The Art of Being Tony (Tony Winters Book 1) Read online

  Anthony hoped so at least. He didn’t ask, just deciding that he might need to do that. After all, the man had hit him earlier, if with gloves on. Both punching into his gloves, so he’d smack his face and the middle, directly. Just so he’d get used to what that felt like.

  Whatever his job as a trainer of inept newbs was, it didn’t entail following Anthony around as he first swept, then mopped parts of the entire place. While trying to stay out of the way of people working out. Things got busier as the day went on, since the place apparently had more clients that weren’t professional fighters than not. They even had Cardio-Boxing classes starting at five in the evening. Whatever that was. Some other things too, like yoga and aerobics.

  He knew all of that, because there was a sign for those classes that was up in the front area, a thing he cleverly noticed while mopping. Other suggestions too, classes on fighting and things, since it was a gym, if one geared toward combat sports. They also stayed open until ten, which was going to make for a long day. Not that he couldn’t do it, if he had to. His personal record of staying awake was four days after all. It was a thing that he didn’t want to have to break that week, if he could help it. He’d been on meth at the time after all and this place didn’t seem to have anyone dealing that out of the back. Also, he didn’t do that kind of thing anymore.

  At a bit before three he emptied the last bucket of water out, first carrying the half-filled thing up the stairs, trying not to spill any of the foul smelling water. The supplies were on the top floor, so he grabbed one of the blood spill kits from the closet and headed down to the second floor, to find that he was the second one there. Ashley was first. She waved at him when he got in place and went playfully wide eyed.

  “You actually showed up? Awesome! Now we just have to see if anyone else does. Working with the girl isn’t that high on anyone’s list.” She seemed a bit annoyed by that, but not down really.

  Except that a few minutes later, other people started to show up. Pretty much all of them.

  Rick walked in with Steve and Jen came with Denny, Mark and a new guy that looked like he was in okay shape, but wasn’t as solid looking as the others. Probably Riley, given the fact that he was there.

  Denny held up his right hand.

  “All right, let’s get geared up. Then we’ll have everyone go up against the new kid here?” He wasn’t serious, thankfully, even though Rick nodded.

  “Actually, let’s have Ashley and Steve go first, then we’ll see how things are shaping up? Three minute rounds.”

  That sounded significant to Anthony, but made sense. Denny had covered that while they worked earlier. Steve and Ashley, though in different sports, were both training for professional fights. That meant they had to practice with as much realism as possible. Right now that included sparring full length rounds and while they got headgear, that was the only real difference that would be taking place. That and groin protectors, which were kind of armor against low blows.

  Since he didn’t have any real punching power yet, no one would expect that from him, but Anthony would still be hit and expected to give that back, if he could. With good form and enough speed that the other people had to really hustle. Which would be hard to do, since they’d be hitting him at the same time and could, if his trainer was correct, be expected to spank him fairly easily.

  Even the girl.

  Which was kind of obvious, since she was clearly in better shape than he was. If any of them had been coming at him in a real life situation, he would have just run away. The thing there was that Steve at least might well catch him. He had no clue about Riley that way. The man was bigger than he was, but not a giant or anything, so it didn’t seem all that unfair.

  Jokes aside, he got headgear, had his hands wrapped with tape and gloves that were set aside for him. Then Denny pulled him to the side, as Steve and Ashley got into the ring and whispered in his ear the whole time.

  “There. Steve is sitting on his punches more than she is. That lets you load them a bit more. Also, if you have to go for twelve rounds, you have to know how to pace yourself. That…” He pointed a bit, as Ashley let her right hand drop. “She’s getting ready for a punch, but is leaving nearly a full second where she’s open on that side. You can’t leave that kind of a gap with a pro. It’s a horrible habit.”

  Which was obvious, since Steve hit her. Gently. That was clear as well. It was a left hook, but barely tapped her, which got the man next to him to wince.

  “That… You can’t do that. Not with either of them. Being easy on Ash isn’t helping her really. It’s… A lot of guys do that kind of thing. Most even. I do it, too. She’s a pro fighter though and the women she’s going up against won’t give her a girl pass. If she only gets to train that way, then she’ll lose. Get me? Half of why she pauses like that each time is that no one will just knock her down if she leaves herself open. Not that I expect you to get that part either, but try. Someone around here has to.”

  The rest of the round went kind of like that. They moved and fought, but it was the stronger and faster, Steve dictating the fight and Ashley dropping her right hand a hundred times. She did keep her left up, which seemed like a good plan, though Denny assured him that all of them were going to hit him hard enough to blow right through a lazy guard.

  They got through three rounds and then Riley was put in with Steve.

  Rick didn’t seem pleased with the results there either, from what he was yelling from the side of the ring.

  “Move Riley! What, you have glue on your shoes? You can’t afford to do that in there with him. Hit hard and…” Suddenly, after a flurry of punches, which didn’t seem that accurate, he smiled. “Better! Keep going!”

  There was more yelling this time and to Anthony it was clear that Rick actually was taking the practice more seriously now. Which probably meant that he kind of thought of women fighters as a joke. That, or it was just about Ashley. Which, as a boxer might be true. She wasn’t as good as these others were. Then, no one was insisting that she really do that. Except for her. She was trying to get that part done, it seemed. It was why she was there, after all.

