Hooked (TKO 2)

t just kills you to know she was screaming my name last night, doesn’t it?”

His smirk says it all. He’s pushing my buttons and he’s doing it well. He reaches over and shoves my chest. Just as I’m swinging my fist toward his face, Garrett grabs hold of my arm to stop me. But I don’t give a shit about anything anymore.

“He wants you pissed, Lance,” Garrett says. “Just walk away. Let it go, man.”

“Yeah, Lance,” Travis shouts. “Run along like the pussy you are.”

Fucking prick. I rip my arm away from Garrett and connect my fist with Travis’s jaw. He stumbles back and shakes his head as if he’s trying to decipher what just happened. He should know, because he asked for it. Garrett jumps between us, trying to keep us apart. If he wasn’t my best friend, I’d push him the hell out of the way. I want to finish this—right here, right now.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Howard’s voice booms behind me, and my stomach turns. “Dammit,” he shouts. “I can’t trust you idiots to do anything right, can I? Get the hell out of here, Travis, before I call Mike and tell him what’s going on.”

Travis glares at Howard, almost challenging him. This guy is seriously stupid. “Whatever, I’m done with this bullshit anyway,” he mumbles, turning. I scramble forward in a weak attempt to attack him again, but Howard grabs my arm, yanking me back to reality.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? We just had this talk, Lance. It’s bad enough you got in a bar fight, but now you’re fighting outside after a fight? I know things are tough for you, but you have to get a handle on things. I’ve already warned you, and you didn’t keep your word.” He pauses, as if he isn’t certain he should continue. “I’m suspending you from the gym until I see an improvement.”

His words slice me wide open. “Suspended? You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking? Again, you put yourself and Garrett in a situation that could have ended badly for both of you. I’m not putting up with it.”

Garrett doesn’t say a word because he knows better. I don’t shut up, because I never know when to stop. Even as I speak, I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. “You don’t need to suspend me, Howard, because I quit. I’m done with all of this. I don’t need you, and I don’t need the gym.”

“Have it your way. I really expected better of you, Lance, and you let me down.”

“Join the club. I give my all in that ring. I give my all to people who don’t give a shit about me.” Fury almost makes me tremble as I turn away, brushing past Garrett on my way to my truck. I slam the door closed and turn my key in the ignition. In my rearview mirror, I see Garrett talking to Howard. They both look disappointed. He turns to look at my truck, as if thinking I’ll climb out, maybe rethink things, but I throw it into drive and leave them behind.

The entire conversation plays over and over in my head. I just quit the one thing that really kept me going, the one thing that kept me sane. I drive past Joe’s on my way home and almost stop, but that is the last place I need to be right now. These past few days have been so screwed up, I just want to go home and try to sleep the memories away.

Dad’s truck is parked in the driveway, and I groan at the thought of having to explain all of this to him. I just know the minute he asks how my evening was, it’s all going to come spilling out. He’s been dealing with enough lately. As I turn the doorknob, I take in a deep breath. Walking inside the house still hasn’t gotten any easier. Dad is sitting in the living room flipping through the channels on the television. He turns when he hears my footsteps.

“Hey, son, how was your fight?” My dad has always cared about me and my career. When I first began fighting, he didn’t agree with it, but that never stopped him from showing genuine concern and respect for my choices.

I flop on the couch and let out a sigh. “It was my last fight.” The words sting and make my throat dry.

He sets the remote down on the coffee table and turns to face me. “What do you mean by that?”

I run my hands through my hair, closing my eyes. “I, uh…I quit. I’m tired of it. It’s not for me anymore.”

“Lance, I know you better than that. You’ve been attached to that gym since the day you found it. That’s your life.”

“Well, that part of my life is over, Dad. It’s time for me to move on.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asks. When Mom first got sick, Dad adopted a larger role than he was used to. He was forced to assume the role of the caring mother more than once. I can’t be irritated with him for that. He’s the only parent I have left.

“I screwed things up,” I admit, my voice low. “I let some asshole get to me, and I got into a fight with him twice in the past few days. He started running his mouth this evening after the fights, and I couldn’t hold myself back. Not even Garrett could hold me back. Howard came outside and saw it all. He suspended me. And then I quit.”

Dad’s eyes widen a little as he searches for the right words. “What was this guy’s issue?”

“I met this girl a while back and hadn’t seen her in forever, actually since high school. I ran into her a few days back, and apparently she’s with this guy. She left him, though, and I took her out on a date last night.” Dad’s curiosity has piqued, and he’s listening intently. He knows I don’t date. “I screwed it up,” I continue. “I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut, and she left and went to meet him. They were at the fights tonight. I almost fucking lost because of them, but instead of losing the match, I lost it all.”

“Talk to Howard,” Dad tells me, trying to sound stern. “Tell him you’ll accept the suspension and get back into what you love. Your mom would say the same thing if she were still alive.”

My gut twists at the sound of his words. I know he’s right. He’s always right, but that’s what I love about him. He always knows what to say. Even so, I’m not sure I want to hear it. I want to stand my ground, and be defiant.

“Maybe one day I can do that.” I cross my arms over my chest and stare at the television, which Dad has muted. “But right now I’m not sure.”

“It’s a decision only you can make. You know I support whatever you do.” He turns the sound back on, and shifts to return his attention to the show he’s watching.

I take that as my cue to drag myself off the couch and head to the bathroom for a shower. I close the door behind me and lean against it. I should beg Howard for forgiveness. I should take the punishment I was dealt. While I’m thinking about it, my phone buzzes in my pocket and Garrett’s name flashes across the screen. I tap the ignore button and toss the phone onto the counter. Almost immediately, it begins again. He won’t stop until I answer, but he won’t be able to call if I turn the phone off. As I reach for the phone, a message pops up across the screen. It’s Hilary, who must be intent on torturing me. It’s working.