On Christmas night, Max had had enough. While he rested on the couch, an ice pack on his knee and Tyson buried under all his new toys, Max dialed Tori’s number. It went to voice mail. He decided to send her a text.
Merry Christmas.
It was an hour before there was a response from Tori.
Merry Christmas.
How’s your break?
Good. Yours?
Craptastic. I’m stuck on my couch, rehabbing, and I’m missing you.
Max waited the rest of the night for a response from Tori. None came.
»»•««
Max started his new year with two more surgeries. He never felt so alone as he healed. Granted, he had his family surrounding him. But Quinn and Tori grew more and more distant. His texts and calls were rarely returned. He just wanted to hear the woman he loved’s voice or his best friend’s laugh. He wanted things back to normal and to be living on campus full time. His mom’s constant muttering about how heartless they were acting didn’t help much.
Just before the second surgery they showed up together moments before Max was to be wheeled into the surgical suite. With a flirty smile that turned Max to goo, Tori pressed a kiss to his lips. Max could have sworn he saw Quinn snarl. He brushed off the paranoia. Why would Quinn be upset if Tori kisses me? They had been dating for over a year.
They were both long gone before he woke up. They weren’t there with kisses and well wishes before he was taken back for his third surgery.
»»•««
Max forced his eyes open. The anesthesia was still making him groggy. In recovery after the third surgery, he was sure he had heard that the surgery was successful. It would be the last one. All that was left was rehab, and he’d be back in the octagon.
Max sighed as he snuggled into the hospital pillow. Do I want to go back? The pain he had suffered over the past couple months had been hell. Do I really want that pain again?
He cocked a grin, even though there was no one else in the room to see it. The passion to fight still burned inside him. It would be nearly impossible to walk away from the cage. He would just have to see after rehab where he stood on his return.
Max’s blue eyes lit up when Tori walked into the room. It nearly knocked him completely out of the fog he was in. He pushed the button that raised his bed to a sitting position. Getting impatient with the controls, he sat up on his own, without help. “Hey, baby!”
“Hey. Your mom said the surgery went well.” Tori’s voice was quiet.
“Yep, last one. Now, rehab.”
“How long until you’re completely better?”
“Could be a year. I’m just taking it one step at a time and learning to walk on it again.”
Tori looked away, staring at the garden print on the wall as she bit her lip.
Max frowned at her. “What is it, Tori?”
She was quiet for a long moment. “I don’t think we should be together anymore, Max.”
“You’re breaking up with me?” Max demanded incredulously. “I’m lying in a hospital bed after having major surgery, and you’re breaking up with me?”
Tori took a deep breath. “Graduation is coming up in three months. You’re staying in Mankato. I’m not. You need to concentrate on your rehabilitation, not me. You need to get better.”
“I’ll get better quicker with you at my side.”
“It’s better this way.” Tori crossed the hospital room to his bed. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Bye, Max.” Without another word, she rushed out the door.
He watched her go. When all of this had started, she had been by his side like a faithful puppy. Now what?
Max sighed. He knew one thing. The fog was gone. He was wide awake, and he was going to have problems resting for the remainder of the day.
Max’s sole focus going to rehab was to get back to fighting. It was the only thing that numbed the pain of his broken heart. A part of him was hopeful. Tori did say she just wanted me better, didn’t she? Maybe when he was, he would win her back.
Quinn seemed less than pleased when Max told him that he wouldn’t be at his friend’s fight the next Friday night. Maneuvering in that crowd on crutches would be impossible. Instead, Max wished his best friend good luck. Quinn stormed from the fitness center without a response. Max sighed and went back to the arm curls he was working on.
Saturday morning, Max hobbled into the fitness center. He managed a wave to Chuck before he limped to the weight bench.
“Hey, Max,” Chuck called out. “Don’t overdo it, all right? You need to let your knee heal!”
Max grinned. “Not working my knee. I’m working my chest. But yes, I’ll be careful.” He started doing chest presses, not noticing Davey, one of the team members, slip into the room. The sight of his friend appearing over the bar startled him. He struggled to keep the bar in check and put it back on the rack. “Holy crap, Davey. Don’t scare me like that.”
Davey looked almost guilty.
Max frowned. “I’m fine, Davey. I was joking. What is it?”
Davey’s voice was quiet. “How are you and Tori?”
Max sighed. “She broke up with me. I haven’t even told Quinn. Why?”
“I think Quinn knows.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Davey handed Max his phone, already primed to a video. Max pressed “Play” and watched. It was Quinn’s fight from the night before—a quick affair that resulted in a knockout only a minute and a half into the first round. Then Quinn strutted out of the octagon victoriously, into the arms of…
Tori. And the kiss they shared was far from friendly. It looked like a prelude for something that would conclude in the bedroom. Max’s heart plummeted into his gut.
Dejected, Max handed Davey’s phone back to him.
Davey shoved it back in his pocket. “Sorry, man.”
Max forced a small smile. “Not your fault.”
Davey shuffled back to the locker room to change without another word. Max lay back down on the bench and stared at the ceiling. Thoughts rushed through his brain. What Tori had said didn’t add up with what he saw on the video.
