Fight For It

FIGHT FOR IT



"BOYS! Come here!" I heard Coach Manzati yell. "HANG ON COACH!" I heard a voice yell back. I sighed. I was nervous as ever. I tried to make myself look not very girly for today, by throwing on a black tee shirt with black nylon short- shorts. My wraps were black, but my gloves were Italian gloves. "NOW!" he yelled back, and two boys came running. One had blonde hair so blonde, it looked white with green eyes. The other had black hair with blue eyes. Both boys were probably six inches taller then me, and were looking me over. "Who is this?" the black haired boy said. "Toby. Stop. I'm Ashford. This is Toby."The blond boy, Ashford, said. "This is Charlie, and she is gonna be part of your team." Coach said. "SHE IS A GIRL!" Toby said. "I will go in the pad suit. Beat me up, it won't hurt. Show us what you got." Ashford said, climbing into a huge, pad suit. I climbed into the ring. I wiggled my mouth guard on, and heard the one-minute spar bell."Go."



I immediately threw a kick to the head, causing him to stumble with force. I then started punching, throwing in roundhouse kicks along the way. By the time the bell rang it was over, Ashford was on the ground. I helped him up. "Welcome to the team, Charlie." Toby said. "I was wearing the best pad suit available and I still got hurt. Awesome." Ashford exclaimed. "Ironic you even match our gloves." Toby smirked, showing the gloves. "So, tell us everything about you. Age, birth day, natural hair color, natural eye color, full name, hometown, hobbies. All that." They said, so I started. "My name is Charlotte Rose Bucci.I am Fifteen. I was born on March sixth. I have natural black hair, and hazel eyes. I never dyed my hair exempt for the pink streak. I was born and raised on Taylor Street, in Chicago of course. I sew, shop, style,read, and fight. Now, you guys." I blurted out. "Ok, Charlotte." Toby smirked. "Charlie." I corrected. "My full name is Tobias Luccio, Fifteen, January second, black hair, blue eyes, born in the city and live in Gold Coast, play video games, chess, and fight." he said in one breath. "My full name is Ashford Scatini, Fifteen, April seventeenth, blonde hair, green eyes, born in the suburbs, live in Lincoln Park, fight, surf, and cook." he said, adding."Now we told each other everything, we must invent your nickname. I am Bomb, Toby is Death, and you…." I smirked. "Death and Bomb, we will kill." I made a deadly face. "Mafia. You shocked him, and killed him. Mafia." Toby said. "Death, Bomb,and Mafia. Enzo Manzati's wonder team." Ashford smiled. "Hello? Boys, I need to talk to Charlie. I'm Myra, Enzo's right hand man." Myra smiled, as they left. "Now, your uniform."



"What?" I asked. "What to wear to practice, fights, and championships. The boys got second place last year for the WBC, national. They want to win international." she said, continuing. "Practice, is casual. Spankies, and tight camis or sports bras. Fights here, same thing. Fights else where, boxer shorts with a Manzati shirt. Professional fights, we cross that bridge when we get to it. We shop tonight, with the boys. Everything to do with the team, they come with. See you later!" she left, and waved. "So, Charlie. What part of Italy is your family from?" Toby asked. "Bari. What about you guys?" I asked. "Really? Mine is from Bari too! Ash's is from Capri. At least you are italian." he said. "You better bring your game Charlie. You are gonna be our only hope. You can do it. It's exactly eleven months to championship. You can do it.Welcome."



