On the Edge by Allison van Diepen

watch.”
    â€œThat sounds so wrong, you know,” I teased.
    â€œTrust me, I know.”
    The last guy to join them was Ortiz. He walked by without noticing us and took his place in the circle. Once everybody was quiet, he pointed at Eric, and then another guy. “You and you. Go.”
    It didn’t look like boxing to me. It was street fighting, fast and dirty. Julia chewed her lip, wincing every time Eric or his opponent landed a kick or a punch. I didn’t like it either. I knew that a lot of guys had a natural fighting urge in them, an instinct left over from our primitive selves. Feeding the beast , Ortiz had called it that night at Eric’s party. But I guess it was better to control it in a boxing gym than to let it loose in a bar brawl.
    The fight went on for two, maybe three minutes, but I could tell that for Julia, it felt like hours. Eric’s opponent finally tapped out, admitting defeat.
    Next Eric called the pair. He chose Ortiz and a bear of a guy who must’ve outweighed him by fifty pounds. It didn’t matter. Ortiz stunned him with several rapid-fire punches, then pinned him to the ground. Obviously Ortiz wasn’t just a studied fighter, he was a born one. Strange, because the Corner Store Guy I’d seen so many times didn’t give off an air of aggression. Sex appeal, sure, but not aggression.
    The sparring circle lasted about twenty minutes. By the end of it, the guys looked exhausted, and Julia did too.
    Afterward Eric came up to us and downed some more water. “We going somewhere?”
    Julia turned to me. “You up for it?”
    â€œNah, I’d better get home and work.”
    â€œCome on,” Eric said, “they can’t take away your scholarship now, can they?”
    â€œIt’s the school newspaper. If the articles suck, it’s on me. Great seeing you guys.”
    Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ortiz heading in our direction. After the quick end to our last meeting, I knew it would be awkward to stand around and chat with him. I decided to make a strategic exit.
    The bus stop was only steps from the front door of the gym. According to my iPhone app, I had to wait seven minutes, and the bus ride back would be twenty. Not bad. I could be at my computer by nine thirty, hopefully in bed by eleven.
    I checked my phone and saw a text from Iz.
    What are we doing tomorrow night? Carmen says she’s busy Friday AND Saturday night with Rafael. Can you believe that?
    Actually I could. Carmen hadn’t been returning my texts lately. She seemed to be making a point of showing us how into Rafael she was. I texted Iz back.
    Maybe we shouldn’t have made fun of her Eric obsession.
    Her reply came within two minutes.
    If she hadn’t talked so much about him we wouldn’t have. Whatevs!
    A horn honked, and I looked up. A black car had stopped at the curb. Ortiz was in the driver’s seat, his hair and skin glistening from a shower. I blinked. Must’ve been the quickest shower known to man. Did he deliberately hurry up so he could drive me?
    â€œWhy don’t you get in? I’m going to work.”
    The car behind him beeped, jolting me. I hurried up to his car and slipped into the passenger seat. “Thanks.”
    The second I buckled my seat belt, he started to drive. “I’m guessing you live near Sasso’s.”
    â€œYeah, I’m just off Seventeenth.”
    After a couple of minutes, he said, “Not a boxing fan, are you?”
    â€œWhat I saw up there wasn’t exactly boxing.”
    â€œYeah, it’s more raw. Nothing’s off-limits. That’s how I like it.”
    Oh yeah? I was tempted to reply. But he looked so cool that I wasn’t totally sure he was flirting with me. So I said, “I guess it’s okay to fight like that if you’re not training for competition.”
    â€œI’m not chasing the Rocky dream, trust me. But self-defense can come in