Free Brawler by Tracey Ward

take it. “Show them you want it. Show them you’ll work for it and they’ll give you a chance because that’s all you need. Then it’s on you. You’ll make your future, not them, and when it’s all said and done you’ll know you’re a man who made something of himself because he couldn’t stand to be anything less than absolutely everything he was capable of being.”
    I stared at him dead in the eye, not blinking. Barely breathing.
    He stared back patiently.
    “Why?” I asked, finally voicing the question that had banged around in my brain since I sat down in his office in the gleaming, golden tower. “Why are you doing this for me? All of it.”
    “Because you’re worth it. I know that you don’t always believe that, but I do. So does Karen. One hundred and fifty percent. You. Are. Worth. It. You’re a good kid and you’ll be a great man if you just let yourself.”
    I blinked hard. “I don’t even know what I’m going to study. There are days where I feel like I planned this all out perfectly, but there are huge holes like that. Like what am I going to do with my life?”
    Dan laughed. “Even I ask myself that some days. You’ll try things. You’ll figure it out. That’s the beauty of it. You can take on whatever subject you want. You have what it takes to be so many things. A doctor, an educator, an athlete, a—“
    “Lawyer?”
    Dan grinned. “Anything you want.”
    I nodded, clenching the folder in my hands until it crinkled loudly in protest. “Okay. I’ll fill them out tonight. I’ll give it a try.”
    “That’s the first step. That’s all anyone can do.”
    That night when I opened the folder and poured the contents onto my bed at home, I felt oddly faint. Like the way it felt when I was in the ring and someone clocked me out of nowhere, taking me completely by surprise and throwing me out of myself for a second.
    This was huge. It was a chance to be more than the poor kid with anger issues. I wouldn’t be defined by my bank account, I’d be measured by my intelligence. And for once, I’d be able to pull ahead.
    Names were emblazoned proudly at the front of each packet, every one of them more impressive than the last. Each one telling me just how highly Dan thought of me.
    Brown. Cornell. Princeton. Yale.
    These weren’t just good colleges. They were prestigious. Ivy League. Out of my league. I was smart, but good God, this was insane. MIT! I saw UCLA mixed in, making me smile. Behind it was the University of California Berkley. San Diego. Irvine. Stanford
    I opened one up at random, flipping through the pages of required information. There were essays to write, endless forms to fill out, but I was surprised to see some had already been done. All of my contact information was already typed in. My name, my cell phone number, and an address where I could be reached with replies.
    The address was Dan’s.

Chapter Seven
    Five Months Later
     
     
     
    I passed on graduating early. It was one-part because of what Laney said about missing out on the end of year fun, and fifty-parts because it kept me out of the Asshole’s apartment. I went to school in the morning, had one class to go to, then I was out. I was free. And the Asshole had no idea. After my morning class ended, I’d wait for Callum to finish at lunchtime so we could leave and head to my boxing gym downtown. More often than not, I’d text Jenna during her study period while I waited.
    You’re up, I reminded her. Hit me with it.
    I’m running low!
    Is that the joke?
    Only if you’re laughing.
    Tick…tock…
    Fine! Okay, here it is. So a baby seal walks into a club…
    I shook my head, typing, Wow .
    I’m not proud of it. Your turn.
    Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar. One says, “I’ve lost my electron.”
    Why are your jokes always so nerdy?! she demanded.
    I ignored her. The other asks, “Are you sure?” The first answers, “Yes, I’m positive…”
    There was a long silence and I knew she was face palming