“What do you mean?” Emma asked nervously. “I don’t understand. ”
She sounded nervous, and I chattered in an attempt to calm her. “You know, like Spock. You hit the right pressure point, and boom—I’m out cold. ” She still looked blank, so I said, “You didn’t watch Star Trek, did you?”
She shook her head.
“Of course you didn’t. ”
“But I know what to do. I grip your neck. ”
“No, you’ll pinch my neck. There are two carotid arteries, one on each side. Doubles your chances, right? Pinch, and I’ll black out. ”
“What if you don’t wake up?”
“Just don’t hold on too long. If you let go in time, I’ll be fine. ” I gave a brittle laugh. “Several thousand brain cells short, but alive. ” What I didn’t mention was that it could also stop my heart, send me into shock, and kill me. But I pictured Carden, remembered his words. I will not watch you die. I gave her an encouraging smile. “Seriously. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Just make it look convincing. ”
“Convincing. ” She nodded solemnly. “I can do that. ”
We’d reached the gymnasium, and I could hear a commotion inside. A crowd had gathered already.
We stopped and locked eyes. We’d been distant lately, but it hadn’t been because we were mad at each other. It was purely due to circumstances—class schedules for one, though Yasuo was the biggest reason. Him, and Carden, too. She’d been enjoying having a secret boyfriend, while I’d been in my own weird world. But I knew Emma. Emma was my friend. We’d get through this.
She held out her pinky. “Friends forever?”
“Forever,” I agreed, twining my little finger with hers. “Pinky swear. ”
I opened the door for us, and the shouts and taunts of the crowd swelled—mostly girl voices. Neither of us had many friends in the audience. It girded me. I needed to do this, to fake my own death, to save Emma.
“Ladies,” Alcántara greeted us from his perch outside the ring.
The crowd hushed as we climbed in between the ropes. I caught Emma’s eye. We were together. We could do this.
“Two girls in,” he announced like a boxing emcee. “One out. ”
We went to opposite corners of the ring and stood there unmoving, staring silently at each other. Friends forever.
He tipped his head toward us in a dramatically somber gesture. “Commence. ”
Emma slid her Buck knife from a holster at the back of her belt. It was thick and serrated, and just seeing it gave me a shudder. She gave me an apologetic shrug.
I flexed my foot, feeling the stars in my boots. I bent to pull one out. My aim would need to be better than ever—not in an effort to kill my friend, but rather to make sure I didn’t kill her.
I stepped forward and gave her a small, reassuring smile. We’d agreed we had to make it look convincing before she pinned and pretend-killed me. Which meant we’d have to draw some blood. I just hoped that, when the time came, she remembered not to twist that knife.
She advanced a few steps, looking reluctant to leave her corner. As she moved, the gym’s overhead lights gleamed white on her wide blade. She might’ve been unwilling, but there was nothing uncertain about the sharpness of that steel.
Once more, I was grateful for this term’s Combat Medicine. I knew the least painful, the safest places to be stabbed. The spots where we’d be least likely to bleed out, those parts of the body that wouldn’t sustain permanent, crippling injury.
Major arteries = bad. Extremities = good.
Feet, hands, fingers, toes were all prime spots, as long as we avoided critical tendons in the hands and stayed far from the arms and legs, which housed some major veins.
The butt, believe it or not, was also a great target, as long as we were careful to avoid nearby arteries. Nick the wrong spot in the butt and you’re toast.
The forehead was definitely something to consider, if we had the opportunity. It’d bleed a lot—head injuries always did—and that would provide some necessary high drama, with the skull protecting all the valuable bits.
The crowd began to hoot and catcall. They wanted carnage, but Emma was hesitating. She was having trouble doing this. I’d have to wake her up, jostle some life into her. See if I couldn’t bring out a spark. It’d be up to me to draw first blood.
I approached and prowled around her, trying to look eager to go in for the kill. I drew a second star, holding one in each hand. I widened my eyes, hoping she’d understand the message. Stand very, very still.