by Jayne Blue
Sports Illustrated ran a piece about the story that would never get to be told, the titles never fought for, and they also ran a cover that was rocking the MMA world about the, all of a sudden, shaky future of the 21C.
A title match that had been hyped for a year was now in limbo. The G-Man fight was billed as the MMA Super Bowl. Now it was off. Done. The accident and death of a 21C star had upended the fortunes of the league as dramatically as the jackknifed busses.
21C was hemorrhaging money. Kane Broadman versus a nobody was not going to cut it for the billion-dollar event. Hundreds of deals were on the verge of collapsing and the article detailed the collapsing business end of the 21C.
It was not what Meyer had intended when he sent them out on the Fresh Blood tour. G-Man’s death was a tragedy for a family and it could very well be the undoing of the league.
Despite all his professional turmoil, Meyer Thompson made sure to help send G-Man out in style.
All the fighters, normally in ripped t-shirts and athletic shorts, donned dark suits, ties, and their most respectful attitudes for G-Man. If a fighter could not afford a suit, Thompson bought them one.
They were all devastated but Jessie was taking it the hardest. He was G-Man’s best friend and was there at the end when none of their muscle or grit could do a damn thing to help.
Whitey did his best to console his grandson, rubbing his arm, patting his shoulder throughout the services. But Jessie blamed himself, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that for now.
Craddock, Jessie, and G-Man had been focused, driven and motivated to be world champs. Now it all seemed like total bullshit. One dumbass drunk driver and G-Man was gone.
After the services, Meyer Thompson had asked that he and Zeke meet him at the GWG. Cassidy and Dylan were along too. It was good to be back at home in their familiar surroundings, but the reason sucked.
Thompson turned a folding chair backward and sat in front of Zeke and Craddock, all of them still in their suits from the services, their ties loosened.
“Look, what happened is beyond what I can put into words. It is the worst tragedy in the history of our company. But bottom line I do have to think about this company.”
“We just came from a man’s funeral. Our friend’s funeral.” Craddock was disgusted. He did want to talk shop right now.
“I know but what I have to say is important. It’s about to be the 21C League’s funeral if I don’t have a viable title fight.”
“Why don’t you let him talk Craddock?” There had been a dialing down of the hate between Zeke and Craddock since the crash but it was still there ready to boil up.
“Why don’t you go fuck yourself?”
“You kiss your mother with...” and Zeke stopped, too late remembering that this was the second recent funeral for someone important in Craddock’s life.
“21C has your contracts to pay out and the deals of dozens of other fighters as well. That sweet money you got Flynn, your second million? It’s contingent on the money that is about to evaporate if Kane Broadman doesn’t have a good title match.”
Craddock felt as if they were walking on G-Man’s grave. Talking about his fight. A fight he would never get a chance at.
“In three week’s time I’m going to have a qualifier. It is the only way I can salvage this situation. The top two fighters, chosen by the fans, will face off. The winner of that fight will have two months to get ready.”
“Two months, but G-Man was supposed to fight for the title in a few weeks. That’s where our Fresh Blood Tour was headed I thought,” Zeke pointed out.
“I bought two months time from the Staples Center and the sponsors. The public is with me on this right now and sponsors get it. So, they are giving me two months. 21C needs to produce a title fight worthy of the hype and money involved. If we don’t I won’t be signing any more big fat 21C League checks.”
Zeke spoke up.
“So why are you telling us?”
“I’m offering you both a chance to fight for the G-Man spot. I have one other meeting. My hope is to have three of you in the running.” Meyer said.
Craddock put his face in his hands. It was too much to consider on the same day where they watched the Gary Gullich’s dad collapse in agony at the gravesite.
But the fact remained his own actual financial future was on the line.
Zeke seemed less conflicted.
“I’m honored that you’d consider me,” said Zeke.
“Honor has nothing to do with it. This is business.”
“Who’s the third?” Craddock asked.
“Confidential. I have a few calls to make. This shit’s difficult. Men who won’t get killed by Kane Broadman do not come around very often. Why do you think it took me a year to get G-Man ready?”
“So what do we do?” Zeke was asking but it was clear he had already decided his next move.
“I’ll need an answer in 24-hours. Call the number on my card if you’re in.”
“Jesus. 24 hours?” Craddock felt like they were about to be put through a ringer.
“Yes. This is real life. Sorry it is not working out as you planned. It never does. Maybe you should get religion like Zeke here. If you’re in you will head back to Vegas to train for three weeks. No more busses and autographs. The public and if I think you’re physically ready will be the decider which fighters face off for Gullich’s spot. Then that fighter will turn around and do it again in two months against Kane Broadman.”
With that, Meyer Thompson was out the door. Zeke was on the phone, probably with Sunny or his dad. Scheming on how to be the people’s choice no doubt.
“You’re seriously thinking about taking this fight? Or trying to?” Craddock confronted Zeke. He pulled the phone from his ear.
“You’re seriously not considering it?”
“It’s not our fight it was G-Man’s.” Craddock, turned, nodded to Dylan and Cassidy to head for the door. He needed to think about G-Man and not think about this crazy bullshit that Meyer Thompson had thrown in their laps.
