Hector

  Since then, Noah had fought a few bouts but not with anyone they considered might actually be a threat. This guy was not only a threat he was hungry to beat Noah.

  With Abel giving it a rest finally and letting Gio do his job of warming up Noah, Hector sat on a stool watching quietly. He was glad some of the other 5th Street trainers were in there lightening up the mood a little. Gus, Nestor, and Santos stood off to the side, cracking jokes and talking about the girls they’d seen there tonight.

  Usually these fights didn’t bring in too many girls, but tonight’s fight was a big draw. There were also a lot of parties going on after around the local neighborhood, parties Abel told Hector he should stay away from. The neighborhood had never been the greatest, but having grown up in the area their whole lives, they were more than comfortable attending the parties in the area. Still they could get a little rowdy.

  The guys were talking about hitting some of the parties tonight. “I need to get laid,” Santos announced.

  “Then find out where the keg parties are,” Nestor said with a sly smile. “Those are usually a sure thing because the girls always overdo it with the free beer, and next thing you know they’re all over you.”

  Hector turned to Nestor and gave them a look.

  “What?” Nestor asked, laughing. “I know no means no, but usually after so many beers they’re not only saying yes they’re begging for it. “He brought his hand in front of him and waved it down. “Who am I to deprive any girl of all this? Especially when they’re begging for it?”

  It didn’t surprise Hector that Nestor was one of those guys that would take advantage of a drunken girl. The world was full of douche bags like him, and 5th Street wasn’t immune to them.

  Distracted by his phone vibrating in his pocket, Hector didn’t bother responding. He pulled out the phone and read the text from Lisa.

  I know you’re probably really busy, but I just wanted to let you know we’re here. In case you look for me, we’re WAY in the back. If we had known it was going to be so packed, we would’ve gotten here earlier. THANKS, HECTOR! ;)

  Hector stood up immediately and began texting back.

  I’ll get you better seats. Don’t worry.

  He started to the door then turned back to Abel. “I’ll probably just stay out there until the fight starts. It’s almost time anyway, right?”

  Abel nodded then went back to watching Noah warm up. Hector’s phone went off again as he continued to walk toward the door.

  No! I was kidding. We’re fine where we are. You don’t have to go to any trouble.

  Hector smiled, feeling a bit bittersweet. Normally, he appreciated the perks of being part owner of a boxing gym. Things like this went a long way in impressing chicks. Too bad Lisa was no longer the girl he wanted to impress. He wondered how long it would be until he felt the urge to impress anyone, but the only girl he was interested in, he couldn’t even consider.

  Trouble? Did you forget I got connections around here?

  Her only response to that was a big smiley face. He took in the crowd as he walked into the loud swarming gym. Lisa hadn’t been kidding. Hector thought the place had been packed earlier. As he walked slowly through the crowd, he made a mental note to talk to the guys about upping the price of tickets to the bigger fights so they could add more security.

  Lisa and her friend stood way in the back. Hector was glad he spotted them before Lisa saw him. He curiously checked her out, but he didn’t want her to see that. She might get the idea he was still interested in something with her. She was just as cute as he remembered. Her dark thick hair seemed a little longer now, but he’d only ever seen her at school. This was a whole new side of her he’d yet to experience. Her short black skirt was bordering on too short, and her very high heels were all kinds of sexy.

  She looked up from whatever it was she was reading and smiled when she saw him. As he got closer, memories of that last day he saw her came to him. Her eyes were still just as big and dark. He knew he was being biased, but they had nothing on Charlee’s big baby blues. Maybe at one point they might’ve been—back when he thought only a dark-haired Hispanic girl could do it for him—not anymore. He’d been so wrong about that it wasn’t even funny.

  Lisa hugged him hard, and he hugged her right back, admitting to himself she did smell really nice. She then introduced him to her friend Estella. Estella smiled and shook his hand.

  “Wow. Did you get bigger or what?” Lisa exclaimed, her eyes all over his chest and upper arms.

