by Pink, Nikki
“Come on, you Yank arsehole,” I taunt.
I am springy on my feet, bouncing forward and back left and right as we go at each other. It’s a full minute before he gets his first strike on me. I try another jab but this time he’s ready for it and knocks me out of the way. I stumble and he delivers a solid straight punch to my jaw. My head rings.
I step back, woozy, and then he was coming at me again, this time with a solid kick, aimed right at my sternum. I know that if it connects I will have the breath knocked out of me and it’ll be game over. I stumble backward and manage to move out of his strike just in time, his kick reaching its apex a hairs breadth away from me.
The bell signaling the end of the first round can’t come soon enough. Ding ding ding. Finally. I walk slowly to save energy. In my corner Lily hands me a glass of water. I’m shaking all over, overdosed on adrenaline
"You're doing great," says Lily.
"No I'm not." I say.
"You've got more energy than him, look at him," she gestures across the ring and my eyes follow toward my opponent. He’s sitting on his stool, panting. "He's exhausted. He's too heavy, he can't keep this up. All you've got to do is wear him down, you have the stamina, he doesn't."
Is she right, I wonder. Or is she just trying to encourage me? She leans in and presses her plump lips against my forehead, holding them there a long time before finally pulling away. Fingers squeeze into my shoulders and she urges me up. It’s time to get back in the ring. I decide to see if she is right and find out whether my opponent really is as lacking in stamina as she thinks.
In the second round I dance rings around him, months of skipping and running paying off and I soon see that Lily is right. He is breathing heavily while my breath holds steady. His moves become slower and heavy, and soon I don't even have to move quickly to avoid them, getting in my own little jabs along the way.
When the second round ends I can see the frustration on his face. I am smiling this time when I arrive back in my corner, bright eyed and leaking confidence. Lily was smiling too.
"You've got this," she said.
"Have I?"
After feeding me some water she gives me another kiss on my forehead and I wish it was on my lips instead. She’s the most amazing girl I've ever met - her eyes, lips, gorgeous red hair, perky breasts. She’s the total package. Except for her one vice, her one little problem, that is. Still we were going to fix that together.
A sudden thought flashes across my mind. How are the boys doing? They must be on stage now, without me. It’s odd to realize that the band would be playing all of our songs, including the ones that I had helped write, without me. Is someone else in my spot, I wonder, playing my songs and joking with the band.
Maybe they didn’t get anyone at such short notice. Perhaps I should have told them in advance what I was going to do. But if I had? They would've tried to talk me out of it, of course. And would I have had the confidence to argue with them all, to stick to my guns when they all started yammering at me at once? Probably not. So it was better to do it the way I did it - slipping away and leaving them in the lurch so I could follow my own selfish dreams. I could still hardly believe Chad had supported me in that. He was one inscrutable motherfucker.
I’m breathing strongly but calmly as the bell rings for the start of the the third round. I’m either going to spend another round really wearing him out, or, if I get a good opportunity I’m just going to go for it and knock him the fuck out. Really go to town on his old actor ass.
I skip back and forth in front of him and then duck as he makes a treacle-slow roundhouse punch toward my head. I can't help but grin. This guy is seriously out of steam.
Another slow punch this time from the left. I consider stepping in and giving him a solid job on the nose and try to get past him, but I was wary that he would grab me. If he wrapped his arms around me I could be in trouble. Better to slowly wear him down then make a move when I’m guaranteed a victory.
As I step back I realize my mistake. His slow left punch was a feint, and he wasn’t near as tired as he’d been making out. With a spring of his strong legs he rockets himself forward toward me. I am slightly off balance from my step backward and when he flies into me, his entire bodyweight behind him, I don't have a hope of standing up.
Both my feet leave the ground as he barrels into me with his shoulder hitting me in the sternum and winding me badly, all the breath in my lungs bursting out between my lips as my mouth opens wide in an ‘O’ of astonishment. As I fly through the air all I can think is, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
I slam into the floor of the ring. It gives a little, bending down then flexing up again just at the moment my opponent crash lands on top of me. I’m crushed between his heavy weight and the floor bouncing back up into me and as the last few wisps of air leave my lungs I wonder whether I will ever breathe again.
My opponent straddles my waist and I hold my hands up in a futile effort to block the blows that I know will soon be raining down. His eyes flash and a wicked grin spreads across his face. “Yank asshole, huh, limey?”
Then it comes. Once, twice, three times he hits me hard in the face and I’m done. The last thing I can sense is the referee trying to stop him as he hits me again and I fade away to blackness.
34
RockIt Girl’s Blog
Well here’s some breaking news for you.
Last night I met the biggest bitch in the wo--
Wait, that isn’t it.
Let me try again.
Tonight it became apparent that the Full Force has hired a monkey as its bassist. No wait, that isn’t true either.
Here’s the truth: A monkey would have been a better bassist than the washed up stringy haired manic eyed moron they had playing with them last night.
There was no chemistry, no rhythm, no love, no force. It was an un-fucking-mitigated disaster. Garbage.
