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“About what?” Gio said, staring at the floor and tossing the remote aside “I’m not the one who’s dead”
“So what? Because his life is over, yours is, too?” Noah sat down on an ice chest near Gio “What happened sucks, Gio, but he knew the risks when he stepped into that ring Hell, we all do It’s a tragic thing but you can’t blame yourself”
Gio finally turned to face Noah “What do you mean I can’t blame myself? Who else is there to blauy’s life”
“Boxing ended his life! You just happened to be the opponent in the ring with him at the tihter he faced He had a pre-existing condition for Christ’s sakes If anyone is to blaht He should’ve never been in there in the first place”
Gio stood up, hands at his waist and paced “What’s gonna happen to his wife?”
“That’s not your problem, G I know it sounds shitty but—”
“You’re dalared at Noah “She’s pregnant What’s wrong with you?”
As long as he lived, those agonized screams would haunt him
“Look” Noah lifted his hand “All I’ is she has a family She’ll be taken care of You shouldn’t burden yourself worrying about that right now You should worry about this” Noah pointed at Gio’s forehead “You’re ht now Worried about what’s going on in that head”
The door opened Gio’s other friend Abel and his younger brother Hector walked in “We all are,” Abel said “You need to get your ass back in the ring Sitting around in this cave isn’t gonna do you any good”
Gio collapsed back into his beanbag “Maybe I don’t wanna get back in the ring”
They all stared at hi that now but—”
“No I’ve been thinking about it Maybe I don’t wanna risk it What happened to Trinidad can happen to any of us Maybe I don’t wanna take that risk anymore”
“But this is what you—” Noah stopped talking when Abel touched his arm
“So you train,” Abel said “You’re a hell of a trainer You know those two you’ve been training have ‘up and co’ written all over them You said it yourself”
Gio glanced at Abel but said nothing and then stared at the floor again He hadn’t even stepped foot in 5th Street since that horrific night