"He's back again."
Hunter looked to the side. The gym was packed this Friday afternoon. It had been a while since the open gym day, and Steve decided to hold another one.
Antonio, the man who'd given Hunter his card the other time, was leaning against the wall near the rings, scanning the place and sizing up the fighters around with the shrewd gaze of a wolf.
Hunter and I had just came in from running outside and were stretching on the other side of the gym.
"Are you thinking about taking his offer?" I asked Hunter, raising my knee to my chest to stretch my hamstrings.
"Of going abroad?" Hunter asked, stretching his arm. "I don't think so. I like fighting, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do for the rest of my life, you know."
"Mhm." His words removed a weight off my chest. I guess part of me was worried he wanted to go train abroad. I should be supportive, if that was what he wanted to do. But the simple thought of not being able to see Hunter whenever I wanted was just terrifying.
No reason to worry about it now, though.
Hunter wanted to take his photography more seriously, and I was relieved he wouldn't put his health in danger by pursuing a real boxing career, even though he was talented at it.
"Hunter!" Steve called, waving Hunter closer. He stood with Brandon and another boxer around the same size.
Hunter groaned. I chuckled. "Go get your ass kicked."
He shook his head. "Why aren't you sparring?"
I scoffed. "Do you see anyone here around the same size as me?"
"You mean extra tiny?"
"Hey!"
He took my punch to the arm as if it was a friendly pat. I narrowed my eyes and smiled deviously. "Don't project your size issues on me."
He choked on air, the tips of his ears turning pink. Ha! Got him.
Shaking his head, a smile peeked through. "You're unbelievable."
"Why, thank you."
He jogged up to Steve, giving me a little grin over his shoulder. Adorable. Although with those bulging muscles and that impressive height, he could hardly be considered adorable.
I hummed under my breath and joined Fernando near one of the punching bags.
"Want me to hold mitts for you?" I asked him.
Stopping mid punch, he wiped his sweat and grinned at me. "Really?"
"Yep."
"You're a doll. Thanks."
"I'll go get them from the back room."
I made my way there, throwing my eyes around the gym. Antonio was still rooted in his spot. Except now he was no longer scanning the fighters. His eyes were fixed on someone.
Hunter.
I slowed down. Hunter was wearing his gloves, punching Brandon's mitts. And Antonio was looking at him like he was a money making machine. Worry nipped at my guts, despite Hunter's earlier reassurance that he wasn't interested.
I blew out a breath and looked away from them. I was being ridiculous. If Hunter decided to pursue boxing professionally and wanted to go abroad, then I really shouldn't have a problem with it. It was his life. He should do what was best for him. And that didn't mean that our relationship would end.
But I was just human, and long distance relationship were notoriously brittle. My heart began racing. I paused in the hallway and took deep breaths. The thought of losing Hunter filled me with panic.
Stop!
I rubbed the thin blue scrunchy around my wrist. Stop overthinking.
Still, the seed of anxiety was still there, just waiting for the lightest drop of rain to sprout.
And that rain came much sooner than I expected.
*** **** ***
We were sitting at lunch when Jason dropped the bomb.
"Liza and I broke up. Does anyone want to exchange chocolate milk with chicken nuggets?"
Everyone froze. Lia glanced at me, wide-eyed. Scott opened his mouth. Oh, no.
"You got a deal if you throw in your fries," I told Jason before Scott could ask about Liza.
Jason's shoulders relaxed, he grinned at me. "Half my fries and chocolate milk for nuggets. Deal."
We made the exchange, and Stefan and Lia helped me steer the conversation away from Jason's breakup. Fortunately, Scott's thick head caught up with the plan. And no one mentioned Jason's breakup again.
I'd seen Liza here and there. She was always with a group of nice girls. At least she wasn't alone. I guess things didn't work out between her and Jason, after all. It was such a shame.
Hunter pulled out his phone and scrolled through. He stiffened, a frown tugged down his brows. I leaned closer "What's wrong?"