The three of them had decided to stay, for now, at his apartment. His mom’s house was for sale and he did not want to deal with those memories or the chore of sorting her stuff. It was too much and his life had been a whirlwind since the moment he had said yes to Tough to the Top.
Dylan had a bedroom at his place and usually was pretty chill at Craddock’s, viewing it as his second home.
They were all fried when they got home and Dylan in particular was ready to pass out.
“Good night buddy.”
“You have to do it.” Dylan said.
“What?
“Try to get that title fight.”
“We’ll see. I’m not sure I’m up for it.”
“You’re up for it. I am going to have Cassidy set me up a Twitter tomorrow. If it is a popularity contest to get the fight, we will probably have to vote online or tweet. I did that for choosing the mascot for Sugarcreek Squares cereal so I am good at it. I voted for a koala and it won. So see?”
“Be careful. They might start voting for you.” Craddock joked with him. It was a good note to end on after what had been a crappy day.
Craddock came out to find Cassidy on the couch. She had a beer for him. He did not normally drink but this was a beer kind of night. It was really a whiskey kind of night and all the fighters at the GWG had raised a shot in unison to G-Man at the wake. But now, a beer, being next to his woman, in whatever home they had, that was good as it got.
“You want to talk about Meyer’s offer? Or about G-Man or?” She studied his face, stopped asking questions and kissed him on the cheek. Craddock laid his head down in her lap. She gently stroked his hair while he quietly fell to pieces.
Cassidy
That Craddock had opened up to her, allowed himself to be vulnerable, allowed her to comfort him. It was a relief. She had worried that it was all too much at once. From his mother to G-Man to the pressure of constantly fighting, he was going to snap
.
He was the kind of person who did not ask for help and she knew damn well that showing vulnerability was rare and difficult for him.
The fact that he let her help him felt like another big step in the growing trust they were building between them. They had had an incredibly stressful few months and letting it out was better than letting it fester.
Craddock Flynn, the bad boy of the 21C, had broken down, grieved, and let her take some of the load. It was about as healthy a reaction that a person could have under the circumstances. He had also saved her life on that highway, as well as the lives of everyone on their bus, and she knew it. He would not talk about that, at all.
When she thought about the potential for Craddock to take G-Man’s place, she believed, with everything in her, that Craddock Flynn should fight to get the fight.
She also knew it was important not to push him. They slept spooned in his bed that night and did not wake up until Dylan’s quest for Captain Crunch got rather loud. Craddock squeezed her tight before he climbed out of bed to help.
“They’re in that upper cabinet like I said.” She heard him tell Dylan.
“Those have Crunch Berries you know I hate the berries.”
“Well, pick them out.”
“That’s going to take a year!” Cassidy giggled listening in to the crisis of the morning. After the real crisis they had all been through the Crunch Berry thing they could handle
She was taking the opportunity of being home to visit Dr. Showers and check in to the GWG. Craddock, despite the fact he had not committed to Meyer Thompson’s latest fight contest, had decided to train hard. It was his default mode. His salvation. He needed it now more than ever, so they went their separate ways for the day.
Paul Showers was the same as the last time she had seen him except he was even more exuberant. She told him as much.
“Full funding has that effect on me,” said the handsome if somewhat geeky professor.
“So where do we stand? Research-wise.” Showers was trying to prove that a stable educational environment was a more important for foster children than almost any other factor. That a kid could change houses frequently, which often happened, but if they stayed in their same school district, they had significantly better outcomes in their adult lives.
“Well the data is exactly what I predicted and thanks to having an assistant I’m almost ready to present it to the professional journals and to the university board!”
“Terrific.”
“If all goes as planned the next step will be developing a course of action for agencies and school districts to enact. It’s one thing to say it’s important to keep a kid in one educational environment but how do we help make that happen?”
“Any thoughts on that?” She asked. Cassidy wondered what it would have been like to stay at one school and stay connected to friends instead of having to start again every time she had a new foster family.
“How do we? Well, funny you should ask. If I get funding for that step I would love to have you on the team. I know it is not casework but casework opportunities are everywhere. It’s not going anywhere. Developing a new program? That’s a unique opportunity.”
“So you’re saying if your data proves out, if you get funding, then you’ll be looking for some team members?”
“Yeah, and if the creek don’t rise. After that we will needed to select a pilot school district. So it’s a long road but thanks to Craddock Flynn we’re still on it!” Cassidy worried about that 21C money for the first time. What if it dried up? There was more riding on Craddock than just Dylan.
“Right. Well you know I’d be honored to work on this project, however you need me.”
“Great, developing the program could be the perfect companion for your senior level coursework. Speaking of companion. I have read all your reports. It sounds like Dylan is for the most part benefiting from being in a new situation and getting out of his comfort zone on the trip. Any surprises?”
“Yeah, math. He’s great at it. And customer service. He has been selling, making change, and charming MMA fans from here to Nebraska.”
“You’ve always said he had a great personality.”
“He’d been shunted to small manufacturing assembly as his only career path. I think that might be limiting. He is a people person and can handle higher skilled functions than most people thought. I just have to keep working on his coping strategies.”
