The Only Way (8 page)

"Fifteen minutes," Leo nodded approvingly when she crawled out of the ring on all fours. Hart barely made it to the edge before she retched, her dinner coming up hot in her throat.

*~*~*

She should have seen it coming.  But Hart was a bit too busy being knocked to her knees to pay attention to her opponent's feet until one was catching her on the side of the head.

Her vision swam and went dark.

When Hart blinked open her eyes again, it took her a moment to realize the cacophony of sound wasn't just in her head, which was ringing like she had never experienced before. A deep ache blossomed behind her left eye. She blinked again, and Leo came into her line of vision. She couldn't make out his words; she watched the motion of his lips in a daze.

She grasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet. The second she was upright, she stumbled again, the room spinning around her. The audience blurred into a mass of color and sound, and her stomach heaved.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

Her opponent still stood in the center of the ring, his arms raised triumphantly, basking in the cheers from the crowd. So, she couldn't have been out for that long, she assured herself.

At the side of the ring, Leo was suddenly gone and someone else was keeping her upright. It took a moment before Hart realized it was Ruby, ducking a shoulder under Hart's arm and tucking an arm around her waist. She guided Hart into the changing room and deposited her on a bench. Without the noise of the arena, Hart's head felt clearer, but little black spots still swum in her vision.

Hart blinked, realizing Ruby was lifting her feet, trying to put her shoes on for her.

"I'm fine. I can do it." The shake in her voice didn't make her words sound as convincing as she'd hoped.

"You've got a concussion, dumbass," Ruby snorted. "Even tying shoelaces is beyond you right now. Just sit still and try not to puke."

Hart didn't feel particularly nauseated until Ruby dragged her to her feet again. Then she tried desperately to take the other girl's words to heart.

"Come on."

"Where?" Hart asked dumbly.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'm taking you home. If you can't tie your shoes, then you certainly can't get back to the Gutter on your own."

"You don't have to …"

"Actually, I do. Dad gave explicit instructions. So stop complaining and start walking." Ruby's tone was harsh, but her hands were gentle as she steadied Hart against her, leading her out into the night.

The walk was slow, Hart's steps hesitant as she was struck by dizzy spells. Hart directed Ruby, but the girl was really the one leading the way, shouldering more than her fair share of Hart's weight.

"I'm sorry about this," Hart felt compelled to say as they stepped through the gate into the Gutter.

"Don't be stupid," Ruby snapped, the rough tone that Hart was starting to realize stood in for some kind of weird affection in the girl's book. Or, at least, it wasn't the same tone she took with the men at the gym who ogled her ass and made snide comments. "What did you think we were going to do? Just leave you in the streets?"

"Well, thanks anyway," Hart shrugged.

After a second Ruby said quietly, "you're welcome."

Hart grinned, knowing the darkness of the Gutter would hide it.

Ruby didn't comment on the Gutter as they wound their way further and further into the shantytown, but Hart couldn't help but wonder how it looked to her after growing up in the Alley.

Luckily they were at her door before shame could completely overpower her.

"Here we are," she said, dropping her eyes before she could see Ruby's reaction to their house. "Thanks again. I'll see you later?"

Ruby just rolled her eyes again at Hart's stammering attempts at politeness and rapped loudly on the door.

"What?" Hart gaped.

Hart's mother pulled open the door, her eyes wide and worried.

"Hart!" Vivien grabbed her roughly, pulling her in. "I thought—"

No one knocked on their door. Except those bearing bad news.

"I'm fine, mama," Hart assured her.

"Sorry to worry you," Ruby said awkwardly.

Vivien released Hart, turning curious eyes on Ruby.

"This is Ruby," Hart said perfunctorily. "From the gym."

"Oh!" Impossibly, Vivien's eyes grew wider, and she shot Hart an accusatory look, as if she had been mere seconds away from saying something like,
how was your day pretending to be a man, daughter of mine?

Hart grimaced.

"I just wanted to let you know," Ruby said, clearly uncomfortable. "Hart took a bit of a hit—or, well, a kick really," at the sight of Vivien's face, Ruby rushed on, "anyway, it's not important. But he's probably got a concussion, and I just wanted to let you know that you should keep him awake for the next couple of hours."