"College..." he mumbled.
I checked the date on my phone on the table. Oh, today we were supposed to hear from some of them. "What's wrong? You didn't get in? There are still a lot-"
"No, I got in," he said, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "But not to the program I applied to."
"What?"
"Business management..." he mumbled. His face iced over and he cursed. He shot to his feet.
"Hunter, what's wrong?"
"My father, that's what's wrong," he said, grabbing his backpack. "I gotta go."
He took three steps away before doubling back. He kissed my cheek. "I'll call you."
Then he was striding out of the cafeteria like a hound scenting blood. My stomach tightened. I didn't have a good feeling about this.
*** **** ***
Hunter didn't come back to school that day, and he didn't text until I was on my way to the parking lot, asking if I needed a ride to the gym.
I told him Lia would drop me off, and we decided to meet there. His car was parked along the street of the gym. He was leaning against it, his hands tucked in his pockets, the line of his shoulders tense as he stared off at nothing. The glow of sunset played off his pitch black hair and made his skin look golden.
"Your brooding hero," Lia said when I stopped the car.
I snorted and grabbed my backpack off the backseat. "Go do your homework."
"I don't have any," she said with a grin. "I only have math, and Stefan will do that, remember?"
Right. Their bet. "I bet Stefan was just stoked about it."
She gave an evil laugh and we stepped out of the car. Lia got in the driver's seat and sped off. Hunter was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice me until I was steps away from him. I leaned against the car next to him.
"Hey."
"Hey," he mumbled, his thunderous expression receding a bit when he looked at me.
"Rough day?"
He heaved a deep sigh and grunted. I put my backpack on the hood of his car and hugged him, as tightly as I could. Tension leeched off his body and he squeezed me to him. We stood like that in silence, his heartbeat steady and loud against my ear. I hugged him until the muscles of his body loosened.
He pulled back and framed my face with his hands. The warmth seeped into my skin and imprinted itself in my veins. Then he kissed me. He kissed me like he was drowning and I was his last breath of air, like he wanted to steal my heart and tuck it into his chest right beside his.
He kissed me like he would never kiss me again. Urgently. Desperately.
When we finally pulled back for air, I frowned at the look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" I whispered. "Was it really your father?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"But how?" I asked. "You're the one who applied to college. You're the one who filled out everything."
His self deprecating smile hurt my heart. "Money," he said. "I underestimated my father."
"Money?" My frown deepened. I knew money could buy off a lot of things and people. But playing around with college applications?
"Money and connections," Hunter said, a tick in his jaw. "He got my grandfather to help him. Benedict Jamison doesn't know the meaning of the word impossible."
"Benedict... your grandfather?" He nodded. "So what are you going to do now?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I told my father I'll just not go to college if he kept intervening in my life."
His lips thinned. There was that dark look in his eyes again, the one that promised violence. "And?"
"He threatened to fire Tia Sofia."
My breath caught in my throat. Tia Sofia was perhaps the only true family he had. Hunter's father was a massive bastard. I hated him. Hunter continued. "Tia Sofia heard us, and she quit."
"She quit?!"
He nodded. "That's why I didn't call earlier and didn't come back to school. I helped her pack and drove her to the bus station. She's going to stay with her daughter."
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked.
"I don't know. She said she will. Her daughter is a single mom of three kids. Tia Sofia will have to find work again. I tried to convince her to stay, but she said she didn't want to become a weakness my father could exploit to keep me in line." His jaw tightened to a breaking point. "I hate this. I feel so... helpless."
Tears burned my eyes. I blinked them back and kissed Hunter's cheek. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
He shook his head and put my forehead on mine. "Just stay with me. You make it better."
I didn't know what else to do. So I just stayed with him. The sun was darkening to the final colors of twilight when we heard Brandon's voice calling. "If you're not going to train, go find a corner to cuddle in. You're ruining the gym's badass reputation."
Hunter snorted. I raised my head and glared at Brandon. He was standing at the door of the gym down the street, his grin insolent even from the distance.
