Chapter 18: Shattered Cakes and Broken Trust
The morning after the event felt like a new chapter. The air was lighter, and the gym buzzed with an energy that made everything seem possible.
Jake and Alex were knee-deep in setting up their new equipment, rearranging weights and carefully testing out new machines they'd ordered after the event's success. They were proud of how far they'd come and how the gym had changed—how they had changed.
But then they heard it.
A rumor, hushed but urgent, began to spread through the small neighborhood.
"The old cake shop—the one by the bakery—just got wrecked. Looks like five punks did it. Heard the girl tried to stop them from helping her out with her shop… said something about her mother too."
Jake froze mid-swing, a kettlebell in hand, his gaze snapping to Alex.
"Wait, the girl... Alya?"
Alex's brow furrowed. "What about her mother?"
Before Jake could answer, both of them shot out of the gym and into the streets, following the hurried whispers. The path led them past familiar alleyways, their boots pounding the pavement, the weight of the situation sinking in.
They saw them.
The five troublemakers.
Luke, Remy, Suk, Ted, and their leader Kram.
And there, struggling against their grasp, was the girl—Alya.
She was being dragged along, eyes wide with fear but defiance etched on her face. It didn't take long for Jake and Alex to realize what was happening: The troublemakers had taken Alya to a quiet part of the town, far from prying eyes.
They followed them from a distance, keeping their steps light. It didn't take long before they found a secluded corner near the edge of town where the group finally stopped, throwing Alya to the ground.
"Why won't you let us help you?" Kram sneered, his face twisted with frustration. "Your shop's nothing but a rundown shack! We could've made it work, you could've made it."
Alya, her voice trembling but resolute, glared up at him. "You don't want to help me. You wanted control. You wanted to make me owe you. That's not help. That's manipulation."
Her words hit like a slap in the face.
Luke grinned, his eyes gleaming with malice. "She's a smart one. Not so easy to push around."
Remy sneered. "Guess you can't always get what you want."
Alya's eyes narrowed. "I'm not stupid. I know exactly what you're trying to do."
Then, before anything could escalate further, Jake stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "You picked the wrong girl to mess with."
Alex stood by his side, muscles tensed and ready, a calm fury in his gaze.
"Let her go," Alex said, his voice low but commanding.
The five troublemakers turned to face them, eyes narrowing. "What do you two want?" Kram sneered. "Stay out of this. This doesn't concern you."
"Wrong," Jake said with a smirk. "Everything that happens in this neighborhood concerns us. Especially when it involves a friend."
Alya looked up at them, hope sparking in her eyes for the first time since they'd arrived. "You're really going to help me?"
Jake gave her a wink. "That's what friends do."
Kram stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "You want to fight, then? We'll show you why you shouldn't stick your noses in other people's business."
The air grew thick, tension radiating as both sides prepared for the inevitable confrontation. Alex cracked his neck, his hands flexing in anticipation. Jake, on the other hand, was already grinning, eager for the challenge.
They could already feel the battle brewing in the air.