Sound is an abstract concept for most people. We spend our lives blocking out the static in order to focus on what we believe is important. But what if, when the clarity fades into silence, it's the obscure background noise that you would give anything to hold on to?
I've always been a fighter. With parents who barely managed to stay out of jail and two little brothers who narrowly avoided foster care, I became skilled at dodging the punches life threw at me. Growing up, I didn’t have anything I could call my own, but from the moment I met Eliza Reynolds, she was always mine. I became utterly addicted to her and the escape from reality we provided each other. Throughout the years, she had boyfriends and I had girlfriends, but there wasn't a single night that I didn’t hear her voice.
You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one.
They both happened anyway.
Now, I'm on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting for my career.
Fighting the impending silence.
Fighting for her.
Every night, just before falling asleep, she sighs as a final conscious breath leaves her.
I think that's the sound I'll miss the most.
Excerpt:
“I swear to fucking God,” I
snarled as I stomped a pattern around Eliza’s hospital room. She had just been
wheeled out, but my anger and anxiety filled the room in her absence.
“Calm. Down,” Slate said
from the doorway. “It’s no big deal. I’ll get it back.”
“Fuck you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, get
your shit together and remember who the hell you are talking to.”
Eliza didn’t have
insurance, and she had freaked when the doctor told her that he wanted to run a
CAT scan because of the trauma to her face and head. She’d flat-out refused,
spouting off some crap about not going into debt by racking up a huge hospital
bill she’d eventually have to pay. She’d sworn she was okay, but I’d absolutely
not been anything even resembling okay.
So I’d lost it. I’d snapped
at her like a fucking asshole. Then I’d shouted at the doctor for reasons that
didn’t even make sense. In turn, he threatened to call security, which only
pissed me off more. It was a clusterfuck in that room until Slate came in and
physically pinned me against the wall. While I was trying to get my shit under
control, Erica was apparently informing administration that she and Slate would
be financially responsible for Eliza’s hospital visit. While I was relieved as
they wheeled her out of the room, I was sick and fucking tired of feeling like
a broke-ass, worthless dick all the time. As it often was, my anger was aimed
in the wrong place, and Slate was the only man in the room.
“Get my shit together?” My
heart pounded in my chest, and every muscle in my body strained under the
mounting stress. “I’d like to see how the hell you’d react if Erica looked like
that and there wasn’t a fucking thing in the world you could do to help her.”
Slate’s eyes turned dark as
his jaw clenched. “It was different. But I’ve been there,” he stated
matter-of-factly. “It was the worst day of my life. I wasn’t even the one who
got to make the piece of shit pay either. But honestly, Till, sometimes you
have to accept that it’s not the way things get done or who does them. As long
as, in the end, they are done. She’s
getting that CAT scan right now, and you can sleep easy tonight knowing that
she’s okay. It doesn’t matter one bit who signs the check that pays for that
kind of peace of mind.”
“It matters to me. You have
no fucking idea how it feels to be so goddamn helpless all the time. I can’t do
this anymore. I’ve only truly had her for less then twenty-four hours and I’ve
already failed to fucking protecting her and
provide for her. My boxing trainer had to pay for her medical bills. It’s
embarrassing!”
“It’s only embarrassing if
you let it be.” He shrugged and settled into the chair next to the door.
I continued to pace. I
couldn’t get over the heavy weight of failure compressing my chest. “Why the
fuck would she want to settle for someone like me? I failed out of high school.
I work sixty-three hours a week for minimum wage so that I can barely pay the
bills on a shithole apartment. For fuck’s sake, I have two brothers I want to
give the world, but last week, she had to buy us groceries. Oh, and there is always that fun fact that I’m going
deaf. One day, she really will have to take care of me! I can’t handle knowing
that she has to settle for a future filled with struggles just to be with me. I
love her. I really fucking do. But at what point do I let her go because I know
she’d have a better life with someone else?” I finished my rant on a yell.
“Wow. You have a really
gone off the deep end. She’s not some puppy you can find a better home for.” He
stretched his legs out and crossed them at his ankles.
If possible, it managed to
piss me off more. I was in emotional upheaval and he was getting comfortable.
“Just leave me alone. I
can’t deal with your shit right now.”
“You want to go pro?” he
asked randomly.
“What I want is for you to
leave.”
“Is that a no?” He crossed
his arms over his chest.
“What the fuck are you
talking about? Nothing has changed. I still don’t have the time. Honestly, I
think I need to give up boxing altogether. Maybe try to find another job or
something.”
“I’ll bankroll eight
hundred a week. Quit your jobs and come work for me in the ring. It comes with
health insurance for you and the boys too.”
I stared at him, awestruck.
That was double what I was bringing home each week.
I’d always heard that you
couldn’t judge a man’s character by the balance in his bank account. Thank fuck
for that because character might be the only place I wasn’t overdrawn. And
right then, Slate’s offer sounded a whole lot like pity. No matter how
appealing it sounded, I wanted to make it without having to rely on anyone
else. I couldn’t afford to sacrifice character.
“Why are you doing this
right now? What part of that conversation confused you? I don’t want your
charity.”
“It’s not charity. I’m
gonna make a shit-ton of money off your ass. This isn’t a free ride. I’ll get
all of your winnings until you’ve paid me back. Then anything you make over
that, I get thirty-three percent. Erica’s been eyeing this condo on the beach
in Florida. I’m hoping you can help me out and buy that for her.”
Outstanding.
