Chapter 13

Opening up to Ruby was a mistake, I think.

I'm not sure if that was such a good idea. Honestly, I'm not sure about anything anymore when I'm with Ruby. She's just so, trustworthy, I guess. Like you could tell her a million of your secrets and she wouldn't tell anyone.

That's why I liked having her around. It was fun.

And that's all it is, Ryder. Fun.

She rode her Ducati to the competition and I saw the happiness and excitement of having it back in her eyes. It made me feel nice and good when I saw that she appreciated my effort into getting the bike back for her.

This competition was being held at the Breeze Arena further up north in Pittsburgh. I was pumped to see this fight. It was obvious that Ruby would win.

I was trailing behind her on my own bike and I watched her hair trail back from the wind. The snow was shining from the streetlamps and I was just glad that the roads were clear.

As we approached the arena, I heard the loud pumping music pouring out of the doors.

The guard let us through and I led Ruby back to the back rooms. There was a small empty one so we followed in.

"Ready?" I asked when she pulled off her jacket to reveal herself in a black sports bra. Damn.

"You're going up against," I checked the card on the door and matched up the name next to Ruby's, "she calls herself 'Jazzy'. Huh. She's from Connecticut, no biggy." I reassured her.

"Can I tell you something, Ryder?" she asked me.

"Sure." I responded.

"To be honest, I'm actually really nervous. I've never competed like this before and what if she beats me?"

I walked over to her and placed my hands on her shoulders and pulled her close so that she was facing me. "You'll win, Ruby. You've been training real well this week, and I have faith in you, okay? You're great Ruby, don't let this get to you."

She nodded unsurely and took a deep breath. We heard the crowd applauding outside and I smiled at her.

"Let's make shit happen."

The instant we stepped out into the arena, the crowd roared. I patted Ruby on the back and went up to the ring with her since she didn't have a formal coach. I gave her a mouth guard and a squirt of water.

"And in this corner," the announcer pointed at the opposite corner, "we have Jazzy!" the crowd cheered and clapped. I saw Ruby relax a little bit when she saw who she was going against. Jazzy was well built, but she looked a little clumsy.

"And opposing her tonight in this corner is," the announcer pointed to Ruby, "Ruby Buchanan!"

The crowd roared even though they had no clue who she was since she was a first timer.

I gently pushed Ruby out onto the mat and she looked back. I gave her a thumbs up and she turned back around to face Jazzy.

I knew that these types of fights attracted more men than women even though they were rare around here. I mean, who wouldn't want to see two half naked girls fighting each other?

The bell chimed to signal round one and they circled the mat. The crowd was somewhat silent except for the occasional whistle from a group of guys.

Jazzy threw the first punch but Ruby ducked in time and whammed Jazzy's ribs. The crowd roared and I mentally cheered out.

Jazzy swung at Ruby's legs and she stumbled but quickly regained.

It was a minute and a half into the first round, and so far, Ruby was doing really good.

She swung and uppercut at her opponent and Jazzy's head flew back. She turned around but not before Ruby jabbed her over and over while Jazzy desperately tried to block but failed miserably.

The crowd was loudly cheering now, and I was standing up, calling out moves for Ruby that I knew she couldn't hear. But she was still amazing.

In the last few seconds Ruby backed Jazzy into a corner and started punching. The crowd was happier than ever now, and I was yelling in joy.

Finally, Ruby threw the last punch and Jazzy gave up and dropped to the ground.

The crowd cheered to signal Ruby's win. She stood there, staring at me with happy eyes and then she smiled and raised her hands into the air, which made the crowd go wild.

The announcer announced her the winner and raised her hand. Jazzy and her exchanged handshakes and then she came over to me and I wrapped my arms around her.

"You did it! And you beat her in the first fucking round Ruby! That's a record here!"

She smiled but couldn't talk because of her rapid breathing. I laughed and brought her back to her room.

When we got there, there were five guys standing with cameras and cards, trying to get Ruby to attend another match. I grabbed the cards and ushered her inside, shutting the door.

"Oh my gosh, I won." She finally said and chuckled, pulling her into another hug.

"Yeah you did! And by the way, you stink."

She hit my arm playfully. "Now you know how you smelled like that first match."

We laughed and after she pulled on her jacket, we rode our bikes to a diner nearby. While we tried to get out of the arena, many people and reporters took pictures and handed me cards that I stuffed into the pockets with the rest.

We got a seat in the back corner of one of my favorite diners in this city.

"This place has the best onion rings you'll ever taste." I said as the waitress placed a small basket of onion rings down on our table.

I watched Ruby as she picked one up and bit into it. She made a small moaning sound that made my skin tingle. "This is like an onion-gasm."

I laughed while we ate the delicious onion rings. We talked about stuff and laughed at my attempt to make good jokes. It was nice having Ruby here. Nothing was forced and we could just be normal around each other.

I remembered the business cards that the reporters had handed me and I slapped them all down on the table. Ruby's eyes widened and she choked on an onion ring she was eating.

"These are all for me?" she asked.

I nodded. "Ruby, you broke a Pittsburgh record for quickest time to beat a girl your age in fighting. If you keep it up, you could go on to championships and beat the state record."

Her face fell and she pushed back the cards to me. I frowned. "What're you doing?"

She shook her head. "I can't, Ryder."

"Why not?"

She let out a deep breath and placed her face in her hands. "They already have a lot of pictures of me. Shit." It sounded more like she was talking to herself than me.

"What's wrong with the pictures? And whose 'they'?"

She sighed and looked back up at me. I saw worry on her face. "Can I tell you something that you can never tell anyone?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course."

She sighed again and ran her hands down her face. "Back in California, I was in some really bad trouble with this group called the Silents. They don't sound intimidating but trust me, they scared the shit out of everyone." I heard her voice shake.

"Anyways, I owed them a lot of money and I kept telling them that I would get it back to them, but soon enough they were going to find out that I didn't have their money and they were gonna kill me."

"So when my parents got divorced, I knew that this was my chance to escape and get away from them. Yeah, I was sad that my parents split, but also thankful that the Silents wouldn't go after me anymore."

"Now this fight? Those reporters have my pictures and for all I know they could post them anywhere. And if the Silents find out where I am, I'm dead. I can't afford that kind of risk. That's why I try to keep a low profile. That's why I can't fight for the championships."

I sat speechless. I had no idea that there could be something like that, I thought that only happened in books and movies.

So all I could say was, "Wow."

Ruby nodded and folded her arms with her head resting in them on the table.

We stayed silent for a few minutes while I processed what she had just told me.

The waitress came with the food we ordered but I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. And apparently neither was Ruby.

"Should we try and get those pictures from the reporters?" I asked her. She finally looked up at me but shook her head. "No, it's fine. They can't post them anywhere without my permission anyways."

"Yeah..." I said.

We ate half our meals in silence and I pulled out my wallet to pay the bill.

"You don't have to pay for my meal, Ryder. We're not on a date."

For some reason, I felt a pang of sadness in my chest. What the fuck, heart. Stop.

"I'm paying. And that's that." I said finally and before she could argue I handed the cashier a twenty.

I let him keep the change and Ruby followed me back to our bikes.

When we got back home, it was about nine o'clock. The sun was almost below the horizon and I saw a glimpse of some stars.

I looked over to where Ruby was hopping off of her bike on her driveway. I wondered why she ever got in trouble with the Silents.

"Night Ryder." She called and I smiled.

"Night Ruby."