  Hector smiled. “Maybe a little.”

  When Lisa gave him a knowing look then reached up and touched his arm again, he glanced away, not wanting to encourage the flirting. If it were anyone else, he’d just as soon go along with it, but not Lisa. “C’mon,” he said, taking in just how crowded the place really was.

  They were going to have to make their way back through that mess to get to the front row. “Stay close,” he said, turning back to her, and reached out his hand.

  Lisa took it immediately, but he didn’t mind, even though she quickly laced her fingers through his. She had to know why he’d done it. There was no way she’d be able to stay close in this crowd if he hadn’t. Glancing around trying to decide which would be the fastest way to get there, he froze when his eyes met Charlee’s. Her hair was down again like the day of his fight. Only she didn’t wear a dress this time. She wore skintight jeans with a turquoise sweater that made the blue in her eyes even more striking. She’d done something else tonight too. Her lips were so red it made the color of her fair skin that much more brilliant at the same time enhancing the red in her hair, brows, and freckles. She practically glowed.

  Yanking him out of the hypnotic trance he’d gone into from just seeing Charlee, it finally dawned on him. She and Drew were standing near the entrance, staring at him—with Lisa.

  He smiled, but neither of them smiled back. Charlee looked away altogether. Well fuck. What were they doing here anyway? He considered maybe going their way and saying hello, but then they began walking in the opposite direction. Hector didn’t miss the way she turned heads. How couldn’t she? Once again, she stood out like a bright flame in a sea of gloomy hues of gray. Involuntarily, his teeth began to grind as he pushed his way through the tight crowd.

  When they finally made it to the front row where a very impressed Lisa and Estella sat next to him, the thought of going back to find Charlee seemed impossible. What would he say to her anyway? The fights were open to everyone. It was something to do on a Friday night then follow it up after with a neighborhood party—also open to anyone. But the nagging question of why she’d chosen tonight to come plagued him. Was it because of what he’d said to her yesterday? Was it that obvious how crazy she drove him now? Is that why she was so incredibly done up tonight? Even as casual as her outfit was tonight compared to the night of his fight, she looked just as amazing.

  As pleasant as the thought was that maybe she had come here tonight looking to possibly continue where they left off last time, Hector knew it was out of the question. Gadamnit! Life was a fucking bitch!

  Distracted most of the fight with thoughts of Charlee, he glanced around hoping, although he wasn’t quite sure why, to spot her. He finally got into Noah’s bout toward the end. It’d been a pretty close matchup until then, and then Machado came alive. Noah’s legs began to look like rubber. No, no, no!

  They both fired away punches until one landed on Noah’s chin and he went down. Hector was already on his feet and staring at him, stunned. He’d never seen Noah go down, but within seconds, Noah was back up. Machado tried taking advantage of the momentum and Noah’s still-dazed state and came at him again. Thankfully, Noah was saved by the bell.

  Hector rushed over to Noah’s corner. Abel was there now too. Everyone was talking to Noah at once, so Hector didn’t say anything until it was almost time for Noah to go back in. “Noah!” Noah turned to look at him. “You got ’em with your left hook last time. It’s still his weak side.”


  Noah nodded then turned to Gio who was talking to him again. Hector returned to his seat. When the next round started, Noah came in like a tornado, firing away hard. The place got so loud Lisa and Estella brought their hands to their ears but continued to cheer for Noah to stay in it, even as Machado landed another hard one on Noah. Hector had filled them in on Noah and his history with Machado.

  They were all on their feet now. Hector cupped his hands around his mouth, “Use that left hook, Noah! C’mon! Do it and you got this!”

  With both fighters firing away, the place went wild. Then it happened: Noah came up with a massive left hook, landing it solidly on Machado’s temple, and Machado hit the canvas hard. Hector jumped up and down, fist pumping like a crazy person. He turned and hugged Lisa then hugged her friend too. Just like when Hector’s opponent went down a few weeks ago, Hector knew this was over.

