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“You need to quit fighting, Trey. You’re going to end up in jail or dead. What the hell am I supposed to do without you?”
    Trey has been illegally fighting for a couple of months now. Every weekend, I worry about him, waiting for the call to tell me he’s been locked up. Worse yet, that I need to plan another funeral. He’s all I have left in this world, and I refuse to lose him. 
    “Em, this isn’t a big deal. I told them to not even call you,” he replies, not quite meeting my eyes.
    “Not a big deal? You have a concussion, bruised ribs, and a sprained wrist,” I scream, frustration filling my body. 
    “How the hell did you even know I was here?” he asks, looking past me to Kane. 
    Placing my hand lightly on his chin, I move his face back to mine. “The doctor called me, and you should be happy he told me what was wrong with you. If not, I’d have smacked you upside the head as soon as I walked in.”
    I can feel Kane come closer to me, but I don’t know why he’s even still here. Turning to him, I say, “You really can go home. I got it from here.”
    He ignores me, looking down at my brother. “What the fuck are you doing messing around with street fights?”  
    Trey looks at him, his face reddening in embarrassment. “They pay, even if I don’t win. Every little bit helps.”
    It’s true; every penny he brings home goes straight to his tuition. It does help, but the beatings he takes aren’t worth it. “Your school will be paid. Don’t worry about that.”
    Again, Kane doesn’t even look at me. “Are you a member of a gym, getting any kind of real training?”
    My brother shakes his head. “We’ve looked into some gyms, but there’s just no way we could afford it. It takes every penny Em makes to pay our bills and keep me in school. I told her I’d quit and get a full time job, but she won’t let me.” I can’t help but be embarrassed as Trey admits my shortcomings.
    “You’re not quitting school,” I shout, tired of being ignored.
    My outburst doesn’t help; Kane keeps right on, as if I didn’t say a word. “Tell you what. I just became partner in a gym over on Red Oak Street. Top Cut. Do you know the place?”
    Trey nods, and a flash of pain cross his face. “Sure, I do. Everyone is talking about how great it is.”
    “You show up there once you’re healed, and I’ll help train you myself. But, only if you cut this illegal shit. Your sister’s right; nothing good can come of it. You get better then call me. We’ll work it out.”
    A huge smile crosses Trey’s face, just before it fades into a look of pure misery. “I’d love it, man, but it wouldn’t pay the bills. We need the money from the fights.”
    I look back at him in shock. He’s giving up his dream to earn money? No way. “No, we don’t. I make enough for us to get by.”
    Kane is staring at me; I can feel the heat of his gaze burning into me. Turning to look at him, I can tell by the look on his face that he’s trying to figure me out. Ignoring it, I answer for Trey. “He would love to come to your gym.”
    Moving his eyes from me to my brother, he says, “I might have another solution, too. We need someone to help take care of the place. It’d just be cleaning toilets, taking care of equipment, stuff like that. It won’t be a fun job, but it’ll put some cash in your pocket. I figure we can swing five-hundred a week.”
    Five-hundred a week is more than Trey makes on most of his fights; it’s also a hell of a lot more than any other part time job he could get. No way. No way is he giving us his charity. I start to tell Kane no, when I notice the huge smile is back on my brother’s face.
    Trey is buzzing with excitement when he responds. “That would be great! The doctor said I have two weeks until I’m healed. Gonna be the longest two weeks ever, but after it’s over, I’ll be there.”
    “You can drop by anyway, to just watch the boys train,” Kane says, shrugging as if he didn’t