by Naomi Niles
“Because you don’t know what questions they’re going to throw at you,” I said. “Remember that they’re reporters. They’re looking for a good story.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I nodded.
We arrived at the designated room and Steven gave me a nod before he opened the door and gestured me through. It was a medium-sized room with a table at the front that had been set up with three mics for Steven, Wendell, and me. Wendell was already seated and waiting for us.
There were a bunch of chairs facing the table, all of which were occupied by a group of men and women in suits, armed with recorders and notepads. There were a couple of people with cameras standing around the room, and they all snapped pictures as I entered. The camera crew was front and center, ready to tape the whole press conference.
“Ah, here he is!” Wendell smiled hugely, rising from his chair and motioning me over.
I felt like an animal at the zoo, but I gave the reporters a nod and sat down in the chair between Wendell and Steven. I tried to crack a smile, but it just wouldn’t make an appearance on my face.
“Shall we begin?” Wendell asked. “Jerica, darling, shall we start with you?”
Jerica was a professionally-dressed woman in her early thirties. She nodded, sent a smile my way, and asked her obviously rehearsed question. “Mr. Burbank, we know virtually nothing about you. You had a good night in Las Vegas not long ago, but that was only one fight. How did you get to Las Vegas’ biggest arena in the ring against MMA Champion Kendrick Conner?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Whoa…started me off with an easy one, huh?”
There was a little bubble of laughter that ran through the room. I hadn’t meant to be funny or amusing, but if that was what I had achieved, I wasn’t going to complain.
“I suppose I could say that I’ve worked hard to get here. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom, and I’ve fought hard to earn my place in that ring tomorrow. But the truth is, every MMA fighter I’ve ever come across has worked hard and fought hard to have the right to be in that ring. So, I suppose my answer to your question is… I don’t know how I got here. It honestly baffles the shit out of me sometimes.”
Another appreciative murmur went through the small throng of reporters. I noticed Steven nod approvingly at my answer out of the corner of my eye.
“Joseph?” Wendell called. “You next.”
“Given who you’re competing against, Mr. Burbank, why should we root for you?”
“And the softball questions just keep on coming,” I said.
More laughter, this time even Steven chuckled under his breath. I cleared my throat and the room went silent.
“You don’t have to root for me,” I heard myself say. I could almost hear Steven and Wendell’s simultaneous intake of breath. “Because at this moment, there’s no reason for any of you to root for me. There’s nothing I can say now that will do that.
“But there’s something I can do. I will give my all in that ring tomorrow night and whether I lose or win, no one will be able to say I didn’t give Kendrick Conner a good fight. I can make the crowd root for me, but it will be with my actions in the ring, not with words behind a desk.”
I felt Steven and Wendell relax on either side of me and had to suppress a smile. After that, the questions kept coming, and I answered them as best I could. We were almost at the home stretch when one last reedy reporter stood up to ask the final question.
“Mr. Burbank?” he said, raising his hand like a schoolboy.
“Yes, Antony,” Wendell responded, on my behalf. “Go ahead.”
“Do you have any comment on your past arrest record?”
I froze in place for a moment, completely taken back by the question. I could almost feel every lens in the room zoom in on my face and the calm that had settled over me in the past few minutes dissipated immediately.
“According to my research, you were arrested a couple of years ago,” the reedy reporter persisted. “On the charge of aggravated assault. And the name of the arresting officer was cited as Peter Burbank… Any relation to you?”
Steven nudged me in the ribs. “No comment,” he whispered to me, under his breath.
I shook myself out of the shock. “I have no comment on that particular incident,” I said, trying to sound as though I were in control.
Wendell stood up quickly. “I think that’ll be our last question of the night,” he said, with a huge fake smile. “Let’s go, Talen.”
I got up and headed out of the room with the flash of a dozen different cameras in my face. I hightailed it down the hall back to my room. Ryan was waiting in there for me and stood the moment I entered, with Steven and Wendell on my tail.
“Fuck, man,” Ryan said. “You were arrested?”
“By my brother,” I nodded.
“It’s true?” Ryan said, in shock.
“How bad is this?” Steven asked, turning to Wendell.
To my amazement, Wendell was grinning from ear to ear. “What the hell are you so excited about?” I demanded.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “This is great publicity. Now everyone’s going to be even keener to see you fight tomorrow. The ex-con who is looking to redeem himself? The storyline practically writes itself.”
“My past is not fodder for the tabloids,” I said, through gritted teeth.
“That fodder is going to make you a star,” Wendell countered, narrowing his eyes at me.
“That’s not how I want to become a champion!” I yelled.
Ryan put an arm on my shoulder, but I shook it off and started pacing. “That question shouldn’t have been asked.”
“It was,” Wendell said, with a shrug. “There’s no point in dwelling on it.”
“He’s right, Talen,” Steven said steadily. “You have a match to fight tomorrow. The rest is just white noise, okay?”
I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I sighed.
“Good,” Steven nodded. “Now, it’s time to get your head in the game.”
