Page 54 of Sucker Punch Drunk Love

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Let's just go again,” she dismissed, entering fighting stance.

“Be real with me, Medina. Is us fucking serving as a distraction?” I knew it wasn't fair, knowing I wouldn’t question whether a male’s sexual relationships served as distractions, butthe on and off thing even threw me off sometimes, and if I was causing the issues, at least I could deal with it.

“I'm just frustrated, Josue. I'm allowed to be frustrated sometimes,” she snapped back, her leg meeting the kick shield I held. “It feels like you're going easy on me, and that's not what got me this far. I just need for you to be the kind of coach you were to me in the beginning.”

“There lies the problem, ma. I canneverbe the kind of coach to you who you started with. You’ve got a streak going. The stakes are higher now. My expectations of you were lower in the beginning, and you were desperate to prove something to me. My goal was to frustrate you so you’d walk away thinking we weren’t a good fit,” I admitted.

“But then you showed up. One time. Three times. Determined to make yourself a name. A lot of stuff has happened in that time.Wehappened, and as much as I like it, it's making me think it's causing the distraction. With the custody of your daughter on the line, if I can't bring you this one. I fear that you'll resent me.”

“So, you don't think I could win?” she interrupted.

“Sierra, stop putting words in my mouth. It isn't about what I think you can do. And no, I don'tthinkyou can win. If you work hard enough, Iknowyou can win. But you can't fight on an off day with someone like DaCosta. Even if I do agree to it, we got one of two options: either whatever we’re doingstops, or I push you harder than I’ve ever pushed you, and let me tell you, you’re gonna hate me too much to want to fuck me.”

“Well I’d rather risk it. Sometimes I just need to get out of myself, and if you take that away, all I will have to look forward to is training,” she admitted.

“Okay, I just want you to know what you're asking for. Because it's not that I go easy on you. You've just adjusted to allI've taught you so far. But be straight with me, what do you really want from this?”

“You already know what?—”

“If I did, I wouldn't be asking. What would this fight really mean for you? Is it just about money?” I asked, watching her pace back and forth. “Are we working to fast track to a title fight? Or is the main objective just getting your daughter back?”

“Ugh, I don't know, Josue. I want the money. I want a belt. I want my daughter. I want it all! Most of all, I just want to prove…” she hesitated.

“Don't punk out on me now. What does my she-wolf want?”

“I just want to prove that I'm not some nobody. I want the world to burn for discounting a woman like me.”

“Who’s a woman like you?”

“A Philly girl. A single mother. A survivor of domestic violence. A Black Latina.”

“So, you want validation?” I asked for clarity.

“I want to be someone my daughter will be proud of. That despite my lows, the people rooting for me know that the only way is up.”

“So, you want to inspire people, get their respect?”

“Josue, I wanteverything! All the things the world tries to make me believe I’m not entitled to. I want when people are chanting my name, for it to actually mean something. That I'm not a nobody.”

“Good to see your claws out again, that's all I needed to hear.”

“For what?”

“I'm going to agree to the DaCosta fight,” I said, her screams filling the cage as she jumped in to hug me.

“Thank you, thank you,thank you,” she exclaimed, laying kiss after kiss on my face.

“Jesus Christ, you're getting all mushy on me, Medina. You're so lucky I fucking like that.”

“You like that?”

“Ilovethat,” I confirmed. “But you're gonna regret accusing me of going soft on you. If I agree to this, you better not let me down.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Josue

Waiting all day on his phone call, I told Sierra that if she wanted to listen in on our negotiation, that she had to be back at least an hour ago. She told me she was getting her hair done, but how long did it take for some retwists and a style? When Vega’s number popped up, I didn't have time to wait on her, but as soon as it was on speaker, I heard someone coming through the front door.