The sun shines brightly as I turn in my bed. The aroma of fresh laundry and sandalwood fills my nostrils. I can feel him still next to me even though he is gone. I grab my phone and look at the time: ten-thirty a.m. I slowly crawl out of bed and head to the bathroom. I splash water on my face to wake me up and then brush my teeth. I quickly get dressed in black leggings and a sports bra that matches before throwing my grey hoodie over my head. I head to the kitchen to make myself some coffee when I realise there is one sitting on the table with a note.

I went out and got everyone coffee, and I thought you would like one too.

-Gage

I smile at his gesture, but it still doesn't make this hurt any less. I grab the note and read it again, trying to find comfort in his words. As I take a sip of the coffee, I can feel its warmth spreading through my body, but it doesn't ease the pain in my heart. I grab my phone and call my dad.

"Hello?" I hear my mom's voice.

"Hey, mom." I smile.

"Oh, sweety, I miss you so much. I do hope you are safe."

"I am mom. I've been obeying curfew, and since school is on lockdown, I really haven't left the house. And that's the reason I'm calling. Can I talk to dad?"

"Of course." She says with sweetness in her voice. "I love you."

"I love you too." Silence fills the air as I wait for my dad to answer the phone.

"Hey, sweetheart." He says, and I smile.

"Hey, dad."

"Did you get the tires switched?" He questions me, and I roll my eyes. He's always been on top of me to make sure I get things done.

"Yes, I did. But I wanted to ask: Do you know of any boxing gyms around here? Or would I have to leave town? And if I do, how far would I have to drive?"

"Your Uncle Shawn has one a town over from where you are going east." He states.

"Okay, great. Do you think he would mind if I came by to release some energy? I've been feeling a little anxious lately, and I really need something to hit." I laugh as I speak to him.

He laughs along with me and says, "I'm surprised you've lasted this long without the gym. And of course not; he would love to see you. I'll send you the address. Drive safely. I love you."

"I love you too." I hang up the phone and grab the keys to my Jeep and my gym bag. I head out into the cold and start the engine. I wait for my dad to text me as I warm up the vehicle. I can't wait to hit the gym and release some endorphins.

The text comes through, and I put the address into the GPS. I pull out of the driveway and head down the road. The music fills the car, and I drive, leaving all my worries at home. As I get closer to the gym, my excitement builds up. I know that after a good sweat session, I'll feel accomplished and energised for the rest of the day.

☾

The feeling that someone is following me creeps up my spine. I take a look in the rearview mirror, and four cars down behind me, none other than Gage's truck, is coming into view. I sigh and pull into the parking lot of my uncle's gym. I park the car and notice Gage staying far away, watching from a distance. I step out of my car, and my uncle walks out. I kiss his cheek and hug him before walking inside.

I look around and finally walk toward the ring. It's been months since I've last been in one, and I'm excited. I take off my hoodie and wrap my hands.

From the corner of my eye, I see Gage enter with some other gym goers behind him. I ignore him and pretend he isn't here. My uncle approaches and introduces me to his star fighter. I am polite, as I always am, until she says, "Ready to get your ass kicked?"

A sinister smile crosses my face, and I say, "Sure." I get into the ring, and Uncle Shawn counts down. She swings but misses; she tries again; I dodge and land a punch on her jaw. She staggers back, surprised. I realise that this is going to be more fun than I thought. After some time, I realise I should give the girl a break. After I land my last punch, I put my hand out to help her up. She looks at me and says, "You're good."

"Thanks," I respond before jumping down and taking a seat on the bench. My uncle grabs my shoulders and slightly laughs, "You just took down my best fighter. You should really fight for my gym, Star. You could go far." I smile but decline, telling him I only do this to let go of anger and to clear my mind. He nods his head and walks away. I look around, and my eyes lock on Gage's as I watch him standing in the shadows. He finally walks toward me, and curiosity takes over. "Come out of the shadows, Gage." He steps out and puts his head down. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know." He says as he looks up, his eyes stay on mine.

"I told you to leave this morning because it's too painful to be around you. Last night was goodbye, Gage, and I meant it." I tell him.

He walks closer and whispers, "I miss you, and I know you miss me too." I can feel his breath on my skin. I take a step back, trying to resist the temptation, but my heart aches with longing. "It's not that simple," I say, struggling to keep my voice steady.

I turn to walk away, but he grabs my wrist. He looks around, and a smile crosses his face. "You like betting, so let's make a bet." Confusion fills me as I look at him.

"What do you have in mind?" Curiosity fills my eyes.

