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“Hey yourself,” I say.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little sore,” I admit. “I feel like I went through a pretty strenuous workout yesterday.”
He laughs. “That makes two of us.”
“But you’re a finely tuned athlete,” I say. “You should be used to strenuous workouts.”
“Oh, I am,” he replies and steps closer to me. “And I do like to stay in peak physical condition, so why don’t you come by tonight and work out with me again?”
I laugh. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Good,” he says. “After practice, maybe we should grab a bite then?—”
“What the fuck is this?”
Ben and I both turn to see my brother walking over to us, a scowl on his face. He glares at Ben and steps close to him.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, bro?” Eric sneers.
“What I’m doing is none of your business,” Ben growls. “Walk the fuck away, man.”
“My sister is my business.”
Ben’s eyes widen, and he turns to me. “Your sister?”
I wince. “I thought you knew.”
“I had no idea,” Ben replies.
“Are you fucking with me right now?” Eric snaps, stepping even closer to Ben.
They stand almost chest to chest, the air surrounding us crackling with an oppressive feeling of violence pressing down on us. It feels like the atmosphere just before a particularly brutal thunderstorm is about to break. Activity around the gym stops and everybody turns our way, waiting and watching to see if a fight breaks out. I can see the uncertainty on all their faces, nobody seems sure what to do or who to support if Ben and Eric start throwing blows.
“You need to take a step back and get the fuck out of my face,” Ben says.
“What the fuck are you doing with my sister?”
“First, I didn’t know she was your sister,” Ben replies. “Second, what we are or aren’t doing together isn’t your fucking business. She’s a grown woman.”
“Eric, I don’t need this right now,” I say. “Turn around and walk away.”
My brother turns to me, his scowl deepening. “You’re taking his side? You’re fucking him, aren’t you? Is that it?”
“What I do and don’t do, and with whom, is none of your business, Eric. I’m a grown woman and I’m free to make my own decisions?—”
“I can’t believe you, Bailey. I can’t believe you’d open your legs for this piece of shit.”
“Shut up, Eric!”
My scream echoes around the gym, adding a thick layer of discomfort to the already thick layer of tension in the air. It’s suffocating, and I feel like I can’t breathe.
The rage is flowing through me so fast and hot that I’m trembling, and I feel lightheaded. I look around the gym and see everybody watching us closely, the murmur of their whispered conversations filling my ears. I’ve never been so mortified in all my life. Trying to keep from screaming as I battle the urge to cry, I turn back to my brother and grit my teeth.
“Eric, I don’t want or need you in my life,” I tell him. “I’m sick and tired of you trying to control me. I’m done with you. Walk away and do not speak to me again. Ever.”
“Bails, you don’t know what you’re saying. You’ve always been emotional about shit?—”
