Worth Fighting For | Book #1

Chapter 39

I mentally cringed as I stepped into the studio the morning after my stupid emotional episode, resulting in Mason coming to pick me up.

All would've been good, had I not have managed to do it all the night before I was due to train with him. And if it couldn't have been even more embarrassing, I possessed the headache to match the alcohol I'd stupidly consumed and the puffy face to match the crying I'd let out.

"How's your head?"

I could practically hear the smirk dripping from Mason's features, causing me to now physically cringe and slide down onto the bench where I stored my bag. "Can we please not talk about any subject to do with alcohol or hangovers in general?"

Massaging my temples slowly, I looked up to Mason with his arms crossed and leaning against the boxing ring. Despite my clouded head, the way he looked at me still managed to make me think that there was something more behind his eyes about the way he saw me.

"Best we get started then."

I breathed out a deep sigh before removing my sweater and stretching out my muscles slightly in order to prepare myself.

We started off with a few warm up drills before getting into the ring and practicing some familiar moves. Despite the fact that almost all of them resulted in me on the ground, most likely a torture method from Mason for waking him up last night.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I complained as I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the towel Mason had thankfully provided me with. His deep chuckle entered my hearing before another blow of his boxing glove swung towards me.

I narrowly dodged and jumped out of his aim. "What was that for?"

"Nobody that's attacking you is going to wait for you to be ready." He prepared himself to attack again by hitting his gloves together. "And as for the hangover, you need to learn to be able to defend yourself when you're at your weakest."

"Is that really the reason?" I shouted out as I dodged yet another punch.

"That, and you deserve it." With a swift wink, we carried on the attacking and counter-attacking before our time was thankfully up and I would be able to crawl back into bed for the remainder of my Sunday and somehow get over the hangover I was still nursing.

"Have you talked to the guy after last night?" I knew who Mason was insinuating, and although the thoughts of Josh managed to cripple my body even more, I faked a smile and looked over to him before leaving.

"Hopefully I won't be speaking to him again after last night."

With that, I left the studio and made the long walk home, not having wanted to drive this morning with the alcohol probably still in my system.

But the thoughts of Josh and Claire last night were definitely in my system. And there was no way to get it out, especially since I would be seeing him again at school very soon.

*

Unfortunately, my Monday morning was not as relaxed as I'd hoped it would be as I walked though the familiar doors nearest to where my locker was situated.

Valentina's arms were crossed tightly, waiting for the explanation from my sober self about how I actually knew Mason and what exactly had happened when I'd left the party with him.

I started by explaining the exact same story Mason had briefed me with about meeting in the coffee shop where we'd had our first date, and how we'd simply become closer ever since. Every other detail about his life had remained the exact same, just without my involvement with the studio and his company at all.