@russianxroulette @malenkiyboyets (whichever one you want to use)
Jack had been winning ‘til Anya walked in.
He had Ryker pretty well figured out, and knew he was faster, able to dart in to throw punches and back to avoid getting hit, and he could tell the other man was tiring, more content to stay in one spot and not get drawn around the ring.
It was cold for early spring, and until the crowd had showed up they’d been able to hear the rain pounding on the auto shop’s metal roof, but now Jack’s vision had narrowed to the space inside the circle of bystanders, their cheering barely registering as he fought for five thousand dollars. That was a quarter of a semester right there, more if he was careful about how much he spent on food and housing, and the faster he got a full year’s worth the faster he’d make it to Santa Fe...
But then the opening door caught his eye, and he glanced up, and--
Anya.
Jack stared, and Ryker hauled back and broke his nose.