  Seeing Noah go down had scared the shit out of Hector. For a few minutes there, he’d begun to wonder if Noah was going to be able to pull this off, even if he made it through the final round. The scorecard more than likely would’ve been in Machado’s favor. Abel, Noah, Gio, and Hector had had many wins, but this was by far one of the sweetest.

  It was such a rush that it wasn’t until everything had calmed and they were all in the training room again that Hector thought of Charlee again. Even then, he’d still been busy listening to Noah’s take on the fight when something Santos said hit him like an electric current.

  “Did you see Nestor trying to talk to the redhead?” Santos laughed then said something in a lowered voice.

  “What was that?” Hector asked, moving away from Noah, Abel, and Gio and toward Santos. Santos looked at him confused. “What did you just say?”

  Santos smiled again. “About Nestor?”

  “Yeah,” Hector already felt irritated, and he didn’t even hear the second part, but whatever it was, Santos found it amusing as shit.

  “He’s out there hitting on some redhead.”

  “Right now?”

  Santos nodded. “Last I saw—”

  “Is she with another girl?” Hector started walking before Santos even answered. “A blonde?” The odds of there being more than one redhead out there were slim, but they did have a big crowd tonight.

  “Yeah, they’re like the only two white chicks out there. Why? You know them?”

  Ignoring Santos, Hector rushed around some more guys coming into the training room. He needed to warn Charlee about Nestor. Just then Nestor walked into the training room, smiling big. This was even better. He’d warn Nestor about Charlee.

  Nestor smiled at Hector. “Looks like I’ll be getting laid tonight.”

  “You think so?” Hector asked ready to slam Nestor against the wall.

  “Oh yeah,” Nestor continued, smiling big.

  Nestor almost walked past him, but Hector stepped in front of him. “And what makes you think that?”

  Nestor backed up a step, pinching his brows. “Because I just invited some chicks to a keg party tonight, and they said they’d be there.” What had turned into a somewhat defensive expression eased into a smirk and Nestor added. “Hell, I may even have me a twofer.”

  “Really?” Hector did his best to sound as calm as he could. “The redhead you were talking to out there?”

  Nestor’s smiled. “Yeah, Charlee.”

  Just hearing him say her name made Hector want to punch him in the throat. “Charlee is my friend which means she’s off limits to you.” He turned to the other guys who were listening also and raised his voice a notch. “To all of you.” Nestor began to frown, pushing Hector’s agitation to another level. Speaking louder and more demanding, he took a step closer to Nestor. “You have a problem with that, Nestor?”

  Abel, Noah, and Gio were now looking at them too, and the training room got quiet.

  “Nah, man,” Nestor said, glancing around as if he’d just realized who he was talking to. “I just didn’t know—”

  “Well, now you do. And stay away from her friend while you’re at it.” Hector wasn’t even sure why he added that last part, but Drew was Charlee’s friend, and for that reason alone, he didn’t want this asshole taking advantage of her either.

  Nestor stared at him for a little too long without saying anything. The tension in the room was so thick it was a living thing, and at the moment, it held its breath. Hector saw Abel making a move. No one knew Hector better than Abel. If Nestor so much as said the wrong thing right now, shit was going down because Hector’s patience was spent. This guy either agreed right now or Hector would make him.

  Nestor gave him a very stiff nod before turning to Santos then back to Hector. “You got it.”

  Hector stared at him hard. He didn’t trust Nestor as far as he could throw him, and the way Hector felt right then he could probably heave Nestor clear across the room. Without saying another word to Nestor, he continued on his way out. He needed to find Charlee and Drew now and warn them about this party Nestor had invited them to.

  Chapter 18

  “You don’t have to do this, you know?” Drew said as they pulled up to the stop light.

  “I want to.” Charlee looked up from her phone’s navigation screen. “According to this, we’re a block away.”

  “Do you even know what a keg party is?”

  “Hello!” Charlee tried desperately to sound chipper. “A party involving many or one keg of beer. Everyone pays at the door per cup or for a bracelet.

