As predicted, Missy charges out of her corner like an ornery bull. I smirk at her predictability and take a few calculated steps forward before dodging her first round of punches. At this rate, the fight will be over in ten minutes flat. Hope the guys are ready for their matchup.
She aims a right hook at my jaw and meets air as I pull back seconds before she's able to connect. She's thrown off by the force behind the punch and I take this opportunity to make my move. I hit her with a left-handed sucker punch to the stomach causing her to bend at the waist and bring her chin right into my right fist as I hit her with a dead-on jab. She staggers back two steps and I can tell she's seeing stars as her eyes lose focus. I surge forward and lay into her with a series of punches to her side, weakening her stance further.
The bell rings and I reluctantly retreat to my corner where my best friend, Kelsey, stands leaning over the ropes with a bottle of water.
"You're doing amazing Jess! This bitch is exhausted and it's only the first round. Take her ass out so we can get home and I can get my beauty sleep," Kelsey encourages me as she squirts water into my mouth. Her midnight black hair is piled on top of her head in a messy knot and she's dressed in a tight red tank top with skinny jeans and 5 inch stilettos. Apparently being in a crowded room with a bunch of drunken fools doesn't discourage Kelsey's inherent fashion sense.
I don't have any more time to contemplate my friend's outfit decisions as the second bell rings and I twist around to make my way back to the center of the ring. Missy approaches much slower this time, obviously cautious after her lackluster first round. It doesn't phase me, I know how to get to her now and I capitalize on her hesitation by leading with a series of body punches to her sides. She backs up and I advance, closing the distance between us and intensifying my rapid punches. When I see that she doesn't even have the wherewithal to counter my attack, I decide to end this one sided match so we can get home early. I hit her with a combo, finishing with a powerful uppercut to the chin and Missy hits the floor with a thud heard by all, pausing the yelling and shouting of the crowd. There's no sound at all for a split second, then the inebriated audience erupts in cheers as David steps forward to raise my arm as the winner.
I remove my gloves and make my way over to my corner for another swig of water before exiting the ring and squeezing through the crowd to the exit with Kelsey trailing behind me. I'll pick up my share of tonight's purse from David tomorrow, so there's no need for me to hang around. I could care less who wins the guy's match, I just want a shower and my bed. This isn't a party for me as it is for the scads of students milling around the gym right now. It's just a job—a way for me to pay my bills and stay in school without alerting my parents to the disappointment of my lost scholarship. So I shove my arms through the gray, zippered hoodie Kelsey holds out for me and walk alongside her to the car.
While it might be easier to get from building to building if I lived on campus, I find it much more enjoyable living with Kelsey and my twin brother Jamie in our off-campus apartment. We're all juniors, but Kelsey and I are both psychology majors. Jamie is a design student in the school of architecture. Next year he'll be interning, so right now he's enjoying his last couple semesters of college life. Needless to say, he comes home late most nights.
Kelsey slides into the driver's seat next to me and starts the engine of her white VW Beetle convertible, which we fondly refer to as 'the bug'. Most cars in L.A. are convertibles, and who am I to complain? I love this car. If I didn't need to put every penny into my tuition fund or towards bills, I'd have made a sound investment in one myself. Maybe over the summer I'll be able to save up, if David lines up enough matches. But summer is a long while away, and I try not to make a habit of long-term plans. Too many things can happen that are out of my control, not matter how hard I fight.
"You kicked ass tonight Jessie. How much do you think you banked?" Kelsey asks as she pops a piece of gum in her mouth.
"Enough. It would've been more if Missy was a better fighter with a bigger fan base, but taking her out in two rounds will get me a little extra. I'll definitely be able to pay off next semester's tuition and my portion of the rent for the next couple of months," I tell her as I rest my forehead against the window.
"Sweet. Do you think you'll be able to put aside a few bills for our shopping trip?"
I roll my eyes before closing them. I forgot about the Sigma Chi Halloween party I agreed to attend with Kelsey. She's a member of the sister sorority and she guilted me into going with her by throwing all my late night fights, which she so selflessly attends, in my face.
"Yeah, I've got it covered," I sigh.
"Don't even think about backing out! I need my wing woman if I'm going to make Paul suffer," she says, giving me a warning side-long glare.
I yawn. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you hanging and jeopardizing the execution of your master plan."
Kelsey lets out a devious giggle. She and her on-again off-again boyfriend Paul are currently in the off-again stage. Paul made some insensitive comment that Kelsey took to heart and now she has cooked up a scheme to torment the living hell out of him at this party. Which means I have to join her, whispering words of encouragement the whole night, as she so often does for me from my corner in the ring.
We pull into a spot surprisingly close to the apartment entrance, given the hour. I trudge up the walkway, dreading the all-nighter I'm going to have to pull in order to get my midterm finished before my 10:00AM class.
Kelsey pushes the button for the elevator and leans against the wall as we wait for a set of doors to open.
"So have you talked to your sexy pops lately?" she asks, wiggling her eyebrows at me in the way she knows makes me cringe.
"Ugh, Kels, I'm not going to tell you again. Keep my dad and the words 'sexy', 'hot' and 'doable' out of the same sentence or we are no longer friends," I scold her.
She snickers at me as we step into the elevator together. "Hey, can I help it if all of those words are completely accurate? Your mom is the luckiest chick on the planet."
I just ignore her and close my eyes, lean my head back against the wall of the elevator and silently will the tension of the day to leave my body.
The elevator doors open to reveal my brother Jamie.
"Hey Jess! You win?" he asks.
"Of course, was there any doubt?" I raise my eyebrow at him as he steps inside the elevator and stops the doors from closing by placing his arm against the door jamb.
"Stupid question, still awesome though. Anyway, I'm heading out with Christina and Brit, you guys wanna come?" he asks eyeing Kelsey and me.
My brother is about half a foot taller than me and leanly built. We share the same dark, chocolate colored hair as our mother, but we've got honey brown eyes that almost look gold in certain lighting. Jamie has a dimple that pops up in his left cheek when he smiles, just like me and our dad. He got dad's height, but I've got his temper—and his fighting skills, now at least. Not that this is something he knows, or would approve of. Jamie is a lover, not a fighter. We are one hundred percent opposite in that department. Not to mention the fact that he's a social butterfly while I prefer to go about my business and not be bothered.
"Nah, I have to get this take-home test done and it'll probably take me half the night," I answer.
"Sucks. How 'bout you Kels? Up for a little action?" He winks at her suggestively, but we both just giggle. Jamie came out when he was sixteen and is completely content in that aspect of his life. It doesn't keep him from flirting with the females just for the fun of it though.
Kelsey flutters her eyelashes at Jamie and says in an exaggerated Georgia peach accent, "Why, James Maddox, I do declare you are positively naughty!" We all laugh. "Yeah, let me just fix my hair real quick and I'll meet you downstairs," she says as she starts down the hall with her keys.
"See you in the morning, stud," I say to Jamie before I follow Kelsey to our door.
"'Night sis," he replies as the elevator doors close.