FOUR MONTHS LATER



"TOBY!" I yelled, running down the street, jumping on his back. We laughed. "Charlie! Lets go! Ash is going to be late he text me." he said. I jumped off his back. "Ok! I need my tea." I said. "Hello. This is by boxing teammate. She calls herself a boy name when she has an extremely girly name. Her favorite color is black. We call her Mafia. She has slight woman abs. But, she needs her tea with sugar, and sunshine." he joked, as I hit his arm. I got my tea at Starbucks, and walked through Water Tower Shopping mall with Toby. "Is Ash ever early?" I groaned. "He is just having us meet his new girlfriend, so remember. Act like you are totally goo-goo over me. No big words, like last time. Platitudinous? He needs a solid girlfriend." Toby says. "Let's go into here." I point to a purse store. "You trashed my boxing bag." He lost an easy fight, so he took it out on my Vera Bradley duffel. "You are lucky I had my receipt." I picked out my favorite pattern and exchanged it. "Look who it is." he said, pointing to the window. "I'll hold your bag, so it looks more convincing. Who is the girl now?" he said, and we peeked. My breath caught, as did Toby's. My best friend was holding Ashford's hand. "Margie."



"What do we do? She knows I don't have a boyfriend." I said, sighing. "Now, you do." he said, grabbing my hand, trying to walk like people in love do. "Hey Ash!" Toby yelled, swinging my hand, acting like he never does. "Hi guys! This is Margie, my girlfriend. Margie, this is Toby and-" but he did not finish. "Charlie! She is my best friend." Margie said, hugging me. "I did not know you were in a relationship!" Everyone seemed to be acting different. "Yeah, but do not tell anyone, I want it to be low key. Our secret, Mar." I said. "Charlie sweetie, mind if I talk to Ash privately?" he said. "Gladly darling. We will meet you inside the restaurant." I said, linking arms with Margie. "He is adorable! Finally! Right now, I need to take a break from giggles. Lets go into a photo booth after this, the four of us!" she said, excited. "Toby is not that photogenic, he might not agree." I said, seeing them walk in. Toby slid in next to me, Ash on the other side. "So…. how long have you guys been a couple?" Margie asked. "Seven weeks." I said, giving Toby a fake, lovey-dovey glance. "Best seven weeks of my life, except when my tooth came out." he said, exchanging the same fake look. We chatted a bit more, ate, paid, and walked outside. "Photo booth? Toby, do you oblige?" Margie said, "No. Lets go." he said. "Let me run to the washroom really quick." she said, skittering off. "You want to be kissed by me boy?" I asked, hand on my hip. "You do look ravishing today." he smiled. "Ash! You are dating my best friend, so we have to pretend to be a couple?" I ask. "Yep." he said, smiling. "We got a fight tonight. Be prepped." I said to them. "It is gonna be televised!" I exclaimed. "Ooooo!You fight? Charlie, don't beat up my boyfriend! Can I come! Please?" she asked Ash, giving him her puppy eyes. He nodded. I felt Toby's grip. "Are you fighting tonight?" she asked, oblivious to everything. "Yes, so is Toby." I said. She seemed to forget about the photo booth. "I need to go home and… prepare something! I will call you!" She exclaimed, as she kissed Ash, hugged me and Toby, and skitted off. Toby let go of me. "Well, now at this rate we might have to pretend to be married."



"ASH! Now what do we do? She wants to see us fight! The minute you, or more likely me get hurt, she will freak! I had a split lip in seventh grade, and she was acting like I lost two limbs! God forbid she did not notice all the make up to cover bruises!" I say. "I don't know. She is sweet. I like her, she might stay." Ash said. "I'm going. Meet me at the gym at four, in practice gear." he said, spinning away. "That went well. What do you think?" I enquired. "Six weeks, at the most. Not like our magical seven week rendezvous." he winked. I eyed my watch: 2:00. "Hey Toby? Want to do something ridiculously stupid before a fight?" I asked. "I like stupid."



"C'mon! Faster!" I said, giggling as I was on his back. "Here we go!" He said, dropping me. Sprinkles Cupcakes, the best cupcakes in town. Never, ever eat something like this before a fight.Ever. "It smell awesome." he said, as we went inside. "A red velvet cupcake, and a chocolate please." he said, ordering. "Thanks Toby." I said, grabbing the cupcakes and bringing them to the barstool counter. He sat next to me. We devoured the cupcakes, feeling well rewarded and happy. "Come on. Run home with me, let me grab my stuff, and then I will take a ride by you." he commended, as he hailed a cab. I held on to him the whole ride. "You don't like cabs?" he whispered. "No, the drivers." I whispered back. He laughed, paid, and we went upstairs into his building.



