Carter
“Remember, this assignment is due in one week. Now have a good rest of the week. No class on Thursday,” Mr. Waite, my English teacher said, as he dismissed us after an hour of class. Like everyone here I was glad we had Thursday off, which meant I had no classes that day.
“I think we should get started today,” I said, standing up and bringing my bag up to my shoulder.
“Princess, he literally just said we have a week to do this,” Gage said, standing up as well.
“Doesn’t hurt getting it done early,” I pointed out.
“Doesn’t hurt waiting a few days,” he shot back at me as he led us out of the classroom. “Plus, I have a fight tonight.” We made our way out of the English building before coming to a stop at the section where it split to different buildings.
“You are coming along,” he added.
“Wait, you want me to come to the fight with you?” I was surprised he wanted me to go with him, not that I was complaining. I actually wanted to go and see him fight again. There was something so cool and fascinating about watching Gage fight. He just moved so gracefully and with such power; it was great to see.
Gage stared at me with an are-you-kidding-me look.
“Didn’t I just say that?” I bit back a grin at that. “After your last class just meet me by my dorm and we can go from there.”
“Okay, I get out around three, but if I get out earlier then I’ll text you.” Gage just nodded and stood there awkwardly.
Even though we bonded even more at the football game on Saturday, we were still awkward, not sure how to act around one another. We were getting better though.
“Okay, well, I, um, yes,” was all Gage said before he turned and headed in the opposite direction I was heading in. I laughed softly under my breath. It was a nice change seeing Gage so unsure of himself around me. His normal fuck-it-all attitude hadn’t been present lately.
Feeling kind of giddy, I headed toward my next class, art, with a smile on my face. It had only been about a day and a half since the football game, and I had to say things were going okay for us. Yes, two days wasn’t enough to feel much had changed, but I felt good around Gage. He made me feel different, made me feel like I wasn’t “the golden boy’s sister.” He actually made me feel like he wanted to be around me for me, not for what I had or stand for.
Going to the football game was a good idea. Both Dylan and Gage got really into it and by the end, they were up cheering like the rest of us—well maybe not cheering, but definitely clapping. It was nice seeing both boys get out of their comfort zones and actually enjoy doing something else. I knew Gage would deny it to no end that he enjoyed himself, but I knew he had.
***
Earlier…
“They won,” Dylan said in a stunned tone. I looked over him smiling while shaking my head.
“You seem so surprised.”
“Well…yeah!” Next to me Macey just laughed.
“True sign you’ve never been to a game. They haven’t lost since last year and that was like their second game of the season.” All four of us slowly made our way down the aisle to get out. We had stayed back to let most of the crowd leave, but there were still some people trickling out.
“You’ve been to every game?”
“Yeah. Well, not every single game, but every home one. Macey and I always go to support my brother and Ethan.”
“Dedication, man.” Dylan whistled.
“Don’t you go to every one of Gage’s fights?” I asked.
“Yes. I am his manager-slash-coach.” I raised an eyebrow at that and Gage just shoved him.
“He is not any of those.” Gage grunted.
“More like cheerleader, huh?” Macey supplied a wide smile. She enjoyed being around these two just as much as I did.
“I am not a cheerleader!” Dylan said defensively, holding a hand to his heart.
“Dylan, you are. You stand on the sidelines as his cheerleader. But no worries, it is very adorable.”
“I don’t want to be adorable,” he mumbled.
“But you are.” I reached up and rubbed his head, messing up his hair.
“Hey!” He slapped my hand away and fixed his hair. Giggling, we walked toward 95 Degrees where Ethan, Luke, and Amy would meet us.
“Where are we going?” Gage asked after a few minutes.
“We are going to 95 Degrees to eat. It is kind of what we normally do after a game. That okay with you guys?”
“Uh, Carter, can I talk to you for a second?” Macey suddenly said, grabbing my elbow and pulling me away from the guys. It was only when we were a good distance away that Macey finally said something.
“What?” I asked, more than confused.
“Have you forgotten how much Luke and Ethan hate both Dylan and Gage?” With that it was like I crashed back into reality. How could I have forgotten neither of them liked the other two? “If Dylan hadn’t joked with them about sleeping with you they would probably tolerate him, but Gage is a whole other story. And now that they know you are ‘dating,’ I don’t think they will be pleased.”
Gage and I dating. Dating…I had completely forgotten that Gage told Ethan we were on a “date” last week when we got ice cream. He had to have told my brother by now what he’d seen, and no doubt my brother was pissed. But if he had told him, wouldn’t have Luke talked to me about it before now? So did he know or not?
“Carter? Car?” Macey asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Macey, I forgot they don’t like each other! What are we going to do? And my brother probably knows about Gage and me!” I could feel myself starting to freak. My hands went up to my hair to pull on it while I thought about what my brother and even Ethan would do if they showed up at 95 Degrees with Dylan and Gage there.
It wasn’t like there would be a bloodbath, but that was all I could think about. Nothing good ever happened when guys hated each other and were around one another. It just never worked out for the best. I did not want any of them to get hurt or to get in an argument.
