"Come on Trevor." I plead," I need to be home soon."
He looks up from wiping down the counter. "How much would you give me?" he says gruffly.
"A sixth." I bargain
"No, a fourth." He looks down again and continues wiping.
"An eighth" I state leaning forward on the counter.
"Fine a sixth. I'll see who we have on the list." He turns and walks into the back room with an eye roll.
A satisifed smirk on my face, I turn and hear a cheer erupt as one of the boxers gets cornered and repeatedly hit. Must be a newbie.
"Keep your elbows up!" Someone in the crowd jeers and all the men start laughing. I watch from the back of the crowd by the bar where only a few people are. From tbe outside I must look out of place being the only girl in the middle of a whole bunch of men.
The little bit of light in the room is given an odd glow with the smoke of cigarettes. It smells musty, like beer and sweat mixed with smoke, though not that many people get dead drunk they do enjoy a lot of good shots. Trevor is kind of in charge of the place. It's a shabby and kinda shady but it's where my money comes from.
The place is called Boxing and Beers Club Lounge. It's mostly brick and has the average neon signs promoting different beers. Not a lot if police suspect anything from it.
"Alright I put you in the next spot so you're up next." He states and then goes back to wiping the counters.
"Stop wiping the counters you're gonna wear them out." I chuckle," So who am I going up against?"
"Stop being so nosy. Just get ready looks like you'll be up in a little with how bad that guy is doing," he nods his head towards the ring.
"Aye, aye, Captain!" I salute him sarcastically and drop my backpack on the stool. I unzip it and take out my hand wraps.
The bell dings as the fight is over and the winning man holds his fist up in victory.
"My time to shine." I mutter slapping the counter and slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"Hey you better win I'm expecting that sixth!" Trevor yells as I walk away.
Pretty much the money system is set up this way. You gamble on a boxer if they win they get your money and you get the money from the people you gambled against. It seems pretty stupid but it works well with half drunk guys.
The loser gets money for trying but not nearly as much as the winner.
"Next up we have Bea and Tony! Make your way to the ring!" The ref announces looking among the crowd.
Dropping the bag on the side I toss off my sweater and climb under the ropes. I always come dressed up pretty much the same, in a black tank top and either basketball shorts or running shorts.
I'm not that tall just 5'5". I have dark hair that I put back in braids and a naturally tan complexion.
I step up and strap my gloves as a few men catcall. Most of the men don't dare. They know what I can do.
My opponent comes from the opposite direction with only his boxing shorts and boxing gloves. He's tall, taller than me, he has dirty blonde hair and a vicious smirk. But what I focus on more than his muscles or physical appearance, is his stance and his eyes. His stance is arrogant held high and mighty, and he's glaring at me. He's arrogant, this'll go by fast.
The bell dings and we begin circling around each other. Challenging each other with our eyes. Throwing weak jabs hear and there testing the water.
"Come on! Where's the fighting at?" The crowd is getting impatient.
Tony noticing this starts striding towards me. He throws an uppercut. I dodge and take two quick jabs at his stomach. I hear a grunt from him and he blocks my next jab. H
e ian't in the right position to protect both face and stomach, I punch the side of his face making his head snap back. I continue punching him until I see some blood gathering on the top of his brow.
We back away from each other breathing heavily. My adrenaline kicks in but I ignore it. It makes me impulsive and it messes me up.
This time I come forward and kepp throwing punches at him. I hear the crowd roar as I continue, and the only thing Tony can do is block my punches and step back. He punches my stomach making me go back and set my arms back to protect me.
He comes forward. I can tell he's mad that I'm making him look like a fool so I use it.
"Come on! You can't let a girl beat you!" I taunt over the din of the crowd.
He growls and tries to punch me but I side step and punch his stomach again. Cornering him at the edge of the ring I continue again and again.
Left, right, left, right.
Tony turns again and tries to throw a punch but I block it and punch his face again. I use different combinations mixing it up to confuse him. His nose is bleeding and his eye is starting to swell. He leans heavily on the ropes and I step back to take a breath.
He stumbles forward a little and then falls. Tony tries to get up but decides to stay on the floor.
"7...8...9...10!" The referee holds my fist up. My eyebrow is cut and stinging. I feel sweaty all over, my stomach and face throb but I got the money and some more food on the table.
YOU ARE READING
Swing Hard
Action"Just remember swing hard and swing fast." I mutter eyeing his opponent. "But they're better!" I look him straight in the eyes,"Then swing harder and swing faster." ························· Beatrice Reyes, more commonly knows as 'Bea' or the Black...
