Karmin sauntered out of the fight club 800 dollars richer, an inflated ego, a few tiny bruises, and an embarrassedly quiet Maddox.

It was a good night in her books.

After smugly collecting her money and her own personalized chip from a very distraught Ezra, they made their way through the crowd. While Maddox was silent, Karmin couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she cheered with the people who patted her on the shoulder, nodding at her with respect. However, others looked severely pissed off for losing their money.

Next time, they would be sure to bet on her.

She hadn't fully comprehended the pain quite yet with the adrenaline coursing through her body, but right now, it didn't matter. Her torn fists and the amethyst hued wounds on her face and neck would be tomorrow's problem. At this moment, Karmin felt high on the morphine-like excitement flooding her system.

800 dollars didn't make much of a dent in the surgery expenses, but she would surely get there in time. This fight solidified her skills in the ring, and no one could take that away from her. Karmin was going to gain the respect of the fellow fighters and spectators to the point where they would confidently wager on her.

The rumbunctious ambience inside was a stark opposite to the cool breeze and the serene atmosphere of the outdoors. There was still light outside as they wordlessly walked on the curving path, surpassing lit up lanterns and obnoxiously sparkling LED lights on the green grass.

At the end of the trail was the security guard, Murry, who electronically unlocked the gates, a teetering sound distinct as they slowly but dauntingly open.

"Karmin, I heard you won," he hollered, doing a two-step as he danced towards them to the beat of a pop song on the radio.

She let out a hearty laugh, mimicking his dance moves. "I kicked some Russian ass! Do I feel a little bad? Absolutely. But do I regret it? Nope!" Karmin cheered, performing a little shuffle to the side.

"That's the attitude," Murry encouraged, giving her a high-five. "The next time you're fighting, let me know, so I can bet on you. Apparently, you knocked Reznikov out."

"I definitely will, and I did," she grinned proudly, hitching her gym bag on her shoulder. "With one punch, she was out. But she'll be fine, right?" Karmin quickly asked.

Murry waved his hand dismissively. "Oh yeah. They got a certified medic on sight."

She let out a sigh of relief. As much as she was proud of herself, Karmin didn't want to leave the woman with brain damage. Okay, maybe she was giving herself too much credit, but you never know. It was very possible that her sucker punch was strong enough to cause injury to the brain stem or a hematoma.

Careful, her inner Meredith Grey was showing.

"I'll let you two kids head out, then," Murry said, fixing his cap and heading back to the security box. "Congratulations once again, Karmin. I'll see you next week, Maddox."

Maddox nodded with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head held low, the shadow covering his face.

Karmin waved back at Murry who went back to his relaxed position of reading his Spiderman comic book. She had a little gusto in her step as she basically skipped to Maddox's car. He still hadn't said a word, but she caught a few mutterings here and there.

She threw open the car and plopped inside, waiting for Maddox to get in. Karmin was expecting him to say something – anything really – but he just quietly started up the ignition and began driving, ignoring her blatant stare.

"So," Karmin started, dragging out the 'o.' "Is there anything you wanna say to me?"

"No," he replied curtly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Oh, come on," she huffed. "Just admit you were wrong about me."

Maddox's eyes flickered to her briefly. It was quiet for a few moments until he sighed defeatedly. "I... I was wrong," he finally managed. "You're surprisingly good."

At least he wasn't a guy that refused to declare he was wrong. Those type of people were infuriating.

"And you shouldn't have judged me," Karmin added.

"And I shouldn't have judged you," he grumbled apathetically.

Karmin laughed, gently poking him in the arm. "See, it wasn't that hard," she teased. "I think this calls for a celebration. Let's go get something to eat!"

"No, I'm dropping you off at your friend's house," Maddox rejected quickly.

"But why?" she pouted.

"Because we're not friends," he retorted bluntly but his words weren't vicious. Instead, they were more of an observation.

"But we can be," she offered sweetly. "And from the looks of it, you could use some more friends."

