Twisted Lies by Nora Cobb
Chapter 36
Astrid
On Friday night, I don’t bother sending Nova a text. Probably because I’m not sure if she’s going to answer me. After curfew, I leave through the basement and hop on my bike, heading for the gates concealed by the darkness. Usually, that feeling of riding away from the oppressive place lifts me up as I speed away. But something has changed as my instincts become hyper-focused. I sense a shift when I approach the Monarch schoolyard, where a cluster of people huddles inside the chain-link fence.
They watch me ride in the gate, but I pretend not to notice them. Suddenly having a bike is a burden, even a beat-up one. I spot that new guy, Ace, but there’s no recognition when he sees me. Quickly, I scan the schoolyard for Nova, Derick, or even Wyatt. I don’t know the people here, and they don’t recognize me.
My heart pumps against my ribs, and I feel a way I’ve never felt in my hometown. I feel scared. I don’t dare pull my phone out of my pocket. A few weeks ago, I splurged on a smartphone that can do just about everything but cook me a meal. I ride around the perimeter of the schoolyard, checking once more for Nova and thinking I may have to take off when I see her and Derick cutting through an opening in the fence. Nova is dressed in a navy pea coat, while Derick is dressed down in denim. Sighing softly, I coast my bike toward them.
“Hey, I was wondering if you were showing,” I smile brightly at Nova.
She shrugs her shoulders, barely looking at me. “This is the only place to be. Now.”
“Derick, you gave up on the Pit too?” I ask, desperate for conversation and eager to prove I should be here.
The two cousins pass a look, and Derick pulls a sarcastic face. “Don’t think I’ll be back there anytime soon.”
Nova frowns. “Have you been there lately, Astrid?”
I frown. “No,” I shake my head. “It’s been a while.” I don’t have time to ask another question as they stride over to a group of people waiting. Nova slaps hands while Derick jokes and raises the energy. They play the crowd the way they used to before the Pit. The groups combine, and we move together toward the rundown school.
“Hey, I want to fight,” Ace talks to Nova, “but I don’t want to wait until more of a crowd shows up.”
“I sent out a blast,” replies Derick, throwing an arm over Ace’s shoulders.
Nova smiles. “You can handle two fights, Ace. One now and one later.”
Ace nods, pleased with her confidence. He glances over in my direction, and I nod. He nods back but doesn’t warm up to me. That’s okay while we’re still strangers.
Derick continues to reassure Ace that he sent out a blast, and people will come when they want to come. The night air is chilly, and I hug my arms, wondering if they have any more chairs to burn. But the small group stops in front of the locked gymnasium doors. The kid is back, and Ace and Derick boost him up easily to an open window. In a few minutes, the doors to the old gymnasium open up.
Nova steps in first, leading the way. “No lights!” she shouts, “We have lamps. And if the cops come, I don’t know why you’re in here.”
The decrepit wooden bleachers attached to the walls are pulled out and filled with spectators. Nova sits at a steel table by the door with a sign-up sheet and a large mayo jar that’s been scrubbed clean.
Derick plays emcee with a Bluetooth mic connected to his phone. “Put a donation in the jar,” he shakes the few dollars in it, “So we can witness an ass-whipping, my friends.”
We could make this so much more. I sit beside Nova at the table on a folding chair, and we wait to see if anyone else is coming. People are streaming in, young and old, adding cash to the jar. My heart lifts and then sinks each time someone comes in. I hope that Wyatt will show, but I end up disappointed.
Staring at Derick doing his thing, Nova has her arms crossed over her chest, and we’re not really talking, not like we used to.
“I’m booking the fights at the Pit,” I let her know.
“Really?” She lifts a brow and sends me side-eye at the same time.
“Yeah, I’m booking the fights on Sunday night,” I explain defensively, “I can put your name down on the roster.”
Nova scoffs and shakes her head. “Excuse me while I say no. Not interested. Never ever going to go back.”
I frown at her. “The money is still good.”
She looks at me full-on. “You really haven’t been there lately, have you?”
I shake my head, and the wicked look she gives me informs me that I’ve lost touch, especially with her.
“Our new club is making money,” she softens the rejection with an explanation, “Not as much as we would make on a good night, but we’re pulling it in.” The jar is two-thirds filled with cash.
“I could help if you want me to,” I reply, “with the books.”
“We are nowhere near having a book.” Nova turns toward me, taking her eye off the sign-up sheet. “Why are you here, Astrid?”
The stunned look on my face does nothing to conceal how I feel. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be here?”
Nova places her fingertips on the sheet to keep it from leaving the table while several guys wait to write down their names. “You know you don’t belong here anymore,” she replies softly to me, “Astrid, you got your lucky break. You don’t have to come here to prove that you still belong. It’s okay to move on—no hate from me, girl. Be blessed. And go live that life. I know I would. ”
Maybe I should feel something after hearing that, but I feel a hollow emptiness and a little nauseous. I knew I didn’t fit in when I rode through the gate. “That doesn’t mean I can’t help you and everyone else from the Pit,” I persist. “Nova, I’m learning how they run the place. I could really help.”
