Page 60 of Family (Academy of Misfits 3)

My right fist meets Bram’s shoulder with a loud smack. Then my left follows up with a hit to his temple. Both throw Bram off balance but he bounces back, countering my attack with slick punches of his own. I dodge some. Others meet their marks and my teeth rattle in my head at the power behind his punches. I can already feel bruises forming in the spots Bram has managed to reach. Tomorrow I’m going to hurt, but for now I push the pain away and focus on beating his arse.

He smiles evilly at me after a particularly nasty punch that has Cal separating us for a minute. But I refuse to let him see anything other than my determination to win. I wink back, drawing a snarl from his lips. When Cal steps back once more, Bram ups his game, attacking with even more aggression.

“You think you can win, bitch? You have no fucking idea who you’re dealing with,” he taunts me, throwing punch after punch and making me work hard to get away from him.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Bram,” I growl back but he just sneers.

Granted, he’s a better fighter than Monk was, far more powerful, but I’m not surprised. Ford already warned me about his abilities. They were friends for a long time. They fought together on the street and trained together in Grim’s fight club. He’s a good fighter but he has another weakness, other than his right shoulder:pride. Bram underestimates me despite witnessing what I did to Monk. You see, pride makes him stupid and that’s how I’m going to win. Sweat pours down my back as we both go all out. I keep my fists up, ducking and dodging punch after punch and throwing just as many.

Bouncing on my toes, I drop my defence a little, allowing him to get two good punches in. I don’t have to feign the pain after his fist meets my arm then the side of my head, but I can take it. His crew roar with excitement, believing he’s got the upper hand as I stumble backwards.

“That’s it, bitch, don’t fuck with me,” he jeers, rolling his shoulders and grinning at his crew.

He’s so fucking stupid.

“That really hurt,” I respond with a pretend whine, clutching my shoulder. I glance over at Ford who gives me a tiny smile. He knows exactly what I’m up to.

“Hear that everyone? Asia’s hurt. Finally met your match, yeah?”

Just like I predicted, Bram drops his defensive stance so that he can preen like a peacock.

It’s the chance I’ve been waiting for. Launching forward, I throw another punch to his weak shoulder then strike his chin with a powerful uppercut funnelling every single ounce of anger from my stomach, up my arm and through my clenched fist. Bram’s head snaps back violently.

That’s all it takes to win the fight.

He hits the deck with a loud bang, but I can’t hear his groans of pain over the cheers of my crew.

* * *

“You were fucking amazing, Asia,”Sonny says an hour later as we all chill out in the newly decorated rec room. Friends is playing in the background, but none of us are really watching it.

“So was Kate. Did you see how incredible she was?” I retort, grinning with pride for my girl.

Kate smiles softly. “I had some great teachers. Without you guys it’d be me nursing a sore head and not Red…” She sighs, picking at a loose thread on her jumper.

“What’s up?” I ask, getting up off Sonny’s lap and dropping onto the sofa next to her.

“Winning felt good in the moment…”

“But not anymore?”

Kate looks across at me, shrugging. “I’ve never really been a violent person but when I hit Red, it felt good knowing that I was hurting her for what she did. Then when she was on the floor and I saw how Bram treated her, I felt… pity.”

“I get it.” And I really do. Violence is a necessity where I come from and not just the kind of violence between one person to another, but violence people inflict on themselves. There are so many women in Red’s position, in Ruby’s. I mean, not all men are violent towards their partners, and sometimes it’s the women who are violent, but there is a high proportion. It’s fucking depressing, honestly.

When I look at my boys I’m filled with a sick sense of dread. Right now, my father is our biggest obstacle. If we defeat him, then we’ll have so many more to face. Leaving Oceanside and returning to our old lives will be an impossibility. Where will we go? Willwego anywhere together at all? I want to believe that this bond we share, that I feel growing stronger every day, will be enough. Yet, I’ve lived the harsh reality of life and I know nothing is as simple as that. There’s so much we need to discuss, but that’s a conversation I can’t face right now.

One obstacle at a time.

“Do you think Pink’s okay?” Kate asks me after a while, filling the increasing silence. I’m fully aware that my boys have lost interest in the television and are listening in on our conversation.

“It depends on how you define okay,” I respond, breathing out a long shaky breath.

Kate searches my face. “Do you believe the King when he said they hadn’t hurt Pink?” she asks me bluntly.

“There are different ways to hurt someone that don’t involve physical marks. So, no. I don’t believe him.”

Kate swallows hard, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “She doesn’t have much time, does she?”

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