Read Online On the Ropes (Down for the Count) by Christa Cervone - Free Book Online Page A

call out, “Tyler, can you come here for a second?” as I wave him towards us.
    Once Tyler joins us, we take a few steps away from the rest of the kids so we’re out of earshot.
    “Tyler, Antonio has something he wants to say to you. Don’t you, Antonio?”
    “No, not really,” he mumbles.
    “Are you sure about that? Because I’d hate to have Frankie find out about this,” my tone is condescending.
    “Tyler… I’m sorry,” he blurts out.
    “Sorry for what?” I’m losing my patience.
    “I’m sorry I pushed you,” Antonio grumbles.
    “It’s alright,” Tyler replies.
    Tyler, Antonio, and I rejoin the group. “Okay, none of this happened. Do you understand?” my voice is loud enough for everyone to hear.
    They all shake their heads in acknowledgement.
    “Good, now let’s get you guys to school,” and I lead them towards the school.
    Once they’re all safely at school, I usually go back to the gym to get Frankie, then we head over to the local YMCA to resume my training.
    “Everyone made it to school okay?” Frankie asks, as soon as I walk through the gym doors. It’s like he has a sixth sense about stuff.
    “Yeah, they all made it there in one piece,” I reassure him.
    “Good. Before we start your workout, I wanna talk to you about Blaine Davis,” Frankie leans up against the boxing ring.
    “What ‘bout him?”
    “Have you given any thought to him sponsoring you?”
    “No, not really.”
    “Kid, you do realize what a sponsor can mean for you, don’t you? Your entrance fees into the fight would be paid for, he’d probably spring for some top of the line gear for you, and there is the potential of you making some extra cash. So you don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck and drive around on that death trap of yours.”
    The death trap he’s referring to is the motorcycle I bought off Craigslist. It’s a used, Blue and White Yamaha R6, and it’s in fairly good condition; considering its age. A few months ago, I’d secretly gotten my motorcycle license and I’d been saving up my money to buy a bike. Frankie was mad as hell when I showed up one Sunday afternoon with it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he’d yelled. “You’re gonna kill yourself on that death trap!”
    I sigh heavily, “Set the meeting up.”
    A smile appears across Frankie’s wrinkled old face.
    “This means nothing! I’ll hear him out, that’s all,” I point at Frankie, smiling back at him as I walk towards the locker room.
    “I’m gonna call him and set it up!” Frankie yells to me.
    Opening my locker, I pull out my wraps and gloves then sit on the bench. I begin to pack my gym bag for the Y and think about Blaine Davis. Maybe a sponsor will be good for me? Money is always a serious stress factor for me before a fight. I’m barely making ends meet as it is, so to have my fight entrance fees paid for would certainly come in handy.
    “All set,” Frankie says, as he comes up to stand behind me. “Blaine is meeting us here tonight at seven.”
    “Okay,” I sigh.
    “I’ll be with you the entire time, kid. Don’t worry, I won’t lead you astray.”
    “I know, Frankie. It’s just…” I pause, trying to find the right words for what I want to say.
    “Spit it out, kid.”
    “I don’t want this guy thinking he owns me, and I still want you to train me.”
    “Then we’ll make sure of it,” Frankie’s voice is confident. “This is a first for me too, you know. Most of the fighters I’ve trained leave me before they’ve made it to this level.”
    “You’re not getting rid of me,” I say matter-of-factly.
    “That’s good, because I hadn’t planned on letting you leave,” he pats me on the shoulder. “Now, stop wastin’ time and let’s get to the Y.”
    A typical day of training before a fight begins with conditioning. Conditioning consists of seven three-minute intervals of shadow-boxing, stair runs, heavy bag, and the speed bag; with three seconds of rest between each