5th Street: Noah

Chapter 2

As soon as Noah was out of sight, Veronica jumped on the scale. How dare he! She’d never even been close to one sixty her entire life. She gasped when she had to keep moving the weight past one sixty. It finally stopped just over one sixty-seven. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she felt the knot forming in her throat, and then she pushed the weights back down to zero before Nellie could see what she weighed.

“Was he right?” Nellie must’ve seen her near-tears expression because she added, “Well, that’s why we’re here, right?”

Veronica felt like throwing up now. She could hardly believe she’d let herself put on that much weight in just two years! “Can we leave, Nellie? Please?”

“No.” Nellie stood in front of her and took Veronica’s hands in hers. “I’m not letting you add any more reason for being depressed and locking yourself away from the world. If being overweight is what has you so depressed, then this is exactly where we belong.”

Where we belong. Veronica had to smile. What would she do without Nellie? “You don’t even need to lose weight.” She sniffed, bending over to get a bottle of water out of the small gym bag Nellie had brought. The only things in it were two medium bottles of water, Nellie’s wallet, and her inhaler.

“Yes, I do! Even though I’ve lost a few pounds, I’m still over my ideal weight! Did you see how he looked at me when I said I’d lost some pounds? Like he was thinking lose a few more!”

Veronica held back a harrumph. “I’m sure you’ll lose whatever else you need to lose today. It’s probably all water weight.” She took a sip of her water then turned to look up at Nellie. “Your asthma acting up again?”

Nellie shrugged. “Not really, but I figured since I haven’t worked out in so long, better safe than sorry.”

Veronica frowned, remembering how in the past there’d been times when Nellie had to be hospitalized because of her asthma. From the corner of her eye, she saw Noah was on his way back already, and they were supposed to have been stretching. The closest they’d come was Veronica bending down to get the water.

“Here he comes,” Nellie said, spreading her feet apart and reaching for the floor with her hands. “So what do you think of our trainer?”

Veronica looked up at her from where she was bending. “Huh?”

“Talk about sexy!” Nellie whispered as he neared.

“Nellie, he’s a kid.”

Halfway to them, Noah dropped the mats and went back. Nellie and Veronica watched him from behind. His muscle shirt left nothing to the imagination. There wasn’t a perfectly defined muscle on him you couldn’t see. And he had a lot of them. Typical trainer-looking guy. Not an ounce of fat on him and whole lot of huge everything.

“Oh, c’mon, where’s your sense of escapism? I’m a married woman, and I’m enjoying the view. Who cares if he’s young? Nothing wrong with fantasizing—besides how many kids have you seen with a body like that? He’s gotta be at least twenty-three, twenty-four.”

“Twenty-four? No way.” Veronica said, bending over again. “You’re just saying that because he’s so big. He has a baby face.”

“One of the strongest jaws I’ve ever seen on a baby.” Nellie giggled. “And did you get a load of those lips? Umm, umm. Talk about suckable lips.”

Veronica had to giggle now too. “Will you stop? The guy can’t be more than twenty-one, and I’m being generous.” She’d been around students enough when she worked at the college to be able to guess their age fairly accurately.

“Let’s ask him.”

“No!” Veronica stood up. “Don’t you dare.”

Nellie laughed. “Why not?”

“Because it’s none of our business. You better not.”

Nellie shook her head, her face still full of humor. “All right, all right. You’re no fun anymore. The old Roni would’ve already been flirting with him.”

Veronica rolled her eyes, going down for one more stretch. “Yeah, well the old me didn’t weigh a hundred and sixty-seven freakin’ pounds!” She groaned, disgusted with herself. How could she have let herself go like this? She’d gained more than the forty pounds she thought she had.

Nellie was right about one thing: she’d almost forgotten what a flirt she could be. But she was wrong about the other: there was no way she’d ever think about going out with someone so much younger than her. It was hard enough to find a mature guy her age. She most certainly was not taking her chances on the younger ones.

Noah dropped a mat in front of each of them and then one in front of himself. “All right, ladies. Have a seat.”

After stretching for only about ten minutes, Veronica was already sweating. Sweating! And they hadn’t even started the work out. This was humiliating. Once they stretched out to Noah’s satisfaction, he had them hop on the treadmill. What he called a warm-up had Veronica drenched within minutes.

