Brightside | ✓

43.1 | mad woman

It had been a long time since Eddie had fought in an underground match. She wasn't sure she'd ever be back. Only the worst times of her life did she revisit where she came from. That time was no exception.

            It didn't feel right to box in the uniform she was banned from using for a year even when it was just a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Instead, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a not-so-matching sports bra from the bag she was living out of, both off the ground—she'd dirtied up the nursery her sister was preparing pretty well—and a stupid cropped band shirt as a cover-up that always made men ask her to name five songs. (It wasn't hard when The Killers had so many good songs, but that was beside the point.)

            Walking into the building was revolting. It wasn't that anyone fighting underground should've been reprimanded for doing so, it was that Eddie didn't think she'd have to go back to her roots once she joined the circuit. That thought, in turn, also made her feel shitty. Because there was no problem with revisiting where she used to be—male athletes did it all the time when they went back to their alma maters. They didn't do it through 12 months of suspension, though. Fuck.

            "So, this is what suspension looks like, huh." It didn't help that she only knew about the fight because one Cruella Queen had texted her that she was in San Francisco and how about that spar, babe?

            Eddie didn't know whether or not she should've been insulted that the popstar didn't look the slightest bit surprised she had jumped at the opportunity to get into the ring again. "I—um, I know this is a bad look—"

            "What do you mean?" Cruella asked. "Those shorts are cute."

            "I don't even know if I'm allowed here," Eddie blurted. It was better than admitting she might've been wearing Axel's shorts without realizing it. "Am I allowed to just watch? Also—my god, are you okay? I read the articles—Well, I saw the articles. I read one. They all say the same things—Do you need a hug, or—or I could never bring it up again and I can apologize for bringing it up in the first place—"

            Cruella was no stranger to headlines, neither was Eddie. It was all over that she lost out on a movie role to another actress, and there was nothing anyone could do to make the anyone feel better about that. Most of the time, things like that weren't widely advertised, but most women weren't Cruella Queen. It was hard to stay out of the headlines, especially in a pit of despair. Eddie never should've brought it up. The difference between the two women was Cruella would've hugged Eddie silently, and Eddie wasn't good at keeping her mouth shut.

            "I've never seen it so crowded," Cruella managed. She hid her feelings well, but her eyes betrayed her. "Trust me, they're all thrilled you're here."

            "It's good to see you."

            "I'd say I'm happy to see you but I'm probably about to get my ass beat."

            "You need to be nicer to yourself."

            Cruella rolled her eyes. "I think I'm just being realistic about going up against a professional athlete."

            "I'm just looking forward to getting in the ring again."

            "How long has it been?"

            "New Orleans was the last one," Eddie said. Axel's birthday. Four months. "Three months before that was the ringside... incident. Now it's a year."

            "How has training been going, though?" Cruella asked. "I guess, before the... you know."

            It was embarrassing how quickly thinking about Rush in the hospital made her want to cry and fight and move across the world and never be seen again. And it wasn't even her anger. It wasn't her career on the line. It was just... someone she knew. Nothing made it easier to digest.