Page 18 of Ravaged From Fate

“I’m sure I’ve got some gear in your size,” Cyrus says. “What do you say? Wanna fight?”

I’m up for a bit of fun.

“Sure.”

* * *

“I’m definitely going to watch this,” Juniper remarks as Cyrus and I square up in the boxing ring. True to his word, the Samoan has found me some gym clothes to wear.

“Go back to your bag,” Cyrus says.

“And miss out on two big guys having it out with each other? No stinking way.”

She leans on the other side of the ropes to watch us.

“You fought before?” Cyrus asks me.

“I have. Lots of times.”

“Oh, yeah? What gym?”

I smile. “No gym. Just me and my two fists.”

Cyrus throws his head back and laughs. “I like you already.”

“This will be interesting,” Juniper comments from the sideline, barely concealing her glee.

Cyrus throws me a pair of boxing gloves. “Well, let’s see your natural talent, then.”

And so we spar.

Cyrus is fucking good. But so am I.

I duck and weave his blows, but he still manages to catch me. I make my own counters.

With every punch landing on me, I feel the aggression and anger building up inside. It’s an all-too-familiar sensation. And I start to let it out.

I remember the night before with the gang members. I remember that man with his hands around my mother’s neck.

And those memories flow into my fists.

I hear Juniper whoop, and that’s when I stop.

Before I can lose control.

I snap back to reality to both Cyrus and I taking deep breaths. The pain from the wounds inflicted on me last night return with a vengeance. I find myself grimacing.

“Wow,” the Samoan says.

“I’ve never seen Cyrus so shaken,” Juniper remarks.

“You’re good, man,” the gym owner says to me. “Real good. There’s potential in you, just some technical things you need to work on.”

“Good,” I grunt in reply.

I immediately strip down and quickly change into my clothes without a word.

And then I walk out of the gym.