The Fighter's Block Read Online Free PDF Page A

feel himself deflate when he realized he had no way to get a hold of her. Not even a last name.
    Quincy pounded on the door and hollered at Van, so he got up to let him in. He watched him enter like he had almost every day for the past seven years.
    “Feeling a little hungry today?” Quincy chuckled, eyeing the several containers of takeout.
    Van only shrugged as his best friend helped himself to the orange chicken .
    “So you get your shit taken care of?” Quincy mumbled through a mouth ful .
    Van only nodded.
    “Well don’t tell me too much about it, asshole, ” Quincy scoffed.
    Van slightly smiled and said, “Sorry, just got things on my mind.”
    “Like what? What you’re gonna do if you r dad gets out?”
    “I’ll avoid him entirely. I already got that figured out.”
    “ Well what’d the prick have to say? W hat’s eatin ’ ya ?”
    Van wasn’t sure what to say—or how much to say—so he grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and set them on the counter between them.
    “You’re not gonna tell me? ” Quincy decided as he grabbed a bottle. “ What’s wrong with you today , man?”
    “I met a girl last night,” Van divulged. He took a swig o f his beer while Quincy’s curio sity peaked. “She was here last night, and then I left for that fucking appointment with the lawyer.”
    “And she left?”
    “Yes.”
    “So ‘here’ last night means…?”
    Van sighed but told him the entire story, from seeing her in the parking lot to kissing her goodbye when he left.
    “Holy Mary, mother of Jesus. You had a one night stand?”
    Van knew Q wouldn’t focus on the real issue , which is why he didn’t want to tell him. But he just shrugged and said, “Well, I didn’t think it was gonna turn out to be a one night stand. But maybe I was just trying to tell myself that… ”
    Both guys were quiet as they ate, but Quincy noticed that Van was agitated. It wasn’t typical of Van to be that way, so it did cause Quincy to worry.
    “So you’re pissed that she left, ” Q surmised.
    “I’m not — W ell, maybe, but I don’t even know how to get a hold of her.”
    “She left you with nothing.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Ouch.”
    “Thanks a lot.”
    “S orry.”
    Van got up and flipped on the television as a distraction. He was agitated with the situation because the last thing he discussed with Dani was that he was going to help her figure out her next move when he got back to the apartmen t . He hoped that she’d just gone out for a bit and would return, b ut trying to be patient was absolutely killing him.
     
     
    She finally stopped by on Monday night after work , but there was no answer when she knocked. She was worried that she’d messed everything up by leaving on Saturday morning without even a note, but she was hoping that Van would understand. He seemed like that type of guy .
    As she was heading for the elevator, Quincy was coming out of his own apartment. He told her hi and she returned the greeting, and they both waited for the elevator in silence.
    Finally Quincy couldn’t resist talking to such a beautiful girl and asked, “You visiting someone here?”
    Dani gave him a polite smile and nodded her head. “Yeah, but he wasn’t home.”
    “I’m Quincy,” he said . The elevator dinged and they both got on.
    “Dani,” she replied. “N ice to meet you.”
    “Who a, wait a minute!” Quincy said. He stopped the doors from closing and literally pulled Dani out of the elevator and back into the fourth floor hallway .
    “What the—? Get your hands off of me!” she exclaimed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
    “I’m sorry!” Quincy said, holding hi s hands up. “Just hear me out. If your name is Dani, then you’re here for Van, right? ”
    That made her freeze where she was, but she exhaled the breath she was holding and cautiously replied, “Yes.”
    “Oh, thank God!”
    “What ?”
    “I’m his friend. His best friend . ”
    Dani looked him over carefully, even