I Was Saved... by the Jerkface

Boxing Again?

A nervous twist unfurled itself in the pit of my stomach as we made our way through the heavy metal doors at the entrance of Jimmy's Boxing Club. What if we just happened to see Jillian there? Blake had assured me many times that she would probably be out an about, catching up with other friends, but what if?

The more I thought about it, the more I had a weird feeling about the girl. I know that's incredibly silly, mostly because I've never met her in person, but it was there. Perhaps it was my newfound feelings for Blake getting in the way of my logical thinking. I had no idea what to think anymore, to be honest.

Rational or not, the thought has kept swirling around my head since I first read the text that she'd sent him: I had a bad feeling about her, and I didn't like her.

That was all well and good, however, I would never say anything to Blake. He didn't seem to have a problem with her at all, and assured me that she would be gone in a matter of weeks. I kept reminding myself that she was just visiting New York.

The double doors swung open, and Blake held one open for me so I could enter the building. I took a good look around.

It definitely smelled like a gym of some sort, and in fact there were people scattered all around the open, spacious room, lifting weights of all different sorts. There were free weights, machines, jump ropes, and people of all ages sweating together. It looked like any other ordinary gym except for the boxing ring in the very center of the room. Two people were currently in the ring, helmets and gloves on, fists up and ready. I watched in fascination as they started pummeling each other until one of them called it quits.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped. I realized that Blake had been saying my name for the last few minutes and I'd zoned out.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, feeling stupid.

"I said don't get freaked out by those two," he told me, gesturing to the two people in the boxing ring. "That's not the right way to box." He shook his head in disgust and wrinkled his nose in a way that oddly made his face attractive. Or maybe that was just me.

"Why isn't it right?" I inquired, looking back and forth between him and the men that were now making their way off of the platform and to the ground. Another two people replaced them, and went at it.

"They were just... sloppy. They were hitting and kicking everywhere and not being careful about what they were doing." He stopped, giving us both a chance to observe the new people in the ring. They started going at it, and I realized the difference now.

While the other two had been desperately trying to knock each other down, this set of boxers were precise, and efficient, in what they were doing. They knew where to strike and how to position themselves to take down their opponent. I found myself watching them intently, only coming back to reality as Blake said, "Now that's how you box."

I turned to him quickly, not giving myself a chance to back out of what I was about to say. "I want to try."

He chuckled, smiling affectionately down at me from his height. "I know you do. Not up there, though." I was about to open my mouth and protest, but he interrupted me. "That's where the boxers compete with each other for money. I don't think you're ready for that yet."

I shut my mouth. "Oh, okay. So what do I do?" I was ready. It looked like so much fun - and a perfect way to get your emotions out. I had dressed myself ready for working out, just like Blake told me to.

Blake surveyed my attire before grabbing my hand and dragging me through the throngs of people behind him. We reached a far corner of the large room, and Blake grabbed a pair of blue boxing gloves, holding them up for me to see. I hadn't noticed before with all the clamor and excitement, but there was actually music going over the loud speakers for the men and women to work out to.