Chapter Forty-Eight: Breaking Point
I’m My Own High School Rival: Rika’s Arc: Of Fate and Future.
The sun was high on the blacktop of the parking lot. My bike glistened in the sun; its majesty justified through its price, and Kami, the woman who helped Antwon escape the gambling den, rose to her full height.
“Well,” she said, “I didn’t expect to run into you at the ass end of nowhere.”
I fixed my glasses. “The boy I told you that I was looking for; you had him the whole time.”
She raised her arms forming a “W.” “Yup.”
“So, you lied to me.”
“So what! I don’t know you well enough to tell you all my secrets. I don’t even tell the guys I’m fucking the truth.”
I’m not here to fight her… But damn if she isn’t making this hard.
I crossed my arms, placing a hand to my chin. Antwon wasn’t with her, so the clerk’s story must have been true.
“Kami, where is Antwon now?”
She puffed her chest out and started stretching, as if she were preparing for a fight. “Antwon is safe and far away from people like you. So, stop looking.”
“I don’t think you understand—”
“No! I don’t think you get it. Well, you and your fan queen can fuck off, because Cross doesn’t want your shit.”
I raised my brow and stroked my chin, “Cross? Why are you calling him that?”
“Because,” she said, softening a bit, “He wanted me to; if you knew him better, you would know that.”
A sickening feeling erupted in my stomach, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. “And just how well do you know him, Kami…”
Her face gradually changed as I peered into her eyes, waiting for recognition.
If she touched him, tainted him, the Queens of the Iron Court will have their war.
“Wait… No, no! I didn’t do shit with that kid, besides get him out of the den. I mean, sure, I slept in… in… fuck! I can’t name that place, not in the same context as the conversation.”
I dropped my hands to my sides. “How can I be sure, Kami?”
She backed away slowly, waving her hands as if to stay off my attack, but I hadn’t moved.
“Don’t label me, yo. I told you what was up.”
This is taking too long.
“Listen, Kami. I can’t say that I trust what you say, but we can start building bridges right now. Antwon Carter or Cross belongs to the Iron Fan Court, as is the claimant's right after combat. Do you deny this tradition?”
Kami stopped moving and looked down. As a daughter of Kokiri, she lived by the same rules that governed this land.
“N-no…but he ain’t from—”
“But he’s lived here long enough to know that it’s woven into our society.”
She clenched her fists tightly, causing them to shake with pain.
The heat from the sun was amplified by the parking lot’s blacktop, but passing clouds provided momentary relief.
“You should know better as a Daughter of Ash.”
Recognition blazed in her eyes, reaffirming her posture. “Watch what you label people; that brand is dangerous around here.”
Suddenly, I felt like I was in danger, but I couldn’t relent. I needed to know where Antwon was before something happened to him, and she was my best bet at finding him. But how do I de-escalate the situation?
“How would you even know what a Daughter of Ash looked like?” she said, as I bit my lip, trying to hold back enough to glean the needed information. “I think you’re bullshitting me… R…”
“Rika,” I said. “My name is Rika.”
“Well, Rika, I’m sorry that I forgot your name, but that space in my brain is reserved for the names of the guys I date.”
“Like Cross?” I said, expecting a negative response, and I got one.
Her eyes went sharp, and it felt like the blacktop’s heat emanated from her.
“Look, cunt, I told you that nothing happened; if you bring that shit up one more time, I’m going to beat it out of you,” she said, walking in my direction.
I stood tall, making myself appear more imposing, but I didn’t know if that was enough to stay her advance. “We can build the first bridge right now, Kami.” The grimace she wore gave me my answer. My heart raced at the thought of an altercation… ending with one of us dead. “Take your jacket off, and show me your back.”
She paused, but the world didn’t.
“You want me to take off this jacket?” she said, tugging the leather jacket guarding her upper body. “If you want it off, take it off your damn self,” she said, resuming her initial stride toward me.
I hadn’t lost ground since this conversation started, but I was willing to if it would preserve the peace between us. But she was already on me. I didn’t know what to expect; I didn’t think things would escalate so swiftly, but I was curious as to how far she would take her aggression.
“So, here I am,” she said, standing too close for personal comfort. “What are you going to do, Court cunt?”
I frowned.
“Oh, you don’t like that shit, do you? Just what kind of Court trash are you?”
I readjusted my glasses and corrected my frown, leveling out my emotions. “I’m not,” I said softly.
“What was that? Speak up,” she said.
I held on to my glasses, which gave her the courage to lean in for clarity. “I’m not with the court,” I said, lower than last time.
“I can’t fucking hear you, bitch!”
I adjusted my glasses again, which caught her attention.
She reached up and pulled the glasses off my face, pulling them hard when I refused to let go. She studied them for a moment, smiling and shaking her head. “Fucking hell. My momma always told me to hit people with glasses; ‘they're the easiest to eliminate,’ she would always say.” She crushed my glasses in her hand, and something within me cracked as well.
I twirled, and my elbow found her face, causing her to stagger back.
Kami launched herself at me.
I braced myself. I had to control the tempo of this fight; my body still hadn’t fully recovered from Matsoyo’s thrashing. I threw a short jab, unsure of the distance she’d cover, but I had to maintain a sizable gap.
She absorbed the blow, throwing a wide overhanded strike, which connected with my shoulder as I tried to dodge.
The blow brought me low. It was sloppy, but it hurt like hell. I sprang up with an uppercut that missed its mark but forced distance, buying me a moment.
Kami dodged to my right, low and fast.
I jumped as something cut through where my legs used to be.
This is wasting too much time.
I kicked her square in the chest, sending her back and buying space.
She’s younger than I am and has more endurance. If this continues, she’ll win for sure.
She started toward me. “Look… this needs to stop,” I said, putting my hands in the air. “If we continue…you’ll win, but think about An…Cross.”
“So… You kick me in the fucking chest, then beg for a break, bitch?”
I dropped my hands to my knees. “Listen…to me. He’s in danger…he’s being hunted.”
“Oh, don’t I know it,” she said, closing the gap again.
“We found a body at the hotel.”
She stopped.
“What do you mean?” she said.
I stood. “I know that you didn’t do it. I checked the cameras. But Kami, the woman, left the room around the same time you and Cross did.” Her eyes widened. “She took off after you.”
“We were quiet, so she couldn’t have—”
“You said something when Cross went back into the room; it caught her attention, and then she followed you.”
Nearly a minute of silence went by.
She looked down at my feet. “What are you doing?”
She shot a glare at me and ran her hand through her hair. “Shut the fuck up, okay. I’m thinking. I can’t gab and think at the same time.”