Tommy handed Xander a glass of water.
Xander sensed that Tommy had actually been delighted with this silver lining.
“Tommy, are you saying I still have a chance?”
Tommy picked up his briefcase and buttoned his jacket.
“Xander, I don’t want to promise you anything this time. This is up to you. What I’m telling you is that the boys at Street G are still rooting for you, and so am I. Once you’re out of this place and can start your training again, I’d love to see you take this seriously. I’ve always believed in you. Now it’s time for you to believe in yourself.”
Tommy opened the door and was about to walk out when he heard Xander say something.
“What was that?” Tommy spun around to face Xander.
“I’m going to do what it takes, T. No matter what, I’m going to do what it takes to win this thing. You’re right about everything. I’ve put in way too much blood, sweat, and tears to just waste it all on a good time. This is what I’m supposed to do, and I’ll do it right.”
Xander studied Tommy as he waited for a reaction. Clearing his throat and fixing his suit jacket, Tommy stood a little taller now.
“Atta boy, Xander.”
A knock on the door broke the silence. The same nurse entered the room with her clipboard.
“Excuse me boys, I need to do a routine check up on Mr. Delgado now. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“It’s alright, I was just leaving. Xander, I’ll be calling you later to check in. Don’t go screening my calls.” Tommy winked at Xander and walked out of the room.
“That man sure does love you. He was worried sick. Now Mr. Delgado, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?”
Xander crossed his legs, smoothing the gown over his knees.
“Ahh ... I guess it’s better to get the bad stuff out of the way first.”
The nurse chuckled.
“I would have said the same thing. Okay, the bad news is that the doctors want to keep you overnight for observation. The good news is, based on your vitals and eye tests, it seems like you’re doing a lot better than we originally thought. Staying overnight is just precautionary, but the doctor wanted me to let you know that he strongly advises it, for your own safety.”
Xander began removing the tape holding in his IV drip.
“Wait, wait, wait there kiddo. What do you think you’re doing?” The nurse attempted to keep Xander from removing the IV, but Xander over powered her and pushed her hand away.
“I’m not staying here another fucking night just for a precautionary ... whatever. I have to get home.”
Xander tossed the blankets off the side of the bed and stood up.
“We can’t force you to stay, but I have to tell you once again, by doctor’s orders—”
Xander ripped the tape off and yanked the IV out of his arm.
“Well, tell the doctor he’s down one patient. Now, if you’d kindly leave the room, I’d like to get out of this dress and put on some real clothes.”
The nurse calmly picked up the blankets, placing them neatly back onto the bed.
“Okay, Mr. Delgado. If that’s your final decision. Since you’re of age, no one can keep you here, I’ll just go and fetch your things.”
Returning a few minutes later, Xander’s nurse handed him a bag with his phone, wallet, and shoes.
“Listen, I’ve seen men your age in here countless times. I don’t imagine you’ll listen to some old lady, but if you do happen to remember anything from this conversation, remember that fame isn’t everything. Someday you’re going to look back and ask yourself why any of it mattered in the first place. Follow your heart, Mr. Delgado.”
Half dressed, Xander put down his shoes and peered up at the nurse.
“Thank you. I think that may be the first time anyone ever told me that.”
The nurse picked up her clipboard and took one final look at Xander.
“What do I know? I’m just a nurse.” Giggling, she closed the curtains and left Xander to himself.
Chapter 17
Xander opened the door to his house and saw Winnie sitting by the phone in their living room.
Winnie, hearing the door unlatch, looked up from the book she was reading.
“Oh my stars. Thank God you’re okay.” Putting down her novel, Winnie shuffled quickly to Xander’s side. Winnie stood on her tip-toes and kissed Xander on either cheek.
“Tommy called me as soon as he heard. I was getting ready to catch a cab down there any minute now.” Looking Xander over, Winnie took a step back.
“Wait, why are you home so early? Didn’t the doctor want to keep you overnight?”
Winnie closed the door behind Xander, and took the bag with his wallet and phone from his hand.
“Don’t worry, Winnie. The doctor said I was fine and sent me home.”
Xander felt bad for lying, but he was exhausted and didn’t feel like explaining himself to anyone, let alone a frightened old lady.
Xander could tell Winnie didn’t quite believe him, but she let it go.
“Did you call any of your friends to tell them you’re alright? What about that girlfriend of yours? I bet she’s been worried sick.”
Amused at Winnie’s utter lack of memory, Xander grinned.
“Win, you know I don’t have a girlfriend. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have had to pay all that money for a cab from the hospital.”
Winnie pointed a finger at Xander, wagging it in front of his face.
“A man like you oughta have a wife by now. Did I ever tell you that my friend Missy has a beautiful granddaughter? I could ask her to come over sometime for tea?”
A wife.
Xander thought about what that would be like. One night stands were fun when they were happening, but as soon as they were over, Xander had always felt a sense of loneliness.
The image of a fair-skinned woman with big, brown hair popped into Xander’s mind. He pictured her by his bed in the hospital, rubbing his hair when he was asleep and checking with the nurses to make sure everything was okay.
