Strong language and violence ahead. Ye be warned.

Weeks went by and we were officially down to the final twenty four hour mark before the catering event. Everyone was running around like a mad person trying to get all the ingredients mixed and ready as soon as the store closed. It became so crucial Katy busted out all of her twenty-four count cupcake pans that she uses just for special occasion. It thankfully cut down our time in half, but we still didn't manage to get out before night rolled around.

With the icing prepped, thanks to Lamar, we tucked everything away in the fridge right before midnight. A collective sigh from a hard days work could be heard.

"We did it," Kellie said sprawled out on the floor.

"Never again," Ellie joined her.

Katy just rolled her eyes at the two and told them they were free to go. As soon as their release left her mouth they practically charged for the door. After Lamar cleaned up a little he left as well in fear that his girls might have destroyed the house.

I waited on Katy so she wouldn't have to walk out alone but when she grabbed her stuff to leave she paused.

"Oh, shoot! I almost forgot to put the sheet cake back up," she sat her purse back down. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," I nodded then took out my phone to check it. As expected, Jason was blowing up my phone again letting me know that there was a big match tomorrow. He wants to get to the place a little earlier to run over a few things before we begin so that means I will have to haul ass right after work tomorrow. It also didn't help that the event was going to start earlier than normal. I guess whoever I was facing was really excited to--

My train of thought came to a halt when I heard a loud crashing noise followed by a, "HOLY MOTHER OF FUDGE MUFFINS!"

Immediately I ran around the corner to see Katy on the floor along with a pile of what used to be the sheet cake all over her. My heart sank to my stomach. Almost four and a half hours on one single cake, decorated to perfection, and it was now covering Shortcake. Any other time this might have been hot to see a woman covered in icing, but now, not so much.

"What happened?" I asked bending down to her level.

"I was putting it away but it was heavier than I thought and I lost my balance and the door wouldn't open and I swear the door was opened wider than I had it and now it's all over me," her eyes started swelling up and I knew this was not going to end well. Quickly I tried to steer the situation to a safer area.

"Hey, it's going to be okay."

"No, it's not! This cake has to be finished by eight tomorrow morning and it's already," she looked at the clock behind her, "almost two in the morning."

Apparently there were not enough motivational posters in the back room to keep her positive, but still, I had to try. I couldn't stand to see her this way.

"We will just make another one."

She looked at me as if I just told her I was secretly a woman.

"Did you not hear me? It will take another four hours to remake it. We were only able to get it finished in time because we had three other people."

"So?" I shrugged. "Together we have four hands, we can make this work."

Instead of being comforted by that she shook her head. "I am not making you stay here another four hours just to redo this. This was my mistake, I will fix it."

"No, you are not," I spoke defiantly. "I can handle another four hours or so. You are forgetting that this is my job, too. And I would never let you do this alone.

I could see a fraction of hope starting to shine in her eyes but still, she asked, "Are you sure? I know how you like your sleep."

I do, and yet none of that mattered right now.

"This is more important. But if we are going to do this, I kind of need you off of the ground."

She looked at me for a moment as if waiting for me to say I was joking but I wasn't going to stand down. When she was finally convinced a smile spread across her face before she suddenly launched herself into my arms nearly knocking me over from this angle. I was so surprised I froze up not knowing what to do.

"Thank you," even though I couldn't see her I knew she was smiling. "This is seriously . . . just thank you, so much."

Slowly, I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame. I even allowed myself to bury my nose in her sweet smelling hair.

"What are friends for?" I murmured.

When we pulled apart a moment later I realized that she had gotten icing all over my shirt, but that was the least of my concerns. We had a sheet cake to make.

In the end, it took a lot longer than we anticipated. A few times Katy nearly fell asleep when mixing the ingredients together. To prevent this from happening again we blasted music switching from Taylor Swift to Smashing Pumpkins until settling on a surprising artist: Adele. As I worked on making the cake look like a golf course I listened to Katy sing off key. She was absolutely terrible, but I still enjoyed it.

We were exhausted both physically and mentally, yet by the end of it all, we were still smiling.

After helping her clean up the backroom I went to turn off the radio but wasn't sure where the button was. Puzzled I walked back towards the back room to ask her about it.

"Hey, Katy," I called out, "do you know where the power button is on the radio? I thought it was the blue button but that only controls the--"

I came to a stop as soon I opened the door.

There sitting on the floor leaning against a prep table fast asleep with a small smile on her face was Katy. Her heart-shaped face was covered in flour. Bits of green, blue, and red icing covered her hands and arms. The pink apron was now hanging loosely around her body like a blanket. Her brown hair that faded to blonde at the ends was in a messy pile on top of her head, little wisps of hair sticking out everywhere. After working for almost twenty-four hours, I can honestly say I have never seen a more hardworking woman before. And to think she almost tackled it all by herself not wanting to bother me. It was truly inspirational although some would say it's borderline insane to work as much as she did. Regardless, one thing was for sure: this woman was truly amazing.