As they did their warm-up, before the real workout started—good Lord, this was going to kill her—he talked to them about his plan for them. Since Veronica needed to lose so much more than Nellie, their workouts would be a little different, which, to Veronica, translated into he’d be working her out until she was in tears. Oh yeah, she’d be coming back for more of this crap. If she made it out of here alive tonight, Nellie would be lucky to get her to take that walk in the park she talked about earlier, much less get her to come back here.

Once the real workout started, Veronica did feel like throwing up. She regretted wearing a sweatshirt now. She was roasting, but taking it off and revealing the T-shirt that probably now clung to her sweat-drenched body was out of the question. Just like she could make out every chiseled muscle on Noah’s body, he’d be sure to make out every roll on hers. No thanks. She’d faint from heat exhaustion before that happened.

Thankfully, Noah was paged because he had a call in the office. He apologized but told them to keep going. “You guys have ten more minutes on that anyway. I’ll be back before then. Keep up the pace.” He lifted an eyebrow at Veronica, and she almost growled in response.

No sooner was he out of sight than both she and Nellie slowed down to a crawl. The water bottles Nellie had packed were long gone, and their dry mouths were aching for some now. Soon, Nellie got off her treadmill and reached for the gym bag, pulling out her inhaler. After two hits, she was back on the machine.

“I can’t,” Veronica started saying but found she could barely talk, “believe . . . I let you . . . talk me . . . into this.”

Nellie was breathing just as hard. “But aren’t you excited?” She stopped to catch her breath. “You’re gonna lose so much weight.”

Two loud bangs brought their attention up toward the office door, where Noah stood with the phone to his ear. His hand was on the wall he’d apparently slammed it against, and his expression seemed menacing but at the same time sexy as hell. It surprised her that, at a moment like this, she would even be thinking like that.

He pointed his finger up forcefully, as in pick up the pace. Both Nellie and Veronica groaned and changed the speed on their treadmills back up, but Veronica didn’t go back to the speed he’d left them on—she couldn’t. She already felt ready to drop.

Half an hour later and one of the most excruciating workouts she’d ever endured done, Veronica and Nellie sat on the floor with their backs against the wall as Noah handed them both a suggested diet. Nellie took a couple more hits of her inhaler, shaking it after each time. “Now it’s not mandatory for you to stick to this particular diet, but I highly suggest that you do if you want to get the most of your training and lose weight as quickly as possible.”

Veronica watched what Nellie called his suckable lips as he spoke and had to admit they were probably the most suckable she’d ever encountered. Too bad she’d never see them again, because if he thought she was coming back for more of this torture tomorrow, he was out of his mind. Luckily, after today’s workout, she was pretty sure Nellie wouldn’t be anxious to come back either.

Tomorrow—gads! Just the thought. She’d probably be too sore to even walk. Once Noah was done with the rundown of the week’s schedule, they were finally out of there. They started very slowly to the door as Noah began picking up their mats from the ground. “Veronica.”

Veronica turned to him, her body already aching. “You did good. I’m proud of you.”

His smile alone was enough to warm her insides, and she immediately felt ashamed: first, for dismissing the next workout so quickly, but then for the scandalous thoughts that followed about her and her young trainer.

“Thanks,” she said, glancing at Nellie.

As soon as they were out the door, she knew Nellie would have something to say, and she did with a smirk. “He didn’t tell me I did good or that I made him proud.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “That’s probably because he expected you to do well. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting much from me.”

She moaned as she sat in Nellie’s car. “God, I need a hot bath and a glass of wine.” She glanced down at the list of food on her suggested diet and frowned. No surprise that wine wasn’t on it. She sat back and tossed the paper in the back seat.

She heard Nellie wheeze as she took another hit from her inhaler, cursing as she shook it. “Damn, I’m out.”

“You have another one?”

Nellie frowned. “At home.” She must’ve seen the concerned look on Veronica’s face because she smiled, turning on the car. “I’ll be fine. That just goes to show how out of shape I am.”

Even as they drove, Veronica could hear the low wheezing in Nellie’s breathing. She saw Nellie reach for her phone from the cup holder.

“No texting and driving, Nellie,” Veronica warned.

