Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

3| Black Gloves

Alyssa ♔
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My mother always says that there is nothing a good martini can't fix, and she was right. Standing at the side of the ring with Tiana, I can almost forget that this weekend happened, that my boyfriend of two years cheated on me, that I'm the talk of the town. But then I glance at the ring again, where Justin is circling his opponent, and I'm forced to remember. 

He'd first mentioned his dreaded fight a few weeks ago, and I'd laughed it off as another impulsive whim of his. It's what happens when you grow up having access to everything you've ever wanted: you grow bored and, in turn, become reckless. This explains his cheating, too.

"I can't believe he's still going through with this," Tiana says, taking a sip of her drink. "He's going to get brain damage or something. Why would anyone who is that good-looking risk ruining their face?"

I sigh and scan the room again. Surrounding the ring are all of Justin's friends from the football team. They look so out of place right now, like someone has copy and pasted them from an All-American-Boy rom-com and into this sketchy, rundown gym. First thing tomorrow, this fight will be all the kids at school can talk about; I just hope it at least takes the heat off me.

I turn to the ring again. Justin's opponent, the boy with the black gloves, scans the gym for a second, his eyes falling on me. Our eyes connect, and he stares at me a second or two before turning to face Justin.

He's the same guy I'd seen earlier in the parking lot with Kino. There hadn't been much time to look at him earlier, but standing under the ring with a spotlight above him, I see him much clearer. He's not beautiful in the same way as Justin. Justin is prim and wholesome and well put together, the way a typical Pali boy looks. Black Gloves has this dangerous beauty, with eyes that look hungry for blood.

My new admirer, Khalil, stands next to me, staring at the ring. "How long has blondie been fighting for, exactly?"

I sigh and take another sip of my drink. As much as I hate Justin right now, I'm not sure I want to witness him being beaten to death. "He hired a personal instructor about six months ago, and they've been training every day."

Khalil almost spits out his beer. Slowly, he turns to me. "That kid is getting annihilated tonight."  

My stomach churns as I focus on Justin. His opponent moves slowly, his black gloves raised as he looks right at Justin, his dark eyes wild. It's the look my cat gets right before he ravages some bird.

A pretty brunette sidles up to us and takes her position near the ropes. I sip on my drink and glance over to see she is fixated on the ring. When I grow antsy, I take the skewer between my lips and pull off an olive. "Don't tell me you're into this kinky stuff."

The girl turns slightly. She looks at my lips and the skewer in my mouth, then slowly meets my gaze. "Aren't you?"

I smirk a little and pop the other olive in my mouth. "Not in the slightest."

She smiles and points to somewhere behind the ring, in the shadows, where a tall, broody man with red boxing gloves steps out of the back room. "My boyfriend is fighting tonight. I'm here for moral support."

He spots the girl next to me, smiles a little, and pushes his way through the crowd. When he gets to her, his hand snakes her waist, and he pulls her in close, whispering something in her ear.

She grins and lightly taps his arm like he's said something dirty and she's scolding him. Then he pulls back slightly to give her a look. My heart skips a beat. It's the kind of look Justin gave me once upon a time – the look of someone in love.

"This is Hayden," she says, nodding at him, and Hayden gives us the briefest of nods before looking back at the ring. "He's one of the coaches here at GymCon." 

"I almost feel sorry for the kid," Hayden says. "Max is going to eat him alive."

Khalil tears his eyes from the ring to focus them on Hayden. "That's exactly what I said."

My chest tightens while Tiana says, "Hey, that's Alyssa's boyfriend you're talking about." She sounds defensive because she is. As much as we hate Justin, he's still from The Palisades, and we always defend our own.

Still, I can't help but sip my drink and add, "Ex."  

The girl looks between us. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He will have trained for this, right?"

"Yeah," I say, sounding uncertain. "He'll be fine." 

I down the rest of my drink and force myself to turn to the ring. Max jabs first, a quick flick of his wrist that my eyes can barely track, and it catches Justin on the jaw. I know it's wrong, but I feel a strange sense of satisfaction, like I'm the one who delivered the hit. Justin deserves it, after all. 

As an excuse to look away, I turn to the girl and say, "I'm Alyssa, by the way. This is Tiana."

She doesn't take her eyes off the ring; I'm starting to think she's enjoying this. "Maddie."

Justin's hand shoots out, but Max ducks and hits Justin square in the face, causing him to stumble back. I flinch at the impact but don't look away. The pair go back and forth, dodging and jabbing like a perfectly synchronized dance. Tiana leans forward and asks if we can leave, but I don't take my eyes off the ring. 

A part of me wants to leave, too. I don't know why I came tonight. I mean, I do – I wanted to find a guy to rub in Justin's face – but I'm starting to think watching him getting beaten in a room full of people is punishment enough. 

Tiana sighs into her martini glass. "Seriously, this is disturbing. Why would anyone want to do this?"

Maddie smiles a little before turning to Tiana. "It can be pretty therapeutic, especially if you're going through a hard time." 

I raise my eyebrows because boxing isn't exactly the kind of therapy Tiana and I are used to. "You're telling me that's therapeutic?"

Her eyes flit to mine again. For a second, it's like she can see something in my expression. "You know, this place offers free memberships for the first few months," she says, nudging Hayden slightly. "You should come and try it for yourself."

I glance at Hayden, who squeezes Maddie's arm as he focuses on the fight. There's something alight in his eyes, and I can tell he is desperate for his turn in the ring.

I'm about to speak, but Tee lets out a laugh and then lightly pushes my arm. "Alyssa is the last person you'd find in a gym unless she's going there to scope for boys. She'd be scared to break a nail."

Maddie raises an eyebrow at this but doesn't look away from me. "Maybe she's tougher than you think."

My heart jumps a little. I hate that Tee said that, and I hate that she's right, so I turn to Maddie, square my shoulders, and say, "Maybe I will."

The fight only lasts a few more rounds, and unsurprisingly, Max wins. Both Maddie and Hayden grin as Max is crowned the winner, and Justin stumbles out of the ring and disappears out of the back. 

For a second, I look at Max as he stands there, proud. His torso is lean and covered in sweat, along with countless tattoos that glisten beneath his sweat and the overhead lights. After a second or two, he raises his gloves and scans the crowd, his dark eyes landing on mine.

"Liss," Tiana says, tugging my arm. "We need to leave now, or I'll miss curfew."

I nod but can't drag my gaze away. Tiana is still pulling me, and with one last look at Hayden and Maddie, I go. We race down the steps, desperate to get home before Tiana's midnight curfew, and when the Uber pulls up, we slip into the back.

Things are silent until Tiana says, "You're not really going to go to that sketchy gym again, are you?"

I pause and lean back against the headrest. "Of course not," I say, closing my eyes, and I mean it.

The only therapy I need is retail.

A/N

Hey guys! Who's excited to see more Mayden and what they've been up to??! ❤️