The Boxer (editing)

Chapter Ten

 Chapter Ten

I barged into the gym, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a pissed off Ray seated on the edge of the ring. His hazel eyes were flaring with anger. His little daughter Lena was doodling by his side, but looked up to see me burst through the doors. I was so screwed.

"Sadie!" Lena squealed as she ran to me. I swooped her into a big hug swinging her around. Her toddlers giggle made me break out into a big grin. Ray couldn't kill me while holding his daughter.

"Hey Lena! I'm sorry but I can't play right now kiddo, your dad's gonna kill me if we don't get working." She nodded in understanding and then scampered like a puppy back to her book. I mumbled ready for pain, "Hi Ray." as I walked up to him putting my gear on.

"Sit." He ordered and I sat at the edge of the ring. "Why do you smell like salt water?" He wrapped my knee in tape and placed the slender brace on it. 

I swung my leg now all dolled up in the brace, I contained all the pain from the brace, if Ray knew it was in more pain I would be fucked. "I was at the beach."

"That's fine, swimming was good I said. All right, Sadie. Start combo three, eight, and twelve, on repeat." I looked at him with skepticism, I know he wasn't done giving orders. He smirked like an evil villain. "For twenty minutes."

"Why! That's like four years!"

He rolled his eyes, "No, it's twenty minutes, you'll survive. I need you to practice those because they're some of your strongest combos which you will need for tonight."

I mumbled a slew of threats and swears under my breath before I relaxed and went to my designated bag. Remember ducks, slip, jab for distance. 

Don't drop hands. Don't drop hands. Don't drop hands.

Popping in my wireless earbuds, I turned on my go to hype up playlist for before a fight, my 90's hiphop playlist. Three minutes in, the familiar speeding heartbeat let me know I'd be in my prime for this fight. This was my night to prove to all of my coaches and opponents and to myself that I could really crush them. Small beads of sweat percolated at my hairline as I worked harder and harder as each hit got rid of doubts I held about my night.

I looked at the timer later, and only twenty seconds left. I gave it everything I got. My bag was swinging everywhere. 

When the bag swings, it's the best practice because the bag mimics an opponent. As it swings towards me, I can practice turning out and away, defense. With each step, I made sure it was exactly right in order to make sure my knee wouldn't give out.

The shrill chirp of the timer set off. Finally! "Ray-Ray! My twenty minutes are up, now what?"

"Daddy said that you had to do 30 minutes of ab work, and then the last 10 minutes are only final practice." Little Lena smiled with a tooth missing.

"Before you start whining, its against CJ and Emma's cousin." CJ and Emma? Oh my gosh, I missed them so much! But we all hate her cousin. She's such a bimbo, and not a good fighter. Just as I was deep in thought, my two friends came in.

"Sadie!" CJ burst through the door. So, CJ. CJ had silky blonde with warm brown eyes. He's about the same height as Charlie, also, possessing a hot bod. Rad. His ego matched his dashing looks. Him and I were a constant on-again-of-again depending on the kind of place we were in and whether he wanted to be a goof guy and not a douche. Right now we were on-again, but it was edging towards off-again. We saw each other sporadically, he flirted with girls in front of me and we were in that weird phase where he kept insinuating he wanted me to do the dirty with him but I really was not interested. It meant more of a commitment to him, that was something I didn't want.