Free On the Ropes (Down for the Count) by Christa Cervone Page B

Jimmy jokes.
    “Fuck you, man!” I shout at him as the door shuts behind him.
    I open my locker, grab the clothes that are balled up at the bottom, and put them on. As I walk past the mirror, I stop and run my fingers through my hair. I stare at my reflection and at what I’m wearing; a pair of worn, ripped jeans and an Affliction shirt . Shit, I wish I’d known Blaine was coming. I would’ve brought nicer clothes with me. Fuck it. He’s the one that needs to sell himself to me, not the other way around.
    “Frankie!” I yell as I walk back into the gym.
    “I’m in my office.”
    “I’m gonna go grab some food before our meeting,” I mention from his office doorway.
    “Okay, kid,” he answers, but I see that he’s distracted.
    “Is everything alright?”
    “Yeah, everything is fine. Nothin’ you gotta worry about,” he sighs. I notice that his eyes are fixated on his accounting ledger.
    “You know they make computer programs that will do that shit for you?”
    “A computer program?” he scoffs at my words.
    “Yeah, you know, a computer. It kinda looks like a TV… you type stuff into it,” I can’t help but tease him. He’s so dead set against technology.
    Frankie takes off his glasses; finally looking up at me. “Are you kiddin’ me, kid? What do I need a computer for? I got everything I need right here,” he says, pointing to his temple and tapping on his old school adding machine.
    I laugh at him, shaking my head. “Do you want me to get you anything to eat at Luigi’s?”
    “Nah, I’m good. I’ll eat when I get home.”
    “Suit yourself. I’ll be back in twenty.”
    I head down the street to Luigi’s, a hole in the wall pizza joint. They serve the best pizza in town, but since I’m fighting soon, there’s no pizza on the menu for me.
    “Hey, Saint! Long time, no see,” Nico greets me in his thick Italian accent. He smiles from behind the counter as he wipes his hands on his apron.
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, Nico. I’ve been training. You know I can’t have pizza when I train.”
    “No pizza? Not even a slice?”
    “Nope, not even a little slice,” I say, with disappointment in my voice as I pat my stomach.
    “What can I get for you then?” he asks, confused.
    “Any chance you can make me a chicken breast with some steamed broccoli?”
    “Chicken breast and steamed broccoli? Are you kidding?”
    “No, I’m not kidding.”
    “Let me see what I can do,” he calls out as he walks into the kitchen.
    “Thanks, Nico.”
    I sit down in one of the booths near the front window and look around Luigi’s. Not much has changed in this place. I’ve been coming here since I started in Frankie’s program, and it still has the same four small tables with red and white checked tablecloths you’d find in any Italian restaurant. Pictures of Italy cover the walls; they’re old and faded from the sun now. The menu is displayed above the counter were Nico had stood. It mainly consists of pizza and sandwiches.
    While I wait for him to return, I stare out the window and notice that with summer approaching, the days are getting longer. It’s almost six fifteen, and the sun is still high in the sky. Tonight would’ve been the perfect night for a ride on the bike.
    “Saint, you are in luck my friend,” Nico says loudly, from across the restaurant. “I can make what you want, but it’s going to take about twenty-five to thirty minutes.”
    I look up at the map of Italy clock on the wall. “Yeah, that’s fine, Nico. I can wait.”
    I’ll definitely be cutting it close to my meeting with Frankie and Blaine, but I need to eat. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch, and my stomach is already growling from the aroma of pizza that fills the air.
    My phone vibrates where it sits on the table. Glancing down, I see that it’s a text message from Jimmy. Good luck tonight. I hope things go well.
     
    Me – Thanks, man. I’ll let you know.
     
    I stare out the window, watching the