He pressed his lips into a thin, angry line. Nowhere in his heart did he want to think of Tori, a girl he had feelings for, that way. But it was the only thing that made sense.
Max sat up, grabbed his crutches, and made his way out of the gym. He knew exactly where Tori was. He wasn’t one to make scenes; he actually hated people who did that. But he needed to talk to Tori away from Quinn, and the accusation he was about to make wasn’t pretty.
Just as he expected, Tori was leaning against the counter behind the register of the bookstore. Only one customer mulled around the T-shirts and books. It left Tori time to chomp on her bubblegum and file her nails. The sight of her sent a seething rage through him.
Tori’s eyes flew open wide at his appearance. The snarl on his lips must have told her he wasn’t pleased. “Max. What’s up?”
“Do you have a minute?” he snapped.
“Sure.” Tori motioned one of the girls stocking sweatshirts over to take her place. She strolled outside as Max hobbled behind her. Once they were through the glass door, she turned to him with a bright smile. “So, what’s going on?”
“Davey showed me Quinn’s fight on video last night,” Max began.
“Yeah. He won. Pretty cool, huh?”
“How long have you been seeing him?” Max accused.
Tori’s face went pale. She slowly opened her mouth and then closed it.
Max continued. “Were you dating us at the same time?”
“Yeah. Maybe a week or two.”
“Did Quinn know?”
She paused for a long moment. “Yeah.”
“So, what makes Quinn better than me? We were planning a future together, remember?”
“I… it’s just…”
“I know,” Max interrupted. “All of your long-term plans included me becoming a pro MMA fighter, making the big time, holding a belt. The
n, I got injured. Suddenly, I was no longer useful to you. Tell me I’m wrong. Please. Tell me you aren’t one of those groupies who care more about screwing a fighter than being in love.”
Tori looked away from him, guilt clearly etched on her face.
A growl burned deep in Max’s throat. “That’s what I thought. Have a nice life.” He spun on his good foot and moved as fast as he could away from her.
Max stormed across campus the best he could on crutches. The February winter chill did nothing to cool the burning rage in his heart. Maybe several hours of a hard workout would calm him down. He didn’t care if he reinjured himself in the process.
He stopped short as Quinn appeared in the doorway of the fitness center. He grinned at Max as he held the door open. “Hey, man. Been looking all over for you.”
Max didn’t think. In a flash, he dropped his crutches, fell instinctively into stance, and threw a punch, his fist connecting with Quinn’s chin. Quinn’s body ricocheted off the glass door from the impact and slumped to the ground.
Seething, Max hovered over the barely-conscious Quinn. “Guess what? I know about you and Tori, you bastard. We’re no longer, and never will again be, friends.” Max glanced at the discarded crutches lying in a pile of fallen leaves. “Guess I don’t need those anymore.” Max threw one last sneer at Quinn before hobbling toward his dorm room. He didn’t look back to see if anyone came to help his ex-best friend.
Max slumped onto his bed. The girl he loved had proved to be nothing but a groupie. His best friend had betrayed him.
Not to mention his knee was torn up. Three surgeries were three too many. Is a career in mixed martial arts worth all this?
Only one answer resounded from his broken heart. No.
Max glanced up at the clippings of his fights that adorned his walls. Snarling, he stood. He viciously tore each one off and tossed it in the trash. He limped over to the mini fridge and got a bottle of water. Sliding his desk drawer open to fish out the contraband book of matches, Max tore one free and struck it, admiring the flickering flame for a moment.
Then he dropped it into the waste can.
The blaze was tiny, yet it quickly engulfed the paper inside. Max twisted the cap off the bottle of water. When he was satisfied that the clippings were destroyed, he doused the flames. He dropped back on his bed and slipped his cell from his pocket. He quickly searched through his contacts and chose one.
“Thomas’s,” a voice greeted on the other end.
“Hey, Dad,” Max answered weakly.
“Hey, bud. What’s up?”
“I think I’m gonna come home for the night. Is that all right?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Not really. I found out Tori’s been dating Quinn the past few weeks.”
“While dating you?”
“Exactly.”
Max heard his dad sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Max paused. “I think I’m done with MMA.”
“Max, don’t let some girl destroy your dreams.”
“I’m not. It’s the girl and three ACL surgeries. It’s all too much. I’m going to get my degree and be a personal trainer. Just like I planned.”
“Whatever makes you happy, kiddo. You know Mom and I are right behind you.”
“I know, Dad.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Let me pack some clothes, and I’m on the road. About an hour?”
“Okay. I’ll have Mom set an extra place for lunch. See you soon.”
Max hung up and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He stood and crossed his room to the closet, tossing some clothes into the empty bag on the floor. Time at home with his family would do him good. On Monday, he would tell Chuck of his decision. Would his coach be happy? Absolutely not. Max was the best fighter on the team. But as every second passed, he was convinced he had made the right decision.
»»•««
The time Max spent at home with his family flew past, but it did him incredible good. He had a couple of long talks with his dad. He spent hours playing on the floor with Tyson as they drove tiny toy cars around an invisible city. His mom and two sisters spoiled him by taking him shopping for new clothes.