Despite the turmoil of the press conference and the nagging in the back of my head, I actually managed to get a decent night’s sleep. I had a little light training the next morning and by the time evening came around, I was prepping for the fight. By seven o’clock, a car had arrived to transport me to the arena where the fight would take place. I rode with Ryan and Steven. It was a silent car ride, but silence was preferable to forced conversation.
The crowd was huge; I managed to catch a glimpse of it as I walked to the back rooms to change into my fighting clothes.
“How do you feel?” Ryan asked, pausing a little to hear the roar of the crowd.
“Fine,” I replied shortly.
Steven entered moments later. “Conner just got here, too.” On the heels of his words came a massive roar. It felt like the ground was vibrating underneath us.
“Fuck…is that for Conner?” Ryan asked.
“Obviously,” I said, answering before Steven could. “Would you two mind giving me a moment, please?”
Steven and Ryan exchanged a glance and left together. I paced the length of the room, realizing that my determination was fast overtaking my nerves.
I had something to prove here tonight. I was the underdog and I had to show the crowd that I was worthy of being in the same ring as Kendrick Conner.
I heard the booming voice of the commentator over the microphone start to work the crowd. Another massive cheer went up through the arena, and I knew the time had almost come. I cracked my neck from side to side and removed the robe around my shoulders. I stood there in my shorts, feeling a surge of power and determination course through me.
This was it. This was where I proved myself.
A second later, Steven appeared at the door. “It’s time, Talen,” he said soberly.
I nodded and walked through the door and down the aisle towards the massive octagon. The clamor of the crowd was intense, but I managed to shield out the sound. I was aware of the commentator scream my name, and I was v
aguely impressed by the cheers I received. But I also knew it would be nothing compared with the cheers that would welcome Conner.
It didn’t matter. I wasn’t concerned about screams or cheers or popularity. This was a fight – just like my whole life had been a fight. In some ways, I had been working towards this moment since I was a kid. I entered the ring and waited. The crowd went wild when the commentator made the second introduction. I stood there and watched as Kendrick Conner made his appearance.
He was a huge man – larger than I was, taller than I was, and so physically imposing that he looked like a creature from another planet. The man was sheer power, scarier in person than he was on screen...but it didn’t faze me. I stared at him and told myself that it wouldn’t be a true victory unless I was really challenged.
Conner entered the ring and threw off his robe in dramatic fashion. His muscles rippled into infinity, but I realized how little he intimidated me. At the end of the day, he was just a man. And, what it came down to in the end was skill, observation, and calculation.
Conner had fought enough matches for me to know his moves, his weaknesses and his strengths. But he had no idea what kind of fighter I was. He was about to learn soon enough that I was an unpredictable one.
I felt the lights change in the massive arena and instantly the atmosphere shifted, too. The first bell rang, and I heard Steven call my name from behind the ring. I turned to him.
“You can do this,” he said.
I nodded. I knew I could do this. I had to. This was my one opportunity to show the world I was worth something. I wasn’t just another tattooed thug off the streets.
The second bell went off and Conner approached me with a smile on his face. I could see it in his eyes. He believed he had already won this match. But I was about to prove him wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brittany
“Danny?” I yelled. “Where are you?”
“Just getting some popcorn,” he yelled back from the kitchen. “It hasn’t started yet, has it?”
“No, but the press conference is about to,” I replied. “They’re playing it right before the fight.”
Danny emerged from the kitchen with a huge bowl of popcorn in his hands. Lacey grabbed three beers from the fridge and popped it on the booth. Then she slid into the seat beside me.
“Man, I’m actually nervous.”
“Nervous?” I repeated. “I’m dying here! What if he gets hurt?”
“It’s possible,” Danny said unhelpfully as he sat down opposite Lacey and I. “The MMA is no joke. Fighters sustain terrible injuries all the time.”
“Thanks, Daniel,” Lacey said, narrowing her eyes at him. “Shut up now.”
“Oops,” he said, glancing at me. “Sorry… It’s just…it’s better that you’re prepared.”
I sighed and then I noticed the TV screen. “Okay, okay,” I said quickly. “The press conference is starting. Everyone be quiet.”
We saw a small introduction and then the door opened and Talen walked in, followed by his trainer. He looked incredibly handsome in his white shirt and navy blue tie. His blue eyes were incredibly prominent, even through the screen.
“He cleans up nice,” Lacey said appreciatively.
I could see Talen was obviously not in his comfort zone. He rarely made eye contact with the cameras and didn’t smile at all. He answered the first question in his typical abrupt and honest manner. It seemed to endear him to the group of reporters, however, and as the press conference continued, I started to relax.
“He’s doing well, isn’t he?” I asked, checking with Lacey and Danny to make sure I wasn’t just biased.
“He’s doing well,” Danny nodded. “He comes off as authentic. He doesn’t look like he’s putting on a show for anyone’s benefit. I think that will help him.”
“That and those baby blues,” Lacey said, giving me a little wink. “I’m sure his looks will help him a lot, too.”
I smirked at her. “He’s not a piece of meat, Lace.”
She laughed and shrugged. “He could have fooled me.”