"What? But I'm exhausted!" Hart complained. Vivien and Ruby shot her twin looks of exasperation.

"Too bad," Ruby said, pointing a finger at her. "Stay awake."

"I'll make sure … he does," Vivien said. Hart could only hope Ruby didn't notice the hesitation.

Ruby smiled. "Sorry again to bother you, ma'am. See you back at the gym, Hart."

"Yeah. Um, thanks."

"Um, you're welcome," Ruby grinned and then she darted off back into the darkness before Hart could say anything else.

"Hart," her mother's voice trembled as she grasped her arm and drew her into the house.

"I'm fine, really."

"A concussion," Vivien snapped.

"It's not a big deal," Hart argued, letting her mother push her down into a chair.

"Hart," Vivien said, touching the side of her face delicately. It must have bruised, Hart thought dully. "I don't want you going back there."

"What? Of course I'm going back! I have to!"

"No, you don't," Vivien said it gently, like she was trying to let Hart down.

"I do." Hart pushed her mother's hand away petulantly. "Who else is going to support this family?"

"You're not supporting us," her mother snapped. "You haven't made a cent in the ring. You're getting hurt for no reason."

Hart reeled back like she'd been slapped. "You think I can't win?"

"Hart, I didn't say that."

Hart stood, crossing her arms. "I'm going to win. You might not think so, but Leo does. You'll see."

She stormed to the door.

"Hart, your head!"

"Don't worry," she snapped. "I won't fall asleep." She let the door swing shut behind her, enfolding her in the darkness of the Gutter night.

*~*~*

Hart squinted at her opponent through her one good eye. The other throbbed where it was swollen nearly shut, courtesy the previous fight's kick to the head. Her body ached and tonight's fight hadn't even begun. The boy across the ring was no older than she was, but he was taller and broader. Gareth had lean muscles that she knew not to underestimate.

The bell rang and she drew her hands up, shifting her weight onto the balls of her feet. Gareth charged forward, and Hart moved quickly to the side. He pivoted in confusion. She moved again, making him spin uselessly to find her again. His eyes narrowed and he came at her again, bearing down. She ducked his swing and danced away, trying not to move too far. She shouldn't tire herself out this early.

Out of the corner of Hart's eye, she could see Ruby, standing next to Leo and watching the fight with intense concentration. She rocked slightly on her toes as Hart and her opponent circled each other, moving with them from the sidelines.

It was a movement Hart recognized from their time in the gym, and it buoyed her. She focused in on Gareth, determined to find an opening.

He was good, light on his feet, with a strong, natural swing. He used his height to his advantage, looming over Hart. But after a moment, she noticed that he pivoted awkwardly to the left, like his knee wouldn't quite hold him.

Hart felt a grin spreading over her face, the first in what felt like days.

She danced to his left, forcing him to spin after her, unsteady on his feet. He overcompensated with his upper body, leaning too far forward. His hands dropped incrementally every time.

Hart kept him moving, to the left whenever possible, watching Gareth's hands and face. She darted closer and closer. Gareth spun and she took her opening. She swung hard.

The impact seemed to travel all the way up her arm, her knuckles feeling like they would shatter on the hard line of his jaw. Gareth's head snapped back. Hart didn't give him a moment to pause. She sent a swift, hard jab into his abdomen. He curled up, a hand hovering over his jaw. She braced herself, hating the movement even as her hand came up, clocking him hard on the head. He waivered and she surged forward, bearing him down to the mat.

She had practiced pinning with Ruby, getting the girl under her and holding her down. This was nothing like that. Gareth struggled even as he gasped for breath. Hart couldn't bring herself to feel pity as she planted a knee on his sternum.

The crowd roared as Leo called out the count. "Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten! We have a winner!"

Hart blinked up at Leo as he clambered into the ring, dragging her off of Gareth and holding her arm up in the air.

"Told ya you could do it," he murmured, voice nearly lost under the cheering of the gathered crowd. Hart gazed out into their excited faces, the men and women of the Alley, screaming for her victory.

Leo pressed something into her hand and Hart looked down, uncomprehending. A small velvet bag lay limply in her palm.

"Your winnings," he whispered.

