Just Your Average Girl

Chapter 13:Combat

Shorts... on.

Sports shirt... on.

Bandages... definitely on.

I was the only girl who was ever on the wrestling team at the Ring, so the guys who I trained with set aside a special wardrobe for me. I was banned from the Ring before I could take the outfit, so it was still in the package. The shorts were a bit short since I grew two inches over the year. I stretched my quads and deltoids, and stepped into the MMA cage behind me to face my opponent.

"Marleni? I'm glad you're doing well and all, but why are you here?" I turned around and smiled at Phil. "Hey Phil! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess. Marquel told me I'd be having a practice fight, but I didn't expect you to do it."

"Well, I've heard that you've gotten pretty strong. Let's see if you can beat me." I grinned and knocked my fists together. He gave me a worried smile and moved to the opposite side of the cage. Greg climbed into the cage and played referee.

"Okay you two, I want a clean fight. No cheap shots. Feet are allowed, but no hitting the head." Phil and I knocked fists in agreement. Greg yelled go and we backed away from each other. I had my fists up as we circled each other just watching him. Greg got impatient and yelled, "Can you guys start now? Jeez, I'm better off watching grass grow."

"Greg, I told you, you didn't have to come. Stop--"

The wind got knocked out of me as Phil tackled me in my stomach. I could hear the room gasp as I slammed into the fence. Adrenaline started pumping wildly through my veins. I quickly got up and gripped my stomach.

"First strike on me, Phil. Now it's my turn." I ran in front of him and before he could punch, looped my arms under his, capturing his arms under mine. I pressed my hands under his chin and into his neck. This caused him to uncomfortably arch backwards. Before he even got the chance to fall, I jumped up, pushing him into a scorpion as I backflipped off his stomach. He fell onto his stomach and was out like a light. "Second strike on you Phil. Unfortunately, game over."

There was absolute silence. Greg dropped the camera, Richelle and Damian were gaping like fish out of water, and other people who were training ran into the cage to get Phil.

I snapped out of my adrenaline fueled stupor and ran to Phil's side. I checked his neck and his pulse, and gave a sigh of relief when he groaned and opened his eyes. He put his hand to his head and yelled, "Awe, man! What happened?" He rolled over and I helped him up. Marquel came in and walked him out of the cage, calling, "Clear out guys, we've got a casualty." The fifteen guys in the cage moved out of the way.

"Yo, Leni, that was wicked! Look here!" Greg picked up the camera and played back the video. I gasped seeing how fatal the move I did could have been. "Oh my goodness! If I pushed a little harder, I could have snapped his back!"

Suddenly I felt this strange feeling of menace behind me. I turned to see all the guys ready to fight me. One guy, Gerald, grabbed me by the shirt and hoisted me into the air. "Who do you think you are, beating up our fighters, girly?"

Girly, really? Are we in some 80s high school sitcom? I thought to myself. I kneed him in the face and he dropped me. I fell on my butt and rolled out of the way before he stomped on me. I felt exhilarated and yelled as I got up, "I think I'm the girl who's gonna kick your sorry butt."

I staggered backwards into the fencing, and jumped at the touch of something on my ankle. Damian was holding my foot by the wrapping on my ankle through the space in the wire. "Marleni, get out of there!" he yelled at me.

I pulled my foot from his grip and half- glared at him. "Then come get me." I was seething; where did he get off caring about me all of a sudden? He stepped back and stared at me like I asked him to shoot me. When I turned around, Gerald tried to tackle me. I dodged and he smacked into the fencing.