The Full Force, if you are reading this, you’d better find Si, and FAST.
Check my blog tomorrow EARLY in the a.m. for the next secret tour location! And let’s hope they can put on a better show than they did today.
Si: Please come back, please, please, please!
Hugs and kisses
xxxRockItGirlxxx
35
Ava
"Lily," I said to her, my voice filled with that curious mix of anxiety and anger that only a parent or guardian of a wayward charge really knows.
"Hi, Ava," she said, looking at me with morose eyes. She was clutching the hand of Si who had been carried into the room but was now slowly regaining consciousness. He was a bruised and battered mess, but he’d live. Probably.
"What the hell is going on with you?"
Si made a noise. He tried again and managed to get some words out. "Sh-- Sorry. It's all my fault."
"Damn right it is you limey asshole. If you hadn't just had your ass handed to you I'd do it myself." Si let out a groan that was probably meant to be a self-deprecating laugh.
"What the fuck is going on with you, man? What was all this about?" asked Lonnie.
Si gave a feeble shrug from his prone position. When he spoke the words came out slowly. "I've just had it, you know? Had it with all that shit. I'm not interested in it anymore. I've lost it, Matt, I've lost it."
"So you decided to... what... become a celebrity punching bag?"
He let out a chuckle that made him wince.
"Well I was supposed to be making the other guy my punching bag. It didn't quite work out that way though."
"And what the hell were you doing running off with my sister?" I asked, glaring at him.
Si turned to look at Lily. She turned to look at me. They both dripped guilt but I couldn't quite figure out what was going on.
"Tell her," said Si, "she deserves to know. Especially now, after this."
Lily let out a sigh then looked up at me. "He and I..." she paused, then tried again, "We didn't just meet at the show. That was staged. We met online a year ago."
I saw Lonnie raise his eyebrows in surprise too. Even tough guys could get surprised.
"He's been helping me. You know, deal with stuff, with shit."
"Deal with what? Why didn't you come to me for God's sake?"
"I love you, sis," she said looking up at me, "but sometimes you just want to talk to a friend, you know? Not your m--, I mean, not your big guardian sister."
Was she about to call me her mom? Christ, is that what I was to her? Had I really pushed her that far that that she now thought of me as a mother. A distant parental figure rather than her sister, her friend, the person she could come and talk to in confidence no matter what was bothering her?
"But what? And you guys started, what, cyber-dating?"
"Cyber-dating?" they both blurted out and laughed. Apparently cyber-dating wasn't the right nomenclature. Whatever.
Si turned to me, his puffed lip and swollen eye not distracting from the serious look on his face. "We're going to rehab. Together."
"Rehab?" I said, confused. "Together?"
He nodded.
"Don't worry, he's paying," said Lily to me. As if it was the money I'd care about.
"What do you mean rehab? Why?"
Lily looked down and shuffled her feet. Embarrassed. Guilty.
"I... I started..."
"What? Tell me!"
"I've been taking pills, Ava."
"Pills? What the hell does that mean?"
"Oxycontin. Remember after I had my wisdom teeth out I was on some pain meds? Well when they ran out I wanted more. And this guy at school..."
“Who the hell is he? I’ll kill him,” I tell her.
“It doesn’t matter, Ava. I’m done with it now. Done.” She reached out and grasped Si’s hand. “We’re both quitting everything. Together.”
I nodded dumbly. Barely comprehending. I could hardly believe my little sister had been on drugs without me knowing.
"I don't know what to say." I really didn't. I felt like my world had been flipped upside down three times in the last few days. By her in hospital, by Lonnie awakening feelings I didn't know how to have, and now with this -- this drug shit.
"We'll be alright. I promise."
I couldn't get my head around it. Not at all. Not even the we shit. How the hell were they a we. When did they become a we? It was ridiculous. Shit, I hadn't even had a we since I was in high school, unless what I had with Lonnie now counted. Did it? I wasn't sure yet.
Lonnie squeezed Si's shoulder. "Rehab, huh? Chad Chad is going to be pissed, you know."
"Chad Chad? Do you know how little I care what that arrogant little twat thinks? Fuck him."
Lonnie let out a chuckle. "I'll break the bad news to him later. He's going to be pissed."
"You know he knew about this, right?"
"What?" said Lonnie, eyes wide.
"He helped arrange it. Thought it'd be good publicity. He's right of course, but he didn't get it when I told him I was sick of the band, sick of the music. The twat thought I'd be running right back, as soon as my fight had spread across the internet and given the band more publicity.”
“You getting beat to fuck is good publicity?”
“All publicity is good publicity, that’s what Chad Chad ‘such-a-plonker-they-named-him-twice’ Price says.”
“Why the fuck did he have me hunting you down if he knew where you were going to be?”
Si shrugged. “I guess he figured having a big bad biker hunting for me would be more publicity. He’ll do anything for another tweet or inch of newsprint.”
“Twat.”
“Yep.”
I could see Lonnie was pissed off, but he wasn’t as pissed as me. That fucker Chad knew where my sister was and didn’t tell me, just on the off-chance that the band - he might get a bit more publicity. What an asshole.