The strangest thing happened to my chest at the sight of her looking so peaceful and cute. I leaned against the door frame and smiled taking in the image before me not wanting to part from it. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end when a wave of exhaustion hit me. If I didn't wake her up and take her home now, we would both be passed out in the bakery. And I'm not sure I wanted to explain that to Lamar.

When I finally got her home it felt like I had just fallen onto my own bed when the sound of Katy pounding on my door telling me it was time to get ready woke me up. I was up and down all night for some reason, so I was not even close to being ready for this catering event. Still, I got ready and together we rode off to work.

After a major pep talk and loading all the items in our catering van, it was decided that Katy and I head off to the golf course while Lamar stayed behind to run the shop with the twins.

At the place, we unloaded everything into the back room, extra careful with the sheet cake, and began icing all of the cupcakes. It took us nearly two hours to get them all finished, but when we did we displayed them in the main area, gave a few brochures, and thanked the special event manager for selecting us. After he gave Katy her check we headed back to the bakery for even more work.

Everything ran smoothly although I was completely exhausted. It worried me because I had a major match tonight. Still, I went through the motions until it was time to leave. I dropped Katy off at her place after we said hello to Mr. Phillips, and as soon as the door shut behind me I collapsed on the couch. I wanted nothing more than to be greeted by sweet, sweet sleep. But then--

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Gage!" came a familiar deep voice. "You better not be eating those damn Lucky Charms again!"

I grabbed a nearby pillow and launched it at the door. "Go away!"

As I expected, he ignored my request and instead walked right in. When he did he came to a stop at the sight of me.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

"Get.out."

"You look like . . . death," he stepped in shutting the door behind him.

"And you still look like a pirate."

I was immediately hit by a pillow.

"Whatever happened you need to snap out of it. We've got work to do."

I groaned. "Can't we just take a rain check? Like a four-hour rain check?"

"Gage."

"Okay, three"

"Gage! Will you take this seriously for once? You need to be your best tonight."

"Why? Is the queen coming?"

"No, but Sparrow is."

At that name, my blood ran cold. Amazing how the boss's name can produce a physical response and make my Friday night suck all at once.

I looked up to narrow my eyes at Jason. "You're bluffing."

"Do you think I would lie about this? He called me this morning and said he was going to stop in Miami to check in on everything, including us."

"But why? It's not like anything has been going wrong."

"I don't know. But you know how he is. Which is why," he sat down in my chair nearby, "we have to go over a few things."

I smirked at him. "Trying to be a good student for Sparrow?"

"I'm trying to survive, Gage. And if you are smart, you would too. So let's get started."

His words sunk in a little further and I slowly got up despite my bodies protest.

"Fine," I rolled my shoulders around, "let's get this shit over with."

+++

Almost an hour after Jason drilled me on my opponent's stats, we headed out. As we walked toward the stairs my eyes drifted to Katy's closed door wondering if she was finally getting some sleep. We stayed up at the same time, only she doesn't have to keep going like I do.

All last night we stayed up not only baking, but talking about anything and everything we could think of. It was soothing to have someone to go to. To call somebody a friend. And maybe after all of this shit is settled with Sparrow there could be more. But for now, I couldn't let myself get too distracted.

For the first time in months, we reached the gym early this time. Even the managers were confused when they greeted us, but still, they ushered us into my room.

Once there Jason took a swig from his flask before beginning his fourth pep talk for the day. "Alright, let's get a few basics done before sending you out there. If you haven't noticed already, the crowd is crazy tonight."

"When is it not?" I asked while wrapping up my hand. He was right though. Their chanting could be heard all the way back here in my room.

Jason shrugged. "You'd be surprised. But there is always something about the seasons changing. Drives people crazy."

"More crazy than usual?"

"Yeah, but at least there is one good thing that comes out of it."

"What's that?"

Jason leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head and smirked. "Crazy people blow a lot of money."

I shook my head then went to the corner with a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. As he drilled me on my opponent, Octavius King, I practiced my punches for a bit. Even though I was mentally ready to get out there, my body still wasn't. I felt drained from working all day and night and now I was here pushing it past my limits. I just wanted my bed--no, I needed my bed. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon as much as I try to bribe Jason with bourbon.

"Steel Gage?" a voice tore me from my training and I looked at the doorway to see a guy with a microphone at his ear. "Five minutes left. It's time to start walking."

I gave him a nod then turned to Jason who was already on his feet. He rolled his neck and gave a sigh before heading out with me. Sometimes I forget that he is in debt to Sparrow just like me so his Friday nights are taken away, too. I briefly wondered what he would rather be doing, then quickly cast it aside. No time to get sentimental.

