Chapter 1
I didn't have much growing up. My family wasn't dirt poor, we lived comfortably, but it's not like I ever had the newest stuff. I still did most of my clothes shopping at the Goodwill across town. We still got the no-name brands, but we were family, and I was happy.
My dad used to be happy too, but after Mom decided she didn't want to be a mom anymore, he also decided, why be a dad? I became the man of the house. I only had my little brother, who was just two years younger than me, but trying to be a father figure to a seventeen-year-old boy when I'm only nineteen myself wasn't easy. Still, I tried.
Since Mom wasn't around anymore, Dad fell into sadness. He drank, and when he drank, he took it out on me and my brother. He said it would make us real men, toughen us up, and it did.
He wanted me to become a man, so I did. I started boxing at this shady place called Duels that only cost twenty dollars a session. But being at shady places meant making shady friends. I started training with this guy, and he offered me a job. The only thing I needed was my fists.
It was underground boxing, so it was never a fair fight. But if it meant trying to be a man for my family and provide, then that's what I needed to do.
I just didn't know that becoming a man would cost more than I was ready to give.
