Bruised Knuckles and Empty Lies

Chapter 8

Alex's POV

Morgan drove into the parking lot of a huge cinderblock building.

"Is this the part where you kill me?" I joked.

"Sorry, sweetheart, not today," he smiled. "Now, we don't have a lot of time, and you're not exactly dressed for the occasion, so today, I'm going to introduce you to some people and show you the lay of the land. You can leave your stuff in here." Morgan hurried out of the car, and I felt a flurry of nervousness erupt in my chest. It felt different than usual, though. Maybe it was nervousness mixed with excitement.

Morgan once again held the door open for me at the entrance of the building, so I walked in and was hit with countless sights, sounds, and unfortunately, smells. It was a kickboxing gym.

"So, what do you think?" Morgan asked. I looked at him with a smile on my face.

"You're gonna have to teach me. I've never done anything like this before," I told him.

"That's alright, babygirl, I'm perfectly fine with that." Babygirl. He didn't say it in a weird way. He called me that so naturally, like a mentor or a close friend. It made me feel loved. Before I could read too much into it, someone's booming voice startled me a little.

"Hey, my man!" I turned to see who it was. He was a guy who was slightly shorter than Derek, but he was way more muscular.

"Kenny!" Morgan exclaimed happily. I stood back as they bro hugged before he introduced me. "Kenny, this is Alex. You'll be seeing a lot more of her very soon."

"Alex! It's so great to meet you," Kenny said, extending a hand for me to shake, which I gladly took. I was relieved that he didn't go in for a hug like he did with Derek.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied happily.

"Kenny owns this place," Derek explained.

"You want a tour of the place?" Kenny asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his baggy basketball shorts.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thank you," I nodded.

"We only got about ten minutes though," Derek cut in.

"Not a problem. Let's get to it then!"

I followed both of them, looking around at everything and everyone. Kenny showed me the different boxing rinks, the weights, the punching bags, the stretching areas, various workout equipment, and the locker rooms, explaining to me that although this place technically closes at ten, he lets regulars stay however late they want.

"Thanks, Kenny. We really appreciate the tour," Derek said once we had circled back to the exit.

"Anytime, Derek," Kenny smiled, shaking Derek's hand. He looked back at me and said, "You're welcome any time, kid. We love to see fresh faces around here, especially if they're so beautiful." I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Alright, buddy, she's only seventeen, you can lay off," Derek chuckled. Kenny put his hands up in surrender.

"You got it," Kenny smiled. "Great to meet you, again," he told me.

"You too," I smiled back at him.

Derek put his hand on the back of my neck, but in a gentle way, reminding me that he was still watching out for me, and he led me out, calling over his shoulder, "See you, man!" before we both walked out, again with Derek holding the door open for me.

"Can you actually drop me off here?" I asked as soon as we got about a block away from my house.

"You sure, sweetheart? It's pitch black outside."