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“Fucking asshole. Did you hear that dickhead?”
“I heard him, I heard him. Now sit the fuck down before you elbow me in the face.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, doing my very best to ignore the pounding headache I could feel coming on.
An absolute shitshow.
* * *
It was rare to see Cash this worked up. He circled the changing room like a hawk, pivoting at a moment’s notice and circling back with every change of thought.
“What the hell is Bob up to?” he hissed.
“Cash, I need you to focus,” Dylan said, speaking as calmly as possible. “I need your head in the game. This is exactly what he wants.”
I was seated on the edge of the bench. I felt awful for him. My fight had been a cakewalk in comparison to what he was about to go up against. Cash hadn’t been sleeping well this past week. None of us had. Not since Julia left.
“Has she called?” he asked, the dark circles under his eyes prominent. “She said she was going to come.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I haven’t heard anything. What about you, Dyl?”
“I texted her an hour ago. Nothing.”
Cash rubbed his eyes and groaned. “Fuck.”
“Concentrate,” Dylan said. “McConnell might be working with Bob now, but that changes nothing. You’re twice as fast, so use that to your advantage. I’ve been reviewing the tapes. McConnell isn’t a strategic fighter. He’ll throw wild haymakers whenever he sees fit, but you can use that in your favor.”
“Let him tire himself out,” I told him. “Try not to let your emotions get the better of you. I know you’ve got a lot riding on this fight—”
“No shit.”
“—but you got this. You’re ten times the fighter McConnell is. Use all that aggression you had at the pre-conference and let loose.”
Cash breathed in slowly. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. He was jittery, unable to stand still. Where I had peace before the storm, Cash was facing a hurricane.
“Remember to be mindful of your shoulder,” Dylan said.
“It’s not sore anymore,” he insisted.
“Still. Just be careful and mind your form. One bad swing and it could be the end.”
Cash’s face was tight. He was never this quiet, but I chalked it up to not having heard back from Julia. I was right there with him, worried out of my mind. We’d all seen the things they were saying online, watching in dismay as the internet chose to make her a pariah even though we were just as involved as she was. Degenerates on online forums likely chose to go after her because they thought she was an easy target.
Misogyny at its finest.
There was a knock at the changing room door. “We’re ready for you, Cash.”
“Right.”
I patted him on the back. “Leave it all in the cage.”
He nodded slowly. “Leave it all in the cage,” he echoed.