“We can’t take them to 95 Degrees with us or both boys will get pissed at them then us for hanging out with them. I do not want to get a talking to by Ethan, let alone my brother. But what if Luke knows I am ‘dating’ Gage and decides to make a big deal about it? I mean, it isn’t his business anyway, but still, what will happen? Shouldn’t he have already had his bitch-fit though? It’s been a week since we decided this.” I rambled on, barely pausing to take a breath.
“Seriously, Macey, what are we going to do?” I could feel a small panic attack slowly starting. My legs were unconsciously making me pace back and forth.
“Carter,” Macey said firmly as she grabbed me by the shoulders to get me to stop moving and to focus on her. “It is going to be okay. We will tell Gage and Dylan what is going on and see if they still want to go with us. If they don’t, okay. If they still want to eat dinner with us, then Luke and Ethan will just have to deal with it. Okay?”
I forced my breathing to slow down as I took in Macey’s words. That sounded like a good idea. If they did, all the guys would just have to deal with it. That is okay. Things will be okay.
“Okay. Yeah, that sounds good.” I nodded, my small panic attack going away. While I was having my freak out, I didn’t notice Gage was on the phone with someone.
“Let’s go and talk to them,” Mace said before once again, pulling me after her.
“You okay?” Dylan asked the moment we came to a stop in front of them.
“Yeah, great, perfect.”
He just raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t say another word.
“So, we have something we want to discuss with you two,” Macey stated right away.
“Are you breaking up with us?” Dylan gasped, his eyes wide. That instantly made me feel better as I laughed at him.
“No. You see, Ethan and Carter’s brother Luke don’t like you two. I don’t know why Ethan doesn’t, but I know Luke doesn’t because of your smart-ass comment at the diner a while ago.” Mace sent Dylan a look. “But anyways, since they aren’t exactly fond of you two, we want to make sure you still want to go with us to eat.”
“We want you guys to come, but just want to forewarn you that it could be awkward if you come along,” I said quickly, not wanting either of them to think we didn’t want them to eat with us.
“Actually, we have to go,” Gage said. It was then I noticed he had his phone in his hand.
“Oh.”
“There is a fight happening, so Dylan and I have to go.”
“Sorry to leave you guys,” Dylan said, sending us a sad smile. While it was an answer that we kind of needed, I felt disappointed that neither of them was coming with us.
Here I was freaking out about them coming to eat dinner with us, and now I was feeling disappointed that they couldn’t come. Stupid, I know. I couldn’t get a hold of my emotions lately.
“That is okay. Kind of works out then,” I said trying to make sure I didn’t sound disappointed.
“Sorry,” Gage said, and I felt his gaze on me. I looked right at him. I was more than impressed that he’d come with me to the game and even considered going to eat out with us. This was something he would normally not do, and I was beyond ecstatic that he went out of his comfort zone for me today.
“It is okay, no worries. But be careful tonight.” I knew Gage was good—well, more than good, he was great—at fighting, but I couldn’t help but worry that he would get hurt. He had not once come back with a bruise or anything. I just did not want that to change.
“Car, are you saying I don’t know how to teach my man here?” Dylan asked, pretending to be offended. He slung his arm around his best friend, but it looked funny since he was shorter than Gage. I grinned as Gage glared at Dylan. We all knew Dylan had nothing to do with Gage being so great at fighting, Dylan was basically there for moral support, I guess you could say. So yes, he was Gage’s cheerleader.
“That goes for both of you. I don’t want find you guys in pieces.” I didn’t know if Dylan was fighting tonight but I was just as worried, if not more, for Dylan. Dylan told me a while ago that he doesn’t fight that often but when he does he wins, which is good I guess.
“Are you saying you like me, Princess?” Gage asked with a half-smile. I realized how that sounded out loud and felt myself blush.
“No, I don’t. I just don’t want to waste any more Band-Aids on you guys,” I replied, not meeting his gaze.
“You don’t like seeing me hurt then.” The smile on Gage’s face was getting wider. Not bothering to reply, I just shook my head at him. It was then I noticed I had moved until I stood in front of Gage and was tilting my head up to talk to him.
“Just go already, doofus.”
“I think you will miss me too much.”
“You think so highly of yourself,” I said.
“These two need to get a room.” I heard Macey whisper behind us to Dylan. Her comment made me blush even harder. I snapped my head over my shoulder to glare at her, only to find both of them looking at us with amused expressions.
“Dylan, let’s go,” Gage said gruffly.
“He always ruins the fun,” Dylan said, but he still had a stupid grin on his face. Gage just rolled his eyes and sadly took a step back from me.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ll see you later then,” I said, not wanting Gage to go.
“Don’t worry, Carty, I will be back before you know it.” Dylan pulled me into a quick side hug before walking around Gage. Like normal Gage, he just said an awkward bye before turning to leave.
“Bye,” I said softly after them, but a wide smile broke out on my face when I saw Gage look back at me over his shoulder with a small smile of his own. Even though it was just a smile, it made my night. Knowing that Gage didn’t smile that often, I felt special.
“Come on, lovesick puppy, let’s go.” Macey interrupted my blissful haze. I turned away from the guys walking away from us and followed after Macey.
“Did you really have to say that?” I asked, practically getting secondhand embarrassment just thinking about her comment about me and Gage.