"Help me Charlie!" he yelled out, calling me. I went to help him, and was surprised by his room. Not a thing was out of place. He looked like a teenage boy-monk. I ran my fingers through my hair, and a piece of black hair fell out. "THE HAIR!" he yelled, throwing it into the garbage, giving me a deadly glare. "What?" I asked. "Black shorts?" he questioned. "I am. So is Ash." I flopped on his bed, as he packed up. "Ready?" he asked. "Ready." I responded. We left, hopped on a bus, and went to my apartment. I needed to pack up. I put in my new Manzati gym boxing cami, and black boxing shorts. I threw my wraps, gloves, and toiletry bag in. "Let's go." I said, commanding. "Yes Ma'am." We hopped on a bus, to the gym.



I loved my gym. It was awesome. We had our own room, with a ring, bags, equipment, and a cool hangout station with a beanbag couch and three individual beanbags around a clear coffee table filling with gloves under the glass. "What time is it?" I wondered aloud. I eyed the clock: 3:40. I plopped on the couch, throwing my bag at Toby. "Thanks, Death." I told him. We strictly could only call each other by nickname in the room. It was a dumb rule. Toby plopped next to me. He shook the couch, and I slid toward him. "Sorry-" I started, but he wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around him,and leaned in as close as I could get. He got there first. He gently pressed his lips against mine, me accepting the kiss. We held each other and kissed for what felt like forever. "I haver been wanting to do that since we started calling you Mafia." he whispered. "I am glad I'm not the only one." I whispered back, pressing my lips against his. I felt him smile through the kiss. We still were kissing as we heard a yell. We thought it was outside. "DEATH! MAFIA!" Ash yelled, startling us. "Margie, excuse us for a moment. Boxer rituals." he asked, her just as stunned. "You guys- you just-" he stumbled. "Kissed. Yep we did." Toby said, grabbing my hand. "For the act?" he asked. "Nope." I smiled. "Don't let this get in the way." he commanded, pounding off. "So… are we official?" Toby wondered. "Yep." I said, not even trying to hide my excitement. "Let's go fight." he said, finding our bags and Ash. Margie was hunched over, head in a can. "What happened!" I exclaimed. "She threw up." Ash said. "I am gonna put you in a cab sweetie." he said, picking her up. "Good luck guys." she said. We hopped into Enzo's car, and rode to the Drake hotel, checking in. "I'll be in the room across from you guys. Don't leave." he told us, entering his room, as we entered ours. "Let me change first." I grabbed my bag, and locked myself into the bathroom. I changed into my gear,and left. They left. I peeked out the hall, and saw them.



"What are you guys doing?" I asked. "Little sister, go inside." Toby said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I saw three boys not much bigger then me, but a good inch above Toby standing across from him. "What's your name?" one of the boy barks at me. "Sally." I say, acting small and vulnerable. "Whats with the gear?" the other one snarls. "The shirt is my support gear, the shorts are going under my skirt, and I was messing with Toby's wraps." I muttered, acting meek. "Very well. Go." One boy snaps. I hurry inside, the boys following. "You make out with your sister, creep." Ash jokes. "What did those twits want."I enquire. Toby and Ash glance at each other. "What." I demanded. "You are a big deal in boxing world. There are no girls here, exempt for you. The boxing laws allow it, but girls usually….don't make it far. They were demanding to see you, and they looked shady." Ash said, biting his lip. "Oh well. Someone's knocking." I got up to answer it, Coach and Myra. "Hey Mafia, we need to talk." he said, walking in. "We need to win,after last year she is our only hope. Don't let her go anywhere here alone. She will be harassed. Let's go." he commanded, as we rose. I grabbed the backpack I was allowed to bring into the room, and grew on my nike flip-flops. "Ready?" Toby asked, lacing his fingers with mine. "Ready."



