Her Saving Grace

The Fighting Match

The next day, I did not mention the kiss to Carson. I acted normally around him because I didn't want him to think that I was thinking about it. In case it didn't mean anything, which I'm sure it didn't to him.

To be honest, that kiss was all I thought about since it happened. I've had kisses before, but none of them affected me the way Carson's did. Carson also was back to his usual self, with his annoying, witty, and smart comments.

School had just ended for the day, and I was waiting in the parking lot for Carson. Carson had told me that I should always wait by his car so we could go home together. He didn't want me walking in case my stepfather had any bright ideas.

Finally, I saw him and his friends walking from the school building. His friends headed to their cars, and Carson walked over to his car, where I stood.

"I'm going to drop you off at home, and then I have to head to the gym." He said when he reached me.

"Can I come with you?" I asked. Carson looked at me hesitantly. "Come on, I'll be bored for the rest of the day not doing anything."

"Okay, fine. You can come." He replied. I smiled happily and went into the passenger seat of his car.

When we got to the building, I saw the other guys' cars just parking in front of the building. Carson parked his car also, and I got out. I waved to Michael, Jordan, and Jayden, and they waved back. They raised their eyebrows at me and grinned like they knew something that I didn't.

Once inside the building, I just sat quietly and watched Carson train. I was captivated by everything he did. He lifted weights, he did standing and sitting work out positions, and he punched a punching bag. I was amazed at how his shoulder muscles flexed every time he threw a punch. He even spared off with Jayden to help him be prepared for his opponent.

We were here for almost two hours now, when the boys said that they were going to get something to eat. When they left, Carson looked up at me and asked. "Do you want to learn how to fight?"

I was intrigued by the idea, so I nodded my head. "Okay, sure." I walked towards the platform, where Carson stood.

"I'm going to show you a few tricks, but first, let me see your fighting stance." He said.

I didn't have a fighting stance, so I tried to do what I see people do on television. I spread my foot apart and put both of my hands up in a tight fist.

Carson lifted his eyebrows at me and chuckled. "That's your fighting stance?" I nodded at him, and he burst into laughter. "Really? You look like you're sitting on a bike. Your feet are on the same level , and they are too far apart."

I stopped what I was doing and punched him on his shoulders hard. "How am I supposed to perfect my fighting stance if I haven't done this before?" I asked. He was still laughing, so I glared at him. "Would you stop laughing? It's not that funny."

Carson finally stopped laughing, but he still had a smile on his face. "Okay, okay. Let me show you how it's done." He came towards me and showed me how I should set my foot.

"When you are set like this, it's less likely to fall if an attack is directed at you." He then pulled my thumb from the inside of my fist and put it on the outside. "Always keep your thumbs on the outside, so when you throw a punch, it won't break." I nodded, and he stepped back from me a little. "Okay, now hit me with your best shot."

I dropped my hands and shook my head. "No way, I'm doing that."

"Come on, just try." He said. "Don't hold back."

I brought my fist to his face, but he blocked it. I tried again, and he blocked it.

"Come on, Kitten, you're not trying hard enough to hit me." Carson said as he continued to block all my moves.