Slate wants to buy a condo on the beach and I just want to keep the electricity
on.
“It has to be hard being
you.” My voice dripped with sarcasm, but it only made Slate smile.
“I guess you won’t know
until you try. I made every single penny I have from boxing. If you think money
will solve all your problems, then put whatever preconceived notions you have
about my motives aside and take my offer. But if you decide to refuse, you
should know I won’t make it again.”
“Why now? Less than a month
ago, you told me I wasn’t ready. Where was your offer to bankroll me then?”
“I’m not going to lie to
you. You’re not ready. Not if you want to be great. But with enough time, I can get you there. You’re raw right
now, and despite whatever you think, you’re driven by something greater than
the almighty dollar or dreams of stardom.” He stood up and walked over to me.
“To answer your question about why now, I was wrong. You’re not hungry for more
in life. You’re fucking starving. I
can work with that.
“Did you even listen to yourself while you
were talking? Not one single thing you said was because Till Page wanted more
money or a nicer car. You were concerned about Eliza and the boys…but never
Till.” He poked my chest right over my heart. “I’m making an investment in you,
Till. It’s no handout. I believe you’re going to set the boxing world on fire,
because every time you put on those gloves, you’re doing it for them. Say yes. Accept the offer. Quit
your jobs. Take a week off to take care of her. Then get your ass in my ring.”
I had no words. If I spoke,
I was going to look like a sniffling little bitch. So I nodded instead.
“Good. I’m going to find
Erica and get some coffee. I’ll send over the contracts and your first paycheck
in the morning.” He turned and headed for the door.
I stood in the middle of an
empty hospital room where my fantasy and reality had collided. Finally, I had
the break I had dreamed of, but it had taken almost losing Eliza to get it. I
would forever remember the way I felt in that moment. Cracking my neck and
shaking out my arms, I decided I was done letting the world run over me.
Slate had just handed me my
one chance to make a better life, and I was going in with gloves blazing. For
the first time in my fucking life, I was climbing through the ropes.
✯✯5 Fighting Hard Stars!!✯✯
Aly Martinez has rocked my world for the 5th time! I need to see inside her mind because she's a genius. First she gave me Brett, Caleb, Slate then Leo. I didn't think it could get better then that. Then, Till Page happened. You will fall in love with him and want to become Eliza Reynolds.
Till and Eliza met when they were thirteen years old. Yes, they went to school together. But, they never spoke to each other. Both Eliza and Till tried to escape from reality. Their home life was horrible. Eliza parents forgot she was there most times. Till has parents that spend more time in jail then at home taking care of him and his 2 younger brothers. When Till finds out he has a genetic condition that will ultimately leave him deaf he runs and needs to be alone. He finds an abandoned apartment and goes through the window and into the comfort of Eliza.
Eliza and Till made that apartment theirs. Spending every night there. Eliza worked hard on her school work. College was what she was aiming for. Till worked 2 jobs to take care of his younger brothers. He knows their time is limited because Till doesn't feel he's good enough for Eliza.
A new gym opens up in the neighborhood called On The Ropes. It's not just any gym either. It's owned and operated by none other then Slate "The Silent Storm" Andrews. He is offering an awesome before and after school program. It would def help him. In more ways then Till ever would have expected it to!
Till and Eliza can not believe it's time for the next stage in their life. Eliza is in love with Till. She knows he's it for her. No questions about it. Till loves Eliza more then life itself. But, he still feels he's not good enough for her. Till knows he is leaving her but not before he takes her. He plans on leaving his mark on Eliza. Eliza is ultimately heartbroken when he leaves. But, she moves forward after a few months.
Eventually Till's life gets too hard for him to deal with. He's still working two jobs and at On The Ropes plus taking care of his brothers. Till runs to Eliza. She is his fantasy and will make it all alright.These two really are perfect for each other. Eliza knows Till better then he knows himself. She knows when he's walking on a ledge and can usually get him to back off it.
Slate looks after Till in a good way. Working at the gym is good for Till. Plus, he can fight lol. Till has a lot to be angry for. His parents being worthless. Not being able to give his brothers everything they deserve. Not being good enough for Eliza. And, everyday he's loosing his hearing a little more.
Over time Eliza and Till get into a good routine between them. They love each other but because Till won't cross that line they stay friends. The best of friends. Eliza loves Till's younger brothers Flint & Quarry. The Page brothers are her family and she is theirs. It's a good thing they have.
Until they can't stop their feelings. Till & Eliza finally give into temptation and it's the best night of their lives since the last time they were together. If only it were that easy. For Eliza it's easy. For Till nothing is ever easy. If if it's Till himself making it harder then it has too.
You really need to read this like yesterday. Eliza and Till and everyone else in this story is easy to fall in love with. Eliza is such a strong woman. You sometimes forget her real age because she is very mature. The Page brothers mean more to her then anything in this world. Till us unlike a guy I've read before. If it wasn't for his bad luck he'd have no luck at all. His brothers and Eliza and eventually Slate love him and care about him. They all continue to show him over and over again. But, Till eventually has to learn that it doesn't matter if he looses his hearing or not. He's still worth it. He deserves to love and be loved. Aly did a beautiful job with this story. Whether it was Eliza, Till, Flint or Quarry you laughed and cried with them. It's an emotional roller coaster of a story. And, nobody but Aly could of given us Fighting Silence and the characters in it.
About The Author:
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
Giveaway:
2- $50 Amazon Gift Cards
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