My hand slipped into Lily’s and I gave it a squeeze. She was still my little sis, my charge, my burden.
She looked into my eyes. “Give us a couple of weeks, in the rehab. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“Like hell I don’t. I’m going to be right here for you sis.”
She nodded. “It’s a closed facility though.”
“Well then I’ll be right outside the gate.”
She laughed, but I could see there was a hint of annoyance on her face. Too overbearing for you, sis? She should thank her lucky stars she was going to rehab, otherwise I’d be going full on gestapo on her ass.
36
Ava
“Do you think they’re going to be alright?” I asked Lonnie as the gate locked in front of us.
He shrugged. “Better in there than anywhere else, right?”
I nodded and sighed.
“Shit,” I said. I’d just remembered.
“What?”
“I need to call my boss. Again. Tell him I’m going to need to take a few vacation days.”
He nodded. “Alright. Then let’s go back and tell Twatface the good news.”
I grinned. That fucker had kept my sister from me for his own twisted idea of how to build publicity for a stupid rock band. It was going to be fun telling him that his bassist wasn’t coming back. Let’s see that smarmy little fuck deal with that.
I searched my phone for the number, and then hit dial. As I did so I noticed the clock in the corner. It was just past midnight. Shit. I was amazed the rehab had accepted their new residents at that hour. Must be 24 hour service for their VIP customers.
“Ava?” he answered. He sounded pissed. And tired.
“Hi. I’m so sorry. But, my sister. She’s gone into rehab. I know I’ve used my personal days, but I’m going to need to take some vacation days too--”
“Take all the vacation days you need,” he said, interrupting me. I heard him yawn.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I said, hardly believing his kindness.
“And when you’re done with your extended vacation I suggest you start looking for another job. I’ll file your paperwork in the morning. We’ll leave a box for you at the security office.”
“Wait, what?” My blood ran cold.
“Don’t call me again. Good night, Ava.”
“Fuck you! Fuck you very much!” I managed to get in before he hung up.
Lonnie turned to look at me, a quizzical look on his face.
“Fucker just fired me.”
“Oh, shit.”
He put his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. It felt good to have someone hold me.
“Do I need to go beat him down?”
I giggled into the smoky leather jacket in front of me, as I shook my head.
“He sounds like an arsehole. Why don’t you let me go give him a couple of black eyes, maybe have him eating through a straw for a while?”
Would he do that for me, I wondered. As if reading my mind he answered.
“I will you know. If you let me.”
I lifted my head from his chest. “Thanks, but no. I was getting sick of that place anyway.”
It was true, I was. But I still needed the paycheck. Unless I started dipping into the money Mom and Dad had left us, but I had promised myself that was for Lily’s college fund. Lily, my drug addict sister. I let out a sigh. Where had it all gone wrong, I wondered.
“Well don’t worry. I’ll look after you until you sort something out.” He squeezed my shoulders and held me out in front of him. His eyes were stern and brooked no argument. He meant it. He would look after me. I gave him a brave smile. God it was good to have someone to look after me again. There hadn’t been anyone to really do that since the car accident. He reached a hand clad in fingerless leather gloves and wiped a tear away from my cheek. The touch was soft but the strength in the hand and body behind was anything but.
“Come on. Let’s get back in the car and go give Chad the news,” he said.
I nodded and pulled out my keys from my bag. I gave one last look at the dimly lit building where my
sister was being looked after, no longer my responsibility. For the time being at least.
We stood at the door of Chad’s room. He was wearing only boxers and we’d just awakened him from sleep. I was surprised by his toned torso as he stood in the doorway staring out at us and blinking. He was no patch on a real man like Lonnie, but he wasn’t the pale soft-bodied suit I’d thought he was. It had only taken a few words to take him from bleary eyed confusion to red faced panic.
“What the fuck do you mean he’s not coming back?”
“He’s quit. Finito. Done. All finished up.”
“He’s done?”
“Done.”
“But the final show on Saturday. Shit.”
“The final show’s on Friday, Chad. You’re losing it.”
“Not that final show. There’s another one. I didn’t tell you about it yet.”
Lonnie and I both raised our eyebrows at him. This sounded ominous.
“What the fuck do you mean? Have you been keeping yet more shit from us, Chad Chad?”
“Look, I don’t enjoy keeping secrets,” he said, clearly lying, “I just have to act fluidly. I have to react to changing situations. I’m trying to make this motherfuckin’ band a success and to do that I have to make executive decisions which not everyone is privy to right away.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “So what have you got planned for Saturday?” I asked.
“Only the biggest surprise concert in the history of the fuckin’ world.”
Lonnie and I looked at each other. What was this idiot smoking?
“You what?” said Lonnie.
“The word’s going out in the morning. Social media is going to go apeshit. We’re leaking a video of Simon’s fight and the news of the free show at the same time. Thousands are going to want to see him after this.”
Lonnie laughed and shook his head. “Mate, you’re screwed. Si ain’t coming back. Sounds like your show’s going to be a dud.”
