Read Fighting for Free Online Page B

finger on that raised my hackles.  And it wasn't
just that he was ridiculously good looking and a bit of an asshole.  I mean,
who says ‘ She got lucky’ to a cop in a room full of people who were just
at the other end of a gun?  Not everyone is that cavalier about danger.
    We
were locked in a stare down and I saw Oliver approaching the table in the
distance, so when he neared, without breaking eye contact with Ethan, I said,
"Hey Oliver, why don't you sit here?"
    Oliver
came to a standstill by me and I looked at him, masking my anger and nodding my
head to the empty space between us.  He looked between our faces, shrugged, and
sat down. 
    The
adults were sitting at their table already, but Spencer and August were still
making their plates and drinks. 
    "Hey
Ethan, Alex has a killer game collection.  We're going to play later.  You
should join us."
    "I
only have two player games," I said quickly.  I cut my eyes to Definitely
Ethan, and I know he felt the unfriendly vibe I was sending him.  
    "We'll
take turns," Oliver said.
    "I
can't tonight anyway, Oliver," Ethan said, eyes on mine.  "Got more
important things to do than play video games." 
    God,
what an arrogant bastard.
    "Careful,"
I warned in a low voice.  "Be any more obvious and there won't be any
lines to read between."
    His
glare intensified and his eyes scanned my torso, sizing me up.  I zeroed in on
the obvious difference between us.
    "You
got a problem losing to girls?" I baited him.  "Or do you not have
any experience in that department at all?"
    This
guy set me on edge, sure, but I eventually found my footing and mercilessly
went on the offensive.  He may have had the sword, but I had the pen.
    A
muscle jumped at his jaw  "What's your problem?" he bit out.
    "You,"
I clipped.
    His
brow furrowed and we turned glaring into an art form. 
    "Guys,"
Oliver stressed.  "Chill."
    We
both snapped out of it and remembered that Oliver was between us.  He looked
confused and upset and I instantly regretted asking him to sit between us. 
Ethan glanced at him and back to me as he muttered a low, "Whatever,"
before focusing on his plate and ignoring the rest of us for the remainder of
the evening.
    I
felt kind of like a jerk but at least now he would know that just because I was
the only age appropriate female around, I wasn't going to fall at his feet.
    Asshole.

CHAPTER 3
     
     
    I
walked up the flight of stairs, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.  Damn kid had
me up later than I should have stayed, playing video games.  I was going to
work out, so I dressed accordingly, wearing what I normally wore to the gym --
my favorite tennis shoes, black shorts, a black sports bra and, the only splash
of color on me, a purple racerback tank top.
    I
knotted my hair into a ball on the top of my head and heaved open the door to
the gym.  I saw Ross and Brooks huddled by a treadmill, speaking quietly.  The
door shut behind me and they both looked in my direction and smiled.  
    "Ross
is going to create a workout plan for you today and help get you started. 
Because you're more or less new to combat training, we'll set you up for
individual tutoring at first.  I know you're used to working out alone, so it
may take some getting used to, but Ross is really very good at what he
does."
    I
looked at Ross dubiously, not because I doubted his abilities, but because I
wasn't all that pumped up to change my routine.  It worked out pretty well for
me so far, and I didn't know if they did yoga, or even thought it was useful.
    But
I said, "Okay," and then yawned.
    Ross
and I talked for a minute, going over what I was accustomed to doing, and then
we went over what he wanted me to do.  I ran for an hour on the treadmill like
I usually did, and then he added in some weight training and cardio, along with
a few sets of good old fashioned push and sit ups just for kicks and giggles. 
Apparently not wanting to overwhelm me too soon, we planned on adding on more
later.  And