Page 45 of Rematch
His gloves dropped to his side as he glared at me. “Fuck you.”
“Watch your mouth before I pop you in it.”
“Do it then, asshole,” he challenged, shoving me in the chest.
I would’ve decked the little shit if Tony didn’t put himself between us.
“Alright, alright,” he said as he stretched his arms out, adding more distance. “Both of you need to take a breather.”
Jayden ripped the velcro from around his glove as he took a few steps backward. Once his hand was free, he proudly flipped me off.
“You little,” I growled, taking a step towards him.
Tony put his arm against my chest. “Stop,” he demanded. “Remember your role.”
“Yeah, I’ll remember it after I body slam his ass. You never let me disrespect you like that. Hell, the few times I did, you rocked me right in my shit. Let me go so I can teach him the same lesson.”
“No. We have a different relationship than you and Jayden. Even when you were popping off at the mouth and I had to check you, we still respected each other. I can’t say for certain you and Jayden are on that level.”
“I don’t give a fuck if he respects me or not. The little runt should be grateful I don’t throw him right back in the-” I cut myself off, remembering who I was talking to.
Tony raised a brow. “No, go on and finish. Where were you gonna throw him back to? Those underground rings?”
I grit my teeth as I averted my eyes. “What do you know about those?”
“More than I want to,” he admitted. “But, I know you pulled him out. I know you’re trying to steer him in a better direction. I know you’re doing a better job than I did.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You were good to me. You still are.”
“Not good enough to keep you from the darkness that’s always tempted you.” He frowned. “I’m worried about you, Max.”
“Don’t. I’m fine.”
“Today you aren’t. You were working yourself half-to-death almost all day. Now that Jayden’s here, you’re pushing him over his limits. Don’t lie and say something isn’t bothering you.”
“I’ve just got a lot going on,” I told Tony. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. I just wasn’t comfortable telling the entire truth.
Bouncing between the two worlds of my life was starting to get to me. The other night, the newbies did in fact fuck up the count, so I had to abandon the version of myself I wanted to be and transform into the person I needed to be. I barely had time to relish in my old skin before I was forced to rip it off.
Switching personas every other second was tiring, especially when both carried so much weight. Sometimes it felt like my shoulders were going to give out and I was going to be crushed underneath all the rubble.
Tony patted me on the shoulder. “I understand. But, even with everything on your shoulders, you’ve gotta take it easy on the kid. He’s dealing with life just like the rest of us.”
Following his gaze, I spotted Jayden sitting on one of the benches near the boxing ring by himself. With the nozzle of his water bottle wedged between his teeth, he stared aimlessly ahead of him, completely consumed in his thoughts.
Sighing, I swallowed my pride and walked over to him.
“Unless you want to fight, get away from me,” he muttered as he caught me in his peripheral vision.
“Unless you want your ass beat, you’ll shut up,” I replied as I sat down beside him. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping at you. I know you’re putting a lot of work in, and I don’t mean to ride on you so hard.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind you pushing me. You were right, anyway. I do need to move faster. I was watching some of the guys sparring earlier, and they were quick as shit. I’ll be on the floor within the first ten seconds if you throw me into a ring with one of them.”
I chuckled. “You’re doing well, though. I’m proud of the progress you’ve made.”
He glanced at me. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
