Free Knockout by Tracey Ward

little. Some of the glow would be gone and I wasn’t ready for that yet.
    “Well, you’ve been staying very busy according to Laney,” mom said to Kellen. “Does that mean you’ve chosen your major?”
    Kellen cleared his throat, his eyes going a little tight at the edges. It was a rare show of nerves that made my stomach churn with anxiety.
    “I have, yeah. I gave it a lot of thought and I’ve been inspired by you, Dan,” he said, looking to my dad.
    Dad grinned at him. “Really? What have I inspired you to do?”
    “Practice law. I’m setting myself up to enter the UC Berkeley School of Law next year.”
    “Oh, that’s wonderful!” mom exclaimed. She touched dad’s arm. “Honey, isn’t that wonderful?”
    “It is,” dad said softly with a nod.
    I couldn’t read his expression. I think it was proud but it somehow looked a little sad.
    Laney squealed and hugged Kellen in his chair. “I’m so proud of you, baby!”
    “Thanks, Lane.”
    Kellen’s eyes met mine over Laney’s shoulder. I gave him a large smile, genuine and full. The tightness around his eyes faded.
    I wasn’t surprised that this was what Kellen wanted to do. He had probably known this was his path the second he chose UC Berkeley. Even though I had told him over and over again that he was a good enough boxer to make a go at joining the Olympic Team, he never pushed himself quite that far. School had come first, boxing second and while it was a smart choice for his life long term, I couldn’t understand having that much potential and not going for it. But I guess I was just a kid. I wasn’t looking down the barrel of the rest of my life like he was and maybe with that kind of pressure I’d find tattooing was a dream I’d someday look back at and laugh. Maybe dreams are just that – dreams. Something to entertain your bored brain while you sleep but when you wake up you better get down to business. You have to do what needs to be done and those dreams you worked on all night will be a light, sweet treat that you can dwell on when things get hard.
    I looked at my dad with his slightly sad expression and I wondered if he had ever dreamed of something else. If he wasn’t tasting the cotton candy lightness of it right now, remembering and wondering. Wishing.
     

     
     
     

Chapter Nine
One Year Later
     
     
     
    “No, Laney! How fucking hard is that to understand?!”
    My mom winced at Kellen’s use of language and probably a little at his tone as well, but she stayed seated. We all did. Dad, she and I sat around the table silently still as we listened to the fight going on in the living room. It had started out small enough. Just a disagreement over something stupid while we were eating dinner.
    “Did you pack another shirt?” Laney had asked Kellen.
    He paused with his fork in the air, looking down at the dark gray T-shirt he wore. “Yeah, of course. I’m here all weekend. Why?”
    “Are any of them not T-shirts?”
    “Like what? A polo shirt?”
    “Or a sweater. Something nicer.”
    “Are we going to church?”
    Laney scowled. “You have to be going to see God to dress nice?”
    “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? Aren’t we going to a party at someone’s house?”
    “Yes, and it’s fancy dress.”
    “You didn’t tell me that.”
    “I shouldn’t have to,” she said hotly. “We’re adults. Parties don’t mean beer bongs and BBQs anymore.”
    Kellen put his fork down. Hard. “If you’d told me it was fancy dress I wouldn’t have agreed to go.”
    “Well you can’t go looking like that. You’ll borrow one of dad’s ties and jacket.”
    “Did you hear me, Lane? I said I wouldn’t have agreed to go. I’m not going.”
    She glared at him. “You already said you would!”
    I glanced up to find mom and dad both sitting awkwardly, their hands on the table and their eyes on each other. They didn’t want to get involved any more than I did but we were all trapped in the eye of the storm. One that