Fighting the Fall ✔

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Lydia Dunst

The match was all I could think about. I laid in bed, wide awake, thinking about the match, visualizing winning. For the first time I was going to be able to say I'm a boxer, I've won a match. It would be a big accomplishment, for me and my father.

I laid my outfit out on my bed the day before. A black workout tank top and my favorite pair of black Adidas shorts.

I was full of nerves. I thought that maybe I'd put myself on too high of a pedestal. But I shook the thoughts away and jumped into the shower. I left it on cold. It calmed me.

When I got out, I wrapped my hair in the towel and put on my gym clothes, even though I still had two hours to spare.

"Lydia." My nana knocked on the door. "Are you decent?"

"Yeah," I answered. The door opened.

"Well, don't you look cute in your little boxing outfit," she cooed, putting her arm around my shoulder.

"Nana..." I groaned. Cute wasn't really the look I was going for.

"You're going to do great today." She gave me a hug. "I have to go meet some friends in town but I'll be rooting for you." She smiled.

"Thanks, Nana," I whispered. She kissed my cheek. "Have a good day," I told her as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Bending over, I took the towel off of my head and put my hair into a ponytail.

I looked in the mirror. Dustin was right... I sure didn't look like a boxer. My muscles were close to nonexistent, I wasn't masculine, and I sure wasn't anything close to the boxer Jackson was. I wasn't sure why I was comparing myself to him. Of course I was nervous and second guessing myself.

I shook the nerves away and did a few jumping jacks, although it didn't help too much.

Nerves are perfectly normal. They'll lift you up, feed you. You just need to turn the nerves into adrenalin. That's what Dad would say. Just focus, Lydia.

I put a pair of sweatpants over my shorts and threw on a baggy sweatshirt. You got this, I told myself and went downstairs. My dad was in the kitchen with every element on the stove running.

"I'm making us a big breakfast. Eggs, bacon, french toast, and sausages. Grab a plate. It's almost ready." He was ecstatic, which only made me more nervous. I took a plate out of the cupboard. "Are you ready for today?" he asked, taste testing one of the sausages.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I put a smile on my face.

"Good, because I have you paired with one of the best girls from the gym across town."

My heart sunk.

"You have me paired with a girl?" I mumbled.

"Lydia--" He tried to reason with me but it wasn't going to work.

"No, I'm supposed to be paired with a guy. I'm as good as any guy," I insisted. I groaned, throwing my head back in exasperation. "Dad!"

"This is your first match. I just think we should play it safe." He raised his voice.

"You think I'm not good enough..." I whispered, shaking my head.

"No, Lydia. I just don't want you getting hurt. This is your first match, so I just thought playing it safe would be the best bet." He tried again to reason with me. "Lydia--"

"No! When I'm boxing, I'm not your little girl. I'm your boxer," I pointed out.

"Okay... I'll change the program around, just this once. Just don't make me regret it." He turned back to the stove and took everything off of the burners.