Miguel’s manager slid the contract across the table. He hadn’t seen that many zeros at any one time in his life.

“You signed to fight who?” was Coach Ray’s response when Miguel returned to the mats and shared the news.

Coach wasn’t asking as though he really didn’t know who the opponent was. Everyone in the region knew Mark “The Maverick” Massey.

“There’s no shortcut to the top,” Coach reminded.

Miguel sighed, “The payday is just too good to pass up.”

Coach shot back, “But the risk-reward isn’t worth it. Your health and future shouldn’t have a dollar amount.”

Word Count: 100

Prompted from MMA Storytime’s 100 Word Flash Fiction Challenge at: https://mmastorytime.com/2020/05/25/100-word-flash-fiction-challenge-20/.

Prompted from V.J. Knutson’s Weekly Challenge at: https://onewomansquest.org/2020/05/25/vjs-weekly-challenge-97-risk-reward/.

Prompted from Fandango’s One Word Challenge at: https://fivedotoh.com/2020/05/25/fowc-with-fandango-shortcut/.