"Remember what I said earlier," Jason told me as I walked towards the entrance. "This guy means business tonight. After messing up his streak last week he wants revenge on anybody and everybody. So don't let him touch you."

"Not a problem," I pulled my hood over my head.

"Also don't forget you will have a lot of eyes on you tonight. Sparrow is now in town and wants to show off his toys, so make him look good."

I groaned but accepted my fate. What I would give to be anywhere but here, displayed for all to see as an object rather than a person. It was like the place was filled with people like that woman who insulted me at the bakery a while back, the only difference is they are putting bets on my imperfections. Disgusting.

And yet despite my protests here I was again. The same place I am nearly every Friday. Walking towards a ring, my theme music blaring, the crowd screaming in anger and joy, and of course the women throwing themselves as I walk down my path. I used to ignore it, but for some reason, it bothered me more than usual. I didn't like the way they looked at me or shouted out suggestive things. I felt . . . filthy for some reason. And what's worse, when I caught sight of a woman nearby wearing cheap makeup and winking at me suggestively, my mind immediately went to a completely different person. Katy.

What would she think of me now?

I shook my head trying to snap out of it and leaped up into the ring leaving all thoughts behind. It was elevated today so that everyone could see the match no matter where they stood. As soon as I was in, the men in yellow clothing took off like a bullet collecting all sorts of cash with a greedy smile on their faces. Directly above in the higher level of the gym were rows of people with expensive clothing peering down their long noses at us. I looked for a familiar crude face, but when I couldn't find him I gave up.

And just like every Friday night, the announcer amped up the crowd while I tried to focus on the target. Across from me was a man with thick dreads pulled back from his scowling face. Jason was right, he was out for revenge. His heated glare never left my face no matter where I moved. You would think we were mortal enemies looking at us now although I've never heard of him until a few hours ago.

Luckily I knew all about him including how he throws his punches, his weakness, his disadvantages, even his blood type. And that is how all my opponents are to me: numbers and facts. All of those lined up to take me down, but I wouldn't allow it.

When we stepped up to shake hands, the only civil part of this whole thing, the ref paused for a moment. "Okay, listen. We just got word that we have a few changes in the rules tonight."

I looked at him. "Do what?"

"Our guests tonight have requested for a no gloves match, just fists. Also, there is no tap-outs allowed. The person to win is the person left conscious."

Now I was pissed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

But he only shrugged. "I don't make the rules. I just pass them along."

Right when I was about to tell him which body area he could shove his rules King sneered, "Something wrong, Steel Gage?"

I turned my glare on him. "You're not serious."

"Wanna find out?"

It was then that I realized that I could argue with him all night, but it wouldn't change anything. He was too brainwashed by all this bullshit to make sense of it all. He has bloodlust on his mind and my arguing won't change a thing, especially the rules. When they are set by the higher-ups, it's over. I can only hope that this guy goes down quickly. I'm already at a disadvantage of not having enough sleep.

"Okay. Just make sure you don't kill each other. That just makes things complicated," the ref sounded bored with the situation. If only he was in my place. "Shake hands."

When King slapped his hand in mine he gave a massive squeeze rolling my fingers around until it felt like my tendons were going to rip.

"Fuck!" I snatched my hand away to examine it. It was red already. I looked up at King but he was already going to his corner, a satisfied smile on his face.

Suddenly I didn't feel sorry for this guy now. I may be at a disadvantage, but I sure as hell am not going to be the one on the ground tonight. He doesn't know what losing this match really costs me. And for his lack of knowledge I might have let it slide, but now I don't give a fuck. All bets are off when you're a little shit.

"Ready?" the referee looked between the two of us.

I kept my eyes trained on my opponent who was glaring right back at me, the smug smile still on his face. I was ready to wipe it off.

And right when the bell was sound, my bare fists were up.

As I expected, King was the first to make a move. With a bloodcurdling yell, he lunged for me ready to end the match with one blow. Thanks to Jason I knew this was his strategy. He gets all fired up in the first half of the match thinking his opponent can be so easily overtaken, but he has me tonight, and I won't let him.

I dodged quickly and with swift footwork knocked him to the ground. He stumbled a little but quickly recovered bouncing back to his feet. Again, he lunged hoping I wouldn't notice his comeback, but I did. He swung left, I dodged, he swung right, I dodged, left again, jab to distract me, then uppercut, but since I didn't have anything holding back my fists I caught his hand in mine before it could make an impact and used my other to land a blow on the right cheek.

The crowd cheered and oohed at my move. This was a change from normal matches and they were clearly liking it. Even from above the upper class looked happy. It revolted me, but I couldn't change that now.

When King recovered, a small line of blood trailing down his lip, he looked even more fired up. He hasn't landed a blow yet, that