Circles | Jody & Tyler | The Dumping Ground

Party

Jody POV

I pushed my elbow down, behind my back - relishing in the stretch that followed and feeling my muscles tighten. I'd never felt this good in ages, and despite being clammy with sweat - I was happier than I'd ever been. I barely thought about Mum and Kingsley now; they all seemed like distant memories of the past.

They couldn't touch me now. And if they did... well, I could certainly defend myself just as easily.

I peered into the mirror before me, realising that I'd finally taken off my hoodie. I'd been reluctant at the start to show off my figure, often opting to hide behind baggy t-shirts and hoodies but I was a lot fitter now and it showed.

Somewhere along the way, little Jody had become a woman. And a strong one at that.

As I relaxed my arms, I noticed Brandon approach me from behind. I smiled at him and tried to hide my unease when he hugged me from behind. I was damp with sweat and I felt gross; I didn't particularly feel like hugging him back.

"Tommy's just asked me to a sparring match - wanna watch?"

"Sure," I replied. "But didn't he already knock you out three times last week?"

It was no secret that Brandon wasn't the best boxer around; but for some reason, he didn't stop challenging others to a fight. May-Li kept saying it was because he was resilient and didn't give up. I just thought it was stupid.

It wasn't like Brandon tried very hard in training either; he'd always get distracted and make some excuse to get a water break. But his training was less intense than mine, and everyone trained at their own pace so I couldn't judge.

Still, I didn't particularly want to see him get KO'd again.

"They say practice makes perfect. And I could do with your support," he grinned.

I followed him to the ring, surprised when a group of girls from outside the gym had also turned up. I noticed them batting their eyes towards Tommy, who seemed to rejoice in the attention. I sighed; they reminded me of Tee and Carmen, who only ever turned up to sporting events to meet fit guys. These girls were just some others trying their luck.

My eyes wandered back to them and was surprised to find them giggling in my direction. I frowned, did I really look that horrible? No, this was different. The way they were smiling, coy and embarrassed, it seemed a little along the lines of...

"Jody, do you mind holding my water?"

I turned to grab the bottle out of Brandon's hand and almost spun back around again. He'd taken his top off, and now all the giggling made sense. I turned beetroot red, feeling uncomfortable with him standing next to me.

"Don't mind them..."

Before I knew it, he planted a kiss against my cheek and the girls' giggles switched to glares. He winked at me before running towards the ring as the ringmaster called out his name.

I sighed, he'd thought I'd been jealous that the girls were giving him so much attention. But truthfully, it hadn't even occurred to me that that's how I should've been feeling. It just didn't feel right; he was so open around me and yet to him, I was still a closed book.

He hadn't even met the DG residents properly; I'd insisted that they'd grill him about his intentions but honestly, I didn't want him to get attached to anyone in case...

In case we broke up.

Good relationships involved compromise. Maybe I just needed to open up to him more, make a proactive effort to meet with him - not just spending time at the gym. I still hadn't felt any sort of romantic attraction towards him, but maybe it was time now. Tyler was a dead end and I needed to stop being so hung up on him.