“No, I’m just checking my voicemail.” She hit a couple of buttons and put the phone back in the cup holder as her voicemails started on speaker.

“Nellie, I have news for you. It’s not good. Call me as soon as you get this message.” Nellie’s younger sister, Courtney, didn’t sound too happy, and Veronica and Nellie exchanged a concerned glance. Nellie’s face was more than concerned, almost as if she already knew what it could be.

When the second message started, it was Courtney again. “Nellie, Rick is having dinner with her right now. You need to call me. I know you don’t want me doing anything, but I can hardly stand this.”

Veronica began to understand the situation. Rick was Nellie’s husband, and her suddenly labored wheezing said it all. Whoever he was having dinner with was not someone Nellie approved of. The third message started, and Nellie pulled over to listen to it. Courtney was louder and sounded furious. “Nellie, I followed them when they left the restaurant. He just checked into a hotel room with the bitch, and their hands were all over each other. I know you said to call you first if I ever found something else, but I can’t wait for you to call back. I’m gonna confront the bastard!”

The line clicked, and Nellie was now wheezing out of control. “Honey, are you okay?” Veronica asked in a complete panic.

Nellie gestured to the glove compartment, her hand on her chest, trying desperately to catch her breath. Veronica flung it open, praying for another inhaler. There was none.

She tried to relax, remembering the worst thing Nellie could do was panic. The slower the breaths she took, the better. She grabbed Nellie’s hands and spoke calmly. “Deep breaths, Nel. Relax.”

Nellie’s wide eyes were frantic. Veronica picked up her phone but continued to stroke Nellie’s arm calmly. “Slow breaths. You can do this.”

Her own heart felt as if it were about to burst through her chest, but she managed to remain as calm as possible as she explained the situation to the 911 operator.

Nellie’s wheezing was only getting worse, and her lips were beginning to darken, reminding Veronica of the attack Nellie had when they were kids that nearly killed her. “Please hurry!” Her calm was now almost completely gone, but she had to hold it together for Nellie’s sake.

The four minutes it took the paramedics to arrive had to be the longest of Veronica’s life. Nellie was barely conscious when they arrived, and at this point, Veronica was the hysterical one. They let Veronica know what hospital the ambulance was rushing Nellie to, but the paramedics refused to let Veronica drive until they checked her vitals to make sure she wasn’t going into shock.

When it was determined she wasn’t, they finally let her go. Almost at the hospital, she broke down again in hysterics. She remembered overhearing one of the medics urging the other medic to call the hospital to have a team waiting outside the emergency room for Nellie. This was bad.

What in the world would she do without Nellie? She was all Veronica had now. Surviving her mother’s death was hard enough, but it was expected. She’d had years to contemplate and accept that it was coming. But this—Veronica was certain she’d never survive losing Nellie.

~*~

“How’d it go?” Jack asked as Noah closed the supply room.

“It went good.” He smiled. “I went easy on them since it was their first day. I wanna make sure they come back.”

“Good thinking. Too many times these beginners come in here all gung ho, get their tail whipped, and never come back.”

Noah nodded. That’s exactly what he’d been thinking, especially about Veronica. For obvious reasons, the workout had seemed so much harder on her. That’s why he’d made sure to tell her she did good.

“So they’re coming back tomorrow?”

“That’s what they said.” Noah really hoped they did. He needed this money, and if something didn’t change soon, he’d have to look for a job somewhere else. He really didn’t want to have to leave the gym. It’d been like his second home for years now. He felt more comfortable there than he did at the garage where he was now staying. He even showered here instead of using his foster parents’ bathroom. A lot of his personal belongings were here in his private locker too.

“Noah, I wanted to talk to you,” Jack said, scratching the back of his head and looking a bit nervous. “I already talked a little to Gio about this. You boys are all I got. It’s not that I didn’t think you had it in you to train. I hope you know that. I just wanted to wait until I thought you were ready. I’m counting on you guys to do more and more around here as my tired ass gets older.”

Noah shook his head. “Nah, you still have a few more fights in you,” Noah kidded him. “And don’t worry. You can always count on us, Jack.”