“Carter, come on, the sexual tension between you two is almost palpable. You could cut it with a knife. I just said what everyone was thinking.” She shrugged. Of course she would do that.
“Sometimes I wonder why I am friends with you,” I muttered, but I could tell she heard me from the shove she gave me.
“Now we don’t have to worry about breaking up a fistfight tonight,” she reasoned. Although I didn’t like that Gage and Dylan left, I knew things tonight would have turned out not so good if all four guys were in the same room.
I just couldn’t help but already miss Gage already.
***
My afternoon classes passed quickly, much to my contentment. I was looking forward to going with Gage to his fight. Sure, I normally didn’t like fighting, but for some reason it was fun going. Maybe Gage was starting to rub off on me.
When my last class of the day, math, got out, I quickly made my way toward Gage’s dorm building. Not sure if he would be there, I sent him a quick text saying that I was on my way. I was slightly early since the professor let us all out ten minutes early. While that didn’t sound like much, it was when you had already been there over an hour. No one could take more than an hour of math in one sitting, or at least I couldn’t.
My flats slapped against the concrete as I walked, and my school bag banged against my thigh every so often. It was slowly starting to get cold here, which I was excited for. For some reason I had a feeling this winter would be a good one. I normally was not a fan of the cold because I was always cold, but it was always nice when you get to wear a sweater and jeans, or sit at home drinking hot chocolate.
Like every girl on campus, I was taking advantage of the warmer weather while it lasted. I wore a pair of white shorts and a cute long-sleeved flowery top. I also had on a pair of simple black flats. I knew that only in a few more weeks it would start to get too cold to wear shorts, so why not make the most of it now?
It didn’t take me long to reach the dorm building. I was coming from the east side, so I couldn’t see Gage just yet. Coming around to the front, I noticed a figure leaning against the wall. Their hands were in their front pockets and the person’s head was leaned back against the building.
Gage.
A smile spread across my face at the sight of him. The small worry that he wouldn’t show up disappeared. Taking a minute to look at him, I slowly made my way toward him. My heart was beating hard and I didn’t know why. The closer I got to him, the faster my pulse raced. Taking a calm breath, I came to a stop in front of him.
Gage looked like he just stepped out of a magazine as he leaned against the building. If it was even possible he’d gotten more attractive since I last saw him a few hours ago. His brown hair still looked perfect while mine probably looked like a bird made a nest in it.
“Ready to go?” His deep voice broke me out of my trance. I couldn’t find my voice, so I just nodded. When he pushed off the wall and stretched up, I just noticed how tall he was. Why have I just noticed that now? I wondered. Not really knowing what I was doing, I followed alongside Gage as we headed for his car.
“Where is Dylan?” I found myself finally asking after a few minutes of walking.
“He still has class so he will come later.” I remembered that Dylan never missed a fight, so why were we heading out so early?
“Your fight is later tonight?” He nodded. “Why are we leaving so early? It is only three-fifteen?” I glanced at the time on my phone in my hand.
“Because we are going to continue with your training today.” I winced at that. I could still remember how sore I was the next day, and how Gage totally kicked my butt that day.
“Do I have to? I came along because I thought you were going to fight, not me.” I groaned. As much fun as it was getting my ass handed to me by Gage, I wasn’t in the mood.
“Who said you had a say in this?”
“Me, the one whose body is going to be tortured.”
“You over exaggerate.” Gage just waved me off. I didn’t get a chance to say anything else before we reached his Jeep.
“Why are we even doing this now? Can’t you ‘overtrain’ or whatever it is called?” I asked as we started driving to the gym where the underground fighting was held.
“There is nothing else to do, and it is boring just sitting around waiting for my fight tonight. It is at six, so we have a while.” He shrugged. “Plus, I can get some training in.”
“Wait, hold up. Training? Are you going to train with me, as in use me to be your punching bag?” I stared at him with wide eyes. No way was that going to happen. I would break under a good punch from him. I’m what the Italians call fragile.
“Yeah, I am going to pretend you are my opponent and go all out on you.” He deadpanned. I raised my hand up at that.
“How am I supposed to know?” Gage shook his head at me while sighing loudly.
“Ask me again why I put up with you?” he asked glancing at me than back to the road.
“Because of my award-winning personality.” I flashed my teeth at him in a smile while batting my eyelashes. “Or my stunning good looks. Or that fact that I am just plain awesome. Take your pick.”
“More like none of the above.” He muttered under his breath, but I caught it.
“Hey!” I shoved his arm.
“Don’t make me crash my car, Carter.” He warned me, but I could see he was trying hard to fight a smile.
I turned to look out the window as we made our way to the gym that wasn’t too far from us. While the gym wasn’t in a terrible neighborhood, considering it was so close to campus, but it still didn’t look great. A tad bit rundown, but that meant nothing. Sometimes the best places were the ones that might not look the greatest. And sometimes the best-looking places were the worst.
It didn’t take long for Gage to pull into the parking lot and park. Grabbing just my phone, I put my bag in the backseat of his car out of sight. While I did that Gage jumped out and rounded the back, grabbing what looked like a gym bag.
