Out of nowhere a wet rag smacks me right in my face and I’m brought back to the present.
“What the fuck was that for?” I ask, looking around to see who threw that shit at me.
“Get your fucking head in the game, boy!” my dad shouts. His face is beet red and a couple veins in his forehead look like they’re about to bust open.
“My head is in the game,” I tell him, dropping the rag on the ground. “I just won my damn fight, didn’t I?”
“No, it’s not! I can hear that shit running through your head about that girl. I heard Kaden mention to Bentley that she’s here. You want a championship, or do you want a piece of pussy?”
I just shake my head—there’s no point in arguing with him. I’ve learned the hard way to just let him say his peace and walk away. He’s never going to change his way of thinking and he definitely doesn’t care what I think or how I feel.
“I asked you a fucking question, son. You gonna answer or just stare at me?” And at this simple question, I lose it. All the years of keeping it all in finally rises to the surface and boils over.
“Of course I want a championship. Haven’t I made it clear over the last five damn years that I’ve been working my ass off at the gym every goddamn day? Will anything ever be good enough for you? I’m twenty-seven years old and other than having a very rare one-night stand or a drink with the guys, I’ve spent every waking moment at this gym. I get that mom cheated on you. I’ve listened to you tell me for the last fifteen years that women are no good. Ever think maybe she cheated because she couldn’t stand the way you treat her or your family? And that maybe not every woman is like mom? I’ve chosen this career over everything. What more do you want from me?”
He stares at me in silence like he is contemplating how to respond to my outburst. For a second I think maybe he gets it, but then he says, “I’ll ask you again. Do you want a championship, or do you want that piece of pussy out there in the crowd? You can’t have both. If you want her, then go—go after her, but don’t bother showing up at the gym tomorrow.”
I can’t even respond. I just simply look at him and laugh humorlessly to myself while I walk away. It feels like for the first time I’m seeing him in a whole different light. I’ve always known he doesn’t see me how a loving father should see his kid, but I never realized how truly unhappy and bitter he is.
Ten
Cooper
I jump in the shower back at my house and get dressed. Normally I’d shower at the arena, but I left so quickly I forgot about needing to get ready for the after-party. Bentley and Caleb are meeting me back here and then we’re going to ride over to Kaden’s for the party. I head downstairs to see Caleb and Bentley already in my living room waiting on me.
“Are Liz and Kayla coming to the party?”
Bentley is the first to speak up. “Yeah, apparently, they’re friends with Hayley, the chick that works as the on-site doctor at the gym. Hayley invited them to the fight and after party. When I went to go invite them, Kayla told me they were already planning to go. What are the odds, man?”
“Seriously, this whole situation is surreal. Get this shit, my dad told me if I go to the party tonight to see Liz, not to show up at the gym tomorrow. I’m done with him running my life. I get I can’t be in a committed relationship. Between the fucked up crazy DNA running through me and the insane hours I put in at the gym, I know it’d never work, but I’m not going to just not see her. I’ve thought about this girl for years. I’m twenty-seven years old and he’s still trying to run my life.”
“I’m going to say this for the millionth damn time, Coop. The shit your parents put each other through and continue to put you through has nothing to do with you. You’re just the collateral damage. You deserve to be happy. You don’t realize it now, but one day you’re going to wake up and wish you would’ve gone after more than just a title. I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard, but find a balance and let someone in. Just because your parents are both unhappy doesn’t mean you have to be as well. Fuck them both.”
“Bentley, I get you come from a home with two loving parents and all, so you honestly believe what you’re saying, but me and you aren’t the same. You’re okay with where you stand in your career. You fight and enjoy it, but you don’t care whether you win or lose. On top of that, cheating isn’t in your DNA. I’m already set up to fail in any relationship, and that’s without adding my fighting to the mix.”