Rags 2 Pitches: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (14 page)

Kayla

“And on the left is Carolyn Watkins. This is her first year competing in the finals.”

The crowd cheered a little as Hannah lifted up my arms. Another new name, that I was addressed as in this new life that I had acquired. I hoped what Willy had said was true. The crowd wanted a new winner. Someone else to take the spotlight.

Someone who actually looked like a woman.

The fights weren’t regulated but, when it came to entertainment, there were tests after tests done to make sure that Natalie was actually a woman. People didn’t want to pay big bucks to see a man and a woman fight. They wanted exactly what they paid for.

I must admit, when I first saw her, I’d thought that Natalie was a transsexual. But it turned out I was wrong. Her looks were just the result of bodybuilding and lifting heavy weights.

It felt weird being called yet another name. The one that I was used to was Kayla. I had been using it when I first met Chase, and when I lost him too. I had held on to it for sentimental reasons.

I needed to have another name for the ring, because some girls had been chased by some of the spectators for some sick private game that they would conduct behind closed doors. Some guys got a kick out of the idea of having a girl that could kick their butt in the bedroom.

“And on the right is Natalie Nathan, the reigning champion for four years in a row.” The crowd cheered as the dark haired hulk lifted up her hands and roared with the crowd.

I wasn’t going to let her intimidate me.

The crowd was cheering her, thinking she would win. Probably looking at me, half the size of her, thinking it would be nice for me to win, but figuring I was far from being able.

Never say never.

I repeated that to myself over and over again as she gave me a deadly stare. We stood in the middle of the arena as the referee told us the rules.

I choked as he went through the guide. It was a bit of a joke. He spoke about things that he would disqualify us for if we did.

No kicking to the face.

I was sure that was how Natalie had reached the semifinals; by knocking out her opponent by kicking her in the face.

No biting.

Well, one thing about Natalie, she didn’t need to bite.

Shoot, she had a body and reputation that would be compromised if she tried to bite me. Biting would be seen as cheap, and no one respected any fighter who bit. The ones that did never made it to the last sixteen, let alone the quarter-finals.

I listened to the rules, pretending that I was paying attention to everything the referee was saying. It was the same that was said when I signed up for this fight.

The same that was said in the back room as they prepped us for tonight.

I didn’t understand why they bothered. At the end of the day, it was all shit. Once we were in the ring, our only aim was to win. Nothing else.

Entertain the crowd by not playing dirty.

Natalie had her eyes fixed on me. Not because she was trying to size me up, but simply because she wanted to intimidate me.

The first part of the match was always intimidation. I had learned that from Hannah. Natalie was trying to have that effect on me; make the person know what you are thinking without opening your mouth. Make them know that you are there to win and nothing will stand in your way.

Including them.

That was when I turned my head to the right to avoid her gaze, bored of hearing the same rules repeated when they didn’t mean a thing.

I saw someone familiar.

I shook my head at the crazy notion that he would be here. Reg was Chase’s best friend.

This would no way be his thing. He was too uptight most of the time.

Talk about opposites attract. I’d never understood why they were best friends. They seemed like complete opposites at the best of times. Chase used to say that that was the reason they got on so well.

They both brought out the good parts in each other.

Whatever that meant.

No, it couldn’t be him, I thought again as I moved to the side of the ring. The bell rang, and Hannah practically pushed me in the direction of Natalie. The reigning champion, I thought as I moved from side to side. The match that would mean the difference between life and death, I reflected as I ducked to the side, avoiding her punch.

She growled like a bear as I dodged it, furious that I had avoided her first blow. That was the only blow I did escape as she jabbed at me like lightning bolts.

I could have hit her once or twice with my knee or foot, but it felt pointless. The more I hit her, the more it seemed to hurt me. It was like punching a brick wall.

Or like kicking a block of metal.

I fell to the ground in the first round. I felt death coming nearer than I’d believed it would. The only thing I saw out of my one eye that wasn’t filled with blood, was Hannah’s evil glare.

Kayla

Today would be the end of an era. Willy had taught me well.

“This fight is yours only if you’ll take it.”

Willy wasn’t happy about me fighting, but as he came around, his voice and attitude changed to, “You are going to win this. You are.”

“Don’t let me down. Don’t let yourself think of anything else but winning.”

I just had to keep repeating the words. Willy had turned into a little spy. He had spent the last few weeks watching Natalie. Studying her closely.

Just to give me a few tips.

Just to make sure that I won.

Tip number one: Get her tired.

