Adea
After warning up, my best friend followed me to the field. I called for everyone’s attention and made an announcement. Darci would be late if she showed up at all. There were a few questions that I answered.
Everyone was split off into groups of two to spar. Gabe walked off the field and sat on the sidelines. He would spar with a man from Tier 3 that could use his help. Briana watched me as I made my way over to her.
Pushing all the worries of today behind me as I focused on Briana. I didn’t have time to worry about losing. I stopped three feet from her. I had a game plan I wanted to execute. As long as I stuck to it I was sure to win.
“Are you sure you want to go against me again?” Briana asked.
Briana could be a model. Her blonde hair was pencil straight and the wind slightly blew her hair back so it flowed behind her. She wore athletic wear today, a workout tank top, and tights. Her small but muscular arms were what I could only wish for.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
I know what she was thinking and I had to ask myself the same thing. Was I ready to get my butt handed to me again? I knew that was a realistic possibility but I wasn’t going to let it deter me. Briana nodded.
She stood still, her shoulders tense, her hands hanging by her side. She was waiting for me to attack first. Running towards her, I threw a jab at her. Her hands instantly went up and blocked it.
Left, right, left, right. One after the other, I kept it going so she would think I was solely focused on her face. Eventually, I would need to bring up my leg and aim for her knee. For this to be successful, I would need to be quick, so quick that she wouldn’t be able to see it coming.
Briana blocked each jaw and uppercut. I squat down a little bit and tried to hit her in the torso when she blocked it. Her elbow came down and landed on my nose. Blood gushed down my mouth and I could feel the liquid as it splashed on my chest.
This was her first attempt at hitting me and her attack landed. I knew it looked bad but I still had confidence in my plan. As long as I could give her a false sense of security, I would get her to lower her guard.
Then and only then would I go for her knee. I cocked my elbow back and thrust my fist forward, targeting her face. She didn’t blink as she brought both hands up and blocked my attack with her forearms.
Briana didn’t say anything as I continued throwing punches at her. She moved back and I inched forward. She jumped to the left and I was right on her. Every step she took, I mirrored. I made my moves predictable.
I knew she could predict my moves when our fight felt like a dance. Pretending not to notice, I punched her with my right arm. She went to dodge as I’d hoped she would. The position she had now would make elbowing her knee impossible.
So while her eyes were on my fist, I lifted my left knee into the air. Her head turned slightly, and her eyes widened as she noticed the movement but it was too late. I brought my heel down and forward.
My heel connected with her knee and a sickening crack filled the sky. Briana cried out as she stumbled back. She tried to stay upright but I knew she would still be able to fight. I pulled my fist back and swung it forward and down on her injury.
She cried out as she fell back. It was a dirty move but I needed to ensure she was injured enough to know she couldn’t win. I needed her to tap out. Briana didn’t move her leg as she rocked back and forth. Her fingers gently hovered over it. Turning her head up at me, she nodded.
“I give.”
Relief and excitement filled me. I was on the verge of crying tears of happiness. I’ve gone over this plan over and over in my head. I say I was confident in my plan but a part of me knew there was a high chance it wouldn’t work and I would end up having to tap out.
Leo was on Briana in an instant. Shocked, I stepped back. I hadn’t realized he had arrived and I watched as she checked over her injuries.
“You did well, Luna. She is incapable of fighting,” Leo said as he looked up at me. I wasn’t sure if the look he was giving me was one that matched his words. He looked as if he finally saw me as a threat. “Good job.”
“Yes, you did well,” Briana said. “You had me completely fooled. I let down my guard.”
“Thank you,” I said. An apology was on the tip of my tongue but I didn’t let the words slip. “I waited for you to let your guard down. It was taking a while and I worried you wouldn’t. That or you would take me out first.”
“Bravo. Very few people have been able to say they’ve taken me out. Especially to where I was this badly injured.”
“That’s enough. You’re talking about your injury as if it weren’t your own,” Leo said. “I’m going to take her to see the pack doctor, Tiny.”
I didn’t bristle at his nickname for me. I was more surprised by the emotion in his. voice. Gently, Leo’s left arm slid beneath the back of her knees and she flinched. His right arm slid behind her back. When she was secure in his arms, he slowly lifted Briana in the air and she swung an arm around the back of his neck.