Match in the Gas Tank || Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz

61 Faking It

Phoenix's arms moved swiftly through the air as she sent her fists at the punching bag. It was brand new and held well, unlike the one she'd busted at the dojo. Its faux leather exterior was cool against her knuckles with every punch and it didn't squeak every time it swung. She liked its sturdiness and how it didn't tip over whenever she landed a particularly hard hit.

For Christmas, her mom had paid to turn half of their garage into a mini gym for at-home training. It was more than the punching bag and mats, including some other equipment she'd wanted to try out and a pair of katanas she'd been eyeing for months. Ever since she got them, they'd been hanging on the wall looking pretty, but she planned to take them down soon and learn how to wield them.

She stopped fighting the punching bag and held her hands up to stop its movement, taking a deep breath. She used her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead and reached for her water bottle, only to find it almost empty. She huffed and took it inside, deciding it was time for a small break. However, as she walked into the kitchen, she heard a voice coming from the adjacent room.

"I don't know, Janie," Ronnie said from the living room. She let out a heavy sigh. "She just doesn't seem like herself."

Phoenix stopped everything, becoming still as could be as she listened. The last thing she wanted to do was eavesdrop, but her aunt was talking to her mom, and from the sound of it, they were talking about her. Her natural curiosity got the better of her. She couldn't help but try to fill in the blanks as to what her mother was saying, but all she got to hear was what her Aunt Ronnie was saying.

"I mean, she's taking the breakup well, but she's not happy without him," she went on to say. Her footsteps sounded from the other room but never came close to the kitchen. Phoenix concluded that she was pacing, which wasn't uncommon for her when she was on the phone. "You know Eli was everything to her. I just don't understand why they broke up. She won't talk to me about it."

Another pause and Phoenix didn't move a muscle. She only stared at the countertop and held her black water bottle in both hands, regulating her breathing. All she did was listen, pushing out thoughts of the traitor as his name was mentioned.

"No, no, you don't have to come home," Ronnie said softly. "I've got this under control. A girl's first heartbreak is so personal, you know? I'm sure when she's ready to talk about it, she'll come to me or call you. For now, you just stay in Seattle and help that guy. You're saving his life after all."

There was another long pause.

"I know you do, but you know how she is. She wants you to do your job. You're her hero. You save lives," Ronnie said fondly. Phoenix heard the smile in her voice, but it couldn't bring a smile to her own face. "Stay put. We're fine. And if we're not, you're going to be the first person I call."

A short pause.

"Right, right, the cops first and then you," she said and laughed.

They continued talking on the phone, but the conversation shifted to Seattle and Jane's work. With it, the house fell back into normality. The buzzing silence around Phoenix melted away and she turned to the fridge. She pushed the ice button first and drowned out her aunt's voice with the loud, almost violent clinks of the ice dropping into her metal water bottle. As she switched to the water, she heard footsteps behind her.

Ronnie came in and Phoenix heard the smile in her voice as she spoke. "Hey, Eves, your mom's on the phone. You wanna talk to her?"

"I'm in the middle of a training session," she said. Waiting for the bottle to fill was agonizing. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was pretend she hadn't overheard part of that conversation, so she pushed it off. She wanted to forget it happened, but deep down she knew that wouldn't happen. "I'll text her later."