“RED! RED! RED!” The crowd screamed, a wave of sound washing over me. I spat blood onto the canvas, tasted the metallic tang, then looked up at the roaring faces. Finally, the referee released my arm. I walked out of the ring, glancing at my opponent, slumped on the ground and bleeding. Yikes.
“Good job,” Gabe, my boss, said, handing me a stack of cash. He followed me into the dressing room, closing the door behind us. I peeled off the red mask, revealing the sweat-slicked skin beneath. I untied my hair, letting it tumble down my back. I took the red robe from his hands, slipping it over my sports bra and shorts. I sank into a chair, waiting for him to speak.
“I’m proud of you, kid,” Gabe said, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’re one of the best fighters here. I know you’ve been thinking about revealing yourself, taking off the mask, but you shouldn’t. You know, you’re the best. People are out to get you.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” I mumbled.
“Smart. You’ve got me, but if you show your face, you’ll have every two-bit thug wanting a piece.” He chuckled, then turned to leave. I ran my fingers over my bruises, checking for anything serious.
A knock on the door stopped me. “It’s Valentina,” a familiar voice called. She pushed the door open, her assistant trailing behind. A security guard moved to intercept the assistant, but I waved him off. “He’s with me.”
“Sorry, security’s been tight since that fan managed to sneak into my dressing room last week,” I explained. I hadn’t taken my mask off then, thankfully. Gabe had doubled security after that.
“Alright,” Valentina said, closing the door behind her. “Let’s see how bad you’re hurt.”
Valentina is my best friend, my housemate, and the reason I fight. She’s the one who pushed me into this, convinced me I could handle it.
She poked and prodded, checking for broken bones. “You’re okay,” she announced. “But you need to ice those.” She pointed at my busted lip and swollen knuckle. I nodded, numbly. “Alright, get changed. I’ll be back in ten.” She left with her assistant, and I slumped into a chair, exhausted.
~
I held an ice pack to my face, leaning against the kitchen counter. Valentina moved around the kitchen, silent as a ghost.
“What happened to your face?” Matteo, our other housemate, asked. He ran a hand through his black hair, standing in front of us with just a towel around his waist.
“Nothing,” I shrugged. “Put some clothes on.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he scoffed.
“Matt, what’s wrong?” Valentina asked, concerned. Matteo wasn’t usually like this—calm, collected, rarely losing his temper.
“I wanna know why you’re coming home almost every night with a new bruise!”
“Matt,” I said, warning creeping into my voice. “Drop it.”
“No!” He slammed his hand on the table, making me jump. “I wanna know why!” A vein pulsed in his forehead, and I felt a flicker of something—anger? Fear?
“That has nothing to do with you! And you’re acting like a fucking child!” I yelled.
“It has everything to do with me! I’m your friend, which means I need to know if you’re putting yourself—us—in danger! Or is it a boyfriend?”
“Matteo,” Valentina said, trying to mediate. “Calm down.”
“I’d love to know where you’re getting all this cash from!” He grabbed the duffel bag I’d hidden under my bed, a wad of bills spilling out.
“You had no right to go in my room!”
“Cut the bullshit and tell me the fucking truth!”
“I’m a stripper,” I lied. “The bruises are from the poles.”
“And I’m Santa Claus,” he said, dripping with sarcasm. “Now, cut the bullshit and tell me right now, or I’ll talk to your dad about it.”
“I’m not the same girl I was all those years ago,” I told him, my voice low. “I’ve matured. If you think telling my dad will scare me, then you have no idea who I am.”
“Just tell me,” he begged. I stared at him, my jaw tight.
“I didn’t get you into this. I’m not taking responsibility for what you did.”
“You got me into it! You started this whole thing off, and I got into something bigger. Something better!”
“What’s that then?” I asked, my voice laced with suspicion. I nodded my head.
“It’s really not that bad,” Valentina said, trying to smooth things over.
“Not that bad? So you’re in on this too? I should’ve known.”
“Matteo, why are you blowing this whole thing out of proportion?” I asked.
“I used to earn my money like that. It wasn’t good. Well, at the start it was. It was a drug and I was addicted. But then, it got worse and worse. I got jumped, mugged, hell I almost got killed once. I managed to get out,” he said, his voice raw with emotion. “I don’t want this life for you.”
“That’s not your decision to make,” I said softly. He gave me a small smile.
“Well, at the next match, I’m coming with you.” He stared at both our faces, his expression hardening. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Can I go to bed now?” I asked, exhaustion weighing me down. Matteo nodded, dismissing me. “The conversation’s over.”
I let out a sigh and walked towards my room. As soon as I changed into my pajamas, I collapsed face first onto my bed. I picked up the book I’d left on my nightstand and began reading.
~