Chapter 2

It was a couple of months before my thirteenth birthday; I had just heard the story from mom as to how she and dad had met. My brain was going a mile a minute. "That's how I can get Matt to notice me." I had such a crush on him. That very night, I laid out my plans. The first, and most important thing, was for me to continue to improve as a boxer. Mom had started me on a weight lifting regime. She told me that the more muscle I had the less I had to worry about over eating and getting fat. It would also help my self esteem and my confidence level. Soon, I was benching my weight, ninety pounds, and curling twenty with each hand. That's when I started to execute my plan.

"Mom, I asked, will you teach me how to box? I want to be just like you." Boy, I laid it on thick. How could she refuse?

"Of course, dear"

From that day forward we ended every workout with a boxing lesson. How to stand; how to punch; how to move. The more I did, the more I liked it, and the more I wanted. I was getting pretty good if I do say so myself. Mom and I would spar a couple of rounds before the guy's got back from their run, so they never really knew anything about it.

Then it was time for phase two.

"Mom, you know I started my period a little while ago, but it comes and goes; I never really know when I'm going to get it."

"Honey, I know what you mean; because of my workout regime when I was young the same thing was happening to me. I'll call the doctor and get you an appointment for a physical."

Parents are so easy. By the following week I was on the pill to help regulate my period; phase two, complete.

Phase three was going to be the most difficult and the most dangerous. I had to lay it all out to mom as to what I wanted to do and why. I knew that if mom said no way, I was finished. The next day after our workout, after my lesson I asked,

"Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sitting down on the canvas of the ring, we looked at each other but I hesitated.

"You can tell me anything, you know that; so just let it come out."

"Mom, I love Matt and I want him to be first, I want him to be my only;"and I laid out my entire plan.

The silence was deafening. I blew it, dammit. Then she spoke;

"Wow, that's what's been going on here for the last several months. All the training, the weights, the boxing lessons. Does he know how you feel?"

I shook my head, "he doesn't know I exist other than that I'm the girl that sits at the dining room table when we have our lessons."

"That's not true and you know it; it's just that boys don't mature as fast as girls do, and I don't think he really knows anything of or even thinks about sex. But this is a very big step in a girl's life; are you sure you want to do it so soon and with your own brother?"

"Mom, yes, he's all I ever think about at night when I..."

"It's ok dear we all do it, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"You do?"

"Did, I have your father now for that, and he's all I'll ever need. Let's get back to you and Matt. If I let you go through with this plan of yours; I want you to make me a couple of promises. One, you won't hurt him, ever. Two, you will be very discreet; you can never tell a soul about this. Three, you will let him make his own decision about the ever after, where I know this is leading. And, finally, if it doesn't work out for some reason, if either of you decides that the other is not the one; you will both continue to love each other as sister and brother. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, almost too stunned for words.

"Then, my answer is yes."

"What about dad?"

"Don't worry about your father; I'll take care of him when the time comes. For now, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

For the next couple of months I continued my training. I was in the best shape of my life. Even the staff commented on how good and how strong I was getting. Finally, just after my birthday, I started to tease Matt about how he looked like a bean pole, he was just all arms and legs, stuff like that. I had made sure never to let him see me in my workout outfits, only in my sweats or hidden under baggy clothes; so that he had no idea of how strong I was getting. I finally, got him mad enough to challenge me to a contest.

"You're my little sister; I can beat you in anything."

"Yeah, right."

"Go ahead, you name it."

"Ok, said the spider to the fly, Sunday morning 6:00 down stairs in the boxing ring, we'll spar a couple of rounds."

"Ok Fine. Just don't come running up here crying to mom when you get hurt."

The trap snapped shut!