Justice in the Ring

1 - Another Day, Again

BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!

The alarm roared as the ceiling came into dizzying view. As I lay half awake the late fall cold nipped at my bare feet sticking out from under my slim blanket. It was so early anyway, there was no need to wake up... But you should.. Maybe Coach won't mind if I don't show up today. He'll understand...What excuse are you going to tell him? The clock was still ringing in the background, every beep making me more and more annoyed. Still, I shut my eyes. How could I ever open them?

The alarm still continued and I woke up in an angry rage, throwing my legs and arms around like a baby having a tantrum before settling down to fall asleep again. Come on.. With a frustrated groan and a sob in my pillow, I slowly rolled myself out of the high bed, crashing to the ground finally snapping me awake. I sat there in a sleepy daze:

Everything is a mess

My bags and clothes were splattered everywhere, used injury tape lying around on the ground. Only my boxing gloves lay neatly on my empty wooden desk table. Such a sight became funny as I turned to the mirror.
That was not funny.
A shriek released from my throat. My long hair was impossible to comb through. I should just cut it off . The light green bottom portion of my brown hair started to become more orderly the longer I hacked at it with my brush, but I was wasting too much time.

Eventually I gave up and pulled aside the milky white curtains to reveal the rest of my apartment. It was still dark outside, but the beige furniture gave it a nice warm glow when I turned on a small lamp light on the kitchen counter. My right eye felt like it was burning as it throbbed, so bad I had to keep it closed without tearing up.  I could keep both my eyes closed to get to the stove if I wanted to. The one room apartment was just a large square and I've been living in it for so long that every inch was memorized. The ticking on the clock on the kitchen became louder.  It was 5:30 A.M., Monday --and school started at 6:50.

My heart dropped, but as if on signal police sirens started up at the police station down the road as I prepared the pots and bowls. It's good for you, Brittany. You need boxing AND good grades. The reminder set a clear source of motivation to light up yet another day.

With the oatmeal bubbling on the stove, the fruits nicely washed, cut, and already prepared in the bowl, I walked across the smooth wood floor and settled down in a small, white puffy couch by the window. The police sirens were still going further in the distance and I closed my eyes, tracing their path across the city roads in my mind. It always gave me a feeling of excitement to hear that sound. They are out to save something, somebody. And despite much news, social media, movie circulations there was of police and law corruption, there was always a hope with those—maybe few, maybe many—good policemen scattered in the force. Otherwise the system could've crumbled a long time ago.

Just you wait, Brittany Kernets will help too.... If I wanted to I could also be like Batman.. but I like the police. Yeah, I'll just stick with the police. I nodded my head. What if they have a Batman they work with? That'd be sick. I'd want a Batman side-

My phone rang, breaking my wandering train of thought.  It was my private coach, Stro.

"Hi Stro." I said. Boxing replaced my thoughts of the police. It was a step on the journey and every bruise on my body has to bring me closer. Wait, what am I going to do about school? My eye will certainly raise questions.

"Hey Britt. Just calling to tell you no training this morning." To think, I woke up nearly 2 hours before school to do nothing. I had to hype myself up to be happy this morning, too.

"Why? I literally woke up early for this. You can't do this to me." I whined, sinking into the couch. The cooking timer went off, and the thick, oaty smell in the air  stole my attention. In seconds I was at the stove pouring the oatmeal, my phone, with Stro in it,  lying further away.