"I'm all set in the friend's department, thanks."

Karmin made a face. "Everyone can use more friends, but fine, whatever you say."

She was going to become friends with him, even if she had to force him. They were going to be spending a lot of time together from the fights as well as class, and it would be highly more enjoyable when Maddox would actually speak to her.

The rest of the car ride was silent as she leaned her head against the leather seat, playing with the chip. The outer edges were rough against her fingertips, but the inner part was smooth except for the impression of a four-digit number, and a snake curled around a fist. Ezra had told her this was her chip, and it would be used to gain access to the fight club underground.

About forty minutes later, they arrived at Viola's apartment complex. Maddox parked the car at the front, so Karmin quickly unbuckled her seat belt and got out.

"I'll call you for your next fight," he quickly said.

Karmin leaned down, holding the car door open. "Sounds good. Good night, Maddox," she sang.

"Night," he mumbled which earned a smile from her.

She shut the door and stepped back, but he still didn't leave. He must have been waiting for her to get inside, and that brought a smile to her face. Karmin grasped her bag tightly and headed to the front of the apartment to the buzzer, pressing the button by Choyce Oni's name.

A moment later, Adanna's voice echoed through. "Karmin, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," she replied, leaning closer to the intercom.

A distinct click was audible from the door as she swung it open. She glanced back to now see him drive away into the night.

Karmin pressed the elevator button, too lazy to walk up the five-flight of stairs. The doors slid open with a ding, so she quickly made her way in, pushing the button to Viola's apartment. She relaxed against the walls, eyeing the numbers above the doors as they gradually increased.

Finally, she reached the fifth floor, so she swiftly exited the elevator, walking down the hall to the apartment at the end. She knocked on the door, and before she could even put her hand down, the door opened, revealing Viola, who tackled her into a bear hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered, swaying from side to side.

A gentle smile graced her face. "I'm all good, Vi," Karmin reassured. "Just a few bruises, but I did it. I won."

"That's my girl! I knew you could do it," Viola cheered as she pushed her inside, taking her bag. "How was it?"

"It was...exhilarating," Karmin said thoughtfully. The moment she had won, she felt powerful. "I got paired up with this Russian lady, and in the end, I won 800 bucks."

"Hurry up, you two," Choyce called out from the kitchen. "The food is going to get cold."

"Tell me about it later, okay? Let's eat first," Viola said.

They headed through the hall into the kitchen and living room that was furnished with soft pastels and pearly whites. By the oven were Viola's sisters, Choyce and Adanna.

Choyce was the oldest at 24 and had graduated with a degree in fashion. She had kinky curls that sculpted her face like a beautiful mane, and smooth ebony skin. She was always dressed to impress with her sleek jumpsuits or retro sweaters. Karmin always went to her for fashion advice. Since she was the oldest, Choyce had an air of maturity around her with her making most of the important decisions and falling asleep by ten like a grandmother.

Then there was Adanna, who was 22 and a law student. Her twist braids were wrapped into a bun as she grabbed drinks from the fridge. She was the reckless one out of the three who would spend her pay cheque on overly priced food and parties. She stayed out until the early hours of the morning, but the second she had a test coming up, Karmin would always find her locked away in her room, cramming everything. Since she was in law, it was almost impossible to win an argument with her while she spits out legal jargon and random facts about habeas corpus.

Both of them treated Karmin like family and their own little sister.

"I told them you're working as a kickboxing instructor at the rec center," Viola assured in a low voice. "Like the ones that wear those fluffy suits and kids beat up."

Karmin smiled at her thankfully. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, but the fewer the people who knew, the better.

"How was work? It looks like those kids beat the crap out of you," mused Adanna, gesturing at her face.

Choyce shook her head disapprovingly at Adanna. "Do you want to get cleaned up first, Karmin?"

"I think I'll eat first if that's cool," Karmin replied, gently pushing Adanna who just stuck her tongue out.

