Page 125 of Rules of Association

“Celestia—” he was groaning, but I cut him off again.

“It’s fine. Bye, Con.”

I hung up the phone. I know it probably seemed like I was being rude, but really I couldn’t handle an emotional break. Not now. Not ever really, it had been so long since I’d had one of those and I wasn’t even sure what I would do if it happened. But definitely not now. Not two hours before I was supposed to teach my very first self-defense class with no training or experience whatsoever. Jenny had sent me a message with the location of the lesson books and other materials in her little office off the front of the gym. It was all helpful enough but even after reading and re-reading through them I still felt like I needed a test run. I just wouldn’t be getting it from the person I expected to always be there with me.

“Hey, stranger!” the person on the other line of my next phone call answered. “Long time no talk. Where you been?”

“Can you keep a secret from your husband?” I asked.

“Hmm,” she said as if she was really contemplating it. “The last time I did, it got me into big trouble. But for you, I could try.”

“Good enough. Meet me at the address I just sent you in thirty minutes please, please, please. I need your help.”

Fergy walked into the front doors of Counter Strike Fighting Gym thirty minutes later. I was actually quite impressed that she made such good time, seeing as she drove like an absolute grandma one hundred percent of the time. I had briefed her slightly over the phone, so she at least came wearing workout clothes.

She was dressed in orange from top to bottom. Her tangerine tank top and legging set probably looking better than it did on the model on her tall, lithe form. Her curly hair was tied in a tight ball on the top of her head, and she carried a gym bag expensive enough to pay someone’s lesson book out for a week here.Damn, I didn’t tell

her to dress down.She probably looked like a walking money sign to some of these guys. I stuck close to her side, staring down anyone who looked twice at her as we approached the counter for her to check-in.

“Is this the guest you were telling me about, Ceci?” Ms. Chelsea asked as me and Ferg walked up to the black countertops and opened the sign-in book to an empty page.

“Yes. This is Clementine, my sister-in-law. She’s just here to help me out a little before I take Jenny’s twelve ‘o’ clock,” I said to Chelsea. To the girl walking next to me, I said, “Ferg, just sign your name and the date and you should be good.”

“Okay,” she agreed as she moved over to the desk and began to sign the book. As she finished, she looked up to Ms. Chelsea and smiled in that sweet quiet way she tended to keep with people she wasn’t comfortable with, then she looked back at me.

Only for a second though, before she was whipping her head back to Ms. Chelsea as the woman exclaimed, “Oh, you two look just alike. You must be related to that Co—”

Chelsea stopped. Mid-sentence,mid-wordshe stopped. It probably had something to do with me shaking my head and waving my hands wildly from behind Ferg’s back. Slashing my hands across my neck horizontally in the universal sign for ‘ABORT MISSION’. Thank God she’d noticed too, or it would have been all over.

But what exactly would be over if people were to find out that me and Connor were friends? Would we suddenly not be anymore? I doubted it. What was I really holding onto the secret for?

“Related to…what?” Ferg asked as she edged closer to the woman behind the desk.

“That cousin of mine,” Chelsea said, slapping a palm to her forehead. “I meant you look like a cousin of mine, but now that I think of it. You don’t! Would you imagine that.”

“I sure can’t,” I said, almost sarcastically. Fergy just gave a short “huh” before nodding politely and starting on her way. Before I passed the desk I leaned an elbow in and eyed Ms. Chelsea. “Your cousin? Really, Ms. Chelsea? Are you trying to rat me out here?”

A wry smile just spread across her face as she leaned in close. “Ooo! A secret affair, how exciting! You have to tell me how this turns out. Although I will tell you, you shouldn’t be keeping secrets from family. They all come to light one way or another.”

“You shut that mouth of yours or I won’t be bringing you any more homemade baked goods,” I pointed a wagging finger at her and she looked scandalized. Straightening up and placing a hand over her heart. I smiled and then reached over to squeeze her arm. “Thanks for the room Cheals, I’ll pay you back.”

“No need, hun. Although, I won’t say no to homemade sugar.” She laughed and patted me right back. “Now go, you’ve got room three open until eleven. Then move to four until twelve. Your very first lesson will be in six, just like your first day here. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” I said again, more seriously this time as I followed Fergy and swiped her by the gym bag dragging her along with me.

Ferg followed my lead into the open studio room with wide eyes. She looked first at the gym and everything that came with it. Various fighting rooms, equipment, and large guys using said equipment. However, after only a couple of moments I could feel her assessing gaze move to me. No doubt taking in the novel sight of me in a gym.

She even said as much when we settled into the room and set her stuff down near my own. Beside her gym bag were my boxing gloves and wraps. She took those in too, not missing much with her eyes that were both same and different from her brother’s. Those eyes fixed on me after a while. I don't know why but they were making my hair stand up on ends.

“You look different Ceci,” she said.

“You should take a picture, Ferg. It lasts way longer,” I said. I don't know why I said it, but I recognized the defensiveness in my tone. I didn’t want her to judge me. Not yet. But just like she had a tendency to do, Ferg derailed my attitude by the sheer sincerity of hers. Instead of getting mad, she whipped out her phone and held it up in front of her face. Taking several snaps of me as I figured out where I wanted to start.

Flicking eyes up at her I said, “Did you actually take a picture of me?”

“Yes, brat, I did,” she said in a sing-songy voice. “No one will ever believe me when I tell them you’reripped!And you don’t come around enough anymore for them to see it for themselves.”

I couldn’t help but frown. “You didn’t agree to come just for a reason to lecture me did you?”

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