I was still impressed by how they made this place look so rundown when the inside was in great condition. It of course looked worse at night, but in the daylight, you could almost see the beauty the building used to have in the day. People definitely made sure no one would look twice at this place unless you knew what it was really for.
When we entered and went down the stairs leading to the fighting/gym area, I could hear the metal of punching bags squealing, meaning they were in use. A few grunts and groans could be heard as well. What sounded like rock, or some kind of metal played softly in the speakers; loud enough to be heard but soft enough you could comfortably talk to someone instead of yelling.
Just like last time I was here “training” with Gage, there weren’t too many people around. When we headed toward the lockers, everyone we passed gave Gage a nod of either recognition or a nod of respect, not sure which. He nodded back to a few of them but didn’t say a word. Maybe Gage was more popular here than I thought.
“So what exactly are we going to do here?” I asked as we came to the lockers.
“I am going to teach you more about some basic fighting techniques. Nothing too extreme.” As he started taking a different outfit of his gym bag, I realized I had nothing to change into. I couldn’t do this in what I was wearing. Sure, last time I was kind of in the same thing, but I knew better this time around. My clothes had been soaked and I felt even more disgusting having to wear them home.
“Uh, Gage?” I asked as he had his back to me.
“Hmm?” He didn’t even look over at me, busy doing something with his clothes or bag.
“I, uh, don’t have anything to change into.” I didn’t know why I suddenly felt so shy about saying that. This time he did turn around and looked me up and down. I felt hot under his gaze and almost covered myself up even though what I was wearing was not revealing at all. The only thing showing were my legs, and they were nothing to brag about.
He didn’t say a word as he continued looking over me. His eyes did stray to my bare legs a few times, but before I could really think about it, he’d move them away. Gage’s gaze made me feel small. I wasn’t super attractive by any means; I just had average looks. I knew I wasn’t ugly but standing next to someone as hot as him, I felt very inadequate.
All of my insecurities were coming up full force. It didn’t help when I remembered what happened with my last boyfriend. Being cheated on and thrown aside like trash really does a number on you. You can’t help but think that something was wrong with you and that was why they cheated. That maybe you weren’t as great as you had thought or hoped.
When my ex, Quinton, cheated on me, I had thought for the longest time that it was because I wasn’t good enough. I was nowhere near as pretty as the girl he cheated on me with, Rebecca. She was like Amy, perfect in every way possible while I was like her adoptive, less attractive and boring sister. It was obviously a mystery as to why I got him as a boyfriend.
So, standing here with Gage staring at me like that, I once again felt not good enough. Not good enough for a guy like Gage to give me a second look. I wanted to be like Amy or even Macey and act all confident and sexy right now, but I couldn’t. I was just average Carter who had nothing to brag about, and had no idea how to even woo a guy.
“Hey Chris!” Gage’s yelling brought me back to the present. Wondering who he was yelling to, I followed his gaze to a nice-looking guy that was standing in front of a punching bag.
“Yeah?” he called back taking a step away from the bag and facing our direction. From here I could see how big his arms were, and they were coated with sweat. There was something weirdly hot about that.
“Is Tiff still around?” Gage asked.
“Yeah, I think she just went into the changing room. Why?”
“Just need to ask her for a favor,” was all Gage said. The guy, Chris, just nodded and returned to his work out.
“Who is Tiff?” I asked. A sudden wave of jealousy came over me, making me pause. What the hell?
“She is going to help you out.” Just as he said that, I noticed a very pretty blonde come walking out of a hallway, which I guess led to the dressing rooms. As Gage called her over to us, I couldn’t help but stare at her. She was beyond gorgeous. What looked like really long blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. A pink form-fitting tank top hugged her curves and showed off her amazing thin body. Black yoga pants encased her long, thin but probably muscular legs. Everything about her screamed “woman” to me.
“Hey Gage.” She beamed as she came to a stop in front of us. Now standing beside her and Gage, I felt even uglier than before. When she smiled I caught a flash of perfectly straight white teeth. Her eyes were an amazing shade of green, which normally didn’t happen with blondes.
“Hey Tiff. This is Carter. Carter, this is Tiffany.” I noticed how friendly he was toward her and it made me even more jealous. He wasn’t like that with me, not even now.
“Oh, this is Carter,” she said and raised an eyebrow at me. I waited for the rude remark to come, or some kind of sneer, but instead I was surprised when she smiled widely at me and came to give me a hug.
I was crushed against her and awkwardly stood there, not really knowing what to do. It wasn’t every day a stranger hugged you.
“It is great to finally meet you.” I looked at her confused. Had Gage been talking about me? Just the thought of that made my heart rate pick up. “Everyone was talking about you from when you pinned Gage down a few weeks ago. Once I heard someone managed to get Gage off his feet, I just had to meet you.”
“Tiff.” Gage hissed but she just waved him off.
“Ignore him, he is always in a pissy mood.” There was something about her I could not help but like. Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t seem to care, and she kind of had this bad-ass feel to her. “What did you need?”
“Carter here doesn’t have anything to change into. Can she wear something of yours?” I looked over at Gage with a raised eyebrow. There was no way I could fit into something of Tiffany’s; she was way too skinny and taller than me, and had bigger boobs.
