Sucker Punch

Chapter One

                                                                                         Ivy

It's moments like these I wish it was socially acceptable to day drink. Not that applying for a gym membership warrants the use of liquid courage at eleven in the morning, but I've always struggled talking to strangers.

But Tipsy Ivy? She's a social butterfly. Quips and small talk pour out of her mouth as smoothly as the cocktails that fuel her. Sober Ivy's lacking these skills right about now though.

I rehearse my words a few more times, hoping to prevent any awkward verbal fumbling, before finally stepping into Argo's Boxing Club. The smell infiltrates my nostrils immediately, and the familiar blend of sweat, rubber mats, and disinfectant soothes me. Feeling like I'm back in my element, I straighten my shoulders and head to the help desk.

"Oh hey there, what can I do for you," asks the pink-haired girl behind the counter.

"Hi, I'm here to take a tour of the place, and maybe set up a membership," I say, just like I rehearsed.

"Awesome! I assume you're here because you heard of Argo's women-only gym days," she asks. I nod, because that's exactly why I decided to cancel my gym membership in Huntly, which is the next town over.

As a college student, I have access to all of the university's athletic facilities, but the nearest women-only kickboxing gym was in Huntly, a twenty-minute drive from campus in Lakeland. Argo's is a five minute walk from my new apartment, so when I heard Thursdays and Sundays are now women-only gym days, the choice was obvious.

"I used to train in the private studios in the back when they're weren't being used by our VIP members." Pink-hair grabs a clipboard and leads me toward the main gym.

"It was the only place I didn't feel like I was being ogled by all the testosterone out here in the main floor," Pink-hair says and nods her head toward the back of the building, where the private studios are sectioned off. 

"Don't get me wrong, I get a thrill from showing off in front of boys, showing them I kick ass as well as they do, but that doesn't mean I don't feel my skin crawl when they start sizing me up."

I understand the feeling completely.

The gym has been my haven since I was seventeen, especially kickboxing. Unfortunately, being a girl meant being subjected to cat calls and creepy men standing too close when they offer unsolicited workout advice. Hence, my preference for women-only gyms.

 Pink-hair starts leading me around the gym, giving me the low-down, while I smile and nod repeatedly at everything she says.  

"Anyway, I finally convinced Pops that the only way to keep dudes from creeping on me is to get rid of them. Thursdays and Sundays were always our slowest days but since they've become just for us girls, our membership numbers have really gone up."

Pink-hair keeps talking and I keep nodding, but I eventually I start to feel the awkwardness of this one-sided conversation weigh on me.

"Yeah, I like to hit the bag at least twice a week, but Huntly's kind of a hike for me. I live right near here though," I manage to spit out.

Fortunately for me, she's the chatty type, and soon she's on another spiel, pointing out all the amenities the gym offers. Bathroom's here, locker room there, and I tune her out when she starts on the VIP member policies.

"So are you a student? At Northern? How long you been boxing? You do any other type of training?" We're circling back to the counter and I flush when I realize she's fired half a dozen questions, bringing me back from my mental la la land.