Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

76| One more sleep

Max ♕
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Leaving Alyssa this morning felt like torture. If I had my way, I'd spend the day in bed with her, watching her questionable shows and holding her close. But I can't. Until tonight, all I can do is keep busy.

I spend the day driving all over LA for my delivery shift, my hands operating on muscle memory while my thoughts drift to tomorrow, 'cause for all my attempts to keep busy, I can't stop thinking about Alyssa's fight tomorrow.

Obviously, I have one hundred percent faith in her. But the protective instinct in me recoils at the thought of her fighting and, after everything she's faced this week, getting hurt. Unable to stop myself, I message her at lunch, making sure Marnie and her crew of demons aren't giving her hell. She tells me she's fine and asks if I can spar with her one last time before her fight. Grinning, I message back: as long as you go easy on me.

No promises. ;)

Something about the winky face immediately makes me think of last night. My heart flips, and I swear, for the next five seconds, all I can think about is how goddamn incredible it felt to be inside her again. Another message comes through, this time from Hayden: Auden's here instead of in school, and he's not listening to me. Come and talk some sense into this kid?

Shit.

As soon as I wrap up the last delivery, I stop at home to change again and head to the gym. My eyes scan the empty gym, finding Hayden and Auden sparring in the ring, neither looking particularly bothered about his truancy. Walking up to the pair, I fold my arms and look directly at Auden. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Auden, not bothering to look at me, swings for Hayden again, missing. "School's a waste of time."

Hayden glances at me, raising an eyebrow as if to say I told you so. I lean against the ropes, staring hard at Auden. "You think you'll get a job if you don't finish high school?"

He ignores me, swinging for Hayden again, who neatly sidesteps and hits his helmet with a quick one-two. Auden stumbles, righting himself before circling Hayden. "I don't need to finish high school to be a boxer."

I run a hand down my jaw, sharing another look with Hayden. Auden isn't the first kid to come in here and think he'll be the next big thing, and far be it from me to take away his dreams, but dreams are nothing without something steady to ground you. Usually, it's your parents or your family telling you to stay in school or preparing you for the future, but Auden doesn't have any of that.

"Hey," I say to Hayden, slipping through the ropes. "Pass me your gloves."

Hayden frowns. "But your shoulder–"

"I'll be fine," I say because we're talking about Auden. While I admire his spirit, I could take this kid out in my sleep. Hayden removes his gloves with a sigh and hands them to me. He doesn't speak, but his eyes say it all: Go easy on him.

When I'm ready, I square up to Auden, watching his eyes follow me suspiciously. He's not as relaxed as he was with Hayden 'cause he knows I won't hesitate to drop him on his ass. "So, what," I say, "your plan is to become a boxer? You'll have to pay for your membership here when you turn eighteen. How are you going to pay without money? Where are you going to get money without a job?"

"I'll manage," he replies, throwing a jab past my right shoulder. I raise an eyebrow, silently questioning his effort, and he follows up with another miss to my left.

"If you're aiming for pro boxing, you'll need better skills and equipment. And that's going to cost."

"Coach will help me out," he mutters, dodging my left hook. "Hayden will, too. They're not assholes like you."