Dale motioned to us all, “Huddle time,” before saying over his shoulder, “Just getting exercise, babe.” Our arms linked over our shoulders and leaning forward to be face to face, he whispered to us, “This is what most girls say because they feel guilty for causing the fight in the first place.” He grimaced at Sarah and Blue. “Sorry, girls.”
In the huddle, Sarah was perplexed. “No one is fighting over me.”
“I would.”
All heads turned to Caleb.
Dude!
He shrugged.
Then all mouths formed big O’s while fighting smiles. Including Sarah, who was more approving than the rest of us. Well, everyone but Ethan, who just stared at Caleb for a few seconds before switching his attention back to Dale.
“I mean,” Caleb shrugged, “there’s some hearts to break and numbers to throw away, but yeah. Ya know.” He shrugged again.
We were all physically interlocked while Caleb revealed some feelings, which was a tad awkward, so Dale teased, “That’s enough huddling.” He playfully shoved us apart. “Get back to work.”
Sparring, Blue’s giggle had us all laughing every time Sebastian pretended her strike knocked him to the ground. His glasses crooked while he lay there.
Dale said, “See? Dynamite in small packages.”
Proud of her own grit, Blue pushed her glasses back up her nose and adjusted her plain dress over leggings before raising her gloves, beckoning Sebastian for another round.
Sarah and Caleb were paired up, grinning at each other as if there was more than one type of ‘sparring’ happening. She sized him up with those big, expressive pale eyes of hers, and I think he didn’t stand a chance.
Understandably, Ethan and I, paired up, lacked the romance the other partners seemed to have. Smirking like the devil, I circled him. Gloved fists hanging between us.
Ethan chuckled while egging me on. “Going to swing or what?”
Observing, Dale reminded me, “Center your weight… Keep that right hand up to block… Let that left hand…”
I was careful not to punch hard, but I didn’t hold back on speed.
Ethan stood there, blinking. “I didn’t even see that one coming.”
Dale jumped up and down. “See?” He was excited. “A stunned opponent is an advantage.”
It’s truly amazing how much thought he put into little details to offer guidance, self-assurance, and room to think for ourselves. Expanding minds is a privilege. One that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Especially to minds that have seen too much too soon.
Finn seemed to be gone more often lately, and I wondered if it was only baseball practice that kept him away from home. He’d gone quiet, offering mostly sarcasm when he spoke to any of us, spending less time at home. Mostly, I saw him at school. Even then, it wasn’t the same as in recent weeks.
Maybe I needed to talk to the guys about it.
Gage was the only one of us who didn’t join in on the daily lessons, especially because he didn’t have sports as an excuse. We were getting faster and stronger, yet in the backyard, he would only watch from afar. He would pace with an expression that appeared to be growing rage. However, there was pain in his squinted judging eyes.
Dale was still instructing us, though his focus often shifted to the pacing lion. He eventually asked, “Need a round, Gage?”
I jolted at the dark voice that growled, “I won’t fight a kid,” as if he no longer were one himself.
Not reacting surprised in the slightest, Dale nodded. “Would never ask that of you.” He motioned for Seb to back up Blue, and Caleb to do the same with Sarah. Then he quietly told me, “Give him your gloves.”
Perplexed and somewhat nervous for what was to come, I started unlacing my gloves while heading to Gage.
Calmly, Dale faced Gage. “You can fight me.”
Gage snarled at my gloves while telling Dale, “Don’t need gloves.”
Again, Dale was very steady. “It makes it fair for a friend.”
