Chapter Four: Death with a Price Tag

Renata

A week passed and all my efforts to get into the tournament had failed. A part of me began to regret not taking Drent up on his offer, but another part of me was glad I had not. I did not trust him or his family.

They were probably the kind of rich family that believed only money mattered, one where human life did not even come close. And Drent seemed like a spoiled kid who would end up dumping me like all his other girlfriends if I had accepted.

But that was in the past. Since I left his hotel, every effort I made to get into the tournament had come to nothing. It started tomorrow. All the boys had been placed into their brackets, assigned their dates and their gear. And I had no place among them.

The prize money lingered in my mind like a sour taste I could not get rid of, but getting into the tournament at this point was impossible.

I had been delusional. I had been stupid. It dawned on me slowly that maybe Coach Peterston and everyone else had been right all along. There was no place for females in the boxing world.

I bit my lower lip, scolding myself quietly. Why had I even tried? I had been so caught up in my dream that I believed I could change the world.

But like they said. Dreams were not fairy tales.

I just wanted to quit. I would find a job somewhere in town and try to save enough money for the rent before my mom worked herself into the ground.

But the rent expired in three weeks. There was no way I could raise that kind of money by then. I swallowed hard, trying to compose myself. I would think of something. But for now, I would go and hand my gloves over to Coach Peterston and tell him I was done.

I walked into the school gym, and the moment Coach Peterston saw me, he rolled his eyes and tried to look away.

"Relax," I called after him. "I am not here to bother you again, Coach."

He turned toward me, forcing a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

"So. Why are you here, Renata? I have told you that you cannot join the tournament." I inhaled slowly.

"I know. I actually came to quit." The words felt bitter leaving my mouth. I could see the surprise move across his face. Since seventh grade, he had known me as the girl who tugged at him day and night about joining the boys. He had never once seen me give up. This was shocking to him. Truthfully, it was shocking to me as well.

"You want to quit boxing?" he repeated.

I nodded. "Yes. And I am serious this time."

I pulled out the gloves I had bought when I was thirteen, the ones I had saved up for with plans to wear them the day I became a professional boxer. I held them out to him. My heart grew heavier with every second, as though I was physically handing my dream away.

He took the gloves and studied my face, checking whether I meant it.

"You won't have to worry about me disturbing you again, Coach. From now on I will join the girls' sports, just like you said." That was a lie. I had no interest in any other sport. If it was not boxing, I was done with all of it.

I turned to leave. Then he spoke.

"But why?" The question stopped me at the door. I turned back slightly.

"You were right." A pause. "Females cannot be boxers." I walked out.

Walking to my locker, I could hear the whispers drifting through the air and feel the mocking looks being aimed in my direction. "Did she really think she could join boxing? What a loser," one of the girls said, and they laughed.

I buried my face in my books, trying to hide the embarrassment burning through me. The whole school now knew I was the girl who had tried to join boxing and got turned away. One of the students shoved me from behind, deliberately.

"Move, nerd," she said, and laughed.

I rushed to my locker and kept my face buried there until the hallway thinned out. Thankfully, Edwina came along shortly after.

"Renata. I have been looking for you."

"I have quit," I cut in. She looked at me like the words had physically stunned her.

"You are kidding."

"I am not kidding. I am really done with boxing."

She felt bad. I could see it clearly in her eyes. "But Drent. You went to see him. Did it not work out? Did he not agree to help you?" she asked, stumbling over her words.

"Drent was no help, Edwina. He would only help me if I agreed to be his fake girlfriend."

"What?"

"Yes. He is a creepy dude."

"A creepy, hot dude," she said, her voice light with a joke.

"That is not the point." We both laughed, and I knew she was trying to lift me up even a little.

"I am so sorry, Renata." Her voice carried genuine sympathy. I forced a smile.

"It is fine. I will find a way."

She looked at me carefully. "Now what? Your mom? The rent? How are you going to get the money?" I slammed my locker shut and turned to face her.

"I applied for a job today. I will just work and save up."

"Work? But you have school. We do not graduate until next year." She was right.

"I know. I will just have to balance both."

"You are so brave, baby girl. I am always here for you, okay?" She pulled me into a hug, and the warmth of it gave me a small moment of relief. The simple comfort of knowing that at least one person in this world genuinely cared.

Then my phone buzzed. An unknown number.

"Hold on, Edwina." I stepped back and answered. "Hello? Who is this?"

"This is Doctor Stern. Am I speaking with Renata?"

"Yes."

"Good. Your mother has collapsed and she is currently at the hospital." My heart dropped straight through the floor.

"What? What happened?" I stammered.

"Please come to the hospital as soon as you can. We will explain everything here." He hung up.

A strange wave of heat moved through my entire body. I could not lose my mom. The fact that the doctor had called me instead of her meant she could not speak for herself. That meant it was serious.

Oh no. Please do not do this to me, Mom, I whispered beneath my breath.

"You okay?" Edwina asked, sensing immediately that something was wrong. I could not even answer her. I just ran, telling her over my shoulder that I would call her later.

I flagged down a cab and got in as fast as I could. My legs carried me at a sprint once I reached the hospital entrance. I burst through the doors with my mind already painting the worst possible picture. I could not lose my mom. Not now. She had probably pushed herself too far and collapsed from exhaustion.

I found her room and pushed the door open. The doctors stood at her bedside, speaking to each other in low voices.

My mother's eyes were closed. An oxygen mask covered her face. She looked pale and almost lifeless. My heart could not hold it. I was crying before I even fully understood that I had started.

"Doctor, what happened?" I asked, my voice breaking. He reached out to steady me.

"She collapsed at work. We are very sorry." Exactly what I had feared. I had warned her so many times to stop overworking herself, but she never listened. But the doctor was not finished.

"Your mother has been diagnosed with a severe heart condition." I spun toward him. The tears stopped.

"What?" I shook my head, fighting with everything in me not to accept it. "That cannot be right, Doctor."

"I am afraid it is. Stress is the primary factor. And if we do not perform surgery, she will not survive."

Surgery. Heat crawled all the way up to my neck. Surgery was always expensive.

"How much would the surgery cost?"

He looked at me the way people look at someone whose world is about to be turned inside out.

"One million dollars."

"What?" The word came out as a scream.

"Heart surgery is very costly, and we need to act as soon as possible, or you will lose her."