Fight Like a Girl

j a b

        ❝I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’. ❞

– Muhammad Ali

 

        It was Wednesday, now, and I assumed it would move by like any other day. But I thought wrong, as it moved as fast as a freight train on maple syrup.

I wake up in the morning to go for a run, and Everett is too.

“Fancy meeting you here!”

“Hmm.” I lace up my shoes, and take off. He’s obviously shocked at my speed, and attempts to race off after me, but trips over himself.

“Wait for me!” I don’t. “What’s your problem today?”

I stifle a laugh. Today? He thinks that it’s just today I’m pissed off? No.

“Time of the month?”

I sigh.

“Why do you guys always think that? And no, besides, it’s none of your business. You wouldn’t understand, anyways.”
“Why not? I’m a boxer too, I’m eventually going to have to go through the whole state season stress. I mean, I’m a dude, so I’ll probably handle it better, but-”

“Quit while you’re ahead.”

“Why do you always do that?” He stops running, and grabs my arm. It’s starting to rain, and I’m lucky to not have any makeup on. Not like I ever do. I jerk away.

“Do what?” It’s phrased like a statement, though, not a question.

“You, you, you…” He searches for an answer. “You always defend yourself. Like I’m attacking you. But I’m not, I swear to God, I’m not. You’re like, not crazy psycho, but confusing as hell. You’re such a girl.”

“There!” I point at him.

“What?”

“That’s why I hate you. You insult girls. You pick at me like I’m some twig, but I’m not.”

“I think you’re viewing this differently than I am, Lane. I’m not being as harsh as you think I am.”

I shake my head. No, he’s just like the rest. As discriminating and hating as Coach, as the idiots that infest my school.

“I’m not doing it on purpose, Lane. I just want to pick at you. To pinch your sides, to tickle your funny bone, you know? You’re taking it much worse th-”

“Really? All these hateful comments, these horrible things you bring up about women, they’re just for fun? It’s not a joke, Everett. Grow up.”

“Maybe if you’d just take things a little bit lighter.”

“Maybe if you’d just leave me the fuck alone!” I never asked for this. I run back home. He doesn’t try to follow me this time.

I’m not sure what his goal is, but hopefully I’ve put an end to it.

****************

The fight kind of sets me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. And I’m not sure why, because he’s out of my hair now, and I never cared about him in the first place.

I get a pass to see the counselor in second period.

Ever since the incident, I get these check-ins every month or so.

I’m excused from class, so I make my way down to the Dr. Darcy’s office. I’m seated in on the couch when she enters.

“Hello, Delaney! How are you today?”

“I’m fine.” I decide to keep my name correction to myself; it’s better to show her that I’m “adaptable to change”- as she called it last time.

“Well, you know the drill. I’m just going to ask you two brief questions. The first- how’s home life? Anything exciting? New with your Dad?”

I tell her no. I lie when I tell her I’ve completely forgotten about Karen. I don’t tell her about Everett.

“Great! And school, any new friends?”

I tell her I don’t need friends.
“You don’t need friends? Why, that seems a bit...off. For a high school girl, I mean.”

“A high school girl, huh? Why not a high school guy?”

She gives a nervous laugh, tightening her hands around her waist. I can tell by the pinched lips and furrowed brow that she’s trying to come up with a “nice” answer.

“Guys are a bit more… independent, than girls.”

“Why can’t girls be independent?”

“I’m not saying they can’t be, I’m saying that usually guys aren’t as needy.”

“Well, Dr. Darcy, I think that if you’re going to go around telling lies like those, I don’t need your help. Thanks.”

I get up, and begin to walk out.

“Now, Ms. Davis, you need this check-in in order to compete on Saturday.”

I smirk.

“Well, Dr. Darcy, I think you’ve got enough info on me. If not, take me out. Tell me how that helps my state of being. Because, let me just state the obvious-it won’t.”

She allows me to leave after that.