“Of course! I think I have something perfect for you to wear. Come on.” She didn’t even wait for my reply before grabbing my elbow and pulling me after her. I looked over my shoulder at Gage, but he didn’t seem concerned of leaving me in her care. I guess if he liked her I should too. Gage didn’t seem like the type to like or trust people easily.
“Finally, another girl here! Gosh I swear it is always just guys here, or if there are girls, they are just random sluts,” Tiffany said as she dragged me into the dressing room. “And finally, Gage has a girl, never thought I’d see the day but I had hoped.” I had no idea what to say so I stayed quiet.
“You don’t talk much, do you?” she asked.
“Oh no, I do. I just didn’t know what to say. You just surprised me,” I admitted.
“Don’t worry, I get that a lot. Sometimes I come off a bit strong.”
“I like it.” And I wasn’t lying. While Tiffany did seem talkative and straightforward, I seemed to like that about her. She seemed to have a strong head on her shoulders, which was good.
“I knew I liked you.” She smiled over at me. “Anyways let’s get you changed.” She let go of my arm as we came to a bench that held a single black bag.
“You don’t have to—” I started to say but she cut me off.
“It is okay. I always have another outfit with me just in case. Now let’s see.” She bent over looking in her bag as I stood awkwardly off to the side. Yup, awkward was my middle name.
“I think this will fit you.” She got back up and thrust clothing at me. I looked at the bundle then back at her. I wasn’t quite sure they were going to fit. “Go try them on,” she urged. Sighing inwardly, I headed for an empty stall right across from where we were.
Taking off my blouse, I grabbed the tank top Tiffany gave me. Tugging it on, I found it did fit me but was form-fitting. It clung to my upper body like a glove. It didn’t feel tight and it wasn’t; it was just one of those materials that just clung to you. Sliding my shorts off, I grabbed the pants. Just like with the top, they weren’t as small as I thought they’d be.
The pants were just like the top though; they clung to my legs like no one’s business. It was a little snug in the waist area but nothing terrible. They weren’t too tight to where I couldn’t breathe, and I was reminded of how I feel when I put leggings on at first. I almost didn’t want to leave the stall, afraid of how frumpy I might look. I knew I would not look as good as Tiffany did in this outfit. I bet I had some fat hanging out unattractively.
“Come on out!” Tiffany said from the other side of the stall.
“Okay, one second.” Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for hating what I would see. When emerged from the stall, I heard a wolf whistle coming from Tiffany who was standing a few feet away.
“Wow, girl, you look hot!” she exclaimed. I blushed. Biting my bottom lip, I went over to a full-length mirror off to the side. Once again, I braced myself to see my image.
When I did look at myself, I was shocked. All the fat I thought would be hanging out wasn’t. It was like the pants and top sucked it all in. I thought I looked good. The yoga pants hugged my legs, making them look longer than they really were and thinner. The tank top hugged my body, making my curves stick out more, and surprisingly my boobs looked bigger too.
“Woah.” I breathed out. Who knew her outfit would really fit me?
“Gage is not going to be able to take his hands off of you,” Tiffany said from behind me. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was grinning smugly.
“I don’t think so. He doesn’t like me like that,” I said and frowned at myself in the mirror. Even when I looked like this he wouldn’t do anything. I felt a pang in my chest at that. Did I want Gage to think of me like that? Maybe I did.
“Don’t worry, he will,” Tiffany reassured me. I forced a smile at her and turned away from the mirror. I grabbed my clothes so I could put them with Gage’s stuff. “I can’t wait to see his face.” Tiffany practically bounced as we headed back toward the gym area.
“Thank you for letting me borrow these,” I said. I wanted to thank her now before we got out there.
“No problem. You can keep them too if you want. I have so many at home.”
“Seriously?”
“Definitely. Plus, it looks better on you than me.” She sent me a wink. I gave her a smile back feeling like I just made a new friend.
The closer we got to the gym, the more excited Tiffany became and the more nervous I felt. I had no clue why I was. It was like I was worried that Gage would not approve of what I was wearing, which was stupid.
When we stepped out, my eyes searched for the familiar body. Immediately they landed on Gage’s form; he was now wearing a loose white tank top that showed his arm tattoo off. He had on a pair of those sweats that looked like they were meant for soccer, that hugged his muscular legs. He was over talking to that guy named Chris.
Tiffany led us toward them, and I felt butterflies in my stomach for some reason. When we got closer, both guys’ heads snapped up to look at us. Gage’s brown eyes found mine, but they didn’t stay on my eyes; instead, they traveled down my body. Forcing my arms to not cover myself up, I tried to act like his gaze wasn’t affecting me. Beside me I could see a smug grin on Tiffany’s face as she looked at Gage.
It was like Gage’s eyes were burning through my clothes and leaving a hot trail behind. I felt like I was on fire as his eyes raked me up and down. I felt so exposed in this outfit even though a lot of me was covered up.
I came to a stop a little bit away from Gage, expecting Tiffany to do the same. Instead she went right up to that guy Chris and gave him a kiss. That made sense. All the jealousy I felt toward her disappeared that instant.
