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I weighed my options and read the crowd.
It was similar to Scout’s fight.
The guys were entranced, most holding a beer. Some were just regular dudes, but a large majority looked as if they could be fighters themselves. As for the women, there were quite a few like myself, dressed in leggings and sweatshirts, but there was a good amount in tight dresses and some in barely there bikini tops and shorts. People were fully into the fight, cheering, cursing, and drinking.
I wasn’t expecting to recognize anyone unless Scout or Cohen were here, but Theresa knew Cohen, and she’d said nothing about him, so I figured he wasn’t in attendance.
After another scan and not seeing anyone I recognized, I settled back to watch what I could of the match.
My nerves were shot by the time one guy got knocked out, and the other guy didn’t look like winning had been worth it. He had blood pouring from every orifice in his face. Only one of his eyes looked like he could see out of it, but the referee held up his hand, and the crowd went wild.
“Hey!” Theresa jumped down. Her eyes were jazzed. “Do you need to go to the bathroom? I gotta go. Oh—I know her!” She tore off, skipping around a bunch of guys, and was gone the next second.
“She’s a social butterfly at these fights. Her cousin fights, so she knows a lot of people,” Kunz said. He had jumped down, but Malik was still on the bleachers, talking to a group of people. Kunz smiled. “We usually wait out in the front for her, but if you want, I could show you where the bathroom is?”
“Uh . . .” I turned, trying to guess where the bathrooms might be. “If you just point me in the right direction, I could probably find them myself.”
He pointed ahead. “They’re just out those doors.”
Outside. The far left doors. Okey-dokey. “Thanks.” I gave a polite smile before starting off.
Getting to the other side of the ring was the hardest part. Most everyone wanted to stay, stand exactly where they were, and talk with everyone around them. Some people were pissed. Most were drunk or high. There were a lot of giggles, and some guys bumped into me.
When I got outside, the air opened up dramatically. It wasn’t as congested with people.
Spotting the porta potties, I went over and got in line behind a few girls. They were on their phones when suddenly one exclaimed, “OMG! He came!”
“What?” The second one whipped around, grabbing her phone. “He did?”
The first one started hyperventilating. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! We have to find out where he is.”
“The picture was taken out front. He’s with Selina and that whole group.”
“He’s just so hot. I can’t wait for his next fight.”
“I know! I wish he’d fought tonight. Did you go to his last one?”
We kept inching forward to the porta potties, and the first girl squealed in agreement before the door opened again. Her friend pushed her forward. “Hurry! Your turn.”
“Hey!” Theresa zoomed up to my right side, sounding out of breath. She grabbed my sleeve and lifted up her foot, fixing something on her shoe. “Sorry about that. Kunz said you went to the bathroom. I saw some of my friends from Pine Valley. Did you enjoy the fight?”
The whole time she spoke to me, she wasn’t looking at me. She was scanning the crowd, holding on to me for balance.
“Did you take something?” I asked.
Her eyes snapped to mine. “Like . . . Tums? Or something?”
“Like Ecstasy. You seem high as a kite.”
“Oh.” She started laughing, tipping her head back. “No. I’m sorry. I get like this when I’m at these events. I don’t know what it is, like something in the air. I just, I feel high, but I’m not. I swear. I’m not into drugs, like, at all.” Her tone went flat, and some of my tension eased. She did seem a little more sober now.
“Right.”
“But did you enjoy the fight? Isn’t it crazy? It gets in your blood, and you feel like you need to fuck.” She twisted around, biting her lip and looking back the direction she’d come from. “Where are the guys?”
“Your man said they would wait in front for you. That’s where I was going to go after using the bathroom.”
“That sounds good. Some people mentioned a party closer to Pine River. Would you be interested?”
No. “What kind of party?”
“A house party. Nothing huge. We wouldn’t stay too long. Can’t. School.”
The girl in front of me came out of the bathroom, so I held up a hand before slipping inside.
I went as fast as possible. Who enjoys being in these things? But when I got back outside, Theresa wasn’t there. I assumed she’d gone into one of the other bathrooms, so I stood to the side and considered my options.