We rushed through the hall, and into the elevator. We stopped one floor below, as the same boys entered the elevator. "Your sister is rather hot." The first one addressed."I am Josh, the Bull." he grabbed my hand and kissed it. Toby looked appalled. "I look forward to fighting you, Mafia." Toby looked outraged. He looked at him, and went to punch him. Instead, I slapped him as hard as I could. There was a handprint on his face. "Screw you." I snarled. I then went, and kissed Toby in front of everyone. We stepped out, and I gave him a fake smile. I went over to our seats, set my stuff down, and pulled out my lipstick. It was bright red. "Hold this." I told Ash, holding a mirror in front of me. My ultra-stay, twenty-four hour lipstick. I smiled. "Thanks." I said. We watched several fights, then I was called. They told me good luck in Italian,and I was up. "PREPARING HER FIRST PROFFESIONAL FIGHT, WELCOME CHARLIE BUCCI ALSO KNOWN AS… MAFIA!" the announcer boomed. I stepped into the ring. The bell rung.



I stared with a kick to the head. A punch to the stomach, and a punch in the throat. He kneed me, then punched my shoulder. I roundhouses kicked his side three times in a row, and he was on the ground. "KO! MAFIA WINS!" the announcer boomed again. I returned to my seat, and smiled. "Good fight." they all said, and I took a sip of water. Toby won, and fought six times. Ash lost, and fought twice. One win, one loss. I fought nine times, losing none. Now came scoring. Whoever was in the top three proceeded to semi-finals in New York. "In third place, with their star fighter, The Bull, is… Lairin's Gym!" he yelled, as the team approached. They called a second place team I did not know. "IN FIRST PLACE… WITH THEIR STAR FGHTER, THE MAFIA, IS…… ENZO MANZATI'S ITALIAN FIGHTERS!" he yelled, as we cheered and hugged. We ran into the ring, Enzo hoisting the trophy above his head. We had the biggest group hug.



TWO MONTHS LATER



"Welcome to New York City!" the flight attendant announced.I hugged Ash, and kissed Toby. "So, basically if we win this, we go through one more round of quarter finals, three rounds of semi-finals, one round of one national, and one rounds of international?" I ask. "Yep." Myra tells me. I smile, walking out of the terminal at JFK. Toby slung across my hips. "Wow. I- I can't believe it." Ash said, smiling and beaming. Enzo hailed a cab. I hooked my arms through the boy's arms. We ride a bumpy trip to Times Square, where we check into the Marriott in the center of it all. "Ash! You should be a photographer if you lose all your teeth." I told him. He smiled, missing four teeth. "Come on guys. Walk straight, tall, proud. Like you own the place." Enzo said, as we straightened our backs. There were countless photographers. "MISS BUCCI! MISS BUCCI!"I heard from every where. I gave them a wave, and blew a kiss. "They seem to love me." I smirked. I went into the elevator, and rode up to the room. "Margie is here! We are next to you guys." Ash said. "We are here." Myra said, at level twelve. "I'll call you." Enzo said. We rode up to the 21st, and got out. I turned into one room as Ash turned into one next to us. "Pretty nice, huh?" Toby said, plopping down the bags. I walked to the windowsill. There was a chair built in. I eyed the view over Times Square. Beautiful. "Charlie? Mind unpacking for me?" he smiled. "Sure." I said, unpacking everything. He laid on the bed, comfy as ever. I finished, and backed up against the bed, facing out toward the window. I felt a hand pull me around the waist. He pulled me under the covers, I felt like I was going to fall asleep.



