"So, you're gonna talk or I'll start asking?" The voice was soft but he meant that, he needed to know what happened.
"Talk about what?," Camila asked unfaced but she knew what he meant.
"What are you doing here?," Frank asked, firmly.
"I wanna be pro in MMA, and you said you could make it happen." The girl said as a matter of fact.
"That's it?" He said almost sarcastically.
"That's it." Camila sigh and put both of her hands, they were little and her nails were painted with a dark blue, she tap the surface and left them fall open handed and then closed both of her hands, Frank look at them and saw the scars on the knuckles, they seem fresh.
"And your face?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Camila muttered under her breath, she didn't want to talk about it and besides he didn't have to gave Frank any explanation about it.
"I didn't ask you if you're fine, I know that. I asked what happen to your face." Frank lean over the desk trying intimidate her a little, to pressure her to tell him what's going on.
"I fell." Camila obviously lied and Frank had to sigh before he lost the patience that he was very careful not to loose never.
"You fell?," He asked and she nodded, Frank gave her a look that he didn't believe that and she gave him a side smile.
"You asked," And She shrugged and narrow her eyes a little bit. "So, you're going to train me or I should be getting a ticket back?" She asked, tired of the questioning.
Frank gave her a look, thinking... She was beautiful, that's the first thing that popped in his head and probably in any men head when they see her, she had the looks and the ability to make it big in MMA and in this country; she was money and he knew that, she was big money and that was something that Frank likes, money. But he also knew that she was difficult, not to train but to get her temper in check, he meant it when he said she was a brawler.
Camila likes, no, no, scratch that. Camila loves to fight in the ring, street, bar o whenever and she was good and that was bad for businesses.
"There are rules," Frank began to said to her and she listens. "No more fighting outside of a ring, no more booze or whatever you're taking if you're taking, no late nights, no dating, no fucking and you stay clean, no juicing, diet it's strict, you train and that's it." Frank said adding a little bit more things to her than to his male trainers, specially the no dating/fucking thing. Camila's eyes open up and almost had to laugh at the rules that Frank laid on her.
"Do you laid those rules on the others too?" She asked a little offended, mostly at the no fighting and fucking part.
"If I need to, I do." Frank said calmly.
"Okay, I get the no fighting outside of a ring. No fucking?,"
"Guys can't get pregnant, you can." Frank said and Camila look at him and bite her lower lips thinking that he might be right, a kid right now was the last thing that she needed, specialty if she wanted to make it.
"Makes sense, That's it?"
"That's it."
Tommy was up even before the sun was up, he stretch on the side of the bed and crack his neck feeling some of the pressure gone. He sat down on the white sheets and look around the bedroom, white with touches of royal blue and a little of golden around. He didn't like white, it makes him feel clinical.
He took a quick shower, got dress in his old gym rat outfit that he used two years ago to train for Sparta, and then head out, skipping breakfast because he can't have anything today because they were going to take a sample of blood and urine.
He slowly run to Campana's listening to some music, angry music to get him pumped out and to get over the same Beethoven shit going on in the gym, it was the only thing that he didn't like fucking Beethoven. It was a cold morning, and now the sun was pretty much up in the Philadelphia sky, he run for about thirty minutes and finally arrive.
Ode of fucking Joy was blasting from the speakers of the gym and Tommy suddenly had the urge to punch somebody in the face, no, maybe he had the urge to punch his brother in the face.
"Glad you made it," He heard Frank said to him and Tommy just look at him and nod making a semi-growl sound and that was it. Frank nod too and leave him alone, he didn't want to push it, this was new to him and he did just got out of the brig so Frank though that he could cut him some slack for the time being.
"Fuck Beethoven, fuck ode of fucking joy." Tommy heard someone muttered besides him and then keep walking, it was this girl from yesterday, Camila.
"You're always lovely in the morning." Frank said to her, trying to push her buttons a little bit. Camila fake-laugh at him and flip him off, actually making Frank laugh a little bit louder. In that moment Tommy actually though if there was something going on between those two.
Both of them were sitting in complete silence on the room with Frank at their backs with his arms crossed, the entourage of doctors were working on them.
Camila was looking at the girl that was -trying to- take blood from Tommy's arm, she looked flushed and intimidated by the men in front of her.
"Sorry, I..." She mumble, nervous while poking him with a needle for the third time and he seem unfaced by it. Camila rise her eyebrows at the girl thinking that if she was Tommy, she will be pretty mad that said bitch.
"It's okay, take your time." He almost whispered back at her and Camila wanted to punch them both.
"You better not take your time with my arm," Camila open her mouth without thinking, the girl flushed even more and gave her an apologetic nod at her, then Tommy look at her not really saying something but he did with his silence.
"Okay, it's done." The girl said and Tommy nodded while she put the band aid on his arm and he stood up leaving the chair for her turn.
"You're Camila Gonzalez, right?" She asked looking at the paper in front of her.
"Last time I cheeked." She mumble and put her right arm out of her long sleeves shirt and show it to her. The girl look at her like she was nervous or something. "It's your first time?"
"No, not really." The girl said grabbing a new pair of gloves and put them on.
"Then why so flustered?, you like him or something?" Camila asked and she flushed even more than before. "So you like him."
"It's just..." She started to mumble and look at Tommy's direction and he was talking with the other doctor on the far side of the room. "I think his story it's emotional and very moving."