Hunter pressed his lips against my temple and pulled away. "Let's go punch him around a little."
I smiled and grabbed my backpack. We got into the gym, accompanied by Brandon's teasing. But the rock on my heart only got heavier, even the gym's comforting smell and familiar sounds failed to make me feel better.
While we made our way to the locker rooms, Brandon stayed behind next to Emma's desk. She was reading, but her shoulders were tense, and her eyes flickered up to meet Brandon with a scowl as he leaned a hip against her desk and said something.
I really hoped those two would work things out between them.
After changing, Hunter and I met outside at the back for a run. I pulled my hood up against the chill of the evening. Our tall shadows melded with the darkness of the building as we ran a couple of laps around the tracks in silence.
Hunter was deep in thought. The sweatshirt he wore strained against his big shoulders. I couldn't resist anymore. "What are you going to do?" I asked.
He sighed. "I really don't know. What I do know is that I'm not going to give in to my father's. It's not even about college anymore. He and my grandfather have it in their minds to control the rest of my life to fit into the vision they have of a Jamison heir. College is just the beginning."
My brows tugged down. "Why are they so hung up on you?" I asked. "I mean, I guess I just don't understand the reason they want you to do what they want so badly. Doesn't your grandfather have other heirs?"
Hunter made a face as we slowed down our pace to a brisk walk. "Both my grandfather and my father are sitting members of the company's board. But after my grandfather left the CEO position, my father didn't take over the position, and that didn't sit well with my grandfather."
"Why?"
"He thinks forfeiting the CEO position will be the first step for the company to slip out of the family's hand, even though he owns the majority of the shares."
"No, I meant why didn't your father take the CEO position?"
"Because he's an incompetent, lazy bastard," Hunter said. "The board didn't vote him into the position, because even though he was my grandfather's heir, they knew he doesn't have what it takes to lead the company."
I didn't completely understand the machinations of the company. But I got the gist of what he was saying.
"That's why my grandfather wants to mold me into the perfect CEO, starting from my college degree. Like I said, college is just the beginning. He's probably going to want me to take every single choice after this with his blessings in order to make me the perfect choice for a future J&Co CEO."
I almost stumbled on my steps. "J&co is yours?" I asked, wide-eyed.
He gave me a look. "You didn't know? Everyone knows."
"I didn't." Wow. Even I knew that J&Co was one of the biggest companies in the U.S. No wonder his grandfather was persistent. I shook my head. I knew they were rich. I didn't know they were that rich. I really was living under a rock.
We drew to a stop. Hunter reached out and took a lock of my hair out of the shelter of my hood. He ran his fingers through it, a thoughtful frown on his face.
"If I have to give up college, I will," he said. "They think I'm just being stubborn and rebellious, that I'll give in eventually."
"I guess they don't know you at all, then," I said.
He smiled, his eyes flickering with amusement. "Nope. If I have to wait tables until I figure things out, I will."
A thought popped into my mind. "You're turning eighteen in a couple of months, right?"
He nodded.
"You can start fighting," I said, even though my stomach twisted at the thought. "You're pretty good in the ring, and even if you don't want to do it for the rest of your life, you can at least get enough money out of it to be independent. Maybe with enough time, they'll lose hope and leave you be."
He gave a slow nod. "I guess."
"You can speak to Brandon and Steve," I said. "They'll give you advice about how to go through with it."
He surprised me with a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing against his warmth. Hunter's hugs were the best.
"I love you," he mumbled against my hair.
"I love you too," I said, patting his back. "Everything will work out. Don't worry."
When we went into the gym, Hunter found Brandon and Steve, and they fell into a serious conversation.
I left him to it and pounded my frustration and anxiety out of the punching bag. I didn't like how persistent his family was about this, to the point of using Tia Sofia to twist his arm and make him do what they want.
It would be fine.
But no matter how much I repeated those four words to myself, my guts were still a knot of unease.
--- ---- ---
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M.B.