12 Years OldTateStepping outside the summer sun blasts me in the face. Holding my arm up I shield my face until my eyes can adjust to it's brightness."Mom, I'm going out!" I holler into the screen door."Oh good, make some friends honey!" I can't help but roll my eyes. She's always pushing me to make friends. Friends are lame. I would go see Chloe, the new girl that moved in at the end of the school year, but her mom sent her to summer camp. What kind of kind of mom does that? Summer camp. Summer is for being home and being lazy. Anyway, I like Chloe and she seems to like me. She's sassy, and funny. She's so funny I even overlook that she's a big girly girl."Where are you going?" Journey opens the screen door and pops her head out. Her blonde hair is braided, and she put way too much of moms makeup on. She's going to be in so much trouble."Nowhere, stay here Journey." I point to the front porch. She's younger than me, and is always following me around."Whatever." Ro
TateStaring at the gym I second guess going in. I second guess a lot of things. Why am I here, and not just Chicago but this damn gym that I know Camden will be at? He hates me and that kills me. I wish I could go back and change so many things. They way Camden looks at me, destroys me from the inside out. Maybe it was a mistake to leave college to chase a dream. I must be insane to think I can do this. Closing my eyes, I lower my head and sigh. This is what I wanted to be since I was a little girl. I can't let anyone stand in the way of that. Not anymore. I didn't come this far, just to come this far."You can do this," I whisper to myself. I've never been known to back down, and I'm not about to start now.Blowing out a breath of second guesses, I grab my gym bag and climb out of the car.The wind is blowing hard this morning, causing a chill to run up my spine. Once inside my eyes adjust to the dim light, and my skin instantly warms."You're early, Thomas will like
Three days of intense training and hostile tension between Camden and I go flying by.It's hard to concentrate on what Debs is saying half the time because I can feel Camden's eyes staring at me each day. They're cold but spark a blazing trail along my skin. My heart thunders in my chest like a teenager with a crush when our eyes lock, it's annoying. I should be more focused... but I'm not. When he's not looking at me, I'm looking at him. He's become such a good fighter, it's hard not to watch him.He's quick on his feet, and he's fucking gorgeous with his shirt off.Jump roping in place, Debs clocks me."Alright you're still slow, let's see you hit today." She consults the stop watch and drops it to the floor."I'm trying my best," I pant, tossing the rope to the side. I haven't seemed to have pleased her once in all of our training. I can't tell if she's just pushing me to my best, or just a bitch."Trying is for quitters, doing is for legends. Remember that." She poi
For the next three days Debs has me on nothing but the punching bag. I've hit it so much, there times I forget how to hit. My knuckles are cracked and bleeding, and my wrists are on fire. I've told her about the pain, she tells me to suck it up and starts flirting with Thomas.Friday morning as I'm heading out of Chloe's house I find Journey sitting on the front stoop waiting for me."Hey!" She jumps up, smoothing out her tie die dress. Her hair is in a messy long braid, and her left eye looks darker then her right. "He do that to you? Or did you fall down again?" I ask sarcastically.She opens her mouth to respond, and then looks the other way. She is clearly getting tired of whatever is going in her so called relationship. "You need me to step in?" I've never wanted to cause so much harm to someone in my whole life. The feeling is somewhat unsettling. "No, I have it under control Tatum." She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. I scoff, irritated. "You need to get
14 Years OldTateLaying in bed I can hear my mother and father talking through the thin wall. "No, I don't want the girls to know. Not yet." My mother insists in a hushed voice."Marlow, they can sense these things. I read it in a pamphlet, you need to tell them.""No, I'm not dead yet and I won't have my girls looking at me like I'm already gone!"I squeeze the pillow, my eyes stinging with the urge to cry. I knew my mother was sick. She has been carted to doctor appointment after doctor appointment after she fainted in the kitchen last month. Her and dad have been distant, keeping secrets from Journey and us. I expected the worst, and those expectations were just exceeded. "This is all my fault. I, I should have been here." My dad's voice is loud, he's not trying to hide the shame he is feeling."These things are called a secret killer for a reason Nick. Nobody knew, not even I. How would you have known?""Yeah, but had I been here maybe I would have seen the sig
CamdenWhen I walk inside the gym I immediately notice Tate is hitting the bag, wincing with every strike. Debs has had her on that bag the last few days, and hasn't even corrected her stance. It's no wonder Tate's hurting.Taping my hands, it eats at me that Thomas gave Tate the worst trainer and it's my fault. I know he's screwing Debs, but surely he knows she's a shit trainer. Nobody wants her, not even Chase. She wants fighters who are already trained and, making it big. She's a greedy bitch that knows nothing about MMA. If anyone doesn't belong here, it's her.I'm nervous Tate may get hurt under Debs' watch.Flexing my hands, anger pools in my chest that I even care. I let go of Tate a long time ago, I need to keep it that way.Stepping out of the locker room, I find Thomas and Debs sitting next to the ring. Debs has this love struck look on her face, and is completely ignoring Tate. Again.Minding my business I climb into the ring, jumping on feet and roll my shoulder
TateThomas and Debs leave early, along with a lot of the other trainers and fighters. The storm has picked up, and nobody wanted to get caught in the middle of it. It's just Camden and I. Alone.The gym is filled with so much tension even a perfect combo couldn't split through it.Camden keeps looking at me, and I can't help but sneak a few glances myself. My body is vibrating with sexual tension as I watch him. He's something else when he's in his element. I can't believe he helped me today, it was a surprise to see him being... nice. I was humiliated I have been hitting wrong all this time, but I'm relived he taught me. I don't think my wrists could have gone another minute going the way I was.To be honest, I kind of wish he was mean to me because when he's nice I want him that much more. When I left four years ago it hurt, I felt like I was dying from the inside out of loneliness. I went from doing everything with Camden, to nothing. I must have adapted to that pain
16 Years OldCamdenSitting on my front steps I watch the cars leave Tate's house. Her mom passed away yesterday and family has been there every second of the day. I left my window open last night in case she needed me, but she never came. I'm trying to give her time to heal, but its killing me.Grabbing my old baseball cap, I slip it on and head toward the train tracks behind our house."Hey Camden!" Stopping, I turn and find Felicia with some other girls."Oh, hey." I give a wave."My parents are gone tonight, you want to come over?" She twirls her hair, and bats her eyes. She knows Tate is my girl, she also knows Tate is going through a lot. It's no secret around school she puts out, and I would be a liar if the idea of getting laid hasn't crossed my mind. But I want Tate, she's making me work for it. But she's worth it."Nah, I got plans." Tugging my cap down, I continue toward the tracks.Pushing pass the brush I spot Tate propped up against the large tree that