Fighter

Chapter 4

I walk into the gym the next day with a little dread. I didn't really want to train today. Dongho had messaged me saying he wasn't going to be able to come to practice. Plus my ribs were killing me. I should have wrapped them yesterday but there just wasn't the time, and now I was in a lot of unnecessary pain.
I was just wrapping my wrists to start practice when I saw Wow walk into the gym. Great just who I didn't want to see today. After our fight yesterday I had no desire to talk to him. I didn't want him to ask questions about my bruises or Dongho and I's fight. Suddenly I just wanted to punch something.
I get up and start heading to the back of the gym, away from Seyoon.
"Wait! Stop! I've come to apologize!" he shouts after me.
That stops me in my tracks. I'll listen. I turn on my heels and cross my arms.
"Listen. I, uh, shouldn't have said that. That stuff I said last night. You were right. It was none of my business and I really value you as a friend. So I don't want to ruin that friendship. Please, please, please forgive me."
"As long as you know that you stepped over the line." I hold out my hand, "I forgive you."
He takes my hand and shakes it. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
I take a moment to think on that. There is something he can do. "Want to help me practice? Dongho bailed on me today."
"Yeah sure. I could always use the extra practice."
"Okay but today is my practice not our private lesson. So we are going to do some harder stuff and a couple mock fights. Alright?"
"Of course. But uh should you be fighting with your side all bruised like that?"
"They are just bruises." I lie. "No big deal."
He doesn't say another word but heads over to his bag to get out the pair of wrappings I had given him from our first private lesson. Once he had finished wrapping his wrists and stepped into the ring.
"Don't go easy on me. I won't be going easy on you." I smile then throw the first punch.

