I was already at the martial arts school when Blake, Josh, and Liam arrived. Ramsey narrowed his eyes when he saw them enter.

"I'm not taking any rich kids as students," he announced. I came closer.

"If I don't beat that one, the big one, he won't help me with a project at school. And he's behind all that happened to my car." I had shown Ramsey my car as soon as I got into the club and he promised to fix it for me, once again, without my father's knowledge.

"He did that, hein?" Ramsey eyed the guys with renewed interest. "I've seen you with that one in the newspaper."

"And now you are gonna see me kick his arse."

"We will see..."

"What the fuck! What are you doing here?" I heard Jake exclaim as he got into the club right behind the East Side guys. "Did you bring your new boyfriend to train here now too?" Last question was directed at me. He looked pissed.

"This does not concern you, Jake," I told him coldly and headed for the ring. "Are you coming or what?" I said looking over to Blake.

"I want no other fight here tonight," Ramsey announced. "You, the rich kids, go stand over there. Jake, stand by my side and keep your mouth shut." Everyone did as told.

All the others at the club now also surrounded the ring. There were cheers. Everyone was very eager to see me fight Blake. Maybe Blake and I really needed this showdown. Blow off the steam that had built up itself between us. I put my helm and gloves on and watched Blake do the same.

Blake was in great shape. I watched him as he moved, to see if he was indeed protecting his left. When he took his stand, he turned his right to me.

So, so. Frank did say the truth.

I motioned Blake to attack.

"You better watch out," I heard Jake shout.

Blake attacked, but before he knew I slid around him and hit him in the ribs on his left side. That must have hurt. He attacked again, but I was already kicking his feet from underneath him and he crashed to the ground with a huge thug. I was upon him, his neck locked in my armpit.

"Yield!" I demanded.

"Never," he cried back. He managed to use his strength to get on his feet again and out of my grip. He studied me for a moment. Did I see some newfound respect for me in his eyes?

He attacked again.

"Careful, you don't wanna spoil my face. What would Carter say if I turn up all bruised at his birthday party?"

"You are invited?"

"He and I are practically best friends. He begged me to be there," I said dodging his punch, while going again for his left side.

"I'm warning you. Stay away from him," he said deflecting.

"Is he whom you love?" I asked. The question just came out of me and it made him hesitate. Hesitate enough for me to knock him down. I was again upon him and this time we were locked face to face in a grip. I could see him struggle, but I knew with all his strength, even he could not get out of this lock.

"Do you yield?" I asked.

"Damn you," he said almost blue in his face. "I yield."

I let go of him.

"It is done then. See you are the library tomorrow," I told him and walked toward Ramsey. Ramsey's attention was still on Blake and there was a frown on his face. I took off the helm and brushed back my hair.

Blake on the other hand was already on his feet and he wasn't wasting time.

"You. Jake, is it? Come up here," I heard him say. "I think you and I had it a long time coming."

"I thought you would never ask," replied Jake.

"Ramsey, stop this!" I cried.

"Let them solve things. Do you think I don't know that Jake has been coming around this entire summer because he wanted to beat some rich kids up? Let them do it. Let's see if my efforts on him were not wasted."

There is nothing else I could do. I guess Blake was getting his fight after all. I watched them get ready. I couldn't deny it, even I was curious how the fight between those two would go.

Blake was good, better than Jake. I just hoped Jake would not make a fool out of himself.

The fight began and soon it became clear that Blake was just toying with Jake. Poor Jake, he just grew angrier and clumsier. In the end, Blake knocked him out cold.

"That's what you wanted all along," I shouted at Blake when he got out of the ring.

"I knew you would lead me to him eventually," he said with a shrug.

"You promised..."

"I didn't promise anything."

"I should not have let you go off so easily."

"You don't know the half of it..." he replied with a smile.

There was something about the way he said it. As I watched him head for the exit, there was a nagging feeling in me that there was something I was not quite getting.

"I saw your car outside. That looks nasty. Want me to give you a ride?" Liam asked coming over.

"It's ok. I am already dealing with it."

"As you wish. See you tomorrow at school." I nodded. Liam gave me kiss and Ramsey another glance, and then headed after his friends.

"He let you win," Ramsey told me when everyone else was out of earshot.

"No, I kicked his arse. Fair and square," I replied, sure of myself.

"Nobody fools my trained eye. This one wanted you to win."

If it was anyone else who told me this, I'd have held them for a fool. But this was Ramsey, he knew what he was talking about.

"That doesn't make sense."

"He might let his friend have you for now, but he wants you for himself."

"You are saying it as if I was a toy. Nobody gets to "have" me," I replied sheepishly.

"I've lived in this town longer than you. "Toys" is what West side girls are to the likes of them. And that Shields guy is into you, I could bet my teeth on it."

"He hates me..."

"The way he looks at you, tells a different story. He wants you for himself, all right. Your problem is that you are trying to fight him like men do. Come, let me show you."

I followed Ramsey to a mirror.

"What do you see?"

"What am I supposed to see?"

"You are a beautiful and smart young woman now. Your dad sent you here to learn how to protect yourself, not to fight your way through life like men do."

"What are you getting at?"

"What I am getting at, is that in movies they make you believe that a woman could be physically a match to a man. With very few exceptions, it's a lie. It's your dad's fault. He taught you like he would a boy. But you are no boy. There is only one strategy you want to adopt from the male world and that is: divide and conquer. He likes you, use that to your advantage. Use your wits, not force. Then, next time, he won't let you win."

Was Ramsey right? For the rest of the evening, I kept going on and on in my head about how the fight had gone. I won, I won. But then I watched Blake toy with Jake. Did he truly let me win?

Something was nagging at the back of my mind. I won and he got what he wanted. He got his fight with Jake. But I won too. What did I win? I won us working together on this project.

He wants us to work on this project!

Someone had mentioned, I forgot who, that Mr. Jackfield liked partnering students up. Who was it?

Principal Hinch on that very first day!

Mr. Jackfield likes breaking up the class into pairs, he said. And only after a few minutes into the class, I was already paired up with Blake. I went in my head through the events of that morning. There was something Blake said. And I felt provoked. And I replied. We could not have had more opposite opinions. It was a perfect setup. It now all made sense. I'd been such a fool!

Blake wanted to be paired up with me in the first place. Why? What could he possibly gain from that?

This is where I got stuck. I just could not think of anything besides that it was his way of having control over me, to force me to quit, to make my life miserable.

Or was it true what Ramsey was saying? That Blake was somehow into me. All this while, I felt like he only had disdain for me. But then I remember the way he looked at me when I stood before him in that green dress. The way he swallowed when he saw me in my red bikini. The way his eyes glittered when he was on top of me on his bed.

My face flushed and I buried my face in the pillow. This couldn't possibly be true.