The Secrets We Keep (Formally WAIT)

Chapter 22

"Okay, so first thing you want to do is stand in a position that will allow you to have the most power in your punches."

I stared at him annoyed.

"Why, because I'm weak?"

"No," he says matter-of-factly. "Because you want to prevent yourself from getting knocked over when you swing and when someone swings at you."

"Oh," I say looking at the floor.

"So," he says moving to stand next to me. "Place your left foot in front of you and your right foot adjacent behind you."

He moves to demonstrate and I try to match his stance.

"Okay, good, but you want to keep a gap between your feet. So they aren't so close."

I move my foot out a little more and he nods.

"Now the key to punching properly is being able to twist your hips. The power comes from your lower body, not necessarily your arms."

I nod slowly impressed by his knowledge. Are all boys this knowledgeable about fighting?

"Next, make a fist and tuck your thumb in front of your fingers, not inside your hand."

"Bring them up to your face and right by your cheeks and keep your elbows in tight. This is how you're going to protect yourself from someone else's punches. Now, throw a punch with your right hand."

I fling my right arm forward awkwardly not sure what the target is supposed to be seeing as there is nothing in front of me.

He smirks and I drop my hands to my side irritated that he's embarrassing me.

"No, that was fine, just make sure you swing your hips. Try standing more so on the balls of your feet so you can twist your leg when you swing your hip."

I nod and he moves to stand in front of me.

He taps his cheek and beckons for me to swing at him. I stand there on the balls of my feet anxious. I don't want to hit him, what if I hurt him?

"Come on, don't be a wimp. You're acting like a baby. Come on. Hit me." He gives me a stern look and I let the emotions from his egging on fill me up and I swing out my fist, making sure to twist my hips into it.

I squeeze my eyes shut, expecting to make contact with his face, and crack them open to see that he's shifted his body to avoid my punch.

He smiles at me and I straighten up.

"Again, this time, don't close your eyes."

After a few more attempts to punch him, he stands next to me and places his hand on top of mine.

"Relax, let me show you."

I let out a deep breath and allow him to hold my fist in his hand. He pulls it back to my cheek and straightens it out, this time twisting my wrist inwards so it doesn't swing out to the side.

"Like that," he says letting go of my hand and returning to his original position in front of me.

He puts his hands out in front of him and tells me to punch first with my left hand and then my right hand.

I swing lightly making contact with his palm and then with the other one.

He sighs and shakes his head.

"You're not going to hurt me, now give me all you got."

I bounce on my feet and take a deep breath in. I release it just as my left fist collide with his left palm. A loud smack resonates as I quickly punch his other palm. He acts unphased by my hits but smiles widely.

"Damn," he says smirking. "You've got some power."

I smile shyly at his compliment certain that I'm blushing.

"Okay, next combo. You're going to swing sideways and inwards." He demonstrates and I return my hands towards my face. He reaches out to lift them a little higher and then places his palms parallel to each other in front of his chest.

I swing repeating the loud smacking sounds and smile confidently. Wow, that felt really good.

"I know," he said.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that I said that out loud." I bite my lip in embarrassment.

I meet his gaze and find myself opening my mouth to speak out loud again.

"How do you know so much about this stuff?" I ask rubbing my hands a little.

"I, um, trained in MMA." He walks back over to the desk and takes a seat in the chair.

"Cool," I say pretending I know what he's talking about. "Um, what's MMA?"

He chuckles and begins to explain.

"Mixed Martial Arts."

"Oh, right. That makes sense." I peel the tape off and start to unravel the gauze wrapped around my hands.

I hold the kind of sweaty gauze in my hands and debate whether or not I should ask him about the bruises. The question blurts out of my mouth and I can't stop it.

"Is that where you got the bruises?"

He flicks his eyes over to mine and stares at me intently. I drop my eyes to the floor and shift my weight to my other leg.

"Yeah," he finally says. "But don't say anything. Ok?"

I nod and meet his eyes. He picks up his half-eaten apple and takes a bite out of it. I wonder why it's such a secret. I mean he got into a fight the other night. Whatever, we all have secrets. God knows I do.

"So, um, what now?"

"Oh," he says swallowing the food in his mouth. "I can take you home?"

"Sure," I say reluctantly. Home is the last place I want to go.

"What should I do with this?" I ask holding out the wraps.

"I'll take care of it," he says placing it on his desk. I follow him out of his room and back down the stairs to the garage.

The car ride home is filled with silence except for the sound of music softly coming out of the speakers. He suddenly breaks the silence as we wait at a stoplight.

"I meant what I said earlier."

"Huh?" I ask confused.

"About not being embarrassed about being seen with you."

"Oh," my heart starting to race. "Kay."

I tuck some hair behind my ear trying to make myself look less f*cked up.

"After what happened today, I figured it'd be better for you if it wasn't known that we were together."

I can feel his eyes on me, but I don't meet his gaze and the car starts to move again. I instruct him to drop me off at the end of the street and I quickly exit once the car pulls to a stop. I shut the door swinging my backpack from the floor onto my back and walking quickly towards my door. He pulls away from the curb and turns around, driving back the way that we came.

He doesn't actually care, right?

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