“Victor will kick Milkovich’s ass. No doubt about it,” my brother adds.
“Go, Victor,” Abi says while pushing her food aside on her plate as if she’s looking for a treasure there.
Maybe she’s not hungry, although who can resist this deliciousness? My brother is stuffing his mouth since he’s not worried about weight limits.
“Victor is in training, which means no screwing around. Or Nash is really going to be mad,” my brother says.
“Nash?” My eyes meet Victor’s hazel ones.
“My dad, Nash, is my coach. And a jerk,” Victor’s voice is deep and serious. “I’m ready for the fight. I know I can beat him even though my dad picked Milkovich.”
I’m totally lost.
“What’s up with Milkovich?” I try to close my mouth sooner so that Alek doesn’t notice my curiosity.
Victor drops his free hand and his long fingers keep tapping the tabletop. Is he annoyed at me for asking questions or at his situation?
“Nash picked an opponent with a better record. That’ll be my first pro fight. Usually the first one should be a confidence builder. An easy, sure win. But my coach picked Milkovich, who was undefeated as an amateur and has three professional wins already.”
“It doesn’t matter, Victor. You were born to do this,” my brother says.
Victor smirks. “That’s the problem.”
What does he mean by that? I bite my lip to stop my mouth from asking more questions. But as I bring another bite of pasta to my mouth, it opens and the words come out. “And your opponent agreed to fight you?”
Tia to Command Center—why is my mouth running free? I don’t want to know anything about Victor. I shouldn’t. But maybe I should. So that I can add to my list of reasons why I need to steer clear of him.
Victor gives me a grin of sheer pleasure. My face grows warm. I stop chewing in case that helps with my problem because I do have a problem around Victor.
I shouldn’t be around him.
“Guys like him would love to fight me. They’ve wanted to set a fight with me for over a year. I don’t have any losses as an amateur and the pro fighters want to prove I don’t belong in the professional circle. They’re just scared shitless because they know I’m going for their belt.” Victor sips from his water. “I’ve been able to postpone the professional fights until November since this is my last semester. School took priority.”
“They should be threatened by you. You are the bull after all. You’ll run them to the ground, and they’ll be knocked out in the first round,” Alek says.
Alek and Victor fist bump. Abi smiles. My heart skips a beat.
So Victor is a hotshot MMA fighter, and he has a relaxed and overconfident attitude toward his first pro fight. Why is he drawn to this sport? Is he inclined to be aggressive so he takes out his energy in the ring? And why does he have a scary tat on his chest?
I swallow my questions and remind my Command Center to shut any functions of my mouth. It’s not the time to ask.
But new questions pop up in my mind. I tap my foot under the table, and my entire body is fidgeting.
“What’s your major?”
Victor grins, and his face beams.
“Let’s eat in silence,” my brother chirps up.
Abi rolls her eyes behind her thick-framed glasses and swats him on the shoulder. I already like her a lot.
“Let’s not be jerks. Victor and Tia are getting to know each other. She needs to make friends on campus, Alek, so zip it.”
My mouth drops open, but I quickly recover. I love this girl. I bet we would be best friends if I had the chance to stay here. Alek leans over and kisses her on the cheek.
I peer at Victor and he’s focused on me with a stupid grin onhisface.Myface is flushed and probably red like Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
“Criminal justice major,” Victor’s husky voice brings me back to the conversation.
