Page 48 of Tricky Girls

It’s loud in here, jeers and shouts and that meaty sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Girl’s night tonight. I recognise the one in the first cage, the one with the most watchers.

Blakely. Hazelhurst’s very own beast.

About three times the size of Haz, she’s been the reigning champion since she rocked up as a newbie fresher. The first girl she laid out left for the hospital and never returned.

She’s on my course. We’re not besties, but she was friendly enough last year when I thought I might want a go at the fighting stuff. One go around with Blakely put a stop to that.

I’m still looking for somewhere to exorcise this rage.

The door clangs open and she strolls out, an ugly smile stretching her lips, teeth red with blood.

‘When are you gonna start picking on people your own size?’ I say when she catches me standing there.

‘You offering?’

Her voice is rasping. Must have taken a punch to the throat.

‘Nope. I know my limits.’ I flex out my arm. There’s a sinewy kind of strength there but I’m a twig compared to this girl.

‘Pussy,’ she wheezes.

Her eyes are glowing, their weird grey colouring like chips of ice.

She gets off on this stuff, I can tell.

More than once I’ve seen her trade the cage for one of those glass rooms with an opponent. Probably gaining more injuries in there than they do in the fight.

A doll-like, orange haired girl joins her side, offering her a glass of ice water. Blakely takes a sip, swills it, then spits out a mouthful of blood. I’ve seen her around before. Blakely’s bird, maybe. Clearly okay with her fucking other girls if so.

Makes me think of my housemates and their latest catch. Wouldn’t surprise me if I got home later to them in bed together. Better stay out as long as I can.

I feel a tiny hand tug mine and know before I turn that Skylar’s found me.

‘You came then.’ She smiles a bit, eyes barely visible in all that black makeup and raven-wing-like falsies. I’ve never seen her without her eyes like that. Not sure I’d even recognise her without it.

‘You can be too if you want.’

Her smile deepens.

Maybe I have found a way to exorcise my demons after all.

‘Book us a box?’ She rises to her tiptoes to tug my lip with her teeth.

I let her lead me back into the club, blessedly finding one of the glass rooms vacant.

We enter and lock the door.

Nothing happens from our side, but I trust we’re no longer visible to the prying eyes of the dance floor.

Not that I’ll be worrying about voyeurs in a minute. They can all join in for all I care.

Skylar hops up onto a table, swinging her legs, the pale skin there marked with the black ink of tattoos. No colour shading for this girl. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her in anything but black.

Reminds me of another girl.

I peel Skylar’s legs apart and slide between them.

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