“Doesn’t she look good, Gage?” Tiffany asked smugly. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I couldn’t find the words to do so. I wanted to hear Gage’s reply almost as bad as Tiffany did.
There was an awkward silence. I shifted from foot to foot not liking the way no one was saying anything, and doubled with Gage’s stare, I was feeling a little uncomfortable.
“So are we going to train?” I finally said, my voice coming out all squeaky. That finally seemed to do it because Gage cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at me. I could see his cheeks were a slight pink and the tips of his ears were too. Pride swelled inside me that I was able to make him look at me and get embarrassed for checking me out.
“Yes,” was all he said before turning and heading toward the ring. With a wink from Tiffany and a smile from Chris, I padded barefoot after him. I felt a few stares on me as I headed for the ring where Gage was, but I ignored them.
When I got to the ring, Gage was kind enough to hold the ropes down for me to go through. Once I was inside I was once again struck with how big the thing really was. It looked a lot smaller from the ground.
Being inside I almost felt like I was put in a cage with an animal about to go off, Gage being the animal. He seemed to prowl around the outside rim of the ring while I stood there watching him. It was like being in a cage with a hungry animal.
“Okay, let’s start.” I knew those three words meant nothing good was coming.
***
“Come on, fat boy,” I taunted as I bounced on my toes. My arms were shaking slightly from what Gage had put me through, but I ignored it. I was dripping with sweat and I was tired and hungry, but messing with Gage made me forget all of that.
“What did you just call me?” Gage asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t look angry; instead, he looked offended that I called him fat.
“You heard me, dough boy.” I giggled. I couldn’t help myself. I was feeling pretty good right now and wasn’t quite sure if it was because I was exhausted or because I was hungry. Either way I was feeling confident and sassy, something that probably didn’t bode well.
I continued bouncing on the balls of my feet like I was a boxer waiting to fight. I had my arms up in fists, and in a quick movement I jabbed them out. I would make a pretty damn good boxer if I say so myself. Along with the moves Gage taught me, I felt like I could take on anyone right now.
“Come at me, Gage. I can take you,” I taunted him. While I was all sweaty and tired, Gage had barely broken a sweat. His hair still looked like it had at school. It was nearing five and we had been here about two hours give or take, but to me it felt like forever.
“Oh, you think so?” Gage asked, taking a step toward me. He raised his arms up and flexed them. My blue eyes snapped toward them, seeing the nice big muscles. Why did he have to be so hot and distract me from what I was doing? He wasn’t playing fair and he knew it.
“Y-yeah.”
“Okay, you asked for it.” That was all he said before he suddenly came at me. I let out a squeak moving away from him. Gage reached out to grab me, but I quickly moved to the side and ran back toward where he once stood. Running was a great option I tell you!
“Princess, you can’t get away from me.” His voice had gotten lower and raspier, which just made my knees weak. Once upon a time I hated when he called me “princess” because the way he said it made it sound like I was a bitchy person who got whatever she wanted. But now I liked it. He said it in a different tone nowadays, and it made me feel special in a way. Definitely a lot better than before.
“I can, and I will!” I shouted toward him trying to sound confident, something I was starting not to feel any longer.
Facing him, I tried to see what he would do, but he was perfect at masking his thoughts so I wouldn’t know what he was thinking. He always had something new up his sleeve; no wonder he never lost in a fight.
“Come at me, bro,” I said with one finger pointed at him, signaling for him to come at me. I had no clue why I kept egging him on, but it was fun. I knew he wouldn’t really do anything to me, but it was funny watching his expressions as well as his attempts to get me.
I could see him getting slightly angry now that I dodged his move. He was getting tired of me messing with him, while I was just getting started. I was grinning like a maniac and I bet my eyes were shining. He didn’t even make a sound as he ran toward me, faster than I thought.
I did not have a chance to move out of the way or to even shield myself before his hard body hit mine. The weight of him on top of me made my legs buckle. My back slammed against the mat with his heavy-ass body on top of me. The breath was knocked right out of me; I felt like a truck was sitting right on my chest. At least my head didn’t hit the mat too hard.
Gage didn’t even make a move to get up. Groaning, I lifted my head up to look down at Gage. My eyes clashed with a pair of brown ones. Gage’s head was right near mine so that if I tilted my head down, our lips would meet.
Being this close to him, I noticed how light his brown eyes were. At first, I thought they were just a dark brown, but no. They were brown, but they had specks of gold in them. I knew from experience though that they darkened when he was angry. I wondered what made them darker as well. The perverted part of my brain decided to wonder.
His warm breath fanned my face and I couldn’t help but wonder if my breath smelled horrible. I was panting all over him. His body was heavy over mine, but I didn’t mind; it felt nice.
All different thoughts and emotions were running through my mind right now and I couldn’t get a lid on them. Laying here like this was making weird things happen to my stomach. Being this close to him and looking in his eyes made me want to kiss him. I thought I had wanted to kiss him the other day at his grandma’s, but this time the feeling was doubled. I wanted nothing more than to slam my lips against his and see what he tasted like. I knew he was a good kisser—he had to be—but I wanted to find out for myself.