Jack had done so much for them already. He’d never married and had no kids of his own. 5th Street and the people he met through it were his life. Gio told Noah that when his dad died, Jack took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew about boxing and being a man. When Gio introduced them and Jack found out he was an orphan raised in foster care his whole life, he’d done the same with him.

Noah clapped Jack’s back. “And thanks, man, for giving me the opportunity to train. I’ll make you proud. I promise.”

Jack smiled, and with that, their man talk was done. Noah headed for the parking lot. He hopped on his motorcycle and headed home. His bike sputtered, reminding him of the other reason he needed more money. The motor on his bike needed a major overhaul. There was no way he could afford to buy a new one. He didn’t want one anyway. This was another one of his comfort zones. He and his Ninja had been together now for over two years. Even if he ever could afford a newer and better one, he’d never sell this one.

He saw the gang as soon as he came around the corner of First Street. Abel was already laughing. Hector smirked, but Gio didn’t seem as amused as the others. They were leaning against Abel’s old pickup truck. He was forever working on it.

Noah slowed as he came up to them.

“So how’d it go with the chicks?” Abel laughed. Clearly, this was hilarious to him.

Hector, Abel’s younger brother, added, “So did you work them out good, Noah?”

Noah ignored the suggestiveness of Hector’s tone, putting his foot on the ground as he came to a stop, and pulled off his helmet. “I took care of business, since none of you wusses stepped up,” he said this as if that annoyed him. But the more he thought about it, the more he was glad none of them had. The funds from the joke of a check the state provided him with were running very low. This couldn’t have happened at a better time.

Hector made a face. “Waste of time. Those two old ladies ain’t coming back.”

Noah eyed Hector. At sixteen, he would think those women old. But after getting a closer look, Noah realized neither was as old as he first thought. Out of shape, yes—but old—no. They couldn’t be more than a few years older than he and Gio.

“Nah, they might,” Gio said. As usual, he was the only one Noah could count on for a little support. “You didn’t work them out too hard, did you?”

“Nah.” Then remembering how tired they both seemed afterwards, he got a little worried. “I don’t think so, anyway.”

“Then they should.” Gio shrugged. “They’ll probably quit eventually, but I doubt they’d quit after only one workout. By then, Jack’ll know you’re good to go.”

Noah wouldn’t mention to them how much he was counting on that, but he’d already started applying for jobs, using the computers down at the library. He was getting that desperate.

Gio, who had been leaning on his own bike, got on it. “Stop by my house before you go home. I got something for you.”

“I’ll just follow you then,” Noah said, pulling on his helmet. “I gotta long day tomorrow. I wasn’t planning on hanging out here too long anyway.”

Unlike girls, neither of them ever said it, but Gio had been his best friend since he’d moved from his last foster house to the Fuentes’ home over four years ago. He lived up the street, but that wasn’t how he met him. They’d met in auto shop in high school sophomore year. When Gio found out about Noah’s love for bikes and that he was working on getting his Ninja running, he invited him over to check out the bike he was working on: an old GXXR his uncle had given him.

Gio introduced him to everyone else on First Street including the Fifth Street gym where they all hung out, Noah discovered his passion for boxing, and the rest was history. He’d been part of the gang ever since, but his bond with Gio was the tightest.

They pulled into Gio’s backyard and parked their bikes just in front of the detached garage. “Whatta ya got for me?”

“Mom’s spaghetti—she made me promise I’d bring you over to have some.”

Noah laughed. Gio’s mom knew her spaghetti was his favorite. He’d told her so ever since he first had some. She called it spaghetti, but it was more like a lasagna because she used whatever pasta she had available. Then she mixed everything together with extra cheese and baked it. But it was always awesome, and she made the best garlic bread to go with it. Noah’s stomach growled just thinking about it.

“Damn, that’ll hit the spot. I’m starving.”

Not wanting to be too much of a burden on his former foster parents, who he knew weren’t doing so great financially, he’d started eating less and less at their place. For months now, he’d been telling them he’d already eaten at least four times out of the week. Tonight was going to be one of those nights, settling for whatever he could put together from the small fridge in the garage—usually a bologna or just cheese sandwich, if he was out of bologna.

Tonight it would’ve been a cheese sandwich, but thanks to Mrs. Bravo, he’d be feasting. He smiled, hoping tomorrow would be as good a day as this one had been.