—————•••—————

I was gasping, I couldn't breathe. I stare at the floor and wait for the pain to stop, but it doesn't. I just feel it radiating out from my ribs, through my whole body. I clench my mouth and eyes shut to keep from crying. But I have to open my mouth to breath and when I finally unclench my jaw I release a scream.
I can vaguely hear Seyoon kneeling beside me, calling out. I can almost hear what he is saying. "Hey, are you okay? I swear I didn't punch that hard. What's going on? How can I help?"
I reach out to grab at his arm. "Stop."
"Stop? Stop what?" he starts to sound panicked. I can feel his other arm patting my back.
It feels like is I am there forever but it was really only a minute or two. Then I can feel the pain start to fade, and as it does I feel my breathing getting easier.
"Just," I breathe, "just-" I change what I want to say. "In my bag... there is a bandage. I need you ... go get it." I push him towards my bag.
He scrambles up and I concentrate on breathing again. The pain was mostly gone. At least it wasn't incapacitating now.
Seyoon runs back to me holding the bandage. I am still on all fours.
"Listen. I think I have some broken ribs-"
"Wait did I do that?" he asks.
"No, no. They were already broken probably. From earlier. I am going to take off my tanktop, and I need you to wrap my ribs."
"Wait? I thought they were bruised? They were broken?"
"Yes, please keep up Seyoon. I need to wrap them. I think that they were fractured but it might be a clean break now. I need to wrap them ASAP." I am having trouble talking this much and breathing at the same time. I take a minute to take some deep breathes. We had been practicing for a couple hours and everyone else had gone home.
"Did you say take off your top? I can't do that. No, no, no." he backs up.
"I think I can stand up, but I need you to wrap my ribs, I can't do it by myself, and no one else is in the gym right now. I am wearing a sports bra underneath. I've worn a sports bra to practices before. What are you scared of?"
"Uh, I just, uh, okay."
"Okay first you have to help me up, alright? On three. 1, 2, 3." He puts his hands under my armpits and hoists me up. I try to hold in my pain. I am strong.
He pulls my arm over his shoulders and helps me walk out of the ring and over to the benches.
I try and fail to hold in another gasp of pain as I pull my arms up so he can lift my shirt off. I feel his cold hands at the hem of my shirt before he pulls my shirt up and over my head. I rest my arms across my head to keep them up and out of the way.
I look down at my ribs. If I thought they looked bad yesterday, they looked ten times worse today. The bruises were almost black in some places.
"What am I doing? How do I do this?" he starts unrolling the bandage.
"You are going to just wrap it around my ribs and wrap it tight. The goal is to bind them so tight that they don't move. Like a cast," I can feel my breathing hitch again.
I watch him kneel in front of me. I try to make a joke, "no funny business." I smile. But it becomes a grimace.
"Don't joke right now. It's not funny, I am freaking out here. How are you not freaking out? Shouldn't we be going to the hospital?"
"There's no point. Whether it is a clean break or just a fracture they are going to do just what we are doing here. Wrap them and send me on my way."
"Okay." He takes a breath. "Okay. Uh, so I just wrap this around you?"
"Yup, pretty simple. Just make it tight."
He reaches his arms around me to grab the bandage and starts wrapping. When he starts I grunt a little in pain. I feel Seyoon loosen the bandage.
"No, tighter. If its loose it's nothing more than extra fabric. It is going to be painful but it has to be tight. I'll try not to make any noise."
When he finished he stares up at me. Our eyes meet and it's like someone has shocked us with an electric current and we can't move till it stops. He is only inches away from me and I can feel one of his hands on me knee. All of my nerves are on fire.
"Ah, uh," my brain is finding it impossible to form words. "um, so."
"So?" neither he or I have moved yet.
Breathe. "We should probably start practicing again."
That broke the current. "Practice?" He takes his hand off my knee and let out my breath. Ouch. ribs.
He speaks again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa we can't practice. You just told me you have broken ribs!" he stands up.
I slowly put my arms down. I am being cautious. "Don't worry, now that they are wrapped I'll be fine. Plus after practice I have to clean the gym and I really don't want to do that."
"I can help." He reaches out a hand to help me stand up. "But you were incapacitated for a while after that fight. We should probably take it easy for now. The more you fight with your ribs like that the worse they are going to get."
"I can handle it, but I won't say no to some help."
"Good. Tell me what to do. I am your slave." He smiles.
I can't help but smile back. "Okay, we need to rotate all the sandbags and wipe them down. You move, I'll wipe. Can you handle it? "
"I got this." he replies.
"Are you sure?" I know those sandbags are really heavy. Dongho usually has trouble lifting them. I needed a laugh plus I wanted to see if he could do it. Plus we don't actually rotate the sandbags.
Ten minutes go by before I see Seyoon again.
He finally comes up to me looking dejected. "Help, I don't got it."
I laugh. "You waited ten minutes to tell me?"
"No! I tried and failed for ten minutes!" he is being serious but he can't help but give me a half smile.
"Alright well to be fair I didn't think you could do it. But I had to see." I can't stop giggling.
"Do the sandbags even need to be rotated?"
That's a good question. "You know, I am not sure, we've never done it before. So its possible."
He just stares back at me slackjawed.
"You should see your face!" I am almost full out laughing. But I stop at the pain in my side.
"Ah you think you're clever, just you wait. I'll get you back!" He laughs with me.
His smile is so beautiful. A true 100 watt smile. I could almost see his teeth twinkle. Again I was shocked at just how handsome Seyoon was. Shake out of it.
"Something that I actually need you to do is go clean the bathrooms." I hand him the supplies.
"I'll do thi for you but don't think that this gets you off the hook." He takes the supplies and heads to the changing room at bathrooms. By the time he gets done with all that I should be finished with the rest of the gym.
I am almost done cleaning and I'm just finishing up sweeping the floors when I hear a banging on the door. I go to see who it is. To my surprise it is Dongho. I quickly head over to open the door.
"Babe what are you doing here?" then I get a whif of his breath. He has been drinking, a lot by the smell of it.
Dongho stumbles in and looks around the gym before turning back to me. "Is he here?"
"Is who here, Dong-"
He slaps me hard across the face. "DON'T LIE TO ME. I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN CHEATING ON ME WITH HIM. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD KEEP IT FROM ME?" He is screaming at me and pointing his finger at my chest. He gets closer and closer.
"I don't know what you mean. You can calm down." I don't have time to be shocked that he hit me outside of the ring. I try to push him back but no luck.
"NO! I KNOW! YOU CAN'T LIE TO ME!" He slams his hands on either side of me. He leans in close and whispers. "Earlier today I came by to bring you food as a sorry for missing practice and I see HIS ARMS AROUND YOU. BUT YOU. ARE. MINE." Suddenly he has grabbed my waist and is pushing himself against me. His sloppy lips are pressing against mine. He is everywhere, crushing me. Almost like he had to prove his possession.
I struggle to turn my head away from his and try to push him away. "Dongho stop. You are drunk, don't do this. Stop!" His moves his lips from my mouth to my neck and is getting his drool and saliva all over my neck and shirt.
I can feel his hands all over me, wandering everywhere. One of his hands lifts up the bottom of my shirt and I gasp. I don't want this. I don't want this. Someone, help me.
Anyone.