Free In Your Corner by Sarah Castille

palpable, and I try to reassure him as best I can. “I’m sure you won’t have to worry. Once they see the vicious termination machine you are, they’ll be afraid to give you anything but the most fearsome of names.”
    Jake laughs and brushes my hair behind my shoulder. “I forgot about your dry sense of humor. But really, I am a vicious termination machine.”
    Someone shouts his name and he excuses himself to say hello. I spot Sandy, the once ex of both Jake and Max, climbing into a practice ring and wander over to investigate. Sandy’s platinum hair is piled on her head in a messy haystack and her curvy body is poured into a tight pink sports bra and pink bike shorts. She glares and then whispers to her opponent, Shayla, aka Shilla the Killa, a lean, muscular woman with a short, dark ponytail. They both turn to look at me and giggle. Suddenly I am in middle school all over again.
    As they take their places at the corners of the ring, Jake comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder. “You running away from me again?”
    Mortified at the reminder of our break up, I turn to apologize only to catch his lopsided grin.
    “I’m still wet.” He points to his hair and a relieved breath whooshes out of me.
    The ref blows a whistle, and Shayla throws a right hook at Sandy’s face. I pray she knocks out a few of Sandy’s perfect, white teeth. Aside from scooping up Jake on the rebound after our break-up, a jealous Sandy tweeted a picture of Makayla’s ass when she found out Makayla and Max had hooked up. As Makayla’s best friend, I am duty-bound to hate her vicariously. And I do.
    “You ever see Shilla fight?” Jake casually shoves a spectator out of my way, glaring the innocent six-foot leviathan into submission when he dares open his mouth to protest. “She’s got real talent. I’m pretty sure she has a good shot at the state championship.”
    He twists a strand of my hair around his finger, but I don’t have time for him. I’ve never watched female MMA fighters before. And although Sandy was a ring girl when I last saw her, she is now holding her own against Shayla.
    A crowd gathers as they circle the ring. Although physically not as strong as most of the male fighters I’ve seen, they are no less violent, no less skilled, and no less fierce. They kick and punch and spin and tackle. Sandy is clearly on the back foot. Blood drips from her nose but she doesn’t back down.
    “Earth to Amanda.” Jake waves his hand in front of my face, breaking my concentration.
    “Shhh. I’m watching the fight.” I swat his hand away and focus on the ring. Shayla pulls off some impressive moves, rolling with Sandy trapped between her thighs and then locking Sandy’s head between her legs and pinning her to the ground in an impressive submission.
    Damn, that Shayla can fight. Probably better than some of the guys I’ve seen at the club. I can’t imagine anyone throwing her against a Dumpster. She would have had Bob and his bouncer groaning on the pavement in thirty seconds flat.
    “I have to go and get ready for the cage,” Jake murmurs in my ear.
    “Sure.” I give him an absent wave.
    “Amanda.” His sharp rebuke yanks me out of the fight, and I look up at his furrowed brow.
    “I want you to be there.”
    “I’ll be there, Jake.”
    “Don’t be late.”
    “It’s only fifty feet away. I’m sure I’ll make it in time.”
    Still, he doesn’t move. Instead he shuffles his feet and sighs. Finally, I turn and give him my full attention. “Anything else?”
    “The ring name.” His voice drops to a low whisper. “It’s important. If I ever did get free of the company and go pro, I would need a good ring name. Something tough. Something that will make people afraid. You can hold your own in an argument, and you’re damn good at convincing people to do what they don’t want to do. Maybe you could convince the guys. I just…”
    The little hint of vulnerability warms me, as does his faith in my legal