y gloves strike the bag with razor precision. To say that I'm pissed is an understatement – the heavy bag takes such a beating that I start to feel sorry for it – but that's what the Class family does, albeit for very different reasons: drive you fucking crazy.

I throw a combo of punches and jabs, able to feel the pent-up aggression power through my hits. I've been doing this for nearly an hour now, and I'm no less irritated than when they showed up, so clearly, something isn't working. Still, hell if I'll admit I let them get to me. I focus harder, transfixed by the power that burns through my muscles with each quick one-two. As screwed up as I am right now, this rage is good for my fight.

Jaw clenched, I feel my breath roughen as I land a quick jab. It works for a while, this steady back and forth, but the harder I convince myself everything's fine, the harder it is to believe it. And that's the worst part - the part that makes me sick to my core: her parents were right.

Hell, Alyssa's message earlier all but confirmed it. She tells me she's fine, but now I find out that her friends - minus one - are icing her out, and she's elbow deep in milkshake. On what planet is that fine?

Throat tight, I punch the bag harder, trying to fight off the sliver of guilt as it works through my muscles, but the truth is, her parents were right, and I'm selfish as hell, 'cause even though I've watched this relationship upend her life, I can't find it in me to walk.

I land another jab, throwing a combo of uppercuts and right hooks, determined to focus on the upcoming fight, but doubt works its way under my skin. And as someone who's used to blocking out distractions, it's frustrating as hell.

"Shit, who pissed you off?"

I don't have to turn to know that it's Auden - I'd recognize that squeaky voice anywhere. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I'm taking a mental health day," he says as he walks up to a heavy bag.

I glance over, giving him a disapproving look. As much as this kid irritates me, hearing that he's skipping invokes my brotherly instincts. "This better be your last mental health day for a while," I warn.

He grins and slips on his boxing gloves. "What're you gonna do? Call up my school to check?"

I raise an eyebrow to show him I'm serious. "If I have to."

He falters a second, then rolls his eyes. "You know, Hayden doesn't give me this much grief."

I land another jab to the bag. "Hayden babies you."

"You baby me," he says before smiling. "Hey, you wanna spar?"

I fight back the laugh in my throat. Half a round with me, and Auden would be begging for mercy. Still, something about the hopeful look in his eyes strikes a chord. "I'm about to head out," I say, "but I'll make you a deal. If you can stay in school all week, I'll spar with you at the weekend. Deal?"

His eyebrow arches, a gentle reminder of his distrusting nature, but I don't exactly blame him. From what I've heard, Auden was dealt a pretty rough card. "Easy," he says, "and don't start crying when I beat you."

"I'll try not to," I say as I pull off my gloves, then nod to his heavy bag. "Don't hurt yourself, kid."

He mutters something I don't quite hear as I head into the office. It's convenient as hell to have access to the place between my sessions, but every time I walk in the room, which is barely big enough for the bed it contains, I'm reminded yet again of Alyssa's situation.

Still, there's not a whole lot I can do about it now, so I shower and change before heading to my version of hell - The Palisades. Out of all the jobs she could have chosen, she chose the one place her ex-best friends are likely to frequent. Still, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know why she did it: the cafe is familiar, making it easy to pretend things are normal, even when shit's falling apart.

It's the same way I feel about the gym. As a kid, it never seemed to matter how bad things got or how screwed up my life was. The second I stepped into the gym, I forgot all the bullshit. The second I stepped in the ring? I was home.

So, even though The Palisades is the last place I feel like going right now, it's her home, and she needs it. Of course, traffic, as always, is a bitch. I wait in a long line of cars, hands practically white from gripping the wheel as I bob along to Tupac - it's all I can do to stay sane. But even his Greatist Hits don't do the trick, so I go full old school and put on his early music before nodding to the beat.

I signal the next left, pulling into the parking lot and switching off the engine. I'll admit, while I'd rather gouge my eye out than walk into that milkshake bar, I feel like a damn puppy waiting to see Alyssa; she's the only thing about all this that still makes any sense.

With a heaving sigh, I climb out, about to walk to the front of the building, when I spot Alyssa in the corner, leaning against a trash can. She's got her head in her hands, and even though I'm too far away to make out her expression, it's clear she's upset.

Something protective comes over me. I head toward her, hell-bent on holding her and never letting go, 'cause the sight of her upset damn near kills me. But before I get close enough, the back door swings open, and Kino walks out.

Parts of their conversation carry in the silence of the parking lot. "Peter says if you want to go back in there, you can," Kino says. "He's not mad or anything."

I hold back a moment, trying to piece together what happened. From the splashes of milkshake on Alyssa's apron, nothing good.

"I don't know if I can face the humiliation," she says.

