Mom makes me spend Sunday at the beach with Cody and Dad. He'd confessed to her about having a new girlfriend and lying to me about moving in, so now she's demanding we talk it out. As self-centered as she is sometimes, she still cares about his feelings.

"Look," I say through a mouthful of cereal, "the fight is in five days. I don't have time to go to the beach right now."

It's a lie if I ever told one. While I've been training around the clock in preparation for Friday, Hayden says now is the time to taper off, which means decreasing my training by eighty percent to give my body time to recover. But as nice as it feels not having to train so hard, all the extra time means extra time to worry.

Mom gives me her famous disapproving look and says, "You're going. You know how sensitive your father is, and it'll be eating him up not being able to talk to you. Put him out of his misery."

As luck would have it, Cody chooses that moment to bound through the doors wearing his new cap and sunglasses. He's grinning from ear to ear, and it's so nice to see him this happy again that I don't even bother arguing. I finish my cheerios, change into a summer dress, and worry about the gym.

Today is the day I'm going to tell Hayden the truth. Maybe it's the wrong thing to do, and I'll regret it as soon as I say it, but I've been sitting on this for so long that I have to clear my conscience. Deep down, though, I hope Hayden will forgive him as Coach would have.

Dad arrives around nine and acts all sheepish, avoiding eye contact. I shoot Mom a look, who shoots me one back that says, Be nice. It must be Freaky Friday because usually, it's Dad giving me that look about Mom.

"Hey buddy," he says to Cody, ruffling his hair, "you ready to go?"

Cody nods enthusiastically. Slowly, as if afraid of the expression I might be wearing, Dad's eyes find mine. They soften, and I'll admit, I feel a little bad. "Hey, Cassie bear. You ready, too?"

I nod and grab Cody's hand before following Dad to the truck. Opening the car door, I settle into the front seat, feeling the cool leather cushion beneath me. The sooner this beach trip is over, the better.

Mom pokes her head through the passenger window, smiling like we're one big happy family. "Have fun."

We pull out of the driveway and onto the street, the palm trees towering above us like sentinels as we head toward the beach. I'll admit, the silence is awkward, so I'm glad when Cody commandeers the radio and puts on some Jazz.

"So, you ready for your fight, Cassie Bear?" Dad asks. "I can't wait to see you in action."

I nod and turn to the window again, determined to use this time to relax: no thinking about the fight, Auden, or Dad, just taking in the views.

"Cassie is gonna win," Cody chimes in. I glance in the rearview mirror at his beaming face. "Even if she gets hurt. That's what Coach said before."

My chest tightens at the mention of Coach. I swivel until I face him properly, searching his bright, warm eyes. "He said that?"

"Uh-huh," he says, "the last time you let me go. I asked Coach if you would get hurt, and he said maybe a little, but that you were so strong and brave, you'd get back up even if you did."

I can't help it; a tear forms in my eye as I return to the front, but at the same time, I smile. Even now, when things feel more uncertain than ever, Coach has this way of making me feel better.

Finally, we catch our first glimpse of the ocean, its vast expanse stretching out before us in a glittering sheet of blue. I follow Dad and Cody to the trunk, where Dad pulls out towels, sandwiches, and two surfboards.

We spread our beach towels and set up our umbrella, claiming our spot for the morning. The place is busy for so early in the day, packed with families and children in the water or surfers catching waves further out. Cody looks so darn happy right now that I'm surprised he hasn't combusted.

"C'mon, c'mon," he says to Dad, "we're gonna miss the big waves."

Dad chuckles before turning to look at me, those dark eyes softening. "Want to come and sit by the shore, Cass?"

I don't, particularly, but he looks so hopeful that I follow him to the ocean, watching as he helps Cody onto his surfboard. I wade further in, tilting my head back to bask in the early morning sun.

Despite the fact I was dragged here, more or less, I'm glad we came. A break from thinking about the fight was exactly what I needed, even if it's only for a little while. I bury my toes in the sand as the cool water laps at my ankles. Dad moves beside me, cheering Cody on as he surfs a mini-wave.

It's strange – even though I see him most weeks, he looks different somehow. His full head of dark hair is now peppered with gray, and deep lines are forming around his temples that I never noticed before. But his eyes are still bright and full of life, twinkling with joy as he cheers Cody on.

My heart thaws at the excitement on his face. As mad as I am about what happened, it's hard to deny that he's always been our biggest champion, and even his lying was to spare my feelings, even if I don't agree with it.

"I made a huge mistake misleading you, Cass," he finally says. "I was trying to find a way where you both might be able to move in, but it just wasn't feasible in an apartment that tiny, and with you going off to college–" his sentence trails off as he shakes his head, clearly disappointed in himself. "Either way, I was wrong, and I'm planning to tell Jessie we need to delay her moving in until after you start college."