"You and me in the ring." He says this, and I begin to laugh. I've spent every day growing up in a ring. I don't care who he thinks he is; I'm always going to be better. "If you can land one hit on me, I'll tell you everything. But if I win, you have to promise to drop this topic forever,or at least until I'm able to explain," he says confidently. I hesitate for a moment before agreeing to the bet, unsure of what I'm getting myself into. I can sense his arrogance, but I'm also intrigued by his challenge. As we step into the ring, I remind myself that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Uncle Shawn grabs my shoulders and whispers, "Kick his ass." He smiles, and I nod. With my eyes on him, I step forward and swing, but miss; I never miss. He's quick, but I try again. He dodges my second attempt effortlessly, and I realise that he is not an easy opponent to beat. I take a step back, reassessing my strategy before making another move.

He grabs my arm and pins it behind my back. I feel the sweat from his chest against me. "Good try," he whispers before he pushes me off him. I quickly regain my balance and prepare to counterattack, but he steps back with a smirk on his face. "You're too predictable," he says. "You need to be more creative if you want to beat me."

He has countered all my moves, and I can't land a single hit on him. I take a deep breath and try to think outside the box, analysing his fighting style and looking for any weaknesses. "Last round!" My uncle shouts.

As I step forward to attack again, I decide to take a different approach and surprise him with a new move. But to my surprise, he anticipates my move and swiftly dodges it, leaving me vulnerable to his counterattack. With my arms pinned behind my back, I feel Gage's heavy breathing on my neck and his sweat against my back.

I finally get out of his grasp and turn to face him. Still breathing heavily, he says, "I win." I walk away, but he grabs my arm, and I turn to face him. "Now can we move on? I want to be home with you."

I look into his eyes, and they do something to me. I want answers, but I was stupid enough to go along with this bet, thinking I could win. As he moves closer to me, my heart begins to race, and all I want is to jump into his arms. "Star?"

I take a deep breath, "I want you home too, just one thing."

"What?"

"This," My fist clenches and collides with his jaw. I shake my hand. I can't believe I just did that, but he deserves it. "Now I feel better." I take a step back and wait for his reaction, and he begins to laugh as he rubs his face. I roll my eyes and walk away. I say bye to my uncle and head to my Jeep. I watch as Gage walks toward his truck, and I wait for him to leave.

I lean my head back; I can't believe I lost. He was quick, almost like he knew what I was about to do. Which now leaves me with more questions that I can't have answered. As I drive down the road, my mind is filled with thoughts. As much as I'm glad I'll have Gage next to me once again, I still can't get over what he is hiding, or what they are all hiding.

☾

The snow begins to fall as my thoughts run wild. It seems everyone around me knows what's going on except me. If no one wants to explain, then I guess I'll have to figure it out myself. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am capable of solving this mystery. Maybe it's time to start paying closer attention to the little details and clues that have been overlooked. With determination, I set out to uncover the truth.

I pull into my driveway, and as I exit, I see Laura running toward me. "Star, can we talk?" she begs.

"I'm not in the mood." I tell her. "Seriously? You can forgive Gage, but not me?" She sounds hurt, but she is the one hiding something.

"I didn't forgive him." I tell her.

"She lost a bet," Gage says as he walks up to us. Her eyes widen.

"You lost to him again?" I nodded and said, "Yup, so in turn, I'm not allowed to ask anymore questions." I say it with annoyance.

"Okay, whatever wager you made with him, I'd like to join so I can have my best friend back."

Gage begins to laugh before saying, "The bet was if she could land one hit on me, I would tell her everything she wanted to know. If I won, I get to come home, and she drops the topic forever."

Laura sighs, "You didn't land a hit."

"Nope, but if you want to go a round, I'm pretty sure I can land one on you." I smile.

"No, thank you," she says as she steps back. I tell them both I'm heading to shower and have some time to myself, as the gym was supposed to be my time. Gage's face fills with guilt as I walk away.

I head inside and walk to my room. I close the door and strip down, heading to the bathroom and allowing the hot water from the shower to steam up the room. As I stand under the water, I try to clear my mind and let go of the frustration I feel towards Gage. However, his cocky smile keeps replaying in my head, making it hard to fully relax. I grab my loofah and start scrubbing my skin, hoping the physical sensation will distract me from my thoughts. After a few minutes, I turn off the water and wrap myself in a towel, feeling slightly more at ease.

I head into my room and look around. I see Gage's shirt from last night dangling from the back of my desk chair. I press my lips together before grabbing it. As I hold the shirt to my nose, I inhale deeply, taking in his scent. Memories of our time together flood my mind, making me feel both happy and sad at the same time.

I slip on the shirt before grabbing a clean pair of panties. I slip those on and head back to the bathroom to brush my hair. I look in the mirror and begin to cry. My whole life is a mess, and the one person who is responsible for it is the person I want to have his arms wrapped around me.

I wipe my tears and remind myself that he isn't Levi; he isn't going around behind my back with other girls; he isn't using me for late night hookups. He isn't lying about how he feels about me. But he is lying about what's going on in this town. I look down at my ring finger, and even after everything, I still refuse to take it off. At this point, letting him love me again is the only way I'm going to get the answers I want.