Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

56| Manipulation 101

Alyssa ♔
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My music of choice for the ride home is Tupac. I think it will calm me the way it always does when I listen with Max, but all it does is remind me of him, and all that does is remind me of Marnie – more specifically, everything she said.

Tears sting my eyes as I slow for the lights. This trial shift was supposed to be about finding my independence and showing my parents I don't need their money, but all it did was give Marnie the chance she was looking for to ruin me, and it worked.

The traffic is heavy and slow-moving, and I can feel my frustration rising with every inch forward. Cars merge onto the highway, cutting in front of me and causing me to slam on the brakes, which acts as the final straw. I pound on the horn, tears flowing like an open tap as I take out my frustration on the driver in front, and it would almost be comical if it weren't so depressing. The driver beside me looks through their window like I've lost my damn mind, and they're right.

When I finally get through the traffic to the gym, I park outside and take a deep breath, too afraid to go up. I want to believe that Max will accept me for me no matter what, but the way he walked out of the diner tonight makes me worried.

What if he can't?

I turn off the engine, locking the door behind me as I head up the steps. The gym is busier than usual, and most of the equipment is already in use as people fit in their sessions after work. I turn and scan each member, hoping to find Max, but he's nowhere to be seen.

Panic rises through me as I move toward the office, praying he's waiting inside, but the lights are off and the bed as untouched as we left it this morning. It doesn't mean anything: maybe Max returned home to change, and he'll meet me here later. Or perhaps he needed to grab a few things or was given a last-minute shift. There are thousands of reasons why he hasn't made it back, all of which have nothing to do with me.

But even as I think it, the voice in my head whispers, don't be stupid. What if Max doesn't want to see me? What if, for the first time since I ran away from home, he doesn't want to stay with me? What if I have to sleep alone?

I tell myself to get a grip. There's no point thinking of the worst right now, and even if that were the case, even if Max stayed home tonight, it's not the end of the world. We can talk tomorrow once we've both cooled off, and everything will be okay again.

I'm sure of it.

Needing a distraction, I change into my gym wear and head back inside. The treadmill should work, or maybe a few sets on the heavyweights, but then I catch a glimpse of the ring in the corner, where Maddie and Hayden are sparring.

The pair are smiling as they circle each other, trying to find an opening. Maddie throws a jab, one Hayden dodges, before the pair return to their stance. She throws a one-two, but he sidesteps and counters with a jab to her helmet – not exactly a powerful hook, but it knocks her off balance.

She stumbles back, trying to regain it, and the glint in her eye suggests she's nowhere near giving up. She charges forward, throwing a series of jabs and crosses that catch Hayden off guard. He throws an uppercut, but she blocks it and meets him with a hard right hook that connects with his mouth.

He stumbles back, just for a second, and spits out the blood in his mouth. Lifting his gaze, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as a glint of pride fills his eyes. Maddie smiles back and swoops forward, kissing his cheek before spotting me over his shoulder.

"Alyssa," she says, waving, but something about my expression gives her pause. She glances at Hayden, frowning as she breaks from his embrace to move toward the ropes. "Are you okay?"