As Max drove back to Mankato, he sighed. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t want to go back to school. The college was a constant reminder of his broken heart. At home, he had a family who loved him.
As dawn streaked the sky Monday morning, Max climbed out of bed and dressed. Once he tugged his coat on, he grabbed a protein bar and headed out the door. He hoped he would have enough time to talk to Chuck before he needed to get to class. With any luck, his coach would already be in the gym.
Chuck sat at his desk as Max hobbled into Chuck’s office. The older man flashed him a smile. “You’re up early.”
“Yeah. I was hoping to talk to you,” Max confessed.
Chuck motioned to the empty chair across from him. “Have a seat.”
Max dropped into it. He took a deep breath and looked up at Chuck. Inside, he was quaking. “I’m done with MMA,” he announced.
Chuck’s forehead crunched in confusion. “You’re my best fighter.”
“Now Quinn is. I’m done.”
“May I ask why?”
“The pain, the surgeries, were too much. I don’t want to go through it again.”
“Are you sure that’s it?”
Max stared into Chuck’s eyes. He could tell in the green depths that Chuck knew the truth. Max forced a smile on his face. It seemed like he was doing that a lot lately. “Of course.”
“All right. I respect your decision. I’m glad you stopped in.”
“Why’s that?” Max questioned.
Chuck sat back in his chair, his fingertips pressed together. “I want to offer you a job after college. I want you to stay on as a personal trainer. This is your home, and everyone here loves you. You’re the perfect choice. And if you don’t want to fight, I’ll teach you to coach.”
Max gaped at him. He hadn’t even finished his final semester, and he had just been offered a job. And it’s here, someplace I know well and love…
His heart fell. This gym may have been home at one time. And yes, he had loved it more than any other place on earth. But that wasn’t the case anymore. Every ounce of this place reminded him of Tori and Quinn. “Thank you, Chuck. I’m honored. Can I think about it and get back to you?”
Chuck smiled. “Of course. Just let me know your decision. Now, get to class.”
“Sure thing. See you later. And thanks.” Max rose from his seat. Slowly, he made his way out of Chuck’s office through the now-busy gym to his first lesson of the day.
Chapter Four
Max sat in the Career Center, typing away on the computer left available for students looking for their future jobs. He sighed. The last semester had flown by so fast. Finishing his credits, preparing for his graduation ceremony and reception, and taking on new responsibilities at the fitness center in preparation for his new position had kept him going from morning to night.
Keeping busy should have kept Max’s mind off Quinn and Tori. It didn’t. And seeing the college’s newest “hot” couple wrapped around each other nearly every minute of the day didn’t help much.
Chuck had truly given him an offer he shouldn’t refuse. But he couldn’t stay on campus anymore. Once he walked off the stage next Saturday with his degree in hand, he was putting the college and Mankato in his rearview mirror. And he wouldn’t be looking back.
He stopped at a posting that caught his eye. He read it to himself. Personal trainer. Roadie’s Gym. Minneapolis. Once he had scanned the requirements, he clicked on the links to submit his resume. Then, smiling at the blonde waiting to use the computer, he logged off his account and stood to leave. He had barely slipped out of the center before his phone started to ring.
“This is Max,” he answered.
“Hello, Max. My name is Roadie. I just received your resume.”
> Max felt his heart slam in his chest. That was extremely fast. “Yes, I’m interested in your position as a personal trainer.”
He heard Roadie pause, almost sensing he was reading. “For someone about to graduate from college, you have quite a bit of experience. I see you used to fight.”
Max cringed. “Yes, but not anymore.”
“Why?”
Max paused. He couldn’t tell a potential employer that it was over a girl. “I tore my ACL. It’s fully healed, but I’m not sure I want to risk re-injuring myself.”
“Smart boy. So, when can you come for an interview?”
Max pulled his phone from his ear to look at the time. Ten in the morning. It only took an hour and a half to get to Minneapolis. “How about this afternoon? Say, one o’clock?”
“Sounds like a plan. See you then.”
Max hung up and jogged back to his dorm room. He quickly showered and dressed in a dress shirt, slacks, and tie. Racing to his car, he started the drive to the Twin Cities. He blasted hard rock from his radio to calm his quaking nerves. It wasn’t helping at all.
Stepping into Roadie’s took his breath away. The college fitness center was pretty up-to-date, but it was nothing like this. The cardio equipment was state of the art. There was a section the size of his parents’ house dedicated solely to free weights. The indoor running track would put Olympic training facilities to shame. There were at least a dozen classrooms lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, containing all the amenities to teach a class.
And that was just what he saw from the lobby of the gym.
A perky brunette behind the counter greeted him. “Welcome to Roadie’s. May I help you?”
“I’m here to see Roadie. I’m Max Thomas,” he responded.
“Hi, Max. I’m Amy. Roadie’s been talking about you. Let me get him.” Amy scampered off down the hall.
Max watched her go, his nerves not settling. Roadie’s been talking about me? What does that mean?
He only waited a few moments before a stocky man in his fifties strode out. His head was nearly bald. Bulging biceps peeked out beneath his T-shirt. “Max Thomas?” he questioned.
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