I ignored her and turned back to the screen just as the last question was called upon. The reporter was a small made man with a ratty face and an oddly patterned tie.
“Do you have any comment on your past arrest record?” he asked.
I froze and then I turned to Lacey and Danny in shock. “He was arrested?”
“I knew it,” Danny nodded smugly.
When he didn’t get an immediate answer, the reporter continued with his line of questioning. “According to my research, you were arrested a couple of years ago,” the reedy reporter persisted. “On the charge of aggravated assault. And the name of the arresting officer was cited as Peter Burbank… Any relation to you?”
“Fuck,” Lacey said, turning to me. “He has a brother named Peter, doesn’t he?”
I nodded. “And, he is a policeman.”
“Fuck,” she said again, looking wide-eyed.
We watched as Talen refused to comment and then was ushered away by his coach and his promoter. Then the fight was teased for a minute before the screen cut to more advertisements.
“Geez,” Lacey breathed. “He didn’t answer.”
“I knew he was kind of a bad boy…but-”
“He never mentioned the arrest?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
“What was the charge?” Danny asked. “Aggravated assault?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “And apparently, his brother was the one who brought him in.”
“Complicated family history,” Lacey said, raising her eyebrows at me.
“Seems like it,” I nodded. “Looks like I’m not the only one with a messed up past.”
“So, serious question,” Lacey said with a straight face. “Does this make him more or less attractive to you?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “You are something else.”
“What?” she demanded. “It’s a legitimate question. Personally, he just got much, much hotter in my eyes.”
“Back off,” I said jokingly. “You have Ryan.”
She laughed. “I guess that answers my question.”
“Hey, the fight’s about to start,” Danny said, alerting our attention to the television once again.
I started to feel my nerves ratchet up again as we fell silent. Talen’s name was announced and he appeared from the tunnel shirtless, wearing nothing but blue shorts. His body was on point, a testament to how hard he worked out. His body was pure muscle, and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.
“Damn, he looks hot in those little shorts,” Lacey said, giving me a little wink.
I smiled without taking my eyes off Talen. I watched him enter the ring. His face was somber, serious and focused. I knew he was ready for this fight, I could see it in his ocean blue eyes.
And then the commentator was introducing Talen’s opponent. I waited with baited breath to see whom Talen would be fighting tonight. I gasped audibly when Kendrick Conner emerged from his tunnel.
“That’s who he’s fighting?”
“You’ve seen him before,” Danny reminded me.
“He looked smaller somehow,” I said.
The man was gigantic. He looked like a The Mountain from Game of Thrones. He threw off his robe as he stepped into the ring, and I felt my confidence dip downwards. If I had thought Talen was pure muscle, I didn’t have the words to describe this guy.
“Fuck,” Lacey said beside me. “The guy’s a monster.”
I lifted my hand up to my mouth and started biting my nails. It was a habit I had given up years ago, but at that moment, it was the only thing I could think of to do.
The bell went off and the fight started. Both men circled each other carefully, approaching one another in the center of the ring. I noticed that Conner had a smile on his face and knew he was feeling cocky. Talen, on the other hand, had no smile on his face. He looked hyper focused and extremely determined.
�
��Should we make bets?” Danny asked.
“Shut up,” I almost screamed. “Nobody say a word.”
I kept my eyes glued to the screen as it began. As I had expected, Conner made the first move. He swung to the right with his massive fist. I almost screamed, but Talen ducked at the last minute and avoided the blow. I realized how fast Talen was. His smaller size gave him that advantage, at least. He was quicker on his feet – so much so that his movements looked almost graceful as he worked the ring, throwing Conner into frenzy.
As the fight progressed, I realized something. There was a strange kind of beauty to the fight. It wasn’t just violence and punches. It was a game of strategy and skill. One wrong move and things could turn deadly, but if the players were evenly matched, it made for an intense watch.
Conner was a beast and was obviously experienced, but as the fight continued, I realized Talen was holding his own.
He might not have been as strong or as experienced as Conner, but he was smart, he was cunning in his movements, and he had obviously studied Conner well. There were moments when he even seemed to predict Conner’s next move before he had made them.
As the first round drew to a close, I realized Conner was getting more and more aggressive with his assaults. At one point, he managed to grab Talen bodily and throw him down onto the floor. The sound his body made when it hit the ground made me cringe with pain. But Talen was up within seconds. I could see the bruise blossom on his back, but Talen didn’t even seem to notice.
“He’s not going to make this round,” Danny said softly.
“Don’t say that,” I begged. “He’s made it this far.”
“He seems to be getting tired,” Lacey observed.
I tasted copper, and when I glanced down, I realized that the nail I was biting was bleeding. Uncaringly, I turned back to the screen just in time to see Conner send a punch in Talen’s direction. Talen saw it coming and ducked, but it was too late. Conner’s fist made contact with the side of his jaw, and Talen went flying into the ropes. His knees buckled and he collapsed. The bell went off – Conner had taken the first round.
“Fuck,” Danny breathed. “He tried, though…you’ve got to give him that.”