AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What if he tries to make things difficult for her now, even more than he already has? What if it affects their study?
I make my way to the parking lot and my phone vibrates in my pocket. Oh, God. What if Joel went and tattled to her?
It’s not Tessa calling me, though. It’s Dad.
“Hello?” I answer, unsure why he’s reaching out. We’re not exactly a chat on the phone father and son duo.
“Hey, I found out about a tournament a couple of hours away.”
I sigh, rolling my shoulders back to release the tension that’s already formed there. “Yeah, Lawrence mentioned it to me.”
“So, you’re going, then?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, finally reaching my bike. I swear to God if I ever have kids, I’ll never hound them like this.
Opening my mouth to make some noncommittal answer like I always do, I pause, Tessa’s words from two nights ago coming back to me.How will he know if you don’t tell him?
“No,” I say slowly, the word feeling foreign. “I’m not.”
“Why?”
I could tell him I’m not interested in tournaments anymore. That I won’t be fighting professionally. That it was never my plan for the future.
But instead, I say, “I have other things going on.” A tangle of guilt and shame mix in the pit of my stomach, but I push it aside, not wanting to get into it with him.
When will I, though? I can’t put it off forever.
“What’s more important than preparing for going pro?” he asks, his tone genuinely confused as to what could take precedence over boxing.
“I…” I glance around the parking lot, but there’s no one here to help me out. Why didn’t I take Tessa up on her offer to come up with something to say to him?
Maybe it’s because I’m already on edge from getting into it with Joel, but I blurt out, “I’m not going pro.”
There’s silence from the other end, then a weird sounding chuckle. “What are you talking about?”
Again, it’s Tessa’s voice that comes to me, asking me if I think Dad won’t love or respect me if I don’t follow what he wants. But more importantly, how can I respect myself if I’m not doing what I want? If I’m living for him and not myself?
“I never wanted to go pro,” I tell him, filled with more resolve than I expected.
“Of course you did,” he counters. “You’ve spent years training for this.”
“Because you pushed me into it.” Now that I’ve started, it’s like a dam breaks. “It’s the only thing you’ve ever cared about with me. You treat Danielle like an actual person, but I’ve only been a boxer to you. Beginning, middle, and end. There’s nothing else that defines me, nothing else you talk to me about. I’ve only ever been one thing to you and I’m sick of it.”
I’m breathing heavy, glad now there’s no one in the parking lot to witness my outburst. I’ve never spoken to him like this. Dreamed of it, yes, but never followed through.
Things are changing, though. Like I told Tessa, she’s inspired me. I want something different for my life.
“I have to go,” I tell him, hanging up. The dread that always accompanies conversations with him is absent this time, lightness floating through me in its place, like after completing Tessa’s relaxation routine.
If I’d known it would feel this good to finally speak my mind to him, I would have done it years ago.
I straddle my bike and head to the gym, more than ready to work out. Despite not wanting to box professionally, I still like it as a hobby.
One of the trainers, Steve, gives me a funny look as he passes me on the stairs down to the basement level, but I don’t think much of it as I go in and make my way to the office to grab my spare gym bag.
Uncle Marty looks up from his desk at me, his mouth a grim slash across his face.
“Everything okay?” He’s usually pretty stoic, but not like this.
