“Listen, this is going to work. Now, fucking hit me, bitch!”
She passively lets me raise her hand, and I try to fake like she punches me. It probably looks completely stupid, but I don’t know what else to do.
Then I throw my head back as if she’s landed a heavyweight hook, and collapse onto the grit, making sure to scrape my palms on the concrete to draw fresh blood. I roll once, twice, and then lie still, panting, staring up at the tiny sliver of blue sky visible through the clouds.
I shout at the top of my lungs. “I yield!”
The yard erupts. The Guilders are howling, falling over themselves with laughter. Clay walks over and looks down at me. “You’re fucking crazy.”
I think he might be right.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks. “You could re-challenge her?”
“No,” I reply, gritting my teeth. “Not going to happen. Make sure she’s OK, Clay. She’s been through enough already.”
Clay’s usually impassive gaze softens for a moment. “No one will touch her. I’ll make sure of it.” He stretches out a hand, pulls me to my feet then raises an eyebrow. “So what are you going to do now, Princess?”
Fuck.
“I guessIhave to fight the new guy.” Taking in a breath, I yell out the words. “I CHALLENGE THE NEW DIGGER.”
“Idiot,” Layla growls as she walks up to me. “You’ve the survival instincts of a mosquito in a room full of bug-zappers.”
“You might be right,” I groan, as Hector, the brand new Digger, stands up again. “But if I issue a challenge, I can’t back out, right?”
“Right.” Layla moves closer to me and presses a shiv into my hand. “Good luck, Barbie.” Then she grabs the new girl’s arm, leading her toward the Digger bleachers without another word.
I stand up to my full height. Hector is a mountain of slabs of muscle and fat. Burly doesn’t cover it. He’s at least six inches taller and twice my weight.
“I don’t like hittingniñas pequeñas, but I’m not losing my place,” he grunts, his eyes flicking toward Tally for a fraction of a second. “Nada personal.”
Yeah. Nothing personal here either, but I’m still going to do my best to win.
Clay pulls Hector aside, whispering furiously in his ear. Hector’s expression shifts from annoyance to a grim, calculating sort of resignation. He nods once, then turns back to me.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The chant presses in from all sides. My opponent shakes his head, putting on a show of cracking his knuckles. He looks likehe thinks this is an easy win, but his stance is oddly wide—unnecessarily open.
I don’t question it. I focus on Taliesin’s voice in my head.Get in close.
Launching forward, I use a low, sliding movement I’ve practiced a thousand times in center-floor allegro. He swings a massive fist, but it’s a wide, loopy haymaker that practically invites me to duck. It whistles over my head, catching nothing but air. I’m behind him before he can reset and drive the heel of my palm into the small of his back. It’s like hitting a stone wall, but he stumbles forward.
“Fast little thing, aren’t you?” Hector lunges, his arms spread wide for a bear hug, but he’s moving like he’s in slow motion. I drop, slipping under his reach. As I come up, I use my skull to head-butt him in the crotch.
It’s a little off target but still makes him stagger around groaning.
“Is that all you’ve got?” he wheezes. “Put some back into it,chiquitita!”
He’s mocking me. I need this guy down.
Pulling out Layla’s shiv, I’m momentarily distracted. A giant fist swings around, and I leap, but the wrong fucking way, so I’m punched in the belly. It’s like a wrecking ball. I double over, retching, all my vision blurs, and my stupid fucking heart skips a beat.
I could be fucked.
A rush of air gives me a millisecond warning before his arm hooks around my neck. He isn’t squeezing—not really—but the weight is immense. “You’re not giving up already are you, littleluchadora?” It’s almost like he’s holding me up rather than dragging me down. “Come now,chiquitita.Put your back into it.”
Fuck him. We end up tangled on the ground, and I’m on my back—a death sentence.
