The Porn Identity

Chapter 13

       I wasn't sure what appropriate combat sport viewing attire was, so I dressed casual in a pair of jean shorts and a tee shirt. Manny looked casual himself when he showed up to pick me up in a nice pair of jeans and a novelty tee that had the words Combat Night printed across the front in some sort of kitschy action font. He looked super cute when I opened my door.

       "You ready?" He asked with a giddy little smile like a kid on the way to an amusement park.

       "I'm so excited." I wasn't, but I smiled wide for him anyway.

       He held out his arm. "Thanks for coming with me."

       I sighed all theatrically then grabbed his arm. "I'd do anything for you." I hope he knows that's hyperbole. I wouldn't eat asparagus for him. Or, like, go camping with him in the woods. That's where the bears live.

       The Veterans Memorial Arena sat on the edge of downtown right between I95, the Fairgrounds, and Altel Stadium. The Arena was host to three of the city's professional athletic teams: the arena football team, the ice hockey team, and the minor league basketball team. They also hosted concerts, monster truck rallies, Disney on Ice, graduations, and apparently various live fights. Not bad at all. Especially compared to Altel, the massive football stadium one baseball field over that was subsidized by the city and only hosted our local NFL team, the Burenville Cheetahs. There were an awful lot of mumblings in the taxpayer community about that, especially since ba-zillionaire Shawn Khan owned the team (and half the town if he had his way), but that's a story for a different time.

       Manny opted to park in the garage across the street—an honor that came with a fifteen-dollar charge, not that I'm counting. We were hella early so we got out and strolled idly towards our destination. Staggered crowds of fight fans came down every street as we walked, some of them excited, some of them withdrawn, and some of them half-drunk already.

       The actual arena looked unchanged since they built it when I was in high school. The large brick facility still looked somewhat new; from the shiny glass windows that covered the north side to the brick and concrete courtyard where the ticket booths still stood. The first time I'd ever come here was for a B2K concert my friend Rachelle had invited me and two other girls to for her birthday. I don't know if this fight will top the excitement I felt as a hormonal teenage girl drooling over gyrating boy band members but hey, I was still fairly hormonal so who knows.

       After getting our tickets taken and walking through the metal detectors, we were in. The crowd was absolutely massive in the downstairs lobby. They were loud too; the fervent chatter leant an electric charge through the air that almost got me excited too until I realized this wasn't a showing of Heathers: The Musical. Boo. But, hey, I was choosing to keep an open mind—maybe I'd love it. And if this crowd's hype was anything to go by, I might have fun at the very least.

       Manny glanced over the top of the crowd and toward the concession stand. "Should we get our snacks first?"

       "Yeah. I'm starving." I'd skipped lunch in anticipation of all the wonderful snack bar food I was planning to absolutely gorge myself on. Was it irresponsible? Yes. But damn it, what's the point of living if you can't destroy your body with processed trash every once in a while, huh? There's no commandment in the Bible that says you can't have nachos. Though, I think there was something about gluttony, I can't remember. I really should pay attention the three times a year I go to church instead of staring at the rafters and imagining myself as the lead heroine in a Victorian romance. What the hell would I even be doing in the Victorian era? Not getting romanced by a rakish Duke while wearing baller-ass dresses that's for damn sure.