AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pro: Maybe we’ll have mind-blowing sex again.
Con: No, no, no. That is a very bad idea.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll be there at seven.”
At 6:55pm, I’m standing inside TJ’s gym. No one is behind the front desk so I walk around, taking it all in. Thick ropes, weight racks, giant tires, and punching bags line the perimeter of the large warehouse. The gym seems empty.
Then I spot him. The octagon-shaped ring is toward the back of the room. The overhead lights act as spotlights on the two contenders circling each other. TJ’s opponent only reaches his waist. The boy can’t be more than seven-years old. He’s wearing headgear, fingerless boxing gloves, and a mouth guard that’s stretching his small lips to their limit. The sleeves of his shirt are cut off to match TJ’s.
“Jab, jab, swing!” TJ yells.
The boy fires a series of punches at the large red pad TJ holds.
“Nice. Again!”
Jab, jab, swing.
TJ drops the pad and ruffles the boy’s thick hair. “Great work today, Michael. Have a seat.”
Michael tosses his headgear and mouthpiece onto the floor. The two sit, and the boy crisscrosses his legs like TJ.
“What happened at school today?”
Michael shrugs and averts his eyes to his toes.
“Your dad said you got sent to the principal’s office. Is that true?”
Michael nods.
“What happened, Michael? I need you to talk to me.”
“Christopher stole my lunchbox and dumped my food onto the floor. Everyone saw.”
“Then what happened?”
“I punched him like you taught me to.”
TJ touches his finger to Michael’s chin, lifting his face to make eye contact. “I don’t teach you to hurt people. You know that.”
“But Christopher is a bully! Someone has to teach him a lesson. I’m tired of getting picked on.”
“It’s not your job to teach him a lesson. It’s your job to worry about yourself. Keep yourself out of trouble. Punching a bully doesn’t fix the problem.”
“I’m just a kid. How am I supposed to fix the problem?”
“You’re not just a kid. You’re powerful. You’re smart. You can do more than you think. But you can’t go around punching everyone who’s mean to you. Otherwise, Dad won’t let you train with me anymore. Do you understand that what you did was wrong?”
“Yes,” Michael says, groaning. “I should’ve used my words like you told me to.”
“Words are more powerful than you realize. Even more so than your fists. He’s picking on you because he’s weak. Maybe he’s hurting. Maybe his life isn’t so great. Maybe he just needs a friend. I say you walk right up to Christopher tomorrow and invite him here.”
Michael’s eyes go wide. “You want him to come here so you can train him?”
“No. I want him to come here so you can train him. I want him to see how awesome you are. But he doesn’t have to know that.”
A smile spreads across Michael’s face. “I like that idea.”
“Good. That’s your homework. Let’s go see if Dad’s here.”