I look to the ocean again, watching the waves lap the shore. If this offer were on the table a few weeks ago, I'd have snatched it up instantly, but things feel different now. College is around the corner, and as hard as it is to live with my mother, I don't want to run away anymore. "It's fine, Dad. Just don't lie to me again, okay?"

He frowns and reaches out, tucking my hair back. "I won't. I promise."

"Good," I say and turn to Cody, cheering him on. Part of me is still a little angry, I can't deny that, but if the last few weeks have taught me anything, it's that parents are human too.

After a while, I head back to the towel to sunbathe, but relaxing is becoming increasingly difficult. I wonder if I'm making a mistake telling Hayden about Auden, but he has a right to know; I just hope it won't blow up in my face.

We end up leaving the beach around eleven to head back home, where I change into my gym clothes before driving to the gym. I park outside, rehearsing what I'll say to Hayden, but the moment I walk into the gym, it all disappears from my head.

The place is as busy as always on Sundays, but I spot him in the corner, showing a newbie around the equipment. I wait for them to finish, holding my breath and trying not to sweat. He'll be fine. He'll be fine. He'll be fine.

He'll be crushed.

I almost back out, but then he catches my eye and waves me over, so I'm forced to push ahead. I lead him into the office, closing the door behind us before taking a steady breath.

Hayden folds his arms before looking down at me, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "What is it?"

I hesitate. Hayden hasn't been the same since Coach died – none of us have – and finding out Auden betrayed him could send him right over the edge.

"Look," I say, "I'm about to tell you something that might come as a shock to you, but you have to remember that–"

"Cassie," he says before I can finish, "tell me."

I wince a little at his hard-set tone and hope for the best. "Auden admitted he's the one who helped Box Inc to poach our members, but Hayden, he only did it because his siblings needed money–"

I don't get to finish my sentence. He's already out the door, walking to Wiley before muttering something. Their gazes hone in on someone in the ring, and only now do I realize it's Auden.

Auden takes one look at Hayden's expression and freezes like a deer in headlights. The kid he's sparring with uses it to his advantage, jabbing Auden right in the eye, which sends him flying back.

If it hurts, he hardly acknowledges it. Auden steadies himself, ripping off his helmet as Hayden walks over, arms folded as if he means business.

"Is it true?" Hayden asks.

This won't be good.

Auden steps back and swallows, looking as if he might bolt. He doesn't say anything, not even a nod of acknowledgment, which only causes Hayden to grow more irate. "I asked you a question," he says, and his voice is so loud that it ricochets off the walls and reverberates in my chest. We've been here before, I realize, ready to turn on one of our members without so much as hearing their side, only instead of Nico on the firing line, it's Auden.

Upon hearing the commotion, others around the gym stop what they're doing and look over. "Yeah," Auden says quietly. "It's true."

A shockwave spreads through the room like electricity. Believing Nico betrayed them was easy: he was the newcomer here, not a part of the family, but Auden? He was one of us. I understand their anger, even if it hurts to see it.

I turn back to Hayden, whose dark, hardened eyes terrify me. He runs a hand along his jaw, as stony and silent as his expression. "After everything Coach did for you."

Auden looks at the floor for a moment, his face lined with shame, before he looks back at Hayden, like one brother looking at another. "Are you kicking me out?"

"That depends," Hayden says, stepping back. "We'll vote."

For a moment, Auden doesn't move. Nobody does. I watch his adam's apple bob, unable to stop thinking about how much of a kid he looks standing there, and how badly I want to protect him. If I don't say something soon, it'll be too late. 

"Wait," I say, turning to the crowd. "Just stop being so quick to turn on each other and listen for a minute. Yes, Auden did it, but he was desperate for money to help his family and made a stupid mistake. He–"

"It's fine," Auden says in defeat. "I'll go."

"No," I say because I'm not just fighting for Auden right now, but this gym. For Coach. What happened to community? To this place feeling safe? This isn't what Coach would have wanted, and it's not what they should want either.

"Before you vote, think about what Coach would have done in this situation. We've all made mistakes, and Coach gave every single one of us a second chance because he believed in us. Because he believed that this place was more than just a gym, but a family, and family have each other's backs. You all know as well as I do that if he were here today, he'd given Auden a second chance too." 

For about three seconds, the gym is so silent you could hear a pin drop. I turn to Hayden, expecting to see that same hardened expression, but despite his resistance, his eyes soften. I can see his mind turning, fighting between anger and regret. Deep down, he knows that Coach wouldn't want this, not for Auden and not for any of us.

Finally, he turns to the others, briefly scanning their faces. With his voice so low, it's barely audible, he says, "All in favor of Auden staying."

My hand goes up first. It's followed by Hayden's, and then, like clockwork, several other hands rise from the crowd until the majority rules. Murmurs fill the air, some quiet with anger, others with relief, but either way, it's over. 

Coach, I think, would be proud.