Bradley threw another punch, aiming for my face, but I blocked the punch, returning with a punch of my own. I slammed my fist right
into Bradley’s face, bringing him to his knees.
I was bleeding, and although I was doing well, I needed to make sure that the fight didn't go to decision. I wanted a win, and Bradley had gotten in some pretty good shots.
Bradley stood up and hit me in the face. My head swung back, even though my body stayed firmly planted on the cage floor. I spun around with a spinning back kick, and pushed Bradley away from me, allowing me some time to breathe. When he came back in, I grabbed him in a clinch, and drove a few knees into him.
He pushed out of my grip, and I swung back, and hit even harder with a three-punch combination. We get into another clinch, and then we shoved off of one another. I charged at him, blood pouring from my head, and I hit him with a pow, pow, pow of punches.
Bradley started to back off as I hit him against the ropes. I was hitting him hard, but he wouldn't go down. What a mean monster that guy was; it was time to end this game.
I was focused as I systematically pummelled Bradley, hitting him mercilessly, crushing him in a pool of his own blood. I grinned as I looked down at my opponent, who wasn't about to get back up for more. I looked around at the crowd, and saw that there was blood dripping from his eyebrow down his nose.
The endorphins going through my body at that moment would prevent me from feeling any pain for the next little while, and hopefully vodka would take care of the rest later. I turned to look around at the crowd, screaming for their “king of the ring,” who just won yet another fight.
The guys in my corner, along with Coach, poured into the cage, jumping up and down in excitement. Coach grabbed me, and wrapped his arms around me, patting me on the back. That was when I felt the pain.
“I think I hurt my back, Robbie.”
“Okay, Tough Guy, we will have someone look at you. Let's wait for the decision, though.”
We didn’t wait long before the judges ruled me as the winner of the fight. My hands went into the air, and I circled the cage a few times before I headed out of the cage with my team. We went right back into the warmup area to see about getting me to a doctor.
“Jet, just have a seat while I get the doctor. I’m sure they are still trying to put Bradley's face back together.” I smiled, loving Robbie even more for that comment.
Many of the other fighters kept coming up to me, and congratulating me for the bloodbath I just laid out for all to see. Robbie came back with the doctor, and he started checking me out.
“Coach says you hurt your back.”
“Yeah, something kind of twisted back there when I got hit with a body shot. It doesn't feel right, and it hurts to touch it.” I showed him where the pain was coming from. He pushed into the spot I indicated, and I sucked in a deep breath. It hurt like a bitch, and I was none too happy that I got injured during my fight.
“You're going to need to rest on this one. Lots of ice. It's nothing serious, but you have to take care of yourself, or it could affect your future fights. Don't train hard for a while. A hot bath tonight will probably do you some good.”
“Okay, Doc, thanks a lot,” Robbie shook the doctor’s hand and turned back to me.
“Let's go get you drunk first, and then you can consider that bath.”
I laughed; he knew just how to make me feel better.
Chapter Eleven
Natalie
The library was really busy that afternoon, and despite the fact that I was there to study, I hadn't gotten much done. There was too much bustling around. I had four people at my table, a few of whom were only there to gossip. I needed to study, and these girls were annoying me beyond what I could deal with. I decided to give it up for the day, and head somewhere else. I began putting my books into my bag, along with the notes I had been trying to make on my story, but I hadn't been able to concentrate. I shook my head at the two girls still gossiping about Facebook statuses. They needed to get a life, and I was irritated that they ruined my study session.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed out of the library into the sun. It was a cool fall day, but the sun was shining brightly just the same. I put on a pair of sunglasses to avoid the glare, and just as I did, I saw Jet not far from me, limping awkwardly down the sidewalk. He looked like he might be in a lot of pain. I jogged over to him and walked alongside him, with a smile on my face.
“Hey, Jet.”
“Hey, Natalie, how are you?”
“I'm great. Just got finished studying ... kinda. Where are you coming from?”
“Class, believe it or not, but I think I should have just stayed in bed today.”
“Why? What happened to you? What's with the limp?”
“Ahh, I had a fight the other night, and I hurt my back. Not exactly an ideal situation, but not much I can do about it. I have spasms in my lower back, and they’re just killing me. I could not sit comfortably in class; I had to get up and leave.”