Colton lowered his hands and began to look around the ring. While the echoes from the crowd still rang in my ear, I felt the coldness coming from Colton’s stare.  He seemed defeated, yet we won. I tried to smile, but something was holding it back.  Dad never noticed the pain in Colton’s eyes, but it was crying out to be seen.  Something we were trained not to acknowledge.

 

Damn Hurst pride.

 

As he turned his head back around, he began to exit the ring, I thought he would have been excited, but instead he walked away. 

 

It did not take long for the referee to notice the crimson ooze coming from the back of my head. 

 

Ouch.

 

While Colton's image was fading under the lights at the top of the ramp, I heard the sound of my mother's voice.

 

 "Is she ok, Hunter?"

 

 I took my hand and rubbed the back of my head.

 

 Damn. 

 

As dad and I made our way out of the ring, mom was there to greet us.  She took the belt from over my shoulder and strapped it around my waist.

 

I turned to look back at the carnage left inside the ring, I felt an overwhelming urge to finish him off as the man was being helped to his feet.

 

 A sense of pride came over me, but the burning desire to rip his head off his shoulders surfaced as my lip curled when he walked by.

 

"That was some fight, Babygirl."

 

Mom was trying her best to put on a brave face, no doubt she was proud, but the worry still remains in those blue eyes.  If I could only remember what happened.

 

"Thanks mom."

 

I played it off; I had to. 

 

"Let’s go find the boy." Dad always referred to Colton as boy.

 

Dad reached for mom's hand and together we walked up the ramp.

 

Things still felt like a huge blur, the match, Colton's reaction; everything.  I don't even remember who got the pin.  The only thing I was certain about was the pounding sensation going on in the back of my head.  

 

"Man, what a fight, Cassie."

 

I heard as mom turned the knob to our dressing room door.

 

"Thanks." 

 

I replied with a snide puff of breath, looking at the new wrestler who was also debuting tonight.  

 

I stepped inside, closed the door behind me and there it was, the big goofy grin on Colton's face. 

 

"Hey, brother." 

 

I winked in his direction, patting the gold around my waist.

 

Colton held up his title and knocked it against mine.

 

"Who would have thought, we could do it? Right sis?"

 

Colton took his belt and packed it into his duffle bag. From behind him, dad began to pull a six pack of beer out of a cooler and hands each of us one.  As we opened them, we stood in a circle, tapped them together and down the hatch!

 

It was my first taste of victory.  not just from winning the match but finally being part of the family ritual.

 

"Drink up, Babygirl, you earned it," dad said as he lifted his can to his lip. 

 

"You both deserve it," mom looked at Colton with a smile.

 

 It was bittersweet at that moment; a moment in time that somehow will forever remain in my chest. 

 

Beer never tasted so good. 

 

 It was a toast to a battle won, a fight well fought, and a night I would never forget.