Camilla

thirteen

G I L L I G A N

Taylor is already with Camilla when she shows up at my house to pick me up and drop Mae off with my mom. Cam seems shocked to see that my mother's a long dress, big jewelry wearing hippie, but she also seems like she couldn't care less. Which is refreshing for my mother, I'm sure, because in our old town people would refuse her offers to watch their kids just because of who she was. And she likes children, more than she'd ever admit. Perhaps it's because deep in her heart, she still is one. 

I sit in the back of Camilla's beat up old Chevy.

Camilla drives us to a local diner, and after we order we move to a booth in the most isolated corner of the small building. She sits down on one side, and Taylor and I take our seats on the bench opposite hers, which makes it look like Camilla is our boss and we're just here to discuss potential cases or something like that.

After our food and drinks are brought to us, Cam is strictly business. "So, what do you want to know?" Her tone of voice suggests that she's open and ready for the conversation, but the dark glint in her eyes and the scowl on her face make me nervous. 

I think about what I want to ask first. "Why'd you start?" It's a light question. 

She answers quickly while tearing her straw wrapper to shreds. "Bills to pay. A sister to feed."

"What about your mom?" I've gathered that she doesn't have a father, but I don't know a thing about her mother. I just know she exists from my first day at lunch.

"Next question," she inhales, clenching her fists. I caught her off guard. And, apparently, it's a touchy subject. 

"Camilla, I think we can-" Taylor starts, but Camilla interrupts her through gritted teeth.

"Next. Fucking. Question."

Taylor looks at Camilla sadly and slumps in her seat. Immediately, I see regret cross Camilla's face before she covers it with a blank expression. 

"Sorry, Tay. It's just-"

"I know," Taylor says, giving her a small forgiving smile. "I shouldn't have pushed it."

They drop the subject, and so do I. "How did you get into... boxing?" 

Cam looks like she's pondering how to construct her sentences before she begins. That, or she's filtering out thing I shouldn't hear. Maybe it's both. "In my sophomore year, I was friends with this guy named Daniel. He was a senior. We got super close and I told him all about my... situation, and he told me he thought that he could help. His dad owns an illegal street fighting business, in an abandoned building at the edge of town. He hooked me up with one of their best trainers, and I've been doing it ever since."

"So you're good?" I ask.

Camilla looks at me with a raised eyebrow. Her frown sits firmly in place. "I haven't lost for one year and three months, Gillie. I've fought people four times my size with way more experience than me. So, I mean, take what you want from that."

She's good. I can't tell if that little statement makes her cocky or humble, but I do know the smirk playing on her lips is subconscious, like she doesn't even know it's there. She's proud of herself, then.

"How strong are you?"

Camilla sighs, but amusement flickers in her dark eyes. "I don't know how to fairly answer that question. But, I mean, it's not all about strength, you know. There's a lot of strategy to it, as well."

I nod, accepting her answer even though it wasn't really what I was looking for. It meant she was offering information. Almost like she trusts me.

I shoot that down fast. If she trusts me, she would have told me about her mom.

It went on like that for a while.

Finally, I get to the question I've been wanting to ask since we got here. Our food has long since been devoured, and my questions have (minus the one) all  been answered. "When's your next, like fight or whatever?"

Camilla cocks her head to the side as if debating on telling me or not. Her eyes flicker to Taylor's and then back to me. "It's tomorrow. Why?" Her voice is cautious and guarded. Calm and collected.

I swallow. "I want to come."

 Her response is instant. "Um, fuck no."

"Why not?" My voice comes out whiny, and I force myself not to blush.

"Look, it took me a year to let Taylor come. You think I'll let you after a month?"

"I mean, you could."

"You would be risking the cops."

"I assumed." As spoiled as it made me sound, I wasn't worried about that, really. My father is a lawyer, and my mother is easy-going. I could call either of them and face only a small lecture. 

"And people aren't the nicest to newcomers. I won't be there to make sure Tank or Sly or Kingsley, or if God hates your ass, Zero decides they don't like you."

"Wait. Who are these people?"

"They're all fighters." Camilla shrugs, grinning as she watches me gulp down air.

"And what's so bad about Zero?"

Cam laughs, grinning wickedly. "Zero has, get this, won zero times."

Now I'm super confused. "So why would I be scared of him?"

"Because he's never been allowed to fight. Zero is three times as big as you, Gillie, and it's all in muscle. He's the scariest bitch out there. I'm lucky that Daniel introduced me to him, or I might be six feet under right about now. He shows up every once in a while, hopeful he'll finally be let in the rink, but he goes home with no fight time. Sure, he's fought other places and won, but not here."

I clear my throat and try to think of a response that shows I do, indeed, have a brain. But all that comes out is, "Shit."

"Yeah. So, you still wanna come?"

Fuck no I don't. But Camilla has her eyebrow raised, challenging me, and if I say no I'll never live it down. "Of course."

"Alright," Camilla shrugs. "I'll pick you up tomorrow. Tay, you still good to watch Mae?"

Taylor nods.

That's when I think of something. "Wait, has Taylor met Zero?"

I turn to look at Taylor to see she's blushing furiously, and Camilla starts laughing. "Oh yeah," Camilla grins. "She has. Zero thought Taylor was the cutest little thing- he was flirting with her the whole time."

Taylor hides her face, and I laugh along with Camilla at her obvious discomfort.

"So has Mae," Taylor says, changing the subject from her. She peeks out from under her hands and then sits up straight when she realizes she's successfully diverted the attention from her to something else. 

"Really?"

"Just once," Cam nods. "Big ol' Zero played Barbies with her."

"It doesn't seem like he's so scary, then. I mean, he likes you guys. And Mae."

"Yeah, that's true," Camilla nods. "But you're a guy. If he's there, he's gonna treat you like you're one until he decides he likes you. That is, unless I'm there when he first talks to you. But I make no promises."

I don't say it out loud this time, but I think it.

Shit.