All my life I have waited for that special kiss, the one that makes your toes curl and your leg pop. I had yet to feel that with someone, and looking at Gage I felt that maybe he was the one to do that for me. Just being around him made me feel like a whole new person and I liked that.
Gage and I didn’t say a word for the longest time, just staring at one another. I didn’t know what he was looking for in my face. This close up, I knew he could see everything on my face. Every line, every acne scar, every freckle I had. My makeup had been sweated off by now, so I was bare-faced, making me even more vulnerable.
The longer we stared at one another, the hotter it seemed to get in the room. The small space between our faces was now filled with our breath. I was trying my hardest to force down the need to kiss him. To feel his soft pink lips against mine. I had no clue what he was thinking; for all I knew, he was thinking about food. Oh, how I wanted him to be thinking of kissing me as well.
“Yo, lovebirds! You guys gotta get going. They need to set up for the fight!” Tiffany yelled off to the side of the ring. Once again, our moment was ruined by someone else. If it wasn’t Macey, it was Dylan; if it wasn’t Dylan, it was someone else. If Dylan hadn’t interrupted us at Gage’s grandma’s place, I was certain we would have kissed. But we hadn’t, and here we were again in the same situation.
I was inwardly kicking myself for waiting. I should have kissed him when I had a chance to; now it was all ruined. The moment was gone, as well as the heat between us. All that was left was awkwardness at its finest. I wished for once I was the type of girl to just seize the moment, but I was not that girl. I didn’t kiss the guy when I wanted to. Hell, I couldn’t even tell Ethan I had a crush on him forever.
With our moment gone, Gage now made his way off me. Gone was the nice warmth of his hard body against mine, leaving my lonely sweaty body on the floor. Forever alone. He reached a hand down to help me up, which I gladly accepted.
Neither of us said a word as we exited the ring, the tension between us heavy. Maybe Macey was right: the sexual tension between us was thick. I watched with a sinking feeling as Gage walked right over to his stuff and into the guys’ changing room. He did not once look back at me or say a word. He left me there staring after him feeling hurt.
Was I the only one that felt that back there? Was it all in my head? He probably had to get away from me before I did something he would not like. Guess my whole outfit didn’t help—nothing did. Once again, I was the “nothing” girl.
Sighing, I went over to grab my own clothes that were by Gage’s. I picked up my phone and saw a message from Macey, my brother, and my mom. I quickly answered all, only telling Macey the truth. As I hit “Send” to her, another familiar voice called my name behind me. Turning, I smiled at Dylan who made his way over to me.
“Hey.” I grinned, forcing all my sad thoughts to the side.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Gage and I came earlier. He said I needed to ‘train.’” I put air quotes around the last word. I was already feeling sore and it hadn’t even been that long. I bet I even had a few bruises.
“Did you kick his ass like last time?” Dylan asked, smiling.
“Sadly, no, he kicked mine. I am so tired.” He nodded in understanding, but he didn’t look sad for me at all.
“Where is he anyways? Is he getting ready for his fight in a little bit?” Dylan looked around.
“He went off into the changing room.” I gestured that way, ignoring the pang in my chest.
“Oh okay. I will go get him. They changed the time, so Gage will fight about half an hour sooner,” he explained. I had almost forgotten Gage still had to fight tonight.
As Dylan walked off to get Gage, I took a seat on the bench. I didn’t know where to go now, and with Gage being my ride, I couldn’t just leave. I just noticed now people were starting to come in, the place slowly filling up. I knew most were here to see Gage fight. I didn’t know we were training for so long until now.
Not even a few hours ago I was excited to see Gage fight, but now I wasn’t so sure. Things were going to be tense around us tonight. It was because of him honestly, not me. I did nothing, so if he was going to act stupid around me then that was his own fault.
Waiting for Gage and Dylan to come out, I sat on the bench texting Macey and keeping an eye out for the two of them. I did not like being out here alone. There were some weird people here that I did not want to come in contact with. This was definitely not my crowd.
Thankfully, only ten minutes later did I see Gage and Dylan coming out of the changing room together. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have them near me again. I felt a lot safer with them by my side. Seeing them making their way toward me, I gathered my stuff quickly and went to meet them halfway.
“Hey,” I said once I made it through the people on the floor. This place filled up fast!
“Let’s go to the room,” was all Gage said before grabbing my hand and tugging me after him. Thank God for him pulling me or else I would still be in the same spot. Gage voluntarily grabbed my hand! I’d thought he was upset with me or something, but by the way he was holding my hand he seemed fine now.
When we got to the same room Gage had been in every time I came here, things started to happen so quickly. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the couch watching Dylan tape up Gage’s hands while they talked quietly with one another. Gage still wore his outfit that he had on with me, so I guessed he was fighting in that, but now his shirt was off, exposing his abs. Definitely drool-worthy, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.
I was so busy watching Dylan wrap Gage’s hands as well as peeking at his abs, that I almost didn’t notice Gage watching me. I was in my own little world there for a few minutes as they got all ready for the fight about to happen. I could feel the energy coming through the door and knew Gage was feeling it too. He was pacing and bouncing on his toes every so often. He was ready to fight.
Before I even knew it, the door was opening and they were telling Gage he was up. I quickly stood up, ready to go out with him and stand in the front row watching.