She closed her hand around the bag, drawing it into her chest to rest against the hammering beat of her heart. Her winnings. Fifteen dollars to take home to her family.

She stumbled out of the ring when Leo let her go, turning to check on Gareth. Ruby was waiting on the sidelines.

"I won," Hart said dumbly.

A grin flashed over Ruby's face. "You did." Before Hart knew what was happening, Ruby had stepped forward, pulling Hart in tight. "I'm proud of you," she said.

Hart had never hugged anyone but her family before. It was strange when she was used to the comforting scent of her mother or father or the small bodies of her siblings. But it was nice, she realized, as she let her hands come up to rest lightly on Ruby's back.

*~*~*

Hart let herself into the house quietly, tiptoeing into the dark and letting the door
snick
shut behind her. She could hear Penny's soft snores coming from the bed and she smiled, kicking off her shoes.

"Hart?"

Her mother's door cracked open, and Hart weaved her way through the main room to reach it. Vivien's face was anxious, illuminated by a single candle still burning behind her.

"Are you all right?"

Hart slid into the room and pulled the door shut behind her, so she didn't wake the children. "I'm fine."

Her mother's hands roamed over her face, looking for new cuts and bruises to join the old. 

"Really, I'm all right." Hart pulled Vivien's hand away from her cheek and pressed the purse into it.

Her mother looked down at the bills in her hand in incomprehension. "Is that …?"

"Yep."

"You?" She looked up with wide eyes.

"I won."  Even saying the words made her feel giddy.

"You won." A smile broke out over her mother's face, erasing the lines and bags for a moment and making her look as pretty and young as Hart remembered from her childhood. "My baby girl knocked out a grown man."

"Yep," Hart laughed.

Her mother swept her into a tight embrace, laughing into her neck. In that moment, all the pain and the bruises and the bleeding seemed worth it.

When Vivien drew back, she was still grinning widely. "I'm so proud of you, Hart."  She touched Hart's cheek, tracing over a lingering bruise. "Not because you fought well in the ring," she said sternly, "but because of how hard you're fighting for this family."

Hart ducked her head, feeling tears prickle in her eyes, overwhelmed. "Thanks, mama."

"It's not …" Her mother shook her head. "It's not that I didn't believe in you. I just can't stand the thought of losing you the way we lost your father."

Hart bit her lip, wiping at her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," her mother said briskly. "Now, it's high time you went to bed." She gestured to the bed in the corner and Hart smiled, pulling off her sweatshirt and sliding under the heavy blanket.

She curled up next to her mother, breathing in the familiar scent, feeling simultaneously like a small child again and, finally, like an adult.

Chapter Six

"Look at all this
food
," Penny gaped. Hart grinned as she laid out the last of the supper. It was more than they'd had since her father died, a full meal for each of them. There was a heavy, rich meat stew, dense with vegetables, and even bread to soak it up with.
Fresh
bread, bought in the Alley, light and fluffy and smelling like heaven. Roe held a piece up to her nose and inhaled deeply, a smile on her face. Hart felt something swell in her chest as she watched her siblings eat, knowing she put the food on the table.

There was no going back now. She had to keep fighting, keep winning, so that she could keep these smiles on the kids' faces.

In the morning, Hart woke early, climbing out from between Finn and Penny and dressing quickly. She had another fight that evening, and her body thrummed with pent-up energy and tension. She slipped out of the house, breaking into a steady jog once she hit the street. She was terrified that her last fight had been a fluke, that Gareth had merely been a weak opponent, that anyone could have beaten him. She was terrified that she'd never win again, never feel that elation and pride as she brought money home to her family. She ran hard, letting the even pounding of her feet and the hard beat of her heart steady her thoughts.

She ran right to the checkpoint, flashing her pass to allow her through. It was a strange feeling, having access to this previously closed-off world. She wondered what it was like to have a pass to the City as some in the Alley did. To be allowed to see behind the high stone wall that separated the City from the Alley, shielding it from prying eyes. Hart had no idea what the City even looked like. Whispers of opulence and squander ran through the Gutter, rumors of food eaten and food wasted, money thrown away on luxuries Hart had never even heard of, while Hart got her face bashed in for mere dollars.