Ford
"YOU READY FOR THIS FIGHT?"
Coach Renner, no matter the circumstances of whether it's a fight he's betted an extortionate amount on me to claim victory or that he thinks will act as a challenge for me, always remains calm and collected. Today, with the new fight, is no exception. While there's nothing of high importance riding on the boxing match except my dignity and reputation, there's no excuse for me not to win or for Renner to be his typical relaxed self. His confidence in me has always acted as the foundation to pave the way for my successful boxing career.
Before he tapes up my hands, he gestures to my plethora of jewellery and I strip myself of the small hoop earrings I've adorned my ears with, my ring and my bracelet. The necklace remains cold against my skin, having already exposed myself of my shirt. He slips my jewellery into a small baggie and deposits it in the safe in the back corner of the dressing room, locking it securely afterwards.
"No reason not to be, Renner," I allege, which isn't a lie.
Renner nods. "Got anyone out there watching you tonight?"
Gabriella has been invited. I've been obligated to invite her in order to ensure the entire game plan is progressing smoothly and whenever it comes to a boxing match, they always seem to act as accelerators and barely a few nights later, I'll be fucking the girl. Like I said, before getting them hooked on Bullet, there needs to be that consent from her. I might be an asshole that flirts with crime, but I still have some morals, and one of them is maintaining the initial consent. They always consent when blitzed on Bullet, but there's always that grey area of argument's sake that they're out of their minds on drugs and therefore unable to consent properly.
It will never navigate to court because of Red Alert members being in precisely the right high-profile and influential spots, but if it does, that would be a lawyer's defence... but then again, the judge would be affiliated with Red Alert, so it would be just fine for us. Not so much for the girl and her team, however.
Not only is Gabriella in attendance, but Genevieve too. Of course she's Harris' date and we've not had any interactions in the past week since the calamity that was the evening when I'd met up with the four assholes to remedy William's clusterfuck. We've stayed out of each other's paths, but I'm still astonished to learn that she remains as Harris' girlfriend, despite the confirmation that we're all Red Alert.
Most girls would run a fucking mile.
Maybe she just needs to truly witness the perils of our world. Then she'll leave him the fuck alone.
Maybe she'll cease living rent-free in my mind too. But that's an unlikely prospect, given the multitude of fantasies she features in.
My parents claim to want to witness the fight from the stands to support me, but they always feel more comfortable viewing it somewhere else rather than at the venue. My mom feels unsettled by vast quantities of blood and watching someone attempt to beat the shit out of me, so she prefers to be comfortable with her viewing. My dad's possibly her biggest supporter, so whatever she wants usually goes.
"Yeah, I do. Some girl," I answer ambiguously.
Renner's deft hands continue to wrap my knuckles, eyes straying upwards to meet mine. A smirk blooms at his lips. "Some girl? When has it ever been 'some girl'? They're either good fucks or they're something more. Which one is it?"
I shrug.
Gabriella will never mean something more to me, despite whatever she desires to believe. The only girl that will ever mean something more to me will be Genevieve and she's Harris' girlfriend.
