Lookism: What Am I Even Doing?

Chapter Twenty-Four

Once the shock wore off the rest of them except Darin came at me all at once. They charged in with their fists raised high and screams piling in their throats. I took a deep breath and watched them charge at me. The room became still as I studied their movements.

The first two were flimsy and weak. There was no need to dodge so I hit them both dead on in the gut. They both fell to the ground with loud cries, coughing up their own spit as they did. The last guy steadied himself, putting his arms up to guard.

As I took a step forward he leaned in with his right. Good form...for a beginner. I leaned to my left, easily dodging his attack then struck in-between the weakly guarded area underneath his chin. I landed a lean uppercut right underneath his chin. His teeth clacked as I tossed him back onto the ground with a loud thud.

Crap. I didn't hit him too hard did I? He let out a soft groan. Oh thank god, I don't want to go to jail for killing someone.

I lowered my guard once I finished with them. Darin silently took off his own jacket then started walking to the ring. Oh? Guess we're going to have a little fun. I ducked underneath the rope and waited for him to get comfortable. When he finished adjusting his shoes, he looked up to me with a widening grin.

"You're pretty good for a girl."

"And you're pretty fucking weak for a guy."

He raised an eyebrow, "Weak? What makes you think I'm weak?"

If he only knew the people I'm surrounded with every day. You know, I've been dying to get a new sparring partner. Maybe I'll have some fun with him. We were in the ring so I'll show him some mercy as the challenger. We both met up in the middle then gently tapped each other's fists.

"I can't feel you."

He gave me a weird look when I said that. The fact that he doesn't know what that means told me enough. He may have experience but he's never really fought against strong fighters. The difference between fighting people weaker than you versus being strong, is that being strong gives you a presence.

When you walk into a room filled with people there's an awareness that floods over your system. It's as if all of them are turning to stare at you. You start to wonder

Can they hear me breathing?

Do they see the sweat rolling at the back of my neck?

What are they thinking?

Am I walking the right way?

That same awareness is what you get when facing off against a strong fighter. A predator. Like a rabbit hiding in a field of tall grass, you can feel the wolf making its way closer to you. You hear your own heart thrumming against your ears and your body tells you to run. If you've never been scared to start a fight then was it really a fight at all?

How predictable. He was the first to take the offensive just like I knew he would. There's a reason I called him weak at the beginning of the fight. I wanted him to attack me first so I could access his ability. Fighting is about strength, agility, endurance, tenacity, and mind. You fight with your minds as much as you do your bodies.

Every punch that he threw at me I dodged just barely. At the beginning of the match you don't want your opponent to know how strong you truly are. This isn't a professional fighting match. When you're fighting for your life you have to be prepared to go for the long run, especially if you don't know if you can take them head on.

As for me...

He stretched out his left arm but at the last moment pulled out a right hook. I took a step back then another to my right.