Page 16 of Dare to Dance
He narrowed his dark eyes. “Nine hundred.”
I exchanged a questioning look with Norma, and she nodded.
“Deal,” I said.
“You got five minutes before show time.” He stormed out.
“He must think you have a shot at winning.” Norma darted her tongue over her lip ring. “Otherwise, I’m not sure he would’ve agreed to that much money.”
“He agreed to my demand because his ass would be toast if I bailed. Besides, I have no shot. I’m fighting some big girl named Vickie.”
“Do you know for sure?” Norma’s hair was styled into a short bob, but she always tucked it behind her ears when she got nervous, just like she was doing now.
I’d assumed I was. Tommy had asked if I could take Vickie. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. If I win, we’ll get nine hundred dollars.” Thinking about that amount of money sparked my adrenaline to new heights.
Norma helped me out of my coat. When the cold air hit me, goose bumps popped up along my bare arms. Then she smoothed a hand over my ragged T-shirt.
I shivered again. “I’m fighting. I’m not walking down a runway.”
“So sue me. I’m nervous. Where’s your hair tie?” She searched my jacket pockets and found a hair band. “Put your hair up. You don’t want the girl to be pulling on it.”
I twisted my oily hair up onto my head.
“Make sure you block your pretty face, and use anything you remember from watching Raven’s daddy box.”
“Did you have to bring him up?” In the time we had known each other, I hardly talked about Kross. Norma had caught me looking at his picture one night. So I told her he was Raven’s daddy. But that was it. When she’d probed further, I shut her down by changing the subject. Regardless, maybe she was right. Maybe I could use a move or two that Kross had once done in the ring.
She pinched my cheeks. “Get loose.”
I snorted. “Who are you? My coach?”
“I never told you this, but I was a long-distance runner in high school. Before every run, my coach would say, ‘get loose.’ I’m sure you stretched before you danced.”
Of course, warm-ups were a routine before every ballet performance. But I was more skilled at ballet than boxing, and no amount of stretching would ease the tension in my body. Instead, I bounced on my feet, a move I had seen when I watched a boxing match with my dad. I’d even seen the move from Kross while he was waiting for the coach to start the fight.
The door opened. “It’s time,” Tommy said.
Norma rubbed her hands up and down my arms. “Kick some butt out there.”
Before I got myself worked up or backed out of the deal, I marched out of the room and into a hallway. Norma hurried to my side and grabbed my shaky hand. She squeezed lightly. Tommy strutted on the other side of me. Within twenty feet, we stopped at a metal door.
“So, am I fighting that Vickie girl?” I asked.
“Nope,” he said, ushering us in.
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more frightened.
People were packed into the room like sardines. I waved off the thick cigar and cigarette smoke that floated in the air. Once I got my bearings, I zeroed in on the girl just inside the door. She was the same one Vickie had had a field day with. Her face was black and blue, but I didn’t get the vibe that she was scared. If anything, she looked angry.
Tommy introduced us before heading into the ring. “Ruby, meet your opponent, Mel.”
I didn’t know if we were supposed to shake, but I extended my hand anyway. She glanced at it then turned her head as if I was beneath her.
Whatever. The less I knew of her, the easier it might be to smack her around the ring, especially if she cowered in a corner like she’d done against Vickie. The tightness in my stomach lessened. It might be an easy nine hundred dollars. It wasn’t enough to get an apartment, but we could get a cheap hotel room for the night. Then Norma and I could shower, eat, and sleep in a bed for once.
Tommy held up his hands then pushed them down. “Quiet.”
Within a second, the boisterous voices died.
