I want to say; I've had the idea of Nikki/Kacey for ages, but with college I never got around to it. But a big shout out to I-wish-upon-falling-stars and LittleBooLost; they've done similar things and it's great! Check them out! Anyway I hope you enjoy.
"I'm scared every time I go into the ring, but it's how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, 'Let's go.' " - Mike Tyson
'KACEY ON YOUR TOES, ON YOUR TOES!' I screamed out watching as the young teen circled her opponent; she looked so small compared. I stood still on the side with my arms crossed, overlooking her every move, looking to spot any mistakes although her performance seemingly faultless was going well so far. Thanks to Maggie's shakes, my vigorous training, Kacey was finally showing the great potential the PRU had promised her. End of round one; she lets the boxing glove flop to the floor, sweaty and heavy as she shakes the other girl's hand before bounding over. 'Miss, how I doing?' I handed her the cup of water, hoping to wash away any terror. She needed to stay in control, not be too aggressive, a perfect combination of attack and defence. Block, punch, Block. What was it the guys used to say Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee? Something I had quoted to her a lot. 'Good, just keep your head down, remember what I've said. You're doing well though, keep going.' I nodded, gloving her again, wearily keeping an eye on the prize. Boxing had a chance to get big in the curriculum we just needed to show that it was working.
I genuinely believed it was challenging her grief though, turning it into something constructive. I had sat there on several occasions watching as she poured her heart out; Tom had really meant a lot to her. At the beginning we hadn't gotten along a lot, she regretted seeing me; I was taking over a very important role. Now she was beginning to accept and relish the change and the challenge. It seemed like we were getting somewhere. I missed Tom too; she was one of the few people that understood her. 'Don't worry we'll make him proud.' She smiled before putting in her cheap plastic mouthpiece; it did a better job at protecting that I could do. I should have been able to save him. Once you were too close, I pulled away, when I was with Lorraine I could have spent a lot more time with him. Now I didn't have either of them. My ex-girlfriend or my best friend. Sorrow. Like with boxing you couldn't pull away when you were so close; that's where I made my mistake and quickly Kacey followed suit.
What seemed like a split-second decision, the girl's strong arm colliding with Kacey's face; a foul by any means, something taken to the extremes especially with school boxing. The blood came spilling out, the referee's whistle sounded and I jumped into action. Grabbing my student ashamed for the other teen. 'Kacey are you ok?!' I sounded like a terrified mother; I really did care about her. She grinned with her blood-stained teeth. 'Miss, I'm alright. It hurts a bit but I'll survive, I've had worse.' And immediately I'm plummeting down to earth, zero gravity reminders of all the unsolved problems with myself and issues Kacey has had to deal with, a lot of them alone, she was so brave. She had a knack of finding my sensitive side. 'Come with me.' I dragged her to the medical room, sitting her on the table. She kicked off her jumped, legs swinging freely from the table. 'I'll be alright….ahh' she groaned slightly as I held a compress to her mouth. 'It'll sting for a minute or two, there we go.' I touched her shoulder lightly. 'Yeah got that.' She mumbled.
I was reminded of the nights when I had been in here or as a child; I had issues of my own that weren't going anywhere. I remember telling Kacey the story, the way she hugged me and showed empathy, telling me everything would be alright, thanking me for helping her. The way she'd pushed herself to the limit in training to prove everyone wrong. When we had those conversations, I had forgotten she was 15, nearly 16 as she frequently reminded me. I could have turned a blind eye; I couldn't focus on anything anyway.
'Miss you ok?' Kacey asked her eyes scanning mine. Hazel and dark brown, her hair falling on her shoulders square, framing her face. The innocent look of childhood had wiped off with the sweat. It was silent for moments after….my lips pressed against hers softly, she even reciprocated the kiss. The taste of salty sweet victory, caressing mine, a little bite to my lip a reminded or the fierce feisty woman underneath the uniform. And then I was out of there, slamming the door behind me.
