About a week after I had healed up and had enough energy, I was finally ready to enter training for my last rounds of both the Tournament, and the Championship of the Underground. Sadly, me being out of commission put a school ahead of us, and got some of the weaklings with their head's piped thinking they can take the title from Red Bull. Cloudy updated me as Jinx did the same.
We sat in Smother's, sitting atop the half pipe attached to the wall while Monty cleaned the store. Now that the Blacks are falling apart, their money is going towards lawsuits and not co-owning the store, which I'm sure makes Mont happy with his new freedom.
"How do you feel about all this?" Cloudy asked as he folded the web up and placed it in his pocket. I cracked my neck and smiled.
"If this is all that stands in my way of getting a title for the school and claiming the win for Red Bull, I wish it were sooner."
"Not just yet, hot pants," Jinx shook his head as he watched Monty clean the tables and lock the doors. He's lost weight since I first got to Jersey. "You still need to train,"
"I don't need it," I stated with my arms crossed. Jinx twisted his face in confusion before he got close to me, just about close enough to feel him breathe, and laughed in my face.
"You need training more than I need bail money,"
Just as I went to roll my eyes, Jinx and Cloudy both got blips on their phones, and their eyes shifted to each other before they nodded and got up in unison.
I watched them slide down the halfpipe,"Hey!"
They waved at Monty and left the store, not saying a damn word to me. Too bad for them... I'm not that nosey.
...
...
"Bye Monty!" I cried as I slammed through the door, most likely breaking the lock. I felt Mont's eyes stare at me, and I could almost feel him shake his head.
"So where are we going?" I tried to ask them. They stayed silent, walking in front of me so I wouldn't have the chance to analyze their faces. I tilted my head. This shit was making me mad.
"You both have three seconds to tell me what the fuck is going on," the last time I went through this, I was almost ambushed by a blind date. I'm not for the silent surprise bullshit.
1...
They walked faster, ducking corners and keeping at least ten feet from me. The veins popped out of my hand.
2...
They started to run, and soon I was chasing them into that familiar warehouse where I passed out after Max knocked me out.
I was so angry I could burst through the brick wall, "If you fuckers don't speak up!! I swear I—"
3.
Somehow, in the course of a week, they turned the warehouse into a facility. Dimly lit lights circled shining new weights, bags and gear. Space heaters sat around the place to keep the draft from chilling us. I skidded to a halt. In front of me, Cloudy and Jinx panted as Amy gave me a thumbs up. Auntie flipped her hair and smiled at me, and Zoey played on one of the equipment sets before she saw me and fell off.
"Thanks for not ratting us out," Amy thanked. Cloudy shook his head as he tried to catch his breath.
"Mixie's temper is no fucking joke," he sighed, "She only made it like 20 seconds!"
"What's going on?" I interrupted. They all turned to me, slowly standing behind Auntie as she began to smile,
She walked up to me and hugged me. Her body was warm and light, and suddenly all the rage and confusion in my body melted away. In the pit of my stomach, I felt the urge to cry. "Babygirl," she started, "this is for your help. I did all this to get you through the finals tomorrow. All the money you won for us is only a fraction of what we have now, and we have you to thank,"
"I...I still don't get it," I mumbled as she backed up to get a better look at me. "Why all this? Who set all this up? Why now?"
Auntie gave a sly half smile before she stepped to the side, "It wasn't all my idea," my eyes shifted to Amy, who shook her head and stepped to the side. Then to Cloudy, who innocently raised his hands and did the same. And then to Jinx, who put his head down and stepped lightly to the side.
Out of the darkness, that familiar glow if chocolate stepped into the dim light before she smiled at me with her arms crossed, dressed in an all pink sports bra and boxer shorts labeled "Pink Panther".