Page 36 of Learning Curve

“Yo, Blake,” Ace says through a laugh when Blake trips off the step and falls into them. “How about you pick your jaw up off the floor and pay attention to what you’re doing, dude? I’ll never live it down if I bring the Dragons quarterback somewhere and get him injured.”

“I’m going to marry that girl,” he repeats as he stares at Lexi, who’s now on the far side of the ring collecting money, one of her feet through the ropes, prepared to climb in.

“Do you even know who that girl is?”

“My future wife?”

“I’m not sure if you noticed, Blake, but Lex didn’t appear all that interested in you,” Julia chimes in, a little smile on her lips.

“Yeah.” Scottie giggles. “Kind of seemed like she didn’t give a shit about anything you were saying.”

“Mark my words, ladies. That girl will be mine.”

Both Scottie and Julia laugh some more, and Ace and I look at each other like Blake has lost his ever-loving mind.

“Listen up, everyone!” Lexi calls from the center of the ring, a microphone in her hand and her voice echoing throughout the room. “Tonight’s official activities will commence shortly. But we’re going to need a volunteer to step up to the challenge.”

“What’s the challenge, Lex?” a guy yells from the crowd.

She smiles. “A guy with big enough balls to fight Donnie Marks.”

“Wait…he’s a fucking ex-UFC fighter, Lex! Are you nuts?” another guy yells out.

“Looks like your balls are too small,” she teases and glances out toward the crowd. “C’mon, you assholes, someone needs to step up. Otherwise, we might as well pack it in early.”

“Dayum,” Ace mutters when Donnie Marks steps into the ring. “He’s a big motherfucker.”

“Don’t you dare, Ace,” Julia states firmly as she pokes him in the chest with her index finger.

“What? You don’t want me to fight him?” he questions with a grin on his lips. “I can hold my own, babe.”

Julia’s lips move down into a frown. “If you manage to hold your own, I will personally finish you off later.”

“Wait…what?” Ace’s eyes go wide. “Finish me off? Sounds kind of nice.”

“As in murder you, you idiot!” she exclaims and shoves him in the chest.

“Are you sure that’s what you mean?” He starts to open his mouth again, but Julia slaps her hand over his lips.

“Shut up, Ace.”

He laughs. And then I’m certain he licks her palm because she jerks her hand away on a disgusted laugh.

“Ew! You’re so gross!”

“By the way, whoever volunteers to fight Donnie gets ten percent of the betting pool,” Lexi announces, and my ears perk up.

Ten percent of the betting pool? I look around the room, taking in the size and scope of the crowd and quickly deducing that most of the people here look like they come from families with parents who keep their bank accounts stocked full of cash.

You know, the opposite of my family.

I think about how I still haven’t managed to find a steady job that fits into my class schedule and how Travis and Jack will need new basketball shoes and the fees that go along with their playing high school ball.

I think about how Willow wants to go to homecoming and probably has a dress in mind she knows she won’t be able to afford.

I think about how our dick of a father spends all his money on booze and our mom’s paycheck barely covers food and rent.

By the time I add my student loans into the poor-people-problems equation, I realize the decision is already made.

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