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“You see that motherfucker over there?”

Glancing past me, Dex winces. He recovers enough to say somewhat supportive, “I’ve seen you take down guys bigger than him.”

“Not quickly.”

The whistle blows, forcing me to finally face my opponent…who’s crouched down, pounding his fists onto the mat like a motherfucking gorilla. What’s his name again? Borys something. The…Demolisher?

Sounds about fucking right.

“Try your best!” Dex calls even though I haven’t moved from my spot yet.

“Fuck you.”

“What’d I do?”

“Shut up!” Borys the Demolisher yells in a Russian accent before charging me.

Luckily, I dodge a combo of those mammoth fists in time.

Goddamn, this dude’s not only huge but fast, too.

Seems to be short on patience as well.

Ignoring his rude-as-fuck request, I pivot away, and tell Dex, “You fucking lost her.”

“Fuck you! She was there one minute, gone the next!”

Now dancing around Borys D, avoiding those meathooks of his, I shout at my friend, “You’re sure the sound was off?”

“I didn’t touch anything! So if you turned it off, it was off!”

I turned it off. I turned both things off. But…what if I didn’t?

“Did you check?”

For the briefest of seconds, I take my attention off the beast in front of me to gauge my friend’s reaction. For all the shaking Dex’s head is doing, his lips are completely motionless.

“Did. You. Check?”

“Was I supposed to?” he questions.

No, but I am a tiny bit preoccupied. I could’ve made a mistake. I could’ve brushed a button during the handoff. I could’ve ended the damn call for all I know.

That’s it. Instead of pressing the Camera button, I must’ve accidently hit the End button.

Since she’s sleeping, she probably has no idea I hung up, which means she won’t call back.

But she might because I don’t actually know that she’s sleeping.

One of Borys’s paws connects with my cheek, rocking me to the point I barely hear him clip out, “I said shut up.”

Holy shit. He’s strong.

Shaking it off, I circle him until I’m in the middle of the mat. If he gets me against the cage, I’m done.

Continuing my conversation whether he likes it or not, I yell out to Dex, “Tell me if she calls!”

“Quiet, you.”