Everybody who likes MMA knew the story about the Conlon's brothers, about Brendan and Tommy. Everything was pretty much in the open and Camila didn't think it 'was emotional and very moving'. She think that it sucked to be him, actually. Every fucking soul knowing your life and actually judging it and even romanticize it, like this bitch with her 'emotional and very moving' bullshit.
What the fuck is wrong with some women?.
"Alright, this time it went better."The girl said with a smile after taking her blood in one go, Camila don't said anything thinking about all the things that Frank said to her and simply walked away leaving at the girl muttering under her breath about how rude she was.
By the time they were done with the tests and after one of the doctors poke her in her bruised face and asked her if it hurt, she told him that if she punched him square in the nose and asked him if it hurt what could possibly be his answer, she heard Tommy snort besides her and the doctor pushed his lips together and not even dare to speak to her again.
Now the three of them were sitting in Frank's office and he was talking.
"Okay, the results will be up in a couple of days." Frank Said and Tommy nod and Camila yawn of boredom. "Why both of you go and eat on the diner across the street, my threat." Frank offered with a wide smile and Tommy looked up and Camila smile at the mention of food. "And when you two come back we'll talk logistics."
It was still pretty early to eat lunch and besides it was still breakfast time, Camila was looking at the menu thinking that all the greasy stuff in the morning actually makes her feel sick.
"What are you eating?" She asked Tommy in front of her, he was looking at the menu too because he didn't want to stare at her.
"Don't know, probably some eggs and bacon."
"Eggs and bacon?" Camila asked frowning.
"Yes, why?"
"It's like nine, how could you eat that?" She said not really understanding and Tommy looked at her and his lips twitch a little bit, remembering that she wasn't from around here.
"It's what we eat, what do you eat for breakfast?" Tommy asked and she put her elbow on the table and her head was now resting on her hand, she looked kind of adorable.
"Well, coffee or tea with milk and some bread or milk and cereals or yogurt with fruit." She said like it was the most normal thing, Tommy will feel empty if he only eat that.
"That's it?"
"yeah, why?"
"It's too little."
"Why would you eat more?, I train after that I don't like to feel heavy when I train. How could you move with all that food?"
"I'm used to." Tommy said to her. "But I don't usually eat bacon and eggs when I train, it's like forbidden."
"Yeah, lots of grease on that thing." She said and Tommy nod. "I kinda miss eating French fries when I train, it's like my favorite food ever."
"I miss chocolate,"
"I don't like chocolate."
"What?" Tommy said and frown. "How could you not possibly like chocolate, you didn't have it in your country or what?"
"We have chocolate and it's better than here, but I just don't like it... I mean it taste weird but I like white chocolate."
"That's not even real chocolate." Tommy said and she laugh shaking her head. "You're like the fist woman I know who doesn't like chocolate."
"Yeah, flowers and a heart shaped box with chocolate are not my thing, I'm more of a bucket of French fries and cheeseburgers." She said looking at the celling and Tommy had to laugh and then the waitress came by and took their orders; Camila order some plain pancakes with coffee and Tommy his eggs with bacon and along with black coffee too.
"Plain pancakes?" He asked.
"Yeah, I put some sugar on them and voilà', better than butter or that maple syrup, gross." She said making a face and Tommy couldn't even believe this girl and her food.
"You're missing life." He mutter and dig in making her snort at him and eat her plain pancakes with sugar on top.
Tommy was looking at her while she put sugar on top of the pancakes, she was messy with it, pouring sugar all over the table and she just put it aside and dig, eat and drink her coffee at the same time and she was silent while eating, he sigh inhale and then exhale while thinking that this mess in front of him was probably the most good looking girl that he had laid eyes on, and she talk with the waitress about something that he didn't listen because he was looking at her talk with her mouth almost full and bark with laughter.
"...You know, the blood girl," She said to him but he only catch the last part.
"Uhm?" He asked her shaking his head a little bit and she laugh at him.
"That the blood girl was nervous because she likes you." Camila said again and Tommy couldn't care less about that girl that poke him with a needle three times.
"Ah, she's got my attention poking my arm with a needle." Tommy muttered and she chuckle again and then he reach into his pants and took a little paper that the girl slide into his hands before going.
"Are you kidding me?, she gave you her number?" She asked taking the paper out of his hands and he laugh. "Call me, Sarah. And had a heart on the side." Camila laugh again and gave Tommy the paper back. "You know, she's one of those people that think that can fix you with love." She said with somehow serious tone in her voice.
"What you mean?" He asked taking one of the last bites of his food.
"Just that, you know... the typical 'you have to tell me so I can help you, I love you' bullshit, but when the shit hit the fan they leave you because 'it hurt them seeing you like that'. You know, she seem like that." Camila said without looking at him and then shrugged. "And of course they 'suffering' had more meaning that the shit you're dealing."
"You know her?" Tommy asked her trying to know where this she got that conclusion.
"No."
"Then how you know?, maybe she's not like that." He asked her.
"Because she said something to me that kinda got me to that conclusion." She answered him and shrugged again. "You wanna know what she said?" Camila asked him and Tommy nod. "That your story was emotional and very moving and I almost punch her in the face."
"What?"
"The girl wants to 'fix you'," Camila said and put the fork down and then another plate of plain pancakes were put in front of her and with a smile she started to pour sugar on them and Tommy keep on looking at her, with his head tilt a little bit to the side and he think that she was a little bit crazy but that didn't stop the little smile form on his lips.
When they left Tommy leave the paper crushed inside of his empty cup of coffee.