"I don't wanna get up." he said, laying there. "Me either. I am cold, tired, and lazy." I smiled. "Watch someone knock at the door." he said, pointing. Sure enough, four minutes later, Ash knocked. "I know she's your best friend, and he's mine, but do we need to?" he asked. "I don't wanna either. Lets see." i said, as he got up. I heard him open the door, and climb back in. "Yes?" he asked, the same stubbornness he had when I met him. "Are we interrupting?" Margie asked. "Not now." he mumbled. "I gotta take a pass on dinner tonight. Margie wanted to go somewhere where weird where you guys would hate. Breakfast tomorrow!" Ash beamed. "Ok Ash! See you later. Bye!" I said, waving. They left,and I felt Toby release a breath. "Thank god. Up for Little Italy?" he asked. "Charmed for it." I said. I quickly went in the bathroom with a skirt and a crop top that buts up again the skirt, and heels. All in famous Charlie black. On top, I threw on a leather jacket. I did black eyeliner, and went out. Toby was wearing jeans, a tee shirt, and a sport jacket. We exchanged complements, and left. "Remember, practice at nine." Ash told us as we passed him. It was four. "We should be ok. Can you ride the subway?" he spoke. I nodded. We went to Little Italy, ate our dinner, walked around, and jumped on the subway. "Thanks for everything. I had a wonderful time." I told him. "Me too." We stepped into the elevator, and were greeted at our room by a grumpy Ash, and even grumpier Enzo. "ITS TEN! PRACTICE STARTED AN HOUR AGO!" he yelled, scaring me. "Sorry Enzo. It-" I started. "No. If it happens again, there will be issues. You guys can not go anywhere alone until you prove you are ok. Get dressed for practice." he cut me off. I ran to change, and went downstairs. We had a room for practice. I sparred, and did not say a peep. Practice ended at midnight, and I went upstairs. "I'm terrified." I tell him. "Me too" He says. "I found something for you." he says. He pulls out a necklace. There are two little boxing gloves, set with small diamonds. "Thank you Toby! Thank you!" I throw my arms around him. "I have the best boyfriend in the world." I tell him. "You know how freaking aw-" he started. I kissed him in the middle of his sentence. "That was nice." he said. I laugh, and roll over to sleep. "I love you Toby." I say. "I love you too Charlie."



I awoke hearing a voice. "Good morning sunshine." Toby said, kissing my forehead. "What is that?" I mumble. "The TV." he laughed. I sat up. "Do we fight today?" I asked. "Tomorrow." he said. "Field trip today, at noon." he continued. I looked at the time, 9:05. "Did you hear the yelling last night?" Toby grinned. "No. Why?" I asked. He smiled wider. "Ash and Margie are done." He was laughing at his best friend at this point. "Why?" I ask, laughing. "Ready? She feels he takes up too much time boxing, but here is the big reason: she says he loves cheetahs more than her!" he told me. "The fight was so fun to listen to. Guess what animal Ash has hated since we were nine?" he continues. "Cheetahs." I say. "No. Tigers, but then cheetahs!" he laughs. "Breakfast in here then?" I enquire. "It is being delivered at 9:30."



The breakfast was so good. Waffles, pancakes, bacon, and so much more. "Thanks again for the necklace." I tell him. We finally have to get out of bed when Ash knocks at the door. "Ready?" I ask Toby. He nods. "Hey Ash!"I say. I got dressed twenty minutes ago. "I'm going to get Starbucks." I leave, hopping in the elevator. It stops on level nineteen, and in walks no other then Josh. "Charlie, babe. How are you?" he said, putting a hand on my shoulders. I kneed him. "Do not talk to me." I snarl. "Did your little boyfriend teach you to do that?" he asked. I kneed him harder. "Leave me alone you scum." I said. I spun out of the elevator, going to Starbucks. I ordered my tea, and went back upstairs, thankfully alone. I use the room key, and enter our room. "TOBY!" I yell out. I hear the shower running. I walk carter in the room, and see Toby in the chair. "Who's in the shower?" I ask. "Ash. He needed shampoo, and Margie blocked the door." Toby said. "She's a loon." Toby says. I cannot even argue. "He isn't staying here." I say, crossing my arms. "Her flight is leaving at 1:00." he says. "He has the room then." I sigh with relief. Ash comes out, and Coach knocks at the door. "Yankees game." he says. We cheer.