Willy had watched the few fights that Natalie had been in which had lasted longer than four rounds. They were far and few between. He said the reason she fought like a freak was because she got tired easily. We were on our third round, and I wished that I could feel her tiredness, because the only thing I was feeling was her blows. Nothing else. Just one blow after another.

Every part of my body felt as if it was either bleeding or was broken. The pain was agonizing. The only thing that kept me going was sheer determination.

Willy’s words repeated in my head. Right now, I wanted to quit. Shit, as they called my name asking if I could continue, my head was telling me to say no. My body cried, “You’ve got to be kidding!” when I nodded.

Natalie gave me a look of confusion. I turned to face Willy; he had the biggest smile on his face, even with Hannah shaking him furiously, probably telling him off, because it appeared that the last thing I was going to do was win. This was our strategy, and I was just playing it through. Willy had left me out in the rain and the cold, always telling me not to quit.

He’d put me through extreme weather conditions to build my inner strength.

“If you can stand, you can continue,” he would lecture me. “If you can walk, then there’s no need to quit.”

I never knew how long he would make me stand outside in the cold, with only a shirt and pants on.

“It’s all in your fucking mind. So, the only thing that will keep you going through any fight is determination. You can repair your body after. Don’t let your mind fool you into quitting.”

I thought it was a joke.

But, after he frequently left me out in the cold, I realized that what he had said was true.

“Never quit until it’s over.”

And I wasn’t about to start doing that now.

Tip number two: Natalie’s weakness is her left side. Aim for it always.

That was exactly what I did. I mustered all the strength I had in me, which didn’t feel like much at the time, and then in the fourth round, when I knew I had to bring Natalie to her knees, I kicked her.

This time, her body didn’t feel like steel, it felt soft like a sponge, and the more I kicked, the more I got the momentum to kick her some more. I started to get angry. My life was at stake if I didn’t win.

My family’s life would be over if I didn’t win.

I had to keep going. My determination told me to do so. My body didn’t hesitate in hurting her with every punch as my head kept telling me to go on.

I jabbed and kicked simultaneously, aiming for the left side, until the inevitable happened. Natalie was no longer standing. She might have been more in shock than I was. It was written all over her face as she fell down.

I smiled as I caught my breath. I took a quick glance at Willy to make sure that Natalie didn’t get up and change the whole scene.

Tip number three: Never doubt your opponent. Even when they’re down. Expect that they may get back up.

I couldn’t follow through with tip number three. My ears became deaf to the crowd. My eyes were slightly blinded by the blood and sweat pouring down my face. But I knew that my eyes weren't deceiving me. I blinked, wiping my brow with my sweaty arm, thinking that I was delusional. I wasn’t. He looked at me the same way that I looked at him.

Chase.

Sweet, loving Chase.

He was here.

It wasn’t a dream. I wasn’t imagining it before when I thought that I saw Reg in the crowd. He was here with his partner in crime. Chase just looked at me. He didn’t even try to connect by talking or anything else. He just gazed at me.

It was almost as if time stood still. All I could hear was my heart beating rapidly, going into overtime, and I wished that I hadn’t taken my eyes off Natalie. Wished that I had held my focus. The referee was talking and asking if I was okay. I wasn’t.

Natalie said she wanted to continue, but she had to take a break; the end of the round was up, so she could ask for time.

The crowd wasn’t cheering for her as they had when she’d walked into the ring. There was some confusion. I had visions of some members of the crowd now changing the odds. I slowly made my way to Willy.

I had to focus.

I had to win.

Nothing could get in my way.

Especially not Chase. He might be in the crowd, but he wouldn’t talk to me. I would make sure of that. As soon as I got to my stool, Hannah cheered, “Well done, Kayla. Well done.”

She was pleased.

She was fucking happy.

Chase

I didn’t want her to spot me. I tried to keep a low profile, which was pretty easy with the crowd. Hardly anyone sat down. They were up, spitting insults at Kayla for hitting Natalie. Hurling abuse at Kayla as soon as she was knocked out.

Clearly Natalie was the favorite to win, the one that they were all rooting for. There was shock as Kayla hit Natalie repeatedly.

I had spent too much time wishing that it was all a dream. Watching Kayla get hurt didn’t make me feel better. At first, when I saw her in the ring, I hated her for being there.

How could you give up a good college degree to come and fight in a ring?

With no rules, and against the law.

Who was the girl that I loved, really?

When she disappeared, I’d wondered if the girl that I fell in love with was a figment of my imagination. A fictitious person who wanted the same things that I wanted in life. Kayla said that she wanted a college degree. She wanted to be something. Maybe get an internship after.