Chapter 18
Xander took his phone out of his bag and opened the screen. Two missed calls from Johnny, and no unread messages. He scrolled through his contacts and saw Molly’s name and a picture of her from the club that he had saved as her caller ID.
In the photo, Molly had her drink in one hand and was posing with the other hand on her hip. Xander remembered making fun of her, telling her she looked like one of those Stanford housewives.
Oughta have a wife by now.
The image of Molly in an all-white gown flashed before him, but was interrupted by the vibration coming from his phone.
Incoming call.
“Hey Xander, I got a call saying you left the hospital against doctor’s orders. Are you home now?”
Tommy sounded anxious.
“Yeah T, I’m home now, and I’m fine, trust me. The Doc said everything checked out but he just wanted to be on the safe side. I’m not staying in that place an extra minute if I don’t have to.”
Half expecting Tommy to start yelling, Xander pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker mode.
“I don’t blame you kid.”
He doesn’t?
“I wouldn’t want to stay in there either. Place creeps me out. Look Xander, I’m glad to hear you’re alright. That leads me to my next question. I got a call from a local rep just now. They ended up securing a fight for tonight and need a guy to step in. I figured it was a long shot, but it’s a small-scale fight and I wanted to check in with you first before telling them no.”
Walking over to the sink, Xander turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face, shaking his head.
“Who would I be up against, T? And what do you mean by ‘small-scale’ exactly?”
Xander opened the fridge. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d eaten, and all this talk about fighting was making him hungry.
“It’s a g
uy from out of Phoenix. He’s been fighting for a while but hasn’t competed in the ring much. The rep says he’s pretty good. Just a little Latino kid from a poor part of town, but he’s quick on his feet and has been known to win a few fights around his area.”
Xander thought about what Tommy had said when he was in the hospital.
“Getting knocked around too much could turn you into one of those vegetables.”
I guess I won’t let him hit me then.
Xander turned off speaker mode and put the phone to his ear.
“Alright, and what’s the prize if I win?”
Tommy could be heard ruffling through the papers on his desk.
“Where the hell did I write that? Oh okay, here it is. You’d take home 25 big ones. It’s not a couple billion, but it’s more than some of your fights so far. Whattya think?”
They don’t call me The Beast for nothin’. What’s one little crash?
“I’m in, T.”
Chapter 19
The gym was empty except for Johnny. Only the extremely dedicated types showed up for training as early as he and Xander usually did.
Johnny was over at the speed bag, headphones in.
Xander quietly took off his shoes, put down his bag and snuck around the corner.
Giving him a push from behind, Xander scared Johnny. He turned around, fists up and ready to fight.
“Holy shit Xan, you scared the crap outta me.” Removing his headphones, Johnny gave Xander a hug, squeezing him tight.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, man. Hey dude, don’t worry about the truck, alright? Insurance’ll cover it. I’m just ... I’m happy you’re still alive.”
“Me too, man. I’m just glad to be back to training already.”
Johnny looked puzzled.
“Training? What are you talking about, Xan? You just got in a huge accident that could have killed you.”
Xander was already half way across the gym, opening his locker and getting his wraps on.
“Yeah, but it didn’t Johnny Boy. I’m still here and I’m fighting tonight. I know it’s fast but the doc said I’m fine as long as I don’t get hit a bunch in the head. T set me up with an easy match, and if I win I’m goin’ home with some cash in hand.”
Walking over to the speed bag, Xander handed Johnny his mouth guard.
“Now take your mouth guard, and help me win this thing.”
The practice ring sat in the middle of the gym. Xander jumped onto one side, opening the ropes to enter.
Johnny stood still, contemplating whether or not he was going to spar with someone who had just suffered a concussion.
“I’m gonna go ahead and trust that you’re not batshit crazy, Xander. I’ll spar with you as long as you promise to take a week off after the fight tonight.”
“Deal. Now get in here and fight me, dude.”
Chapter 20
The stadium was full of cheering spectators. Less than half of the people in the crowd were holding signs for Jose, Xander’s opponent from Arizona.
Most of the folks who showed up had been long time fans of Xander’s, some had even attended every fight he ever had, both in and out of town. He saw a pool of the usual betting group, a bunch of old men exchanging money and jeering at one another. Models wearing crop tops and booty shorts held signs to tell fans that Round 2 was coming up.
Xander already felt dizzy. Sitting in the corner, he looked around the room as all the faces turned into one big blur. The front row to his right was often full of scouts, but tonight he noticed that they had been converted into VIP seats, reserved for those who were willing to pay the high ticket price.
Guys in Tap Out shirts wearing ornate jewelry lined the row behind, alongside their girlfriends who looked less than enthused.
Molly?
Xander wiped away the sweat from his eyes, disoriented, but positive he had seen her thick brown hair and glowing skin a couple of rows back. Squinting to get a better look, Xander felt a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s time buddy. You had him during that whole round. Don’t get cocky though. You’ve been wastin’ a lot of energy throwin’ those right hooks. He’s quick, so don’t underestimate him.”