  Denny explained how each man was fighting and told him what to do in order to counter it, knowing that he was going to be slower and weaker than either of them. Mainly the advice was to cover a lot, keep moving and to both hit and be ready to take some pain. Even if no one was going to go full out with him that day.

  “So even if you start crying, you need to keep going. When in doubt, use the combination we drilled on earlier, over and over.”

  That was a practice drill, which meant throwing a jab, then right hook to the head, a left hook to the body and a shovel punch to the middle. An uppercut. Then doing it all again, if he could.

  Instead of giving Steve a break after Riley had three rounds, Rick waved at him.

  “Ready Anthony?” He seemed to think the answer would be no from the look on his face, but Denny pushed him forward.

  “Keep moving and hitting, like I showed you. No one expects you to be great, yet. Just do your best and it will be enough. Go get ‘em, Tony.”

  That sounded a lot easier than it was going to really be, but he had the blood kit, just in case, so awkwardly climbed up into the ring, the headgear feeling funny and put in a mouth guard that Rick handed to him. It hadn’t been fitted, but he got the idea. It was cheaper than paying for dental work.

  “All right, touch gloves and begin at the bell.”

  Since running wasn’t an option, the ring being too small, he got ready to punch and cover, like he’d been told to. It was a lot harder to hold his hands up after a minute of that than he would have figured on. He was hit a lot, but mainly on the arms. Hard, but not enough to take him to the ground, though he did stumble a few times, his feet not moving like they were supposed to.

  Then, finally, he got to rest a bit, for a minute, while Denny jumped in the ring and checked him, to make sure he wasn’t bleeding, or unconscious on his feet.

&n
bsp; “Keep your hands up. You’re doing good, but now is when they start to get heavy. Pick up the speed on your jab a bit too. Remember, you’re here to give him a work out, not the other way around. Go out and make him work. Push through the pain. Also, don’t drag your right foot when you move. That’s why you keep tripping.” It was all good advice, but hard to put into action when the man was hitting him. He tried though and while that didn’t make him faster, or better, he managed to touch the man often enough that Steve started to take things seriously.

  Anthony could tell, because he was knocked down, onto his rump, twice before the end of that round. In the third one he was rocked a few times, but managed to keep fighting anyway. Probably looking like he didn’t know how to do anything, flailing away. Still, he kept his guard up, even if his arms didn’t want to do that really.

  He was used to running, but that wasn’t enough, he could tell.

  At the end of the third round, Rick clapped a few times. Then he looked around and shook his head.

  “Ashley, you and Tony. Three rounds. I want to see a bit of hustle this time. From both of you.”

  That fight was different. Ash was slower in raw speed, though still faster than he was. Her form was better and less mechanical, which probably helped to save a lot of energy. Still, trying to do his job, he hit her as hard as he could, as she ducked, slipped and blocked most of what he could do. Right until she dropped her right hand and waited for nearly a second, setting up her big punch.

  He clipped her with a left hook to the face, pivoting on his lead foot and turning his body, like he’d been shown. The female fighter wasn’t ready for it and moved to the side. Still on her feet, but shaking her head a little bit. Then she moved in and did the same thing a few seconds later. Dropping her right hand and instead of punching immediately, she waited.

  For a long time. So he managed to do it again, which oddly enough, had Jen calling out from the sideline.

  “Exactly. That’s what we’ve been talking about, Ashley. Set and strike, but don’t pause. Pick up the speed in there. Tony… Work fifty percent faster. Push her for a bit.”

  He shook his head, since he really doubted that his arms were going to allow that to happen, but taking Denny’s advice, he really tried and did what he could to make that take place for her. It didn’t work, for the most part, but at the end of the last round she grabbed his head, laughing.

  “Daaamn. Not bad for your first day. Do this again in a couple of days?”

  He was exhausted, but nodded. After all, Jen had mentioned that kind of thing would be useful. Rick, for all he’d seemed to not be taking Ashley seriously before, kept her in and had Riley go after her then. It was the man that got yelled at again, even though he seemed to be all right as far as skill went.

  Denny came over and helped him get his headgear off. Then the gloves and tape. It left a sticky residue, but it wasn’t that bad. The worst part was how sweaty he was all over. The clothes he had on definitely needed to meet with a good washing soon, if possible. They were a darker color already they were so damp.

  Then, all the fighters had that going on, so he didn’t have to feel out of place.

  Denny patted him on the back anyway and started going over everything he’d done wrong. That took a while and he watched what the two in the ring were doing at the same time. Finally, the man gave him a grin.

  “In all, you sucked. You also didn’t seem like it was your first day. First month, maybe the second… Which isn’t horrible. We need to work on conditioning and muscle memory. You were a bit mechanical out there, but most of it was technically correct, which isn’t a horrible starting place. How do you feel?”

  He thought about it and shrugged.

  “Sleepy? I haven’t really been to bed in a few days. Traveling. I can’t sleep in a moving car. Especially when the driver will fall asleep and crash if I do that.”