  Drew smirked. “You had to look it up, didn’t you?”

  Charlee couldn’t help but smirk. Damn. Did she have to memorize verbatim? “It was pretty self-explanatory, but, okay, I looked it up just to confirm.

  “You don’t even like beer, Charlee.”

  “I never said I didn’t like it. I prefer wine coolers, but I can do beer just fine.”

  “I was wrong, okay. I admit it. He’s a sweet-talking jerk, who obviously can’t get his fill of girls.” Drew said as they slowed because of all the cars cruising by the party. “But you don’t have to go to one of these stupid parties if you’re not feeling it. You have nothing to prove.”

  Suddenly Charlee felt bad. If anyone wasn’t feeling it, it was Drew. She sounded just awful. “I’m not trying to prove anything.” She reached over and touched Drew’s leg. “But if you’re not feeling well, let’s just go home.”

  Drew turned to her. “I’m fine, Charlee. I just want to make sure you are too.” Drew pulled into a parking space at the end of the block, several homes away from the one where the party was. “I would like nothing more than for you to go into that party and enjoy yourself. Dance a little. Maybe even exchange numbers with someone, but I know you. You’re holding it all in. It’s okay to be disappointed.”

  Charlee frowned, glancing out her window at some of the people walking toward the party. As much as she’d been playing it off that she didn’t buy Drew’s sixth-sense crap about Hector, of course, she was secretly hoping Drew had been right. Of course, she was once again completely disheartened when she’d seen him with yet another pair of girls. But she was really done this time. She was only happy that Drew had witnessed the whole thing with her: his eyeballing the girl before he reached her then hugging her before escorting her and her friend to sit with him in the front row.

  There was no way Drew could argue with her now. The guy’s wasn’t changing his colors for any one girl, not even Charlee, who Drew seemed convinced Hector looked at so differently than all the others. As mad as she wanted to be at herself for beginning to believe it too, she wouldn’t be. It was true Hector was a sweet talker. It wasn’t just what he said but how he went about it. He didn’t have to apologize yesterday. What had happened between them was water under the bridge now—or should’ve been anyway. Yet he’d gone out of his way to tell her that he really meant it when he’d told her she was different. There was such sweetness about the way he spoke to her—looked at her—when he said it too not just yesterday but the first time he’d told her that.
Obviously she wasn’t different enough.

  Now she was determined to wash her mind of him. This would be a good start. She could go to this party, let her hair down, maybe meet someone, and possibly even let someone new kiss her so she could finally stop obsessing about the only guy who ever had. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t stop. She’d come to that conclusion earlier. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for people like Hector, who had so many experiences to compare, to easily move on to their next conquest.

  It was so not like her, but she was certain a little alcohol could do the trick. Truth was she wanted nothing more than to go straight home, get into her jammies, and crawl in bed. But she knew what would happen then. The tears would inevitably start, and she refused to do that again.

  She sat up, turning back to Drew. “If you’re feeling well enough, I’m up for this.” No, she’d be honest and admit it. “I need to do this.”

  The familiar bright smile Charlee was so used to seeing on Drew was back. Red nose and all, she actually looked excited. “Good! But I won’t be doing any drinking just so you know. I finally caved and took medicine for this damn cold.” Drew sniffled and reached for a tissue from the glove compartment then blew her nose.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough, Drew? I can always do this another time.”

  Drew shook her head adamantly, opening her door. “I’m fine, and you are not putting this off even one more day. We’re doing this tonight. I’m just doing it minus the booze.” Charlee got out of her side nervously then looked over at Drew across her car’s roof. “But you, my dear,” Drew lifted her brow with a smirk, “will hang loose and enjoy yourself tonight. This night will not be a waste if I have anything to do with it.”

  Refusing to give into her natural instinct to tell Drew that just being out of the car and hearing the music coming from the party she was already having second thoughts, Charlee remained calm. She continued walking alongside of her best friend ready to do this. Even though she wasn’t quite sure what this would consist of exactly.