A busty model strutted around the outer ring, holding a sign announcing Round Two. Xander was almost positive that some if not most of the guys who bought tickets to the fights only ever came for the models.
Music sounded as spot lights circled the audience, illuminating the crowd. Arms went up as people cheered. Xander took one last look in Molly’s direction and noticed something different about her.
Wait, did Molly have a tattoo on her shoulder?
Walking into the center of the ring, Xander squinted to get a better look. The woman he had thought was Molly stood up from her seat and shuffled out of the row and toward the back of the stadium.
How stupid can you be? That’s the wrong girl. Molly didn’t have any tattoos.
Shaking off his disappointment, Xander sized up his opponent who had already outstretched his fists, waiting for the round to start. Jose looked tired, but Xander knew not to underestimate his rival this round. Hitting his fists against Jose’s, the bell rang indicating that the fight was back on.
It was almost a tradition that Xander not only won his fights, but would knock out his opponent. Even though Xander was leagues taller than Jose, his long arms still couldn’t find Jose’s body. The round went on for far longer than Xander was used to, and he knew that his fans would get bored if he didn’t wrap it up soon.
Even though Xander was well aware that Molly wasn’t the one watching, pretending she was there had given him a strange kind of strength and a need to win the fight that was far more powerful than the allure of any cash prize.
Xander, conserving his energy this round, watched as Jose danced around the ring. Any punch that came Xander’s way was easily dodged and countered, leaving Jose exhausted and clambering for a move to finally end the round.
I actually feel bad for this guy, Xander thought, watching Jose raise his fists in defense and shaking uncontrollably.
Jose lunged, sending his right fist at Xander’s face. Xander effortlessly stepped to his left, observing the punch as it whooshed past his nose. Spotting an opening, Xander curled his arm and stepped forward to deliver an uppercut to Jose’s side. One, two, three hits to the ribs and Jose was down for the count.
Chapter 21
Journalists surrounded Xander as he stepped out of the ring. Microphones jutted out of the crowd, and Xander calmly pointed to an interviewer wearing a bowler hat and pinstriped suit.
“Beast, you shocked the crowd tonight. I think it’s safe to say that none of us expected to see The Beast fighting so soon after such a traumatic event. How did it feel for you to walk away from the accident and straight into the ring? You must feel invincible by now!”
The stout man was holding a tape recorder, eyes wide, waiting for Xander to speak into the microphone.
This was the part Xander enjoyed the least. Journalists were always looking for the next buzz-worthy article to publish. All Xander wanted to do after a fight was grab a beer and go home to sleep.
A little smack talk makes them wet their panties. Just give ‘em what they want.
“I feel lucky to be here. Jose put up a good fight, but I think he’s a little young to be comin’ into the ring with The Beast.”
Journalists turned their head to look at one another. The looks on their faces were enough to convince Xander that they had their headline.
“If you say so Beast, we’ll believe you. In the first round we thought he might walk away with the cash though. What happened to make it all turn around? Someone send you a naughty picture during break? A little booty to get your blood pumping?”
Bait. They want to know about my personal life—surprise, surprise.
Xander was about to interject some clever rebuttal, but his thoughts were clouded with
images of Molly, proudly looking up at him from the crowd.
All he could muster was a coy smile. He put his hand up to show he was done with the interview and walked to his locker room.
Xander unwrapped his hands, examining the dried blood on his knuckles and rinsing off the aftermath. Xander stared at himself in the mirror.
It was one night. You’ve had tons of one night stands before, so why are you caught up on this one?
The possibility of any intimate relationship made Xander uneasy. He had made a point of never involving himself with anyone in that way. His friends had been in and out of relationships, breaking up just to make up, and Xander swore he wasn’t going to fall into that same cycle.
“Get over it man. You have bigger things at stake right now than some girl you spent one night with.”
Xander gathered his things and walked out to the parking lot. Getting into his Camaro, he glared at the couples who were piling out of the stadium.
They all look so happy holding hands and laughing.
Shaking his head, Xander started his car and headed home for the night, leaving his fantasies behind.
Chapter 22
A week had passed and it was time for Molly and Elodie to move out of their dorm room.
“I am so happy to be out of this shit hole, El. You have no idea. We can finally move into a house where we don’t have to see each other naked all of the time. Privacy at last!”
Elodie was midway to having her pants undone, getting changed for the third time that morning.
“Oh Mol, you’re so funny. I’m still going to be walking around naked in our new place.”
It had been two hours since they started putting their belongings into boxes. Molly was mostly finished organizing the remainder of her clothes and labeling the sealed boxes, while El was still deciding what she was going to wear for the big move.
“El, no one is going to care what you’re wearing. You’ll be a hot mess in an hour anyway, once we get our shit over to the new house.” Molly threw a dress of hers over to El’s bed, the very one Elodie always stole from Molly’s wardrobe when she couldn’t decide on anything of her own.
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