Looking at her now, I could see that it had all been lies. Did she say it to appease me, and was this the life that she really wanted?

She seemed to have a look of satisfaction whenever she was punched by Natalie. Maybe she got off on pain rather than pleasure. Even in the bedroom, she liked it a bit rough. She’d wanted to be tied up. She’d even asked me a few times to fuck her harder.

Now, I knew what she was really about. She was one of those fucking freaks who got off on being in pain all the time.

I didn’t understand it at first, but watching her fight brought it all home.

She left because she was bored. This was where she got her kicks. Maybe her boyfriend in Chicago was some kind of pimp.

He gave her exactly what she needed and what she deserved. I didn’t even understand why I was still here. I should have left the moment I realized it was her. But something made me stay.

Maybe to get an answer.

The one that I had wanted for for nearly three years.

I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I wanted her to tell me the truth, and seeing her here gave me the opportunity to find out the truth once and for all.

Shit, I didn’t even know which one was her real name.

Was she really Carolyn or Kayla?

Shit. I covered my head with my hands as it started to spin.

We would talk, and I would follow her like a hawk after the fight. Even if it meant letting the guys down.

Chase

Reg knew I was suffering. He said that the moment I got together with Kayla, I couldn’t stop talking about her on the phone and texting about her. I was worse than a lovesick teenager.

One time, Reg said that we could only talk if none of the words that came out of my mouth began with a ‘K’.

He had never seen me so happy, but he was sick to death of hearing the name Kayla.

And the moment she left, he knew that my world had fallen apart because I moved damn colleges. I wanted to make her a distant memory.

One minute I was worried sick about her leaving, and the next I thought of nothing more than finding her. She made my whole world go crazy and I blamed it on her.

I blamed her for confessing that she was in love with me.

She should have kept it to herself. Maybe it was all a lie. This was the life she craved. Fighting like a dog in a cage. This was not what I wanted. I deserve more than that - maybe that was why she left. Shit, I used to drink too much. Get together with girls. But I never wanted to lead this type of lifestyle. It just never appealed. I saw a couple of the guys here snorting something when I went to the bathroom earlier. These guys were all money and all women. They had the fast life and they loved it.

I was just some college boy. Shit, why did she mess with my head like that?

Telling me she loved me and then leaving like that?

“Shit, the more I watch her, I feel sick. I have to keep convincing myself it’s Kayla,” Reg blurted out as he started to put his arm over me.

“I want that bitch to beat her…” I slurred as I knocked back my glass of brandy as if it was water.

“You don’t mean that.” Reg glanced at me.

He didn’t even ask me who I was referring to. He knew that I didn’t mean it when I said that I wanted Natalie to win.

“You fucking love her, man. Don’t even try and pretend you don’t. When it’s finished, we’ll get to her. You’re not the only one that wants answers. I want to know why she broke my best friend’s heart.” He patted me on the back.

It was a guy’s moment, a short-lived one, in the middle of a stadium that was filled with every kind of emotion. Some people behind us were arguing about the amount of money that they were going to lose tonight if Kayla won. Others were happy about the outcome - not many, but a couple of women.

“Well, I had my money on the newcomer. She’s good, I’ve seen her in a few fights. Besides, I’m tired of seeing Natalie win. Aren’t you?”

The businessmen behind us agreed and we tried to listen to what they had to say, but then Miles interrupted.

“Gee, this is supposed to be a fun night,” he shouted to us. “You guys are boring.” He didn’t wait for a response as he started to search for people he knew. I hated to admit it, but Miles was right. We weren’t there to chase my ex-girlfriend, but to celebrate Reg’s birthday.

“Miles is right. We came here to celebrate, not to go on about Kayla,” I tried to sound lively, but it was so damn hard to. Shit, I was never a good pretender.

“If I ever fall in love. And I mean ever!” Reg laughed to himself. Reg had the same attitude that I used to have towards love, until I hooked up with Kayla.

Love was a distraction.

He didn’t want to get involved. He made it clear from the start with any girl that he hooked up with that it was for one night. No strings, and no attachments. Some girls loved it. Others tended to walk out of the door.

Either way, it never bothered him.

“After the fight, we go all Hawaii 5-0 and shit. Get you together with Kayla, somehow. Just so you can put this chapter to a close.”

He patted me on the back. He had said what I feared the most. I was going to get answers tonight, but there was one thing I wasn’t going to get ever again.

Kayla.