Fight Like a Girl

p i n

❝All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him.❞

-Jack Dempsey

I stumble to my knees and press her shoulders to the ground. She socks me in the cheek, and fall sideways. She wrestles herself on top of me, in a straddle position.

I headbutt her. It’s my only option. I get to my feet, and she’s still on the ground. I hit her ribs, bouncing back and forth from her left ribs to her right. She has to shake me off of her in order to break free.

She socks me in the nose. I roundhouse her face, and she falls to the ground. She’s on her knees, trying to get up, when I force my entire body weight onto her back.

She pushes me off.

Don’t give up now.

I grab one arm. Pin it.

She takes her free arm and jabs me in the stomach. It’s hard, and it really hurts. You know when you’re about to throw up? Yeah, imagine getting punched right in the stomach before you actually do.

Before I can back off, though, I pin her second arm and hold the two as tight as possible. The counting begins.

She’s struggling, I’m having a hard time keeping her down. Just hold her…

It’s not a knockout, but the clock has hit ten seconds and she’s not found her way out. That’s an automatic out.

I release her, but she remains frozen on the ground. She’s panting and her eyes are fixed above her, where I used to be.

There is no dramatic ending. I still have a long ways to go if I want to place at state.

But hey, I made it to the second round.

“Advancing to the quarterfinals, senior Delaney Davis!” I hate that they have to say my full name here.

I find Dad. He’s shaking his head, but smiling.

You continue to impress me, Lane.

And I’ll never stop, Dad.

***********

I get 10 minutes with Dad, 30 minutes in the warm up room, and then I have my last round of the day.

Dad’s smart enough to allow Karen to save the seats. Thank God.

“Don’t let anything get to you, okay?” I nod. “These rounds are probably going to get harder, but you don’t give up.” I’m looking at his shoes, and he lifts his chin up so our eyes meet.

“I got it, Dad.”

“Fight like a girl.”

“Yeah.” I’m not really paying attention. My hands are shaking, and I’m trying to wrap them before warm-ups.

“Lane, I’m serious.” He grabs my hands. “You fight your best. You show your mother that she was wrong to call you out on fighting. You show her what she’s been missing, got it?”

I nod. Show Karen. Show Mom.

“Is she, well, watching?”

“Yeah. She’s watching.”

Coach yells from across the room.

“Hey, Davis, get yourself over here. We’ve got minimal time to practice, and you’re wasting it by talking to your daddy!”

I hug Dad. He kisses my hair.

***********

The fight starts like this:

My opponent punches me hard in my stomach, an already injured place. I’m already seeing stars.

And somehow, it ends like this:

“Moving on to the semifinals, senior Delaney Davis!”

Dad smiles at me from the audience.

In my head, I see Everett out there, winking at me. I try to wash this image from my brain, but when I do, I feel like a part of me is missing, so I put it back.

I look at Karen.

There are tears streaming down her face, but she’s smiling. Her cheeks are wrinkled, highlighting the age she’s built up.

Proud.

Finally, I see it in her. She’s proud of me.

For once, I feel content. I’ve got another fight, but I’m content.

Coach slams my back.

“Way-to-fucking-go,” he whispers in my ear.

I look at him, squinting a bit. I nod slowly.

It’s my time. This is my year.