  Instead of teasing him over anything, Denny didn’t smile, just nodding instead.

  “Ten hours a night, from now on. At least when I’m training you. You’ll be sore in the morning, but I still expect you to show up and train. No sparring tomorrow, but we’ll hit the rest of things pretty hard. Also, we need to work up a diet plan for you. What kind of stuff do you normally eat?”

  “What I can find? Fast food, garbage. A few times literally.” It was true, but the other man took it as a joke. Partially.

  “None of that now. Fruit, veggies and lean meat. Nothing else. Nothing. No cake, or soda. You drink water. Nothing with caffeine. No bread or pasta. Not until we start into serious training. We’ll set up more in the morning. Now, you should hit the showers and get some rest. Ten hours of sleep, got it? If you can’t do that, then just lay there until it’s time to get up.”

  There was a push, but Anthony wasn’t even really certain that he could find the house again. Not on his own. Jen, thankfully, moved over then.

  “We need to get you some gym sweats. You can shower here and eat with us tonight? Or… Do you need to get right off to bed? If not, I’m sure that the afternoon people will love having you hand out fresh towels…” It was clear she was teasing him and had heard that he was tired.

  Still, he nodded.

  “Cool? This is different than I figured it would be.” Which was just the truth.

  Jenny smiled at him and winked.

  “You mean you didn’t expect to be run ragged and beaten on your first day?”

  “Well, no. Not really. I kind of expected that Rick was going to tell me to get lost, since having a kid around isn’t all that great of a thing. It’s happened before.” Twice. One of those times his mother hadn’t come back for nearly two weeks and he’d been on the street, literally begging, trying to get enough cash each day to keep himself fed.

  Instead of taking that too seriously, the blonde lady just shook her head.

  “Nope. You’re family and that means something here.”

  Anthony nodded at that. It seemed it was even kind of a real thing. So far anyway.

  “Right. Well, right now it means that I should clean up and get to those towels? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do there, but I’ll try?”

  Denny, who was still right there, slapped him on the back.

  “Again, I can get you set up, as far as that goes. Come on. Clean clothes and a shower, first. This way.”

  They ate kind of late, so there really were several hours of light cleaning and handing out fluffy white towels to the men and women that came in the afternoon for their work out. Most of them were a little older, but not all of them and some of the women were even cute. Not that he was going to be hitting on them. Much like with Jen, he had to think that doing that kind of thing might be a bad plan. Especially since he didn’t know the lay of the land there yet.

  That meant his best play, for the moment, was to be exactly what everyone else needed him to be and to make the one chance he had pay off for him. If that meant fighting professional boxers, then that’s what he’d do, to the best of his ability. He’d even hand out folded towels and smile at sweaty men and women, while letting them know that they were doing a good job. Since most of them really were, that part wasn’t hard for him.

  He even mopped, twice. Not the whole building, but some of the Cardio-Boxing crowd sweat a lot, so between classes Anthony had scurried into the room and tidied it for the kind-of attractive woman who was leading the thing. If Jen looked like a fighter, then this woman looked like she was designed to model boxing gloves. Still, her people all worked hard and she led them to it. There wasn’t a lot of time between those sessions, just ten minutes, so he had to dry the place with a towel each time, but it worked and the woman smiled at him the second time he did it.

  There was no need to talk however and she was old enough to be his mother. She wasn’t her, obviously, since the woman had managed to hold a steady job for at least long enough to build up clients for her classes. Interestingly, Jen and Rick came to find him and then went back to the dining area on three
, where food had been made. By Jenny this time, it seemed.

  It had steak, not chicken and potatoes, but he didn’t take any of those. She gave him a funny look, as he sat next to her at the table.

  “You don’t like potatoes? I could make you something else…”

  He had a big salad though, so pointed at that.

  “Um… A diet? Denny said that I could only have fruit, vegetables and lean meat. I’m trying to be good. I didn’t know if potatoes counted for that. They’re pretty starchy right?”

  Instead of that hurting her feelings, she smiled at him.

  “Probably true. Good plan then. So, how do you like it here so far? Is everyone treating you well?”

  It was kind of funny, because she’d been around all day, off and on. So had Rick. It was as close to having had quality time with an adult as he’d ever gotten outside of school. Even knowing that they were doing all the right things, it seemed strange to him. Weird.

  “Not bad? I mean, I did get beaten up by the mean kids twice so far, but no one tried to stab me or take the lunch money I don’t have, so… yeah. I think I like it.” The funny thing there was that he actually did. It had been hard and moist, but not scary really.

  Rick, who did have a mound of potatoes on his plate, though he hadn’t used any butter with them, nodded.

  “Good to hear. You did great today, by the way. Honestly, given that my sister is your mom, I kind of figured that you’d be a bit different. You know, what with the prison tats and the kilo of weed you brought with you.”

  That last bit was more of a question than anything else. Anthony had done some drugs in the past, but decided to skip it after a while. If it was hard to find money for food, you had no business doing anything like that. His mother always had, but as he knew first hand, that was kind of why they hadn’t had food and a stable place to stay.