*This story is one of my “romantic” pieces. While the details are still very graphic, the build-up is different compared to my other stories. Dare I say the ladies might like this one more than the guys? :)*
***
“I’m not fighting McKenna?” Brandon deliberately gives the bag a final power punch to end another intense session.
“No.” Joe replies rather indifferently.
There is not even a hint of hope in the voice of the old-school trainer.
“But, Joe, this is the shot we’ve been working for.”
Brandon is beyond desperate to take the next step in his career, and the big leagues called with a big offer. It’s the reason he pretty much lost everything. Well, if “everything” is based on a world of shallow luxury.
He might be a boxer, but he’s still able to debate with the best of them. Whether it’s about the under-belly of politics, or the distorted expectations of a materialistic society, his interests do not end with throwing strategic punches.
“They want an early match for a reason. It’s a tactic to get you out before you can turn into a real threat. You’ll have plenty more shots at making a name for yourself.”
“Jesus, Joe, it’s been three years. And I’m not exactly living like a prince, if you know what I mean. I can’t keep working two jobs and focus on training.”
Joe has a natural sense of empathy for the young man that enrolled for boxing lessons at his gym. His talent was lacking back then, but he had enough spirit to power a city.
“What do you want me to say? There is a pot of gold waiting after you get your head knocked off? Because McKenna is as strong as he’s fast. He’s like a fucking snake in that ring, all over the place, looking for places to make you weak, permanently.”
“I’m just as tough, you know it.” Brandon does his best to say it with complete confidence. But in the back of his head, he has to admit that Joe is dead-on.
It’s suicide in every sense of the word.
For now, at least.
“Kid, you’ve got the meanest right hook I’ve seen in twenty years, I’ll give you that. But it doesn’t mean shit if your feet are as dumb as bricks. You need to move faster, with more balance. That’s why McKenna won’t have a problem putting you down before that fight even starts. And that’s why you’re not getting in the ring with him if you want to keep training at this gym. Got it?”
The old man does something he hardly ever takes the time to do – explain his coaching decisions. It also indicates his max in terms of negotiating any further.
“Do I have a choice?” Brandon mentally sighs with relief.
He’s not showing it though.
“Look, kid, I’ve been there. I know you’re hungry to dig into this guy. But you’re young. Don’t burn yourself out like I did. Go in prepared every single time, and I promise you, I’ll keep you the undefeated champ when you get there. You just have to trust me.”
“Mind if I interrupt?” An unexpected female voice carries across the floor of the bustling gym.
“Ashley?” Brandon is taken aback by the sight of his little sister – more grown up than he remembers.
A lot more grown up.
“Your landlady said I might find you here. Hope that’s okay?”
“I thought you were out of the dating scene?” Joe keeps staring at Ashley while addressing Brandon. And he’s staring because Ashley is not the type of girl you see in this part of town.
“I am.” Brandon quickly corrects the old man. “Can you give me a minute, Joe?”
While all the other guys in the gym appear very happy to see Ashley, Brandon is everything but excited. In fact, he has feelings of anger pushing up into his throat.
But his clear discomfort with her presence does not deter the young woman from stepping closer.
“So, how’ve you been, big brother?”
She really has become more beautiful, and her smile almost gets Brandon to melt and lower his defenses.
“Good, I guess.” He replies flatly.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Ashley hesitates.
“No, you don’t.”
His words sting more than she thought they would.
“Okay. I deserve that. And I know I probably shouldn’t be here. But-”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t be here. Go home.”
Brandon does his best to keep the interaction short because he knows his sister is very convincing. If he lets her talk for longer than a minute, he might as well give her what she came for. So he walks away to prove his point.
“I got into a dance program. It’s close to your building.” She calls out anyway.
And to his own detriment, Brandon stops to hear her out.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me. I just want a chance at redemption. Please, Brandon.” Ashley pleads as she pulls cash out of her bag. “Here, this is all the money I have. And I start job-hunting tomorrow, so I’ll pay you with the first check I get.”
“Wow, wait a minute. You want to stay with me?”
He was expecting a grand gesture, or at the very least, a much more sincere apology for how she turned on him when he needed her most. He was not preparing himself to be her fucking roommate.
“Well, yeah. I thought that part was obvious.”
Ashley’s vulnerability makes it impossible for her older brother to maintain his level of anger. Not when he sees her playing with her thumbs, which is something she does when she feels totally out of place.
“They didn’t take your choice too well, did they?”
He decides to skip to the real reason Ashley probably decided to show up – their parents.
“Look, I’m sorry I wasn’t more supportive back then. But I was fifteen when you left. What did you expect exactly?”
It’s like he can’t win any arguments today; even when the facts are squarely in his favor.
“You really think it was so easy for me?” Ashley fills the silence. “To see my big brother, the one person I could confide in no matter what, leave like I don’t matter?”
There it is.
He listened to her for more than a minute, and it’s all she needs to tear him down, brick by brick.
“Don’t turn this around on me, Ash. Between the parties and the cheerleading, you seemed pretty happy regardless of what fell apart around you.”
“Fine, you want me to beg? Because I will. I really need this, just until I can afford a place of my own. And I’ll be invisible, I swear.”
He wants to tell her to go to hell. But for the most part, she was a great sister. And another moment of silence on his part is opening more windows of opportunity for her to crawl deeper.
“I thought you of all people would understand.” Ashley drives in the final nail.
She uses the words she knows will trigger Brandon’s most vulnerable side.
“You can’t just show up and make things right.” He denies his defeat.
From this point on, regardless of where the conversation leads, she’s staying. Admitting this, however, does not come easy for a guy that opposes giving up.
“At least I’m trying.”
“You need a place to stay because mom and dad won’t fund your artistic career choice. So, this isn’t even about me forgiving you. It’s about digging yourself out of a hole, no matter who you step on. Just like them.”
Brandon surprises himself with a new level of low. But his desperation to get away from his past is stronger than he thought.
“If you are so confident about my selfish agenda then you should read this.” Ashley suddenly looks insulted, as supposed to vulnerable and needy. “You weren’t even supposed to know, but seeing as I’ll be leaving quicker than I came, you might as well.”
She continues to reveal an envelope, which she hands to Brandon in a matter-of-fact fashion.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a full dance scholarship to Juilliard. I auditioned without mom or dad even knowing about it. But instead, I chose a program that wasn’t even on my radar, because I’ve been looking for you ever since you left. And when I finally tracked you down, I didn’t think twice about coming here. So, fuck you, Mr. Fighter.”
Without retrieving the envelope, she marches for the door she sneaked through. Ashley is clearly not begging anymore, and Brandon can’t deny that somewhere inside his rage, he was happy to see her.
“Ash, wait.” He gets her to stop just as she pushes against the long steel lever. “I’m giving you three months on the couch, and don’t think it’s comfortable.”
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/mdksk8/the_fighter_part_one_brother_sister_forbidden