A charge to the center again, sending each other backward with jabs. Kate dipped in and landed another, aimed right at where Sophie's nose met her lip. Sophie tried one herself, landed, took a right cross and a jab in return.
Circle, circle.
They came together and slugged, bashing each other in the face a few times each. Back off, move, again. And again. Sophie's nose was already trickling, and Kate could just make out bluish mottling around her eyes.
Yeah, fuck her up.
Kate lunged with a connecting jab, tried a straight right to the body that became a slap. Mutual jabs.
Circle, circle.
Sophie blocked Kate's jab, but took a right hook to the ribs. She threw a jab, missed as Kate circled away.
To the center, throwing blows, only Sophie landing; a big left hook.
Close again. Sophie plugged another left hook square to the nose, and Kate began bleeding once more. She grinned, briefly.
God this is fuckin' fun
Kate with a right hook to the ribs. Right hook to the jaw from Sophie.
A few missed shots, then a hard right uppercut hook from Sophie, again to the jaw.
Get outta here!
Left hook from Sophie, right hook from Kate.
Kate retreated from a jab that almost got her in the nose. A few more paces back, and another did hit her. Sophie was close again, too close.
GET OFF
She bashed Sophie with a big right, making space.
More mutual jabs, Sophie again getting the worst and stumbling back. A wide ribbon of blood from her nose now.
Another huge overhand right from Sophie. Kate reeled a bit, circled.
Oh, bringing that back, huh?
Sophie connected with a jab, Kate missed.
Damn.
She came in, trying for the body, and Kate backed her off with a left-right.
Circle, circle.
Sophie with a cross, Kate with a head-snapping combo. Then they each threw a combo, leather thudding, Sophie grunting out a messy hnuh-uh of breath with the hits. The sounds energized Kate.
C'mon, you're gettin' to her now.
Kate circled out, lobbing a couple jabs into Sophie's nose as she went. Sophie came in with a sweeping left, a missed right. Kate landed a right hook to the body, and they backed each other off with jabs.
Another missed cross from Sophie. Kate reeled her backward with her own.
Sophie collected herself and charged, a cross stinging into Kate's guard, then a jab into her right cheek.
oh shit she's rallying
Kate jabbed, missed. Sophie landed the strongest cross Kate had ever been hit with. Her neck twisted, her vision flickered.
holy hell do not fuckin go out don't you DARE
She refocused, jabbed again, missed again. The two tied up, and Kate pawed Sophie to the neck, breaking away.
Combo into Kate's raised arms. They were starting to numb.
Fuckin' shit she's throwin' hard.
She made Sophie step back with a left hook, but she came right back. Looping bombs of punches that all met Kate's guard, but prevented her from retaliating.
Just stay cool. She's not scoring.
Kate tried a jab, missed, got caught with another cross.
No do not throw this away you're so close fight back FIGHT BACK
She did, and registered little else for a few moments besides her fists smashing into Sophie's face, and Sophie's smashing into hers. Almost a raw sensation of violence.
Kate snorted sharply, inhaling a column of blood, snapping her back to normal. She could feel it coating her face like a disgusting lotion. Sophie had a thick stream dripping off her chin, her mouth open, breathing hard. The white scoring marks on their gloves were painted red.
yeah yeah beat her fuckin face in break her nose fuck her up smash her in the teeth
They clashed again, traded slower, harder blows. Kate backed Sophie into a corner, and they connected with opposite-arm punches; Kate a cross, Sophie a jab. She hit Kate square with another jab, and they landed jabs again as Sophie circled left and out.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
GO!
She threw a blocked jab. Sophie with a jab, then Kate with a cross.
Another simultaneous set of jabs; only Kate's landed, to the jaw. She backed up, too slow to avoid a straight right to the chin.
c'mon c'mon
Kate ducked as Sophie came in with misses, and then plowed a bolo punch left to the jaw.
Sophie staggered.
yes knock her out kick her ass
Kate landed a big cross, and Sophie staggered the other way. She was dimly aware of the crowd standing, roaring again.
Sophie tried a cross, missed, and placed herself open for a final punch from Kate that landed square to her nose.
Ding!
As if flipping a switch, both boxers dropped out of their stances into a third high-five, and then a sporting embrace. Coach Barone circled the ring, applauding.
The fighters leaned on each other, holding tight, as if the waves of cheers crashing over them might wash them away. Feeling each other's breathing, inhaling the salty copper smells of their battle.
i love you i'm sorry i love you i'm sorry
Kate's thoughts were like some kind of spell, repeated in hopes that the words she couldn't speak aloud here might somehow make it into Sophie's head. They were an apology, an attempt to cleanse her mind from the vicious words from the fight. She felt a few steps away from puking.
Several seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, and then Sophie spoke.
"Candy," she whispered, her voice thick, "I think we did it."
Kate sniffed, and not only to pull back blood. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I think we did." She felt blood soaking her right shoulder.
They broke off, gazing into each other's battered features, smiling.
Shitfire, she's beautiful, Kate thought. She's beautiful. It had nothing to do with looks, not now.
Finally, they faced the standing ovation together, arms across each other's sweat-stained shoulders and their free fists raised high. Regardless of the result, they had left it all between the ropes tonight, between the two of them, and that alone was cause for great pride.