Nova’s mouth softens as she takes in what I’m saying. “I’m not sure, Astrid.”
I lean in closer, desperate to make my point. “Look, we’ll use my money here to make this a real club. Nova, I need you.”
Her lips part in surprise, and I can tell by her eyes that I have her back. “You really don’t know,” she says.
“Know what?” I ask doubtfully. “What is going on that I should know?”
The first fight begins as two guys face off on the old basketball court, using the faded white circle as a boundary. Nova stands up and waves Derick over. “Astrid and I are going to take a walk…to discuss business.” She motions Ace over but continues to speak to Derick. “He’s been upgraded for tonight. Have him help you out.” She hands the jar to Ace. “Protect this.”
Nova sits on the back of my bike as I pedal toward the Pit. We don’t speak, only because I can’t as I huff and puff up the first hill. We coast down the next one into the parking lot that’s filled with cars. And a few of them are expensive foreign makes.
I notice the two guys standing by the door. “Where’s Teeny?” I ask as I prop my bike up on the far corner of the building.
Nova takes off her coat, and I do the same. “I’ll tell you later. Just follow my lead so we can get in. And shake your ass.” Nova approaches the largest bouncer, swaying her hips, ““Hey, is it ladies’ night?”
The bouncer looks Nova over, his eyes lingering on her full hips in her tight jeans. “Maybe,” he asks, “Are you here to audition?”
Nova smiles widely, turning her charm up as high as the dial will spin. “If I like the crowd,” she glances at the parking lot, “I see a few Mercedes.”
The bouncer smiles and nudges the other man in the arm. “You can go inside, sweet cheeks” he looks me over, less impressed.
“She’s new but curious,” Nova grabs my hand. “We only play together. You know, chocolate and vanilla make cream, baby.”
He leers at Nova again and opens the doors for us. Nova would usually never talk like that or put up with that talk, but I don’t have a chance to say anything as we walk into a wall of people and noise. The colored lights are blinding as they flash across the enormous warehouse. Nova holds my hand tightly until my fingers go numb and tugs me through the crush of people toward the stage. I notice that there aren’t many women in the crowd, and the few that are here are barely clothed. Hands brush against my bottom as we get closer, and I keep my head down as if not looking can form a shield around me.
We round the edge of the concrete ring—the side closest to the changing rooms. Slowly, I look up, and my eyes pop when I see the fighters in the ring. Two women, barely dressed in thongs up their asses, pace around each other. Both have numbers on their backs, and their sheer tops barely conceal their breasts. They start to pull and tug at each other, causing their oiled parts to bounce freely. One grabs for the other girl’s breast, and she moans.
What the fuck is this place?
Nova tugs my hand, and I follow on her heels. But before we head into the changing room (and safety), I look up. Bryce, Pierce, and an older man in a suit are on the catwalk, sprawled in oversized leather chairs. Bryce looks bored as usual while Pierce fondles the girl seated in the old man’s lap. Grinder is missing from the catwalk, replaced by a girl in a string thong that’s barely a bikini. Bryce glances down, and his gaze catches on mine. I turn away and flee.
Nova and I make it into the changing room and hurry out the back exit. The cold air should feel good after that place, but it smells like weed. I cough, fanning my face, and head quickly into the parking lot, turning to search Nova. She’s standing by Grinder in a fucking suit, and Grinder is standing near a limo. The sunroof of the vehicle is open, and squeals of female laughter can be heard inside.
Nova hurries toward me, leaving a stoic Grinder behind. “Let’s go.”
I look at Grinder, but he turns away.
“I thought you should see it for yourself,” Nova explains as I grab my bike off the wall. We avoid the parking lot and walk back toward the street.
“They got rid of the Friday night fighters for that,” she says, “And that was tame. Some nights it’s a lot worse.”
I shake my head in a daze. “Stonehaven did that.”
“They screwed us all over the place.” There’s plenty of anger in her voice. “And we didn’t even get paid for it. Not like they’re paying those girls.”
“Do you have time?” I ask her.
“Not much,” She checks her phone with a frown. “We can’t hang out now like old times.”
“Old times are gone,” I reply, “I want you to see a place.”
With Nova on the seat, I cycle my bike to the rental where the Halloween store used to be. We stand outside in the dark, peering in. Nova’s impressed but doubtful if we could get away with a fight club off a busy highway.
“I have a plan,” I reply confidently.
We circle behind the building, and there’s a warehouse attached to the storefront. We could host the club in the back and have a fake store in the front.
“A store that no one wants to shop in,” she adds. “But where are you going to get the money?”
I smile. “I have some cash.” After class, I made a call and found out that I have enough money to rent the space for a month. “We’ll hang up signs that say ‘coming soon’ while we host the club in the back to see if we can get it going.”
A delighted Nova nods. “I like where this is going,” she smiles, “Straight to the bank. And Astrid, never tell anyone that I used that line to get into that nasty Pit. It really is a pit now.”
We slap palms, which is as good as shaking on it. “I won’t tell. Oh, one more thing.” I grin. “I always thought of us as peanut butter and jelly.”
