Her shift was about to end when a customer asked her to close their bill. They were VIP customers and seated on the upper level, where they got a better view of the boxing ring. Mikayla worked at an underground bar in Hill Ups as a part-time waitress and boxer. She had been working since she was 16 years old, and now she was 22, six years had passed since she spent most of her time at the bar.
She didn’t get to finish high school and lived her teenage life on the street, basically. Where she met her friends and connections. Mikayla was the only girl boxer in Hill Ups, and everyone knew her as the street girl. People could easily find her roaming on the streets because she always avoided coming home and possibly facing her drunken father.
“Vin, VIP table number 6 is asking to close their tab.” Mikayla came to the bartender in charge and asked to take the bill and deliver it to their table.
“VIP number 6, hold on,” Vin, short for Vincent, said, and then checked the open tabs. He looked for it and grabbed it upon seeing it before giving it to Mikayla. “End shift?” he asked while handing the tab to her.
“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow, Vin.” Mikayla took the tab and jogged up the stairs. She knocked on their table to get their attention. “Your tab, guys.”
“Are you not playing tonight, Mik?” One of the guys asked Mikayla as he gave her his credit card to pay for their bill. They were wondering because they would always cheer on her. Some of them even give an extra tip for her. It was received anonymously, so all she knew was that she was getting extra money from her supporters.
“Tomorrow. Your card will be at the bar. Make sure you take it before you leave,” she said, and went away to finalize their payment. After she took their tab back to Vincent, Mikayla went home straight away.
She had her hood on and her hands tucked in the front pocket of her hoodie. Walking alone in the night was not scary at all for her. It was actually her favorite time of the day. She didn’t get scared walking by herself at night, she felt comfortable instead. It was like the only time she could feel at peace.
Mikayla walked on the side of the road after walking up the hill from the bar. The bar was located at the very end of the road, off the cliff, in a secluded but open area. The bar was famous for its boxing tournament, the people were high up about that, and the players made a lot of money out of it. That was what kept the bar alive and crowded and sometimes even over-crowded just to watch the match.
Mikayla got off work pretty early today, so she had some time for herself before facing the reality of being the only daughter of a drunken father.
It was not past closing time yet, so she decided to go to the gym. However, she was going to have a match tomorrow. She better had a good physique and win to make money out of the match. The more money she made, the faster she could pay her father’s debt. The people had been on his tail, and it started to affect her as well. Her father had not been paying them well or even trying to.
Bip.
Mikayla tapped her membership card to enter the gym. It was one of the fancy gyms in the city, so it had some nice equipment, and its privacy was next level.
“Just get off the clock?” Victor, one of the guy trainers at the gym asked Mikayla. He saw Mikayla walking in, and he had just finished warming up, so he approached her. “Boxing or just casual?”
“Just casual. Had to win tomorrow, Victor. There are many things I have to get off my tail,” Mikayla sighed and dropped her bag to start working out, keeping her body fit and in shape.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you talk to me, I can help you, Mik,” Victor said, patting her shoulder in a comforting way. He felt pity for her. At a young age, she had to work to live and quit school just to stay alive with her father. But now, she had to think about paying her father’s debt to save her life. The street became her best friend and something she was fond of more than anything.
“Thanks, Victor,” she replied with a weak smile. Then, she started to work out on her own, and Victor let her be.
Mikayla focused on working out, and once she started, she was not going to stop until she was done.
“Victor, are you free?” The manager who managed the gym called Victor over.
“Yes, what do you need?” he replied.
The manager’s eyes caught Mikayla who was working out alone. “Did she just get here?”
“Yeah. Is something wrong?” he asked in anticipation. He glanced at Mikayla, thinking something might be wrong with her.
“Someone has been keeping an eye on her for a couple of days. He’s here,” the manager said. His eyes went to look in another direction, which Victor followed.
“Her father is really some sick bastard. He got himself into trouble but had to drag his daughter as well,” Victor grumbled hatefully about her father, whom he didn’t really know and didn’t care to know either.
“Can you kick him out?” Victor asked.
“I wish. He has some serious identity, Vic. I can’t just kick him out for no reason, or I’ll be fucked. Let’s just keep an eye on him and Mikayla. He wouldn’t do anything in the gym,” he said. Victor agreed, and he got back to work to assist a member of the gym who needed his help as a trainer.
In the meantime, Mikayla decided to be done exercising after an hour. She rested for a bit to chug some water down her throat. After that, she stood up and walked out of the gym without a word. She saw that Victor was busy, so she didn’t bother to say goodbye.
She could feel it, someone had been watching her since she came into the gym. But she ignored it like a plague. She didn’t feel threatened yet, and there was no reason for her to overreact.
She safely got home to her flat and was surprised to find her father had passed out already.
“What kind of drugs did he take?” She wondered while shaking her head in disbelief that her father was someone she couldn't recognize anymore. He was not the father she used to remember or look up to. He was just a man she lived with now.
