Seven Years Ago

“I can’t believe I’m in the final round.” Jenny is all but dancing.

“Stand still, will you,” but Chad grins as he works. “How am I supposed to wrap the magic knuckles with you jumping up and down like that?”

She subsides, but the thrill is still in her voice. “It’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“It hasn’t happened to you. You’ve made it happen yourself. I know how hard you’ve worked and you’ve learned a lot too, as you went through the rounds.”

“Mmmm, yes I have. I was watching Josh on all his bouts. He’s really clever you know. You can see him thinking as he fights. Some of them just lash out, keeping punching, but he’s thinking all the time.”

“Mmmm.” Chad’s reply is non-committal, his voice flat, but Jenny doesn’t notice.

The tannoy blarts out in nasal tomes, Competitors Monica DeLucia and Jennifer Conners, please report to the ring.

Jenny takes her corner. Her opponent for this final bout is a far cry from Kelly of the first round. Jenny has watched Monica in each of the competition rounds and knows she is fast, skilled and unafraid….

But so am I…

Monica is shorter than Jenny, but for a girl, is immensely muscular, with a stocky build and powerful biceps and shoulders. Her long dark hair is tied back, off-setting an olive complexion and a face that might be pretty, if it were not permanently fixed in a scowl.

“Watch yourself with this one,” mutters Chad from the side. “I watched her in some of the earlier rounds. She fights with her temper. She wants to win too much. And I’ve been listening to her teachers. It’s not just boxing she does. She’s into free-style fighting and she pumps iron. That’s where she’s got those shoulder muscles from. She’s not as long in the limb as you, but anything she does land on you is going to hurt.”

Jenny bounces on the spot, warming muscles and limbering up. “She doesn’t scare me.”

“No? Well, see how’s she’s looking at you.”

Monica is eye-balling Jenny, the whites of her eyes showing in a hard glare.

to psych me out.

to the crowd. “Time to go,” says Chad. “Good luck.” He pushes the mouthguard at

referee calls them together. “Shake

Monica nudges her own glove against it, but the glower on her face gives the lie to any show of

raises a hand and

her right fist hot behind it with a punch that

of opponent to anyone Jenny has faced before. Monica seriously wants to win and is armed in both body and attitude. Rattled, Jenny steps back. She jabs, testing Monica’s defences, but the girl

connects with Jenny’s jaw. She backs off to find herself against

is she doing

she

and the swelling she feels

And Jenny laughs….

the ring. She is free

…. the bell rings….

“You had me worried there for a minute.” He fishes the guard out from her mouth, peers at her face. “Just as well you’re wearing a head guard, or you’d have a flat ear.” He swipes her over

than me before,” she gasps, recapturing breath. “They’ve all been tall. She’s short, so she has to come right in. All I have to do is either stay back, or get in so close that

got it,” he

The bell rings.

“Go for it, Champ.”

only to meet Jenny’s glove coming from the left. She gasps, but already her own

as many strikes as misses. When the bell rings again, Jenny feels the bruising to her ribs, but Monica has an

“That hurting?” asks Chad.

“Yup.”

have

broken ribs once. This isn’t nearly as bad. How

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