"I already cleaned up the mess for you. The table you served has already left-" Kino smiles and adds, "-a fresh start."

She looks up tearfully, surprised when he pushes back a strand of her hair. "Look," Kino says, "what happened was embarrassing, but it's over. You're Alyssa Class, remember? She'd never sit here crying over spilled milkshake."

He smiles as he says it, which pulls a smile from her. My stomach knots, and for a split second, I can't help but think that someone like Kino would be an easier pill for her parents to swallow. He's a good kid: considerate, book smart, with good enough grades to open any door he feels like opening. Engineer, scientist, hell, even an astronaut - the world is his oyster. Me? Not so much, but like I said, I'm selfish as hell.

Feeling like an eavesdropping creep, I put aside my irritation and start to head over when her next words stop me dead.

"It's not just the milkshake," Alyssa says, and the crack in her voice cuts right through me. "It's everything, Kino."

Every part of me stiffens as Kino says, "What do you mean?"

Alyssa laughs like she doesn't know where to start. She holds up her hand, ticking each thing off her fingers. "My parents hate me, I have exactly one friend at school, and now I've proven that I can't even do something as simple as a milkshake. I feel like-" she stops and sighs before looking at him, "-I'm scared."

It feels like a punch to the gut. These are all things she'd convinced me were fine, and now I find out she's worried as hell, which pretty much changes everything. Me being stressed is one thing - that's been my default since I was a kid - but I'll be damned if she feels that way too.

"What are you scared of?" Kino asks. I'm sure he's pieced bits together by now, but having ignored me since the night of my party, he doesn't know half of it.

Alyssa shrugs and pulls off her hairnet before holding it in her lap. "Everything I know is changing so fast that I keep wondering what's going to be left."

Kino looks at her, eyebrows drawn in sympathy. He's always been better at this than I have - the whole empathy thing. Mom always said I take after our father, but Kino? He takes after her.

"You," he says like it's obvious. "Money and friendships aren't what make you you, Alyssa. You don't need any of that stuff."

She sighs and pulls her hairnet back on before getting to her feet. "I hope you're right."

The pair head inside as I lean against the wall, staring out att he parking lot. I'm trying to cool down, because the last thing I need is to walk in there and have her think something's wrong, but faking has never been my strong suit.

When I'm ready, I walk around to the front entrance and drag my sorry ass inside. Kino and Alyssa are already at the counter. I close the distance between us, watching her smile light up when she realizes it's me.

"You came," she says, kissing my cheek, "and thankfully, you missed my moment of humiliation. Milkshake went everywhere-" she shudders, "-it was bad."

I grin, even though it falters, and say, "How 'bout you serve me a milkshake and tell me all about it."

She smiles and gets to work on a Chocolate milkshake. I lean against the counter as Kino stands behind her, coaching her through each step. She looks exhausted as hell, covered in splashes of chocolate milkshake - or at least what I hope is chocolate milkshake - but there's a glimmer of triumph in her eyes when she hands me a milkshake that doesn't look sick.

"That one's on the house," she says with a wink.

I fight back my smile and take my first sip. "Now this," I say, a glint in my eye, "this is the best damn milkshake I've ever had."

She lightly swats my arm and says, "Liar," but I can tell from her face that she's proud of herself, which instantly makes up for all the bullshit today.

"It is," I say. "You should open your own milkshake shack. Give this place a run for their money."

"Now I know you're lying," she says and continues to practice more shakes. I watch her from my barstool, torn up about the fact I haven't told her about her parents, but now isn't exactly the time. Clearly, she's got enough on her plate.

It's not long before she's expertly crafting milkshakes for the steady stream of customers that come through the door. She's focused as hell, and I can't help but feel a sense of pride as I watch her in action. Every now and then, she glances over and flashes a smile before returning to her work. It reminds me of the second time she walked into the gym: shoulders back, hair up, determined to prove herself. And not for anyone else either - she did it for herself.

That's what I love about her most.

Behind me, the main doors swing open, and in walks what sounds like a bunch of hyenas. I look over my shoulder, tensing as the Brady Bunch settles into two of the booths – Pretty Boy, the bitchy one, and a bunch of others I've seen before. It's what I'd been worried about, them seeing Alyssa like this, but she must have known that if she took this job, avoiding them would be impossible.

Pretty Boy meets my hard stare. My fingers twitch, and with the mood I'm in, I'm just waiting for the slightest signal to throw him through that window.

Maybe he's not as stupid as he looks, 'cause he turns to his friends and smiles. The rest of them glance over, whisper something inaudible, and smirk before looking away. I glance at Alyssa, not used to this high school bullshit, and wait for her to do something like duck behind the counter. But she doesn't, she turns to face the group directly, head held high like she's ready for this.

I swear, I've never been prouder.

❤️