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I start scrubbing again. I go hard at it. More vigorous than before.
I really want to push down thoughts of August. I really don’t want to think about him again.
I don’t need him taking hold of my mind anymore. He’s wasted enough of my life as he has.
“So I really shouldn’t care about what influencer he dates,” I whisper. “He should go off and mingle with people of the same class. We’re just cleaners, Diana, so let’s get back to cleaning.”
“Okay, Emma. Let’s keep cleaning.”
43
AUGUST
The burly man unleashes a heavy and powerful swing at my jaw, but I have the foresight to duck just in time. I feel the airwooshmere inches above my hair as his fist flies past and completely misses me.
Close fucking call.
I take the initiative to jab at his chin, knocking the man’s giant frame back. He stumbles.
And I go in for the kill.
This time it’smeunleashing the swings. I aim straight for his exposed upper body, landing enough potent blows to send the man reeling wildly back. Undefended. Winded.
He falls against the ropes of the boxing ring, totally spent.
And here’s my chance.
I duck under another feeble attempt of a swing by him and deliver a final blow to his chin. It’s like he flies through the air in slow motion before he collapses to the soft padded ground of the boxing ring.
I’ve won this round.
I lean down to my fallen opponent.
“You okay, Zack?” I ask the overtly muscular athlete.
The man lying on the boxing ring padding blinks up at me in shock.
“Fuck me,” he mutters. “You wenthardtoday, August.”
“Maybe you’re just getting slow,” I reply to him with a laugh. I offer my hand to help the giant of a man to his feet. “You can’t keep up with me.”
“Maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Zack grumbles, and I laugh.
“I feel good after that,” I say. “Always good to have a chance to turn you into a pulp, Zack.”
The man is not in the mood for mockery. “Wait until next time, August. Just you wait.”
This boxing gym is where I like to go when I need to blow off steam.
And, hell, there’s a lot of steam to blow off at the moment...
Zack has always been a good sparring partner. It’s been hard to find a man with the same muscular and tall build as me to practice with. People don’t tend to like to spar with men twice their size, apparently.
Zack and I give each other a friendly fist bump before I stand up straight and allow myself to have a big stretch. I look around the gym. Giant posters of famous and successful boxers who trained here adorn the walls. This is not just some regular gym, but a place for serious-minded athletes to train. I notice the signed photograph of Caspian Ford – the drummer for the band Ravaged – shaking hands with the gym owner on the wall. The drummer is a well-known boxing enthusiast as well as a rockstar. He’s sparred here before. He and his band are actually from Crystal River. My brothers have run into that rock band a few times. Good guys.
Yeah, I really needed that session.
I really, really needed to blow off steam.
