I didn’t have shit. Much more importantly, I had my demons. I glanced down and realized I was rubbing at the inside of my arm. I dropped my hand quickly and turned back to Tria.
I watched her closely as she furrowed her brow and considered whether or not she wanted to come to the crappy bar down the street and watch me beat up some random guy in a cage. It was obviously not something she had considered before, and she didn’t seem to know how to answer.
“Well?” I asked as I glanced up at the clock. “I need to head over that way, and if you don’t come with me, you ain’t goin’ at all. I don’t want you walking there on your own.”
“So…it’s like a game, right?” Tria asked. Her tone was unsure, and her eyes watched mine carefully.
“Well, it’s a ‘sport,’” I said. I wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by a “game.”
“I’ve just never seen anything like that,” Tria told me. “I still don’t know how you can do anything inside that tiny cage-room-place.”
I laughed at her description.
“Well, if you came and watched, you would know.”
She hesitated and contemplated for a moment, then finally agreed to go.
“Cool!” I said with a smile. As soon as she agreed, I realized how much I wanted her to be there to see me work—see me at my best. “Let’s get rockin’!”
We made it to Feet First quickly, my pace a little faster than usual as we headed down the street. I was excited to have Tria there, watching me work, and I was genuinely looking forward to the fight that hadn’t even begun yet. I didn’t typically get excited until right before I got into the cage.
Inside the bar, there were already people packed wall-to-wall. I didn’t have a lot of time to talk to customers before I had to get ready, but I tried to chat with a few of them as I got Tria set up near the bar where she could have a good, unobstructed view of the cage. Gary was also close by, and I made sure he was going to keep an eye on her while I was fighting. The last thing she needed was some drunk asshole fucking with her while I was indisposed.
“I’m fine—really,” Tria said.
I had Dordy make her one of his special froo-froo drinks. It was a daiquiri sort of thing and looked like it contained more fruit than alcohol. Hell, he might have made it a virgin drink, and she probably wouldn’t have known the difference.
“Okay, well—I gotta get ready,” I told her. “Just hang here. You got the best seat in the house. I’ll come find you after I beat this fucker.”
I grinned, but she just narrowed her eyes a little and looked at me sideways. Once I was in the locker room, I changed into my green trunks and taped up my feet. Yolanda came in and taped my wrists, but she didn’t say much of anything. I knew I had strained things a bit this afternoon, but I put it out of my mind.
You can’t be upset about shit
you don’t think about.
After she left, I stretched and waited for my cue. It came quickly, and I was pumped and ready for it.
Hier kommt die Sonne
My song started playing, and I moved swiftly out of the locker area, up the ramp, and into the roar of the crowd.
Die Sonne scheint mir aus den Händen
kann verbrennen, kann dich blenden
I raised my arms up over my head and balled my hands into tight fists. I spun in a circle, flexing my back and listening to the screams from the audience. I leapt forward at the fence in front of me, snarling at the guy on the other side and pounding against the metal a few times to add to the show.
Yolanda escorted me into the cage, felt me up, and then brought in the other guy. As soon as the cage door slammed shut, he was on me. I felt a good punch that was definitely hard enough to bruise. I blocked the next two but let him come forward and get comfortable with what he thought was advantage.
He was quick and threw multiple punches at my face as I backed against the cold metal. I slammed a fist into his chest and a knee into his gut. He grunted, and in retaliation, he grabbed a handful of hair at the back of my head, yanked me forward, and then threw me back. Shouts came from all directions as he stepped back and threw a kick at me.
Big mistake.
I had a hold of his ankle, and twisted his whole leg to the side, nearly turning him completely upside down before dropping him to the mat. My body followed, landing on top of his with my knees in his gut. With the wind knocked out of him, he slowed down quite a bit, and his punches lacked the fervor that had been behind them only sixty seconds ago.
“Not ready for me, are you?” I snarled through what was probably a rather maniacal smile. I punched knuckles down into his face and watched the blood flow from his nose. His fingers reached for my shoulder, and I felt distinctive tapping against my skin.
Jumping off the mat, I waited for Yolanda to reenter the cage and raise my hand above my head, calling out my victory to all those around. With bright eyes and muscles bristling with raw energy, I searched out Tria’s table.