Free No Second Chances by Malín Alegría Page B

Chubs shot him a worried glance. Then to make matters worse, Maria Elena came up behind her dad and gave Chubs a kiss on the cheek. MariaElena glanced up at Santiago and mouthed the words “You’re dead.” He forced himself not to worry. He had no time to question what was going on. It was time to act — time to sell his product. He grabbed the elixir from Fabi’s hands and turned to the audience.
    â€œLadies and gentlemen.” The crowd hushed to listen. “Many of you may think this match is over. Some of you may have even placed bets against me. I know I am smaller than my opponent.”
    â€œYou bet you are, honey,” an ancient-looking woman called out from her walker right in the front row.
    Santiago smiled at the crowd’s reaction. “But what you don’t know is that I have this new energy drink called Leafy Valley Mojo. My cousin and I sell it here at la pulga every Sunday. This drink will not only make you lose weight, but it will give you energy and virility — make you strong like a bull. The best part is that it’s all natural — made with fruits andveggies only the Rio Grande Valley can provide. It’s an old family secret and for $5.99 per cup, it can be yours.”
    â€œStop jabbering and fight,” a kid yelled in Spanish.
    Santiago grinned confidently at the audience. Then he gulped back the elixir in one go. The concoction sent a shock up and down his body like a bright bolt of electricity. When Santiago recovered, he turned to his opponent and smiled cruelly. Now the game would begin.
    The bell clanged. Santiago jumped up and winked at his cousin. It was the sign for him to throw the match. Chubs stared back at him with a determined expression. Santiago took that as a good sign and reached out for his cousin’s beefy arm. Santiago pulled and tugged, but his cousin wouldn’t budge. “Dammit man,” he grunted under his breath. “Go down.” Chubs still didn’t move, so Santiago decided to elbow him in the ribs. It produced a heavy grunt.Santiago grinned. He may not be strong, but he did have bony elbows.
    Chubs didn’t react at all. How was Santiago supposed to win if his cousin just stood there like a cow in the center of the road?
    Santiago climbed up on the ropes to the steel post — like he’d seen his heroes do countless times before on TV. He was going to pin his cousin down once and for all, he thought, taking a deep breath as he crouched down. Santiago jumped, catapulting himself up into the air like a missile toward his opponent. But Chubs twirled quickly out of Santiago’s path. With a loud thump, Santiago hit the floor. It felt like he’d broken every bone in his body. Chubs hopped onto Santiago and pinned him to the floor.
    â€œWhat do you think you’re doing?” Santiago grunted, squirming like a fish out of water. His ribs were getting crushed under his cousin’s weight.
    â€œDude,” his cousin hissed back. “El Payaso made me an offer.”
    â€œSo what, man? The two of us had a deal. You lose. I win.”
    â€œBut I don’t want to lose,” Chubs said, in a quiet voice. “I want to win. El Payaso said he’d give me five hundred dollars.”
    â€œWhat? Oh, hell no, man. We had a deal,” Santiago hissed.
    â€œFive hundred dollars!” Chubs exclaimed. “That’s a lot of money. Do you know how much I can buy with five hundred dollars? I could finally buy a big van like I’ve always wanted.”
    â€œChubs.” Santiago’s heart started to race at the gravity of the situation. He had to convince his cousin to get off him now! “Chubs, this is not about you. This is about the business. If you want I could give you seven hundred dollars — after we get rich. Besides you already have that sweet ride.”
    â€œIt’s my mom’s.”
    â€œBut she lets you drive it whenever you want.”
    The