Silence

5

Three weeks passed rather quickly, each bringing more and more unanswered calls from my father. I knew that he was worried about me, but I still couldn't bring myself to face him. I wasn't sure if it was because I thought he would be disappointed in me, or if it was another reason. Still, I would let his calls go to voicemail, never listening to them. At school, I avoided Bobbie and my old friends. Wolfe would drop me off every morning and then come pick me up before we went to the gym. My bike was still right where I had left it; chained to the tree in front of the gym.

Saturday morning came and with it the smell of bacon and coffee drifting down the hall. Throwing my wet hair into a side braid, I make my way to the kitchen. I found Wolfe putting the finishing touches onto two plates that lay on the counter. "Morning," I say softly as I quickly poured me a cup of the coffee.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" He asked as he sent me a smile. Ugh! It was safe to say that I was not a morning person, unlike Wolfe, who was apparently one. To be that awake before nine wasn't natural in my opinion. I took a big swallow of the coffee before I answered him. "I slept alright... When I finally managed to fall asleep."

"I'm sorry. Here," he said as he handed me a plate, "eat up. Once we're finished, we're going to the gym."

"Oh we are, are we?" I asked as I took a bite of the food. Who knew that he could cook as well as this? It was delicious. "Yep. Ghoul called Dave this morning and he wants an unofficial rematch." I huffed as I took a larger bite. "He just can't handle the fact that a girl beat him again." Wolfe laughed as he dug into his breakfast as well.

"Dave told me that Ghoul's the new owner of the gym."

"That's what I heard as well. He's also one of my teachers." Wolfe's eyes snapped up to mine. "What?"

"Yeah, he's my science teacher. I'm just glad that my hood didn't fall off last night." I gave Wolfe a half smile as I finished my food. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"My mom taught me when I was younger. She thought that it would come in handy for me one day."

"Well, if I wake up to breakfast like that every day, I just might not leave." I joke as I get up to wash my plate. My comment had him laughing and I just shook my head. It felt good to joke around again.

Once everything was cleaned and put up, we left the apartment and headed towards the gym. When Wolfe's truck came to a stop in front of the gym, I was glad to see that my bike was still right where I had left it. "See, I told you that it was safe here," Wolfe spoke up as he locked his truck. I didn't say anything, just reached over and hit his shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" He cried out as he rubbed the spot where I hit him. "I didn't hit you that hard you big baby." He sent me a glare but I just chuckled. I had no idea where this good mood came from, but I didn't want it to leave. As we entered the gym, I didn't see my father quickly exit his car and follow us in.

Wolfe led me to the locker room where I quickly pulled on my hooded jacket. When I got back out to the ring, Ghoul was waiting with me. Neither of us spoke as we quickly climbed into the ring and took our places. Dave explained the few rules and got out of the way. My eyes scanned the man before me and I could tell that he was still pretty sore after our first fight last night.

He was a good fighter, but seriously, I got more damage inflicted on me when I was sparring with Wolfe than I did last night in our fight. Once we starting trading hits, I came to a quick realization. Ghoul was a better fighter than I had pegged him to be. For some reason, he was holding back.

I don't know how long we sparred; I kept everything blocked out. Well, I did until someone walked into the gym laughing. A chill went down my spine as I looked over my shoulder expecting to see James. But my eyes only landed on Jason. Ghoul's fist slammed into my face and I flew backward, slamming into the mat.