"Today, at Casa Oni," Choyce presented, waving her hands at the four plates dramatically, "we got burgers with a side of onion rings that I had to re-make because Adanna burned the first batch."

Adanna grabbed her plate, making her way to the living room, but not before yelling over her shoulder, "I did not burn them. They're just extra crispy!"

"Extra crispy my ass," Choyce grumbled as she passed Karmin her plate.

She contently took the plate, the wave of freshly fried onion rings wafting around her. Karmin didn't realize how hungry she was until now. She didn't eat much before the fight with the fear of hurling all of her stomach contents in the ring. It would have left an impression, but it wasn't exactly the one she was going for. Karmin wanted to be known as a good fighter, not the girl who vomited her guts out.

The three of them headed towards Adanna who was searching for a movie to watch on Netflix. Whenever Karmin would spend time with the Oni sisters, they could never decide on what to watch. While Choyce wanted to watch RuPaul's Drag Race, Adanna wanted Criminal Minds and Viola insisted on Gilmore Girls.

"So, Karmin," Choyce said, getting her attention. "Was that a boy who dropped you off?" Her tone was motherly, but with a hint of suggestiveness.

Adanna stopped her channel-surfing immediately, gazing at Karmin with her full attention. "Don't be shy. Tell us more."

Karmin rolled her eyes. "He's just someone I...work with," she said, struggling to find the right word that would describe their relationship.

"Is he hot?" Adanna asked as she shoved a handful of onions rings into her mouth.

She took a bite of her burger, chewing slowly to delay answering the question. "Some might say he is attractive," Karmin said casually.

Viola scoffed, seizing Karmin's phone, and before she could do anything about it, Viola accessed her Instagram to find Rhys's profile. "That's him," she pointed out, handing the phone to Adanna.

"Oh my god, stop," Karmin protested, clawing at her phone, but Adanna just pulled it out of reach.

"I think we should respect Karmin's privacy," Choyce said maturely.

"Thanks, Choyce," she said gratefully.

"Damn," Adanna said, zooming into the photo.

"Screw it, let me see," Choyce said, leaning forward in her seat to peer over Adanna's shoulder.

Karmin groaned, slumping back in her seat in defeat. But could she really blame them? Maddox was very attractive with those green eyes of his and that wind-swept hair. Before anyone could say something, no, she did not have a crush on him. She was just admiring his handsome face. If only he made an effort to talk to her, though.

"This white boy has no right looking this good," Adanna muttered, squinting her eyes to get a better look.

"I think that's enough," Karmin announced, holding out her hand expectedly for the phone.

Adanna reluctantly passed it back. "You should definitely jump his bones. Just lunge," she advised, contorting her hands to resemble a cat.

"Um no," Choyce interjected. "That's terrible advice. I think you should ask him out and take it slow."

"Yes!" shouted Viola, clapping her hands. "You and Maddox can go on a double date with me and Eva."

They began conversing with one another, excited over the prospect of Karmin's love life.

"Guys!" she called out, getting their attention. "I don't even like him. We're not even friends yet. I have no plan of asking him out."

Her and Maddox together were almost laughable. To him, she was just the girl who forced her way into his life. He was just helping Karmin out. That was it.

"Fine fine," Viola surrendered.

"Whatever you say, but just remember my advice," Adanna said, winking at Karmin.

Choyce smacked Adanna on the head. "Stop it."

"Ow, don't hit me. I'll charge you with aggravated assault," Adanna threatened, rubbing the back of her head.

"You're not even a real lawyer yet," Choyce scoffed.

"So?" she demanded. "I'll still take your ass to court."

"Hey, quit it you two!" urged Viola, giving both of them pointed looks. "All I want to do is eat my dinner peacefully."

"Okay," muttered Adanna, but then she proceeded to shove Choyce, causing a few onion rings to fall onto the wooden floor.

"I'm calling Mom!"

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!

How are you feeling about the Oni sisters?? I also hope Maddox is slowly growing on you too :)

If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote and comment!!

Until next time - m.k.t