“I have no doubt you’ll see an improvement there if you keep observing and adapting.”
“Thank you. And I’ll be back in a few weeks when the semester’s up.”
“I look forward to it and don’t forget to keep filing those reports! They are a part of satisfying our grant requirements.”
“Oh don’t worry. I’m an expert on the requirements of Craddock Flynn.” She left that there and was off to see Sawyer.
Sawyer’s assignment to check in on the GWG for a few weeks had now lasted months. He was pretty much a fixture at the Grand City GWG.
They had spoken briefly at G-Man’s funeral but this was their first time to catch up other than on Facetime, since she had left on the Fresh Blood Tour.
“Gotcha a new laptop. Can’t have you slacking off of class or the millions of emails I send you.”
“Thanks Sawyer that’s above and beyond.”
“Well the first one was insured so it’s not that generous.”
“The biker who looks like a badass, has mad managerial skills, and buys insurance for his office equipment. You’re a contradiction Sawyer.”
“Yes, yes I am.” He rarely said anything that would let her in to more about his own life. The fact that he always gave her solid guidance and support put Sawyer up there with Bess in her book.
“So what do we know? Craddock gonna go for G-Man’s spot?” Sawyer asked.
“At this point it’s unclear. He is pretty busted up. He’s got, let’s see, about twelve more hours to decide.”
“I figure he needs a little push. Maybe something you could help with?”
“I don’t know. He does his thing. If you haven’t noticed,” she decided to change the subject since she had no idea what to do next for Craddock. “So are the files a huge mess since I’ve been gone?”
“It’s hell in a hand basket kid.” Sawyer teased her. It felt good to talk to him and be back in Grand City. She didn’t realize how much of a home she had really made here until she left it.
Whitey’s whistle caught both their ears and she looked to see Craddock working something out on the heavy bag.
“Well if he keeps training like that I’d say Kane “Lucky Devil” Broadman’s luck is about to run out.” Sawyer said, and Cassidy hoped like hell that he was right.
Craddock
“You gonna let Zeke just walk away with it then?” Jessie was hurting today at the GWG after a night of hard drinking. Whitey had fished him out of the bar and essentially forced him to dry out and start punching. He told them all it was the best way to handle the way they were feeling.
“Excuse me? You’re back in the ring not two minutes and you’re giving me a lecture?”
“Yep. I got mine from Whitey now you’re getting yours from me.”
“You see Zeke over there, new trainer, new coach, some new social media guru type; he’s got the works going already.”
“Yeah, sparkly.”
“Dumbass. G-Man would want you to take his spot.”
“G-Man would also not blame you for the accident.” Craddock shot back.
“No, I suppose he wouldn’t. But I am still working on that. Whitey let me know that he’d kick my ass if I kept working on it at Doolittle’s Pub.” They both laughed.
“Well I guess I’m feeling guilty for taking something that’s supposed to be his.” Craddock said.
“This was always your dream and if you hadn’t DQ'd in Detroit, you would have been in at the same time as G-Man. This very well could have been your fight.” Jessie pointed out.
Crad
dock realized that was true. G-Man had only a slight jump on him in the league.
“And guess who else I heard is getting the offer to try for it against you and Zeke?”
“Who?” Craddock, for all his analysis of the competition, had been too enmeshed in his love life and what happened in the last few days with G-Man, to look outside his own emotions. Six months ago, he would have known the answer.
“Gustavo.”
“What?”
“Yep, did you miss that part where Meyer is putting three contenders in the mix? Gustavo wants a piece of you after Tough to the Top, and he is gunning to take G-Man’s spot. Thompson loves that shit. If you don’t watch out it’s going to be Zeke and Gustavo fighting for your place.”
“That mother fucker.”
“Which one? Thompson? Powell? Gustavo?”
“Take your pick.”
“Yeah, so you got Zeke Powell with god on his side, and Gustavo with all of Brazil or wherever. Both ready to take a spot G-Man would have given to you if he had a chance.”
“When did you get so fucking smart?”
“It’s like Whitey told me this morning, we both gotta stop feeling guilty and start kicking some ass.”
Without answering, Craddock swept Jessie’s legs and the two wrestled and drilled until neither could see straight. It was better than any therapy and by the end of the day Craddock was feeling more and more of the fire in his belly for the belt he knew he could win.
Before he left GWG for the day, he was feeling sure. Strong. Like his old self.
He looked over at Zeke, who had put on bulk and muscle since he had dropped down after his concussion. Dropping down to a lower weight class was how Zeke got in to the 21C but he was looking more dangerous these days, like a heavyweight.
Zeke was just as ambitious as Craddock and the plum was Heavyweight World Champion of the 21C. It looked like Zeke’s team of trainers had him in the perfect shape for it.
Craddock should have paid more attention. Zeke was always gunning for the same prizes he was.
Kane “Lucky Devil” Broadman was a brutal heavyweight and outweighed them both. He and Zeke were both around 205 right now. They were both smaller than the titleholder. Craddock did not know for sure if he could beat Kane Broadman but he did know he deserved the chance to try.