Page 51 of Alpha Jax

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Quinn

“You and me?” Kyla asks as she turns to me, gesturing between us.

“Sure,” I breathe, scooping my long hair into a ponytail and securing it with a hair tie.

I made it to the practice field for training this morning without a moment to spare, still a little rattled after almost being caught with Jax in my room. He hasn’t even made it out here yet- perks of being one of the guys running the place, I guess. I, on the other hand, am still catching my breath while Fallon demonstrates the defensive maneuvers we’ll be working on today. She’s running today’s practice, and she’s brought two of her friends to help out- a couple of guys from Summervale that went to high school with us.

Other than her twin, Davis and Boyd were Fallon’s closest friends in high school. The three of them went out for the squad together after graduation and they all made the cut after summer training camp. Davis has always been on the quieter side, but the guy is sweet as hell. He’d offer you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Boyd, on the other hand, is so gregarious that he borders on obnoxious. He’s a shameless flirt who thinks he’s super smooth, but he strikes out way more than he scores. It’s kind of endearing, though, because the guy does mean well. He’s funny, too, which is an underrated quality in a dude.

Once they’ve finished demonstrating, all of us recruits break off into pairs to practice. I’ve already agreed to partner with Kyla, and the two of us claim our own space on the periphery, away from the other recruits so we can slack off a little.

“How are you doing?” I ask Kyla as I shuck my sweatshirt and toss it aside. The weather has been getting chillier lately, a sure sign that summer is officially over and autumn is moving in.

Kyla sighs, stretching her arms out over her head. “Honestly? I’ve been better. Like, I know Tony’s a dick and I shouldn’t give him any more of my tears, but sometimes I just…” she trails off, shrugging. “I miss him.”

I nod in understanding, hit with a pang of guilt for my role in the downfall of Kyla’s relationship. I mean, I know none of it is my fault, but I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible since I was involved- and it makes me hate Tony even more for putting me in that position and making me feel this way.Seriously, fuck that guy.

“I guess I miss who I thought he was,” Kyla continues. “The idea of him. Or maybe I just miss having someone. I’m not good at being single.”

I roll my eyes and bend forward, stretching my limbs before we get to sparring. “Please. You’re a strong independent woman, you don’t need a man.”

“There’s a difference between needing one and wanting one,” she points out. “A girl’s got needs!”

I laugh, shaking my head. Though she does have a point.

The other recruits have already started to spar, so I take a position across from Kyla, asking if she’s ready. She agrees to defend first, and the two of us get down to it, practicing the three maneuvers that Fallon demonstrated for us. They’re pretty basic- I get them down quickly, but it takes Kyla a few more tries to execute each one.

Boyd wanders over after a while, standing aside and observing us with his arms folded over his chest. Noticing his presence, Kyla suddenly puts in a lot more effort- I’m not prepared for it, and I wind up taking an elbow to the face. I wince as I stumble back, tears springing to my eyes.

“Shit, are you okay?!” Kyla asks, reaching out to me with her eyes wide in shock.

“Yeah,” I grumble, blinking the tears from my eyes and running my fingers over my nose. It isn’t broken, but it stings like hell. I cup my hand underneath and a few drops of blood drip onto my palm.

“You sure?” Boyd asks, approaching.

I nod, stripping off my tank top to wipe the blood off of my face and hand. Boyd gives a little whistle as I do, and I shoot him a glare in return. Definitely not the time or place.

He turns his attention to Kyla while I ball up my shirt and hold it under my nose, standing there in my sports bra and leggings while I wait for the bleeding to stop. “Kyla, right?” he drawls, flashing her a smile.

Her face lights up. “Yeah.”

“Good form. Try to keep your arms closer to your body next time.” Boyd demonstrates, continuing. “You wanna stay compact, no flailing limbs.”

Kyla nods. “Got it.”

“You looked great, though,” Boyd grins, giving her a not-so-subtle once-over. “Really great.”

I roll my eyes from the sidelines, pulling my shirt away from my nose to check if it’s stopped bleeding. I feel like it’s already mostly healed- there’s barely any pain now, just a faint sting. After I confirm that my nose isn’t bleeding anymore, I chuck my tank top over by my sweatshirt.

“Can I have my partner back, or are you not finished hitting on her?” I tease Boyd, approaching them.

Boyd’s cheeks redden, but he recovers quickly, making a face at me before returning his attention to Kyla. “I was just paying a compliment where one was due,” he says smoothly, tossing her a wink.

Now it’s Kyla’s turn to blush. Boyd flashes her a charming smile as he turns away, and she’s grinning from ear to ear… until Boyd’s out of earshot and she snaps her head around to look at me, her expression immediately shifting to a frown.

“What the hell, Quinn?” she hisses, swatting my arm. “Did you have to be so rude?”

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