The Serpent Queen

Take a Right | Part Three

Phoebe didn't move from the mat even when class was over. She lay on her back still dressed in her gi with her backpack beside her. Aisha was getting changed in the bathroom and she was waiting for her. Her leg throbbed and it was agony. She held her phone above her face and noticed the text message from her dad about being away with Johnny and their friends.

Pressing the screen a few more times, she held the phone to her ear. "Hey, grandpa. Are you busy right now?"

"I am not. No. Why?"

"I need your help. That money you gave me for my birthdays, well I need it."

"Don't you have it?"

"My parents put it in an account and I can only access it as long as I'm with a family member over the age of twenty one, but I have full access when I turn eighteen. Dad's away, mum's at work, Demetri is underage and I don't know about his parents."

"What's it for?"

"The entry fee to my gymnastics championship. I have to sign up and pay it by the end of the week."

"How much?"

"Three hundred dollars."

"I can't do it this week unfortunately. You could always get a job you know."

"No. No way. Not this late into the summer. School's starting back up again soon."

"There will always be a job for you at the club."

"Like what? A dishwasher?"

"An entertainer. Put those gymnastic skills to good use."

"Haha, very funny. I'm not a dancing monkey." She sighed weighing up her options. Laying her head back on the mat, she sighed. "Fine. But I set my own hours so I can do it in-between karate and my social life. I better be getting paid well."

"What kind of business do you think I run? You come here for three days. Hundred dollars a day."

"Pleasure doing business. Thank you, grandpa. Bye." Putting her phone down, she exhaled. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Hawk staring at her. He and his friends hadn't left yet either and had most likely heard that conversation. Not that she cared. "Would you like to put your numbers in my new phone?"

"You're asking me for my number?"

"Don't get too excited. It's for all of you."

Hawk stepped over to her and took her phone and proceeded to put his own number, and Big Red's phone number, along with Rickenberger's, Mikey's, Edwin's, and all the rest of the Cobras ones that she didn't have. He glanced at her while he did it. "You've been laying there for fifteen minutes, do you need help getting up?"

"Not from you."

Hawk handed her back her phone and she snatched it.

Rickenberger hollered, "Phoebe, how you stood up to Kreese had some balls and even fighting Kayla. You are badass bitch of the dojo."

"She's not going to go out with you, Doug. So shut it!" Big Red kicked him.

Phoebe turned her head, "You want to go out with me?"

"Yeah."

Turning her head to stare back at the white ceiling, she said, "Sorry. I don't date other Cobras. I already made that mistake once."

Hawk's face darkened slightly. He was irritated, but he brushed that comment off. "I'm standing right here. There's no need to be rude."

"There's no need to do a lot of things, but you still did them anyway. Besides I've been in the mood lately to put up with bullies." She fired back. The blonde managed to get herself up and stand up putting most of not all of her weight on her good leg. "Look, for the sake of being a fellow Cobra, I'll be civil with you. That's the extent of this little near non-existent olive branch. And for your information, we are not friends. We are teammates and that's it. That's all we will ever be from now on."