Rags to Riches. Really? (1st book of Really? Series)

Chapter 20

"Well, I see that you know how to dance," my grandmother said. She nodded her head in approval, but I could tell that she was still dissatisfied that I knew how to fight. "How long have you been dancing?"

I shrugged. "Since I started to work here," I replied. I cleared my throat and gestured to Jean-Pierre. "This is Jean-Pierre. He's... a friend of mine." I again cleared my throat. "Jean-Pierre, this is... my grandmother."

Jean-Pierre frowned and looked at me. He narrowed his eyes and studied me as if he had no idea if I was lying or not. "No sabía que tenías otra abuela. (I didn't know you had another grandmother.)"

"Porque vivo en Erinshire, (Because I live in Erinshire,)" my grandmother said. "No tuve contacto con ellos. (I had no contact with them.)" She gestured to my family.

Jean-Pierre scowled and opened his mouth to say something but stopped when I hissed out a warning. He glared at me but didn't say a word when he caught me shaking my head, no. Finally, he huffed and nodded before he jabbed his head towards Ramont, who was watching us by the front door, looking prim and proper in his red sweatshirt. "Who's the bodyguard?" he asked.

"Ramont," I replied, and Jean-Pierre nodded his head, studying the male.

"Sait-il se battre? (Does he know how to fight?)" Jean-Pierre asked, switching to French. He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Oui, (Yes,)" my grandmother replied. "Il sait se battre. (He knows how to fight.)"

I bit back a snort when Jean-Pierre scowled and walked away without another word to go bug Abe. "Why are you here?" I asked, changing the subject. "What happened with her?"

"Your mother came out of her room and yelled at us to get out," she replied, tearing her gaze off of Jean-Pierre with a look of amusement on her face. "She even told the kids to leave as well, so we took them."

I slowly nodded. "Does that mean we're kicked out?" I asked, and she nodded in confirmation. I pursed my lips and nodded again. "I am going to need to go back and get some stuff." I held my hand up, and my grandmother closed her mouth and scowled. "I know how to get in and out quickly."

"We have all the important and legal documents," my grandmother said. "I am sure that is all you need."

I shook my head. "I have other stuff besides that," I replied. I did not want my mother to find the money that I had earned and the "contracts" that I had made as Red.

My grandmother sighed exasperatedly and nodded. "Ok," she said. "Are you going to do this after work?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied, nodding in confirmation.

"Then take Ramont with you. If something does happen, I want to make sure that you are protected."

I kept my mouth shut and nodded with a scowl on my face. I had no idea why she wanted me to have protection when she knew that I could fight.

Did she doubt my abilities? Or was she thinking that I was lying about being able to fight and was not able to hold my own?

"Hey, Mir," Jean-Pierre called out, and I looked to see that he was leaning against one of the posts that held the rubber fencing to make the ring. "Wanna fight instead of dance?"

"And why not dancing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I muttered an 'excuse me' to my grandmother before I made my way to the ring.

"Because you don't want to dance that way," he said. He winked and sent me an air kiss. "But I would love to see you dance in bed."

I rolled my eyes and scowled, not knowing why he loved to flirt with me. "Does your girlfriend know that you are still flirting with me?" I slid into the ring, hiding back a wince while my bruises groaned in pain.

"Well, she flirts with you, too, so we are even." He shrugged and helped me into the ring. "Now, the question is, are we using gloves or none?"

"No gloves," I replied. "Let's just use fists."

Jean-Pierre nodded and let go of my hand. "Bloody to a pulp?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you keep asking that question when you know the answer?"

He shrugged. "Because you could surprise me and say yes." He grinned. "So, does that mean a yes?"

"No, Jean-Pierre. It will always be a no."

He shrugged again. "Your loss." He grew serious and stretched out his muscles before taking off his shirt and tossed it over the rail, much to Abe's distaste. "Same rules?"

I nodded and didn't take off my shirt, which led Jean-Pierre to raise an eyebrow but didn't make any comment. "Same rules," I confirmed.

"Good because your ass is about to be all over this floor." He gestured around the ring and grinned.

I didn't reply and got ready before I waited for him to attack. I had no idea who would win this fight, for we were an equal match and knew each other like the back of our hands, but that didn't mean it wasn't an interesting fight.

It was interesting every time that we fought for we did know each other like the back of our hands. It meant that we had to think quickly and act quicker than normal, or else our ass would be across the floor before the other could blink.

Let's just hope that I could prove to my grandmother that I knew what I was doing. Maybe, just maybe, she would understand and accept the person I was and the person I hid from her view.

Maybe one day, I could tell her about Red and tell her how I learned how to fight in a ring with small kids before I was moved to grown men when I was still a child myself. Maybe one day, I could tell her how I had earned the respect of the people that resided there, living on fights that no one else understood but us. Maybe one day, but I knew that today wasn't that day.

However, maybe one day, she would understand how I became me and the female that I strived to be every single day in hopes to provide my siblings a better future than the one I was given.