I ran off to be a Laker Girl. I danced for two years then my mom died. I had to come home or lose the studio, and I wasn’t ready to part with it.” She sighed glancing down at her desk. “I don’t offer this information to many, but I don’t know what I’m doing. So I have a proposal for you.”
I was on the edge of my seat, literally. I was too nervous to sit back. I liked her, and I wanted the job.
“I can give you Ericka’s classes, but I could also use some office help, like organizing receipts, designing a website, and monitoring it for me. Social media support, too. Maybe some help planning the spring performance.”
I was speechless. It was like a dream come true. I could dance and use skills learned in my classes. It was like a paid internship, which dancing business majors never earned. If I wanted to be in IT, it was a different story.
“The girl at the desk is my niece. She’s helpful answering phones after school and menial work like filing, but she’s just a teenager. So what do you think?”
“I’d love it,” I interjected. It was too good to be true.
“Excellent, you’re hired. Can you start tomorrow?” she asked, squishing up her face to express her desperation.
“Absolutely.”
“Perfect.” She clapped. “Any questions?”
“I’m just curious. How do you know Abel Callahan?”
“Who?” she questioned me with pinched brows.
“Abel. Callahan. The boy that got me the interview.”
“I don’t know an Abel, honey.”
“So…” I looked at her in confusion.
“My sister is Chrysanthemum. You know her as Carrie.” She raised an eyebrow at me and winked.
Saturday night was fight night again. It was an important one, too. My name was out there now, a combination of Betta and Abel. In some manner, I was still only recognizable as the opponent of Thor. My body hummed to have a rematch with him inside the ring. My blood still roiled from his actions toward Elma. While he didn’t get in her pants, it was clear that she was upset by him. I tried to reason with myself that if she wanted him, she wouldn’t have let him leave, nor would she have let me hold her all night. I had to believe that the reality, of what could have happened, didn’t occur to her until Thor and I fought.
I’d let him escape that night. I should have finished him, but a sure way to lose any effort I’d gained was to fight outside the ring. If I was caught, I’d lose the wins and the underground would be lost to me. I needed to stay here to earn my way out of the deep. I was using the underground as practice, to build my skill and my reputation. I needed to have both before I tried to jump bowls; I had bigger fish to battle elsewhere.
My tunes were loud tonight. I needed the aggressive energy boost. I’d worked hard all week at the gym, sometimes twice a day, as I skipped the rest of the week’s human anatomy class. I told the professor I had a family thing to attend to and submitted this week’s work online, taking a quiz in the testing center. I avoided any chance of encountering Elma.
My comment about family business wasn’t a complete lie. I did search for this Sofie girl that Cain sought. The registrar’s office wasn’t willing to part with personal information, as I figured, but it was worth a shot to start there. They didn’t even want to confirm that she was a currently registered student. I tried my human anatomy professor next. Cain’s only other information was offering that she had taken the same course I was currently enrolled in. Unfortunately, the class had several teachers throughout a year. The professor could only offer me three possible names of others, who might have taught the course in the previous sessions. She couldn’t confirm who had taught a summer session, other than to say it wasn’t her.
Saturday night, I released thoughts of Elma from my mind. I had to be clear headed and focused for this fight. This was important. If I couldn’t beat a big contender, as
I was on the edge of my seat, literally. I was too nervous to sit back. I liked her, and I wanted the job.
“I can give you Ericka’s classes, but I could also use some office help, like organizing receipts, designing a website, and monitoring it for me. Social media support, too. Maybe some help planning the spring performance.”
I was speechless. It was like a dream come true. I could dance and use skills learned in my classes. It was like a paid internship, which dancing business majors never earned. If I wanted to be in IT, it was a different story.
“The girl at the desk is my niece. She’s helpful answering phones after school and menial work like filing, but she’s just a teenager. So what do you think?”
“I’d love it,” I interjected. It was too good to be true.
“Excellent, you’re hired. Can you start tomorrow?” she asked, squishing up her face to express her desperation.
“Absolutely.”
“Perfect.” She clapped. “Any questions?”
“I’m just curious. How do you know Abel Callahan?”
“Who?” she questioned me with pinched brows.
“Abel. Callahan. The boy that got me the interview.”
“I don’t know an Abel, honey.”
“So…” I looked at her in confusion.
“My sister is Chrysanthemum. You know her as Carrie.” She raised an eyebrow at me and winked.
Saturday night was fight night again. It was an important one, too. My name was out there now, a combination of Betta and Abel. In some manner, I was still only recognizable as the opponent of Thor. My body hummed to have a rematch with him inside the ring. My blood still roiled from his actions toward Elma. While he didn’t get in her pants, it was clear that she was upset by him. I tried to reason with myself that if she wanted him, she wouldn’t have let him leave, nor would she have let me hold her all night. I had to believe that the reality, of what could have happened, didn’t occur to her until Thor and I fought.
I’d let him escape that night. I should have finished him, but a sure way to lose any effort I’d gained was to fight outside the ring. If I was caught, I’d lose the wins and the underground would be lost to me. I needed to stay here to earn my way out of the deep. I was using the underground as practice, to build my skill and my reputation. I needed to have both before I tried to jump bowls; I had bigger fish to battle elsewhere.
My tunes were loud tonight. I needed the aggressive energy boost. I’d worked hard all week at the gym, sometimes twice a day, as I skipped the rest of the week’s human anatomy class. I told the professor I had a family thing to attend to and submitted this week’s work online, taking a quiz in the testing center. I avoided any chance of encountering Elma.
My comment about family business wasn’t a complete lie. I did search for this Sofie girl that Cain sought. The registrar’s office wasn’t willing to part with personal information, as I figured, but it was worth a shot to start there. They didn’t even want to confirm that she was a currently registered student. I tried my human anatomy professor next. Cain’s only other information was offering that she had taken the same course I was currently enrolled in. Unfortunately, the class had several teachers throughout a year. The professor could only offer me three possible names of others, who might have taught the course in the previous sessions. She couldn’t confirm who had taught a summer session, other than to say it wasn’t her.
Saturday night, I released thoughts of Elma from my mind. I had to be clear headed and focused for this fight. This was important. If I couldn’t beat a big contender, as
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