"She's lightening fast, remember." Susan said to her in the locker room of the college auditorium. They had watched videos of her opponent's fights last night. Olivia had heard of her, Holly Taloon, she was twenty-two. Last night Susan had come over and they had pow-wowed about today, Crawford had moved into the bedroom, still working. "If you get down, use those legs and hold her, don't let her get you in the face or in a corner." Susan finished wrapping her hands and wrists in the regulation black tape. She was already dressed in her branded sports bra and shorts, hair in twin french braids. Crawford was there with his camera and she had already talked to Mulligan and Murphy. This fight wasn't being televised, but several local papers were in the crowd.
"Block your face." Tyree added. She nodded. Her Crawford, Tyree and Susan stood and filed out toward the ring. They were the last fight, there had been three before them; men, teen, amateur and now her and Holly. She wasn't nervous, she was ready. The auditorium thundered as as the featured fight was announced. Tyree and Crawford sat down in the front and Susan came with her to the door of the cage.
"You got the stuff kid, now use it, kill it."
"Thanks" Olivia said and went into the ring, the mat rough on her bare feet. Holly was a couple of inches taller than her with very short black hair, she was cut and wirey.
"Mouth guards in!" The referee yelled, she slid in the molded plastic and began bouncing from side to side. "FIGHT!" He stepped back. They circled each other, both looking for their in. Then the girl dove at Olivia like a jet, but she caught her around the middle and drove her knee into her till she broke away. After the first few minutes, Holly got a few high kicks in on her back, it buckled Olivia's knees, but she got up quickly.
The crowd was so loud that she couldn't hear anything Susan was yelling. It was very evenly matched, Olivia's strength balancing Holly's speed. She was able to trip the younger woman down to one knee and held her there, her arms and legs shaking, then kicked out her other leg and got her on her back. Holly was fighting hard against Olivia's hold, but Olivia pinned her down as hard as she could, making sure both of Holly's shoulders were on the mat. The horn blew and the ref ran over and pulled Olivia off, she turned around, breathing hard, Susan was yelling with her arms raised and Tyree and Crawford were high-fiving each other, she turned back around and offered a hand up to Holly, who took it. "Nice fight for an old lady." They shook and Olivia actually smiled.
They posed for pictures and she noticed Crawford had managed his way in with the press photographers. She shook hands again with Holly and the ref and coordinators of the event, then she was presented with a check. Leaving the ring people flooded around her, it was almost frightening.
"They just want to say hi." Crawford said from behind her. It was hard at first, being in the center of the mob but she said hi, took pictures, even signed an autograph or two, which felt mental to her.
"So let's celebrate!" Tyree said back in the locker room. Olivia snorted and pulled on her sweat pants.
"Come on, I got a bottle of champagne back at my office in case you actually pulled through." Susan said with crooked smile, Olivia looked over at Crawford.
"I have a deadline, I can pick you up later."
She frowned, "Okay, can I ride with you then?" She asked Susan.
"I'm sorry love, I know I've been slammed the last few weeks." He said in the parking lot.
"That's okay, don't apologize, you being here means a lot to me." He gave her a quick kiss and went over to his car.
"All right, here we go." Susan popped the cork on the pink champagne and poured it into three paper cups.
"So I can put in a good word for you at UFC if you're ready to make a big comeback." Tyree said, but Olivia shook her head. "No thanks, I think my serious fighting days are behind me, I'm 29 now. Holly called me an old lady." She chuckled and set the cup of bubbly down, it was disgusting.
YOU ARE READING
I choose me.
Ficción General"I choose me" follows the story of Olivia Granger , her life from an orphan, to an athlete and business owner, to a woman whose life turns in a direction she never ever thought it would go, a direction she never even knew could exist. It is a hear...
