Page 11 of The Breaking Pointe
“Cole, it’s just a little publicity. It’s not like that, alright? You’re young, brother, would you just let me put you on?” He chuckles.
I don’t want to be put on anything. I want to stay in hiding. “I’m generally not the nicest guy, and I don’t serve much purpose. I’m good at fighting—that’s my purpose. I don’t wanna be the next face on some cereal box,” I say, unable to keep a straight face.
“Youdon’twannasellBoxTopstokids?”hejests.
“It’s funny that you think I’m a good influence for chil- dren,” I respond.
“Daniel is the face of a company that has shown the strict results of using their products.People believe what he says,” he says.
“You really believe he’s drinking that shit, man?”I ask him, raising a curious eyebrow.
“He could be. He looks like it. You don’t?” He glances at me as we keep up momentum.
“I think it’s a crock of shit.Anyone with a single brain cell could see he’s going through extensive lengths to get to that size.I’m pushing thirty—I handle more than one energy drink in a day,” I snarl.
“You seem testier about this than you were before,” he observes.
“I just hope it’s a fair fight, is all. People love this guy so much that my only chance at having any victory is matching his energy.” I shrug as we both approach the subway stairs, walking down underground.
“Theylovehisabilities,don’tgetitmixedup.That’s not to be confused with him being a good person, alright? He’sgotmultipleoffensesandrun-inswiththelaw,and I hear he has a nasty track record with women,” he says, following beside me.“I’ve managed to find out that he’s not any competition in the charismatic department. Trust me, I won’t be expecting any hospitality or courtesy.”
I huff, hopping down each step.I wasn’t getting my hopes up about anything, actually. I’m pretty good at never doing that, and it only leads to existential problems. I have enough internal ones on my list to begin with.
* * *
My mind is contaminated with the thought of the ginger girl with the luminous, lime-green eyes. I never linger this long on anyone, but sitting alongside a man like Daniel makes me incredibly curious as to who she is. She had a bright, lively, and stunning smile in the picture, and yet still I could see
right through it. The moment I returned home last night, I went back to the picture, just to find her tagged in it.
Andtheinvestigationbegan.
Pictures might mean nothing, but to me they say a lot about a person.I’m not the kind of man to go stalking women, though I wanted to delve deeply into her pictures. Based on what I got, she loves flowers, dancing, and she’s enjoying summer. Nothing involving Daniel, but who’s to say what I would’ve seen if I scrolled any further?Everything else is still unknown to me, aside from her name.
NoelleMayberry.
Generally, I do love a woman who I have to turn into a goddamned FBI agent to get information on.She’s not necessarily secretive, but she’s making me work for the answers I want. It’s a playful little game that some women love to play when it comes to getting to know them.I like guessing, even though I’m going out on a limb half the time. Noelle seems to be privy to showing just enough of her life that it feels like she knows how to separate her personal life from her public.
I wasn’t fully kidding around when I told Trey that I don’t want to be publicized.The concept of me being slightly known and worth a little more is quite appealing.It’s equally appalling though, because I like my little life.I like my quaint home, with my old dog, and my well-rounded lifestyle. Any more and I’m afraid I’ll probably go insane without the correct foundation.
All day,I’ve thought about the idea of this fight beinga big break for me.While it sounds like a miracle, it’s so bittersweet that I’m having a hard time digesting it. Getting to the arena, I’m expecting a few people standing outside,
maybe even waiting. I get that some boxing fans take these things seriously.But it isn’t a few.It’s crowds, and they have cameras galore.
Not many are here to see me, I’m sure—but I’ve never felt more seen in this business than now.
I hide in the dressing room for as long as I can, in hopes that some disaster would transpire.I have a couple of minutesbeforeIknowTreywillbetellingmetostand up and start swinging.Every minute I spent pacing the small corner of the ring that was given to me, itching with overstimulation. Pacing and thinking about ways to ignore everything negative.Daniel’s entire aura is negative, and it’s steaming from the opposite side of the ring.
Trey went as far as to hire an entire team to help me this time, which I’m extremely fortunate for, but I can’t get used to having people do things for me.It feels lazy and superficial to me not to be able to do things that I’ve been doing for years now. He keeps telling me to see how I feel at the end of the night, but I don’t even know if I can make it until then.
Trey hops up into the ring, rubbing his hands together as he approaches me. My pacing comes to a halt.
“It’s about that time, you ready?”I hear Trey’s words before he stops his stride, clapping his hands.
My eyes wander over to Daniel, who’s pounding his chest like some provoked ape.
“He’s literally strung out, Trey.” I blink quickly, looking back at him.
“Listen, just do me a favor and give it your all.Give him your best shit talking—I don’t care.Just do whatever it is you have to do,” he stresses.
