Atlas Grove, once a dancer with dreams of dancing under the stars, now lives petrified in the shadows of abuse. To escape her living nightmare she must keep her head down and work hard, being her senior year this is her last chance to get out. Altho...
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I watch as Atlas walks out of the changing room, self consciously wrapping her arms around her body as the rest of the burley guys stare at her. Her eyes drop to the floor nervously as the gazes follow her. She's got a pair of Nike sports leggings on and zip up Nike sweatshirt over her torso but it seems even the slightest hint of a women in here makes the men perverts. Dicks.
I walk over and meet her, glaring at the men who've got their eyes hanging out of their sockets and drool running from the corners of their mouths. They quickly snap their necks back around to what they're doing scared I'll throw them against the shitty wall. Fuck, why did I bring her here?
"Sorry love we don't get many girls in here you see," Jack says walking over slowly to us, looking from me to Atlas. I think he's the only man in here that hasn't looked at her ass before her face.
"I don't give a fuck, I'll break their jaws if they don't mind their own business." I bark at him, the guys in the gym sweat even more, eyes widening as they turn away from us. Jack chuckles slightly, patting me on the shoulder- at this point, the poor guy just finds my rage humorous.
"Alright Beckett, I don't want to see her in the ring though." He raises an eyebrow at me, he's been okay with me bringing Atlas, if anything he was happy about having more females enjoy the sport but he was cautious about her getting swept up and getting hurt here.
I know it's ironic since I'm teaching her to fight and usually you... fight... but the guys in here are nasty, half of them are ex-cons and show no remorse in anything, especially knocking a seventeen-year-old girl off her feet.
I still feel uneasy about bringing her here and teaching her, she says she wants to box to keep fit but I don't believe her for a second, she dances and does cheer, she can keep fit doing them but another part of me would feel even worse if I didn't help her especially after what happened last weekend.
Even thinking about it makes me want to hit something.
"Do you think I'm a fucking idiot Jack?" I huff, he smiles at Atlas sympathetically and shakes his head before tottering back to his office.
I lead her over to a few tatted mats- that if you laid on too long you'd probably get lice- to warm up, just running through a few simple stretches and things to get her blood pumping. Her cheeks are hot and rosy by the end and I realise she hasn't taken her jacket off despite the perspiration on her forehead.
"You want to take that jacket off? You're going to get really hot." I say pushing myself off the ground.
"Oh... no it's okay." She murmurs scrambling to her feet to join me, "I kind of have another little favour to ask..." She bites on the corner of her lip too innocent to know what that does to me, "Do you think we could actually start with some weights...?"
"Weights?" I smirk looking at her petite body, I almost laugh at the suggestion she wants to do weights. I think she senses my dismissal in her favour because she hits me lightly on the arm, her face darkening even more.