“Carter.” Gage said my name for the first time since our training. He came to stand in front of me, his bare chest distracting me for a good few seconds. “You need to stay by Dylan’s side the entire time.” I nodded, agreeing with him on this. Without Dylan I’d be lost.
“I will,” I said as I looked up at him.
“He will make sure you are okay. This shouldn’t last long.” I watched, shocked as his hand came up and brushed a piece of my hair away from my face. My breathing hitched as his finger grazed the side of my cheek.
“Okay,” I squeaked out once again. Gage did something to me that no one else ever had.
“Good.” With a firm nod, he backed up and headed for the door. Going after him, I felt Dylan slide up beside me and stay close to my side. Both of us trailed after Gage as he entered the yelling crowd. It was almost like we were back at the football game with everyone yelling and cheering for him. It was almost deafening as we pushed our way through. Who knew he had such a big fan base?
We stood in the front row as Gage entered the ring, his opponent already there. With one look at the guy, I was not worried about Gage. He would do just fine. With the entire crowd roaring Gage’s name, I stayed right next to Dylan, trying hard not to fall from the pushing of the crowd and keeping my eyes glued on Gage.
Like I predicted, the match didn’t last long at all. In a matter of minutes Gage had the guy on the ground knocked out clean. The guy never once touched Gage, but I couldn’t say the same about him. He would definitely wake up with tons of bruises tomorrow.
Gage didn’t do any celebration lap or anything; instead, he got right out of the ring and headed toward me. I gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. I was rewarded with a breath-taking smile. Knowing he wouldn’t grab my hand in this crowd, I followed after him as we headed back to the room, Dylan behind me.
Thankfully, the cheering was muted as we shut the door behind us. With the noise blocked out it was suddenly really quiet. My stomach decided at that moment to make noises, voicing how hungry it was. In the quiet room it seemed louder than usual. I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch earlier, so I was starving.
“We can go eat,” Gage said, chuckling.
“Finally.” I breathed out. I wanted to eat hours ago! Beside me Dylan agreed. Of course he would tag along for food; it was almost like he was my other half.
“Let me hurry and change, then we can go.” Gage went into the bathroom while Dylan and I decided on where we should go eat.
Things were back to normal between Gage and I, which was weird. I could not help but wonder what happened earlier, but there was no way was I going to ask. Sometimes things were better left unsaid, or unasked in this case.
It didn’t take long for him to change, and in just a few minutes we were ready to go. In just a matter of minutes the crowd outside cleared to only a few people. Underground fighting did great business. Everyone knew when to leave so no one could get caught by the police—not that they could do anything about it.
We made our way up the stairs. I was walking alongside them, happy to finally go eat. It was only a little after 6:30, so there were plenty of places open. At least it wasn’t too late, so we could eat then head back. With classes the next day, none of us wanted to stay out too late.
Just when I started to think this night was going well, the moment I stepped outside the door I was suddenly pushed hard against the wall. I noticed then the three of us were surrounded by a group of guys. There looked to be about six of them, and with it getting dark I couldn’t see their faces all too well.
I was being pressed against the wall of the building by Dylan while Gage stood a little bit ahead, staring at one of the guys. Six against three were not very good odds, and let’s be honest, it was two against six since I couldn’t do much.
I could see Gage’s lips moving but that was it. It was like a switch had been flipped, making it silent. I couldn’t hear anything but a ringing in my ears. I didn’t hit my head, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Words were being said between the men and Gage, but nothing reached my ears. I tried to open my mouth to talk but something stopped me. A little voice in the back of my head was telling me to shut up and be silent.
Who are these guys? What is going on? What is Gage saying? All these questions ran through my mind quickly. A familiar numbness was taking over me. I knew this feeling. Panic. I was pretty certain I was going into shock. Why? I had no idea. It wasn’t like anything was going on yet.
Just as I thought that, all hell broke loose. The guy in front of Gage started swinging, and instantly the rest of the men swarmed in. It was like I was watching it in slow motion. One second everything seemed fine, and the next these guys were throwing punches at Gage.
I was suddenly let go of as Dylan went over to aid Gage. Dylan threw his arm out and knocked some guy right in the side of the head, making him fall down instantly. If I wasn’t in such a state of shock, I would have been impressed with how good he was.
I was pressed against the wall watching this all play out like a movie. It was almost like the fighting in front of me wasn’t real. When I looked for Gage, I noticed he was fighting multiple men, and the same went for Dylan. I watched as one guy came up toward Dylan’s back, his unguarded back. He was too busy fighting the guys in front of him that he didn’t seem to notice the other one coming up.
It was then everything snapped back into focus. Sound reached my ears and the smacking of fists against flesh was all I heard. Instead of feeling numb, a newfound energy filled my veins. The guy kept creeping up on Dylan’s rear and knew I had to do something. If I didn’t, Dylan could get really hurt. Gage was too busy with his guys to notice as well.
Not even thinking, I found myself dropping my clothes and pushing off the wall. Something inside of me bubbled up. Anger came up over me in waves. How dare they attack us!
Without a second thought, I ran toward the guy coming up on Dylan and launched myself at him. Not thinking of myself, I entered the fight.