Page 88 of A Vicious Rumor

It felt good to talk to a normal person for once. This world that I'd found myself in made it feel like there was nothing outside of it, that everything revolved around it, but just hearing the receptionist's voice and hearing her make a joke reminded me that wasn't true. It was all just an illusion that the rich created, more for themselves than for others.

"Lily? Is that you sweetheart?"

"Ronny!" I said through the phone. "I need your help!"

"Well, these old bones ain't good for fighting much these days, but if you tell me who's bothering you, I'll do my best to take a swing at him," he said.

I laughed, feeling instantly better just being able to talk to him. "That's sort of why I called actually. But, I don't need you to fight anyone. I need to know what I should do about a fight."

"Is it that boy again?" Ronny asked.

"Yeah," I said.

He laughed. "I knew it from the moment I met him that he was trouble, but girls your age seem to like trouble."

"He's about to fight this other guy, Ronny. Sort of because of me."

"Hey!" Ronny exclaimed. "Good for you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Ronny, no! Bad!"

"I say if you got two boys fightin' over ya, that's a pretty good ego boost for the day."

"I'm worried they're going to hurt each other," I said.

"I'm not sure that you got time for one of my stories," Ronny said, "so I'll make it quick. When I was in the war, there was this other private, and him and I didn't get along for shit! There we were in the middle of the jungle, supposed to be fighting the enemy, and we couldn't stop fighting with one another. So, you know what the Sarge did?"

"What?"

"When we were back at camp one night, he told us we were gonna fight each other. Figure it all out once and for all."

"Did you do it?" I asked.

"Hell yeah we did?"

"And who won?"

Ronny chuckled. "We both got knocked so clean on our asses, neither of us won."

"What happened after?"

"His name was Chip, and he saved my life when we were out in the field. Took a goddamn bullet in the leg to come and get me when I was pinned down. He became my best friend in the whole fucking world."

I sat in silence for a minute as I thought about what Ronny was telling me. The crowd had slowed heading to the field now. I looked at the clock, realizing the fight was probably just about to start.

"Sometimes boys just gotta figure it out with their fists," Ronny said. "And they gotta feel accepted. Don't scold them for doing something they need to do."

"You always make so much sense, Ronny," I said.

He chuckled. "One more question before you run off, sweets," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you love the boy?"

"Yeah," I admitted.

"Does he love you back?"