Lucy and Tanner owned a gym, ‘Knock Out: Boxing Center and General Gym’, a large concrete building basically in their backyard. Ever since he had come to live with them, Samuel adored the gym, it, in a way, reminded him of the farm with all the training equipment, except the people who came here were generally happy, as they came with their own free will.
As Samuel grew, his strength and speed, of course, increased but so did his anxiety, and so Tanner had introduced him to boxing. Punching the sandbag allowed him to release his frustrations and calm his mind. At first, he was cautious of the idea. He hated violence and fighting, but he slowly learned that boxing wasn’t about using sheer strength, but it was majorly strategy and ability to learn your opponent in the heat of the moment. Tanner was thrilled when he started to take more interest in the sport, not only was it good for the boy to have something to focus on other than his pain from the past, but it also allowed Tanner and Lucy to be more at ease knowing he would be more prepared if he was somehow caught.
“He does in fact; he uses it as an outlet for emotions he has a harder time handling. And he’s quite skilled too. Would you like to see him in action?” Callie nodded at Tanner’s question, and all three headed towards the gym.
Upon entering Callie was taken back by the hustle and bustle of the building. Machines and tools for the legs held the upper right section, machines and tools for the arms held the upper left, the general body workout area held the lower left, and finally in the lower right section was the boxing specific area. In the center of the whole gym was a boxing ring, where two large men were practicing. Tanner bee-lined for the lower right section, greeting all the patrons by name that he passed.
In the very corner of the section, was Samuel, who had changed from his previous clothes to just a pair of loose shorts. His hands were bound in wrap underneath the blue boxing gloves. Each punch sending the bag backward. He was focused, it was like there was nothing in the gym but him and this bag, until he heard his father’s voice behind him. Samuel turned quickly to see his parents and Callie all standing watching him. He was so distracted that he had forgotten that he had just punched the bag once again, sending it backward. Unfortunately, he was quickly reminded as it flew back into his face with a thump.
Samuel laid on the ground groaning as at least 15 people surrounded him.
“Samuel what did we say about focus? If you want to hit the bag that hard, so be it, but you must stay focused.” Tanner knelt to inspect his son’s face, the bag had managed to hit the same place as the pole causing the bruise to darken and his eye to swell up.
Samuel rolled his eyes, then winced at the surge of pain that struck. He looked towards Callie, “Do you believe me now? I’m good at getting accidentally hurt.”
Tanner sighed, helping the teenager up as Callie let out a breath of relief. He was fine, his comment proved it.
Lucy, who had managed to disappear without anyone noticing, reappeared with an ice pack in hand. “I’ve called the doctor, we have an appointment for this afternoon, because if you didn’t have a concussion before you sure as hell have one now.”
Samuel was escorted back inside the house, a parent under each arm, and Callie close behind. He was laid on the couch, as he sighed, not even wanting to picture his face’s state. It was going to leave a lasting impression on his classmates.
Suddenly, a man popped out from the bathroom, “Wow kiddo, when your parents said the sink was destroyed, I didn't expect the sink to be actually destroyed. Then again, I don’t know why I’m surprised. I would ask about your face, but I have a feeling the state of the bathroom and the fact that you just came from the gym pretty much explains it for me.” Ed chuckled before returning to the bathroom to continue assessing the damages and determining what he would need for the repairs.
“May I ask you who that was.” Samuel grimaced at Callie, just now realizing that she still hadn’t left. This lady sure was persistent. Lucy shot him a look, that said ‘be nice’.
“That was Ed, our contractor, and family friend. He helps fix up everything that this teenage terror breaks.” Tanner laughed at his own words while scruffing Samuel’s hair.
“Oh sweetie, your poor eye. I hope we can get that swelling down before school starts. And hopefully, the bruise will have started to heal by then too.” Lucy smiled gently at Samuel, knowing how excited yet nervous he was for the first day. This bruise would most definitely add to his nerves, it added to hers.
“Me too, Mom. Me too”
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