arm as he focuses on the fight. There's something alight in his eyes, and I can tell he is desperate for his turn in the ring.
I'm about to speak, but Tee lets out a laugh and then lightly pushes my arm. "Alyssa is the last person you'd find in a gym, unless she's going there to scope for boys. She'd be scared to break a nail."
Maddie raises an eyebrow at this but doesn't look away from me. "Maybe she's tougher than you think."
My heart jumps a little. I hate that Tee said that, and I hate that she's right, so I turn to Maddie, square my shoulders, and say, "Maybe I will."
The fight only lasts a few more rounds and, unsurprisingly, Max wins. Both Maddie and Hayden grin as Max is crowned the winner, and Justin stumbles out of the ring and disappears out of the back.
For a second, I look at Max as he stands there, proud. His torso is lean and covered in sweat, along with countless tattoos that glisten beneath his sweat and the overhead lights. After a second or two, he raises his gloves and scans the crowd, his dark eyes landing on mine.
"Liss," Tiana says, tugging my arm. "We need to leave now or I'll miss curfew."
I nod but can't drag my gaze away. Tiana is still pulling me and with one last look at Hayden and Maddie, I go. We race down the steps, desperate to get home before Tiana's midnight curfew, and when the Uber pulls up, we slip into the back.
Things are silent until Tiana says, "You're not really going to go to that sketchy gym again, are you?"
I pause and lean back against the headrest. "Of course not," I say, closing my eyes, and I mean it.
The only therapy I need is retail.
❤️
Advertisement
Revenge On My CEO Husband
Before Lauren Jones's hand touched the bedroom door, she had heard the sound of people having sex in the room. A woman's deep moan was mixed with a man's low gasps that she couldn't be more familiar with.
8 639A Beautiful Catastrophe
"If you’re given a chance to live once more, will you take it? Even if… it comes at a cost?"
8 703Diamond In The Rough (Complete)
A reverse type of ‘Aladdin’ Story.(Book 2 of TLCsDestiny Fairy tale books) Rangcew, the capital of Commorda, might be flustering about with the upcoming marriage of Cid and Princess Bethany but that doesn’t mean everything is going according to plan for Prince Elton.Prince Elton, the next in line for the throne, has serious plans to disrupt and force his own father to abandon the title of ‘King’. With this, Prince Elton finds what he needs to make this goal to finally happen!…The ‘Little Pillager’ knows and has evidence that he needs! He must obtain it without fail!But to woo the woman, he is in the unknown and feels like he’s the one being wooed instead! Alison, a thief with a cause, ends up in trouble, only to be caught in a web from the very same person that had brought her family down. Suddenly, she’s become a daughter to another family, with nice dresses and yummy food…This was all to ‘tame’ someone…It is all to woo the Prince…With reason to ‘play along’, Alison finally finds evidence to reclaim her family’s innocence but…Never thought that she’d ‘stupidly’ fall for the son of that man!It all just seems so impossible and wrong to go down a certain path, it’s a romance that can’t even be thought of, yet alone acted upon! Then…Why is she so easily lying and pretending like she does want this? Sometimes she even forgets who’s she’s supposed to be entirely and gets swept away by the idiot who claims himself to be a Prince! Without knowing, they help the other. Without knowing they both become greedy for a certain person’s presence and affection…Can a thief strive for the position of Queen? Can the Prince speak the words that need to be said?
8 151Lust || Miraculous Ladybug
In Collège Françoise Dupont, Adrien Agreste is known to be the highschool's bad boy. He has a pretty face, but so handsome that every living soul with a preference has to take a double take when passing him, almost everywhere. Obviously, with this kind of power, he used this to his advantage and pretends to care for those who are so head-over-heals for him. After a new student arrives, Adrien finds something out. Not everyone is attracted to a pretty face. Maybe the reason why he fools everyone is maybe he wanted to get them back. Or he was just... scared. And never wanted to love anyone, ever again.
8 77His Ava
Adrian Kingston, the 29-year-old CEO of Kingston Hotels. The most eligible bachelor and the guy, who all the girls have hots for. He works hard to keep his business successful. He loves his family and he is not interested in relationships. But what happens when he meets Ava Smith, a 28-year-old shy and ambitious surgical resident. Will it be just a casual fling or something more?
8 144Being Neighborly
What's worse than beginning your senior year in a new town? The reason for having to start over.After being relocated from her hometown of 17 years, Leila Garner must juggle the stress of a new school, new friends, new living arrangements, and her past. Things seem to be going well, or as well as you can expect a teenager to adjust to change, until she crosses paths with Tristan Johnson, resident mysterious bad boy. Also, her new neighbor.Will Leila be able to navigate her way through a new life, or will her recent past come back to haunt her? Moving forward isn't easy when you have a nosey neighbor to deal with..._____________________________Thank you so much to @FiftyShadesofTimmy for the beautiful cover ❤️*first few chapters of the sequel "Love Thy Neighbor" are out for those who binge read:)
8 65