Can't Compete

seven

"THIS PLACE DOESN'T look safe, Christian." Ella nudged him.

He rolled his eyes instinctively. "Relax, no one will touch you. They know you Queen."

"If it's so safe, then why do you always refuse to bring Lily?"

Looking at her as if she had grown an extra head, he stated the obvious, "Are you seriously asking me that? She's a fucking model. A well-known model. This is an illegal arena in the shittest part of New York, where most attendees are rapists and drug abusers."

"I feel so much safer now."

"Don't worry. I got ya,"

He led her to the side gate of the metal warehouse and into the building, where they were walking inside the corridor.

"Where do I go when you have your match?"

Before Christian could reply, a dark-skinned male leaning against the hallway interrupted. "Bringing a white bitch here, you mad."

Ella wasn't phased from the derogatory name-calling, as she casually eyed him and the other males surrounding.

"Call her out of name again, I'mma bust you right here." Christian spat.

"How you gon act big? Man, we all know you proper, so go back to your rich folk area before you start bringing them Feds and Karens here,"

"I am 'big' here. Who's winning all the rounds every night? You a grown-ass twenty-year-old, and I'm eighteen. Making more money than you, the hell."

The male backed off from the wall and stood up straight. They were roughly the same height — both were taunting each other with their stares.

He eventually shrugged and glanced her over. "Don't know shorty's name,"

I'm five' two.

"What, you mute?" He egged further when Ella didn't speak up for herself.

Ella didn't like bothering to waste her vocals entertaining clowns. She only liked to talk to people she was comfortable around or if necessary.

"Come on, Ella." Christian grabbed on her arm, as he continued to walk down the end of the hallway, then finally making a right.

"Who was that?" she asked when they were out of anyone's hearing range.

"Nobody."

Ella decided to let it go, not caring anymore since she'd figure she would never see the male ever again.

Yet, because Christian felt the need to tell Ella everything, "He's a lowlife who claims I'm not black enough because I'm only half black."

They stopped at a door and he unlocked the door with one of the keys on his keychain, opening it for the two of them. Christian then closed the door and headed towards the white lounge that was placed on the right side in his dressing room.

"When's your match?"

Christian ignored her and she could tell his mood had flipped, turning sour as he narrowed his eyes. Ella walked over to his mini-refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, knowing what the topic Christian was going to bring up next.

"Ella, I asked you three days ago if anything was wrong with you and Ash, and you said 'no'. Then, boom bam today, you kissed another guy — a guy I'd like to kill, at that,"

Ella took a sip of the water. "I didn't say anything. I shook my head and you took that as a 'no'."

"You do my fucking head in."