Chasing My Queen

Chapter4 Don't Let Him On Top

Dayla

My whole body relaxed at the scent of sweat and iron. Danny's gym saved me when I was just thirteen, and I've been coming here almost every day since. It was the first time my foster father noticed me as a 'woman,' as he said, after I came home from the pool. He tried to make me take my bikini top off in front of him. Lucky for me, my foster brother walked past my room and stopped him. Jason had always seemed indifferent to me, as he was my foster parents' actual son, and he was seventeen. But that day he told his father to get out, then told me to get dressed and brought me to Danny's with him. He introduced me to all his friends and asked Danny if I could start training. He even paid my fees for the first year. After that day, Jason started driving me to and from school and made sure I was never home alone with his dad. He became my protector and my best friend all wrapped in one. It was the first time I could remember actually feeling cared for. Jason's family was my third foster family, and each one treated me more like a paycheck than the one before. I don't remember much from before I was in foster care. Mostly, just what I think was my mother's voice singing a song about flying free. When I was finally out of foster care, that was my only goal: to be free.

"Tiny, you ready for tonight?" Danny's voice booms through the gym. He's a giant of a man with long grey hair and grey scruff on his face. He's wearing a black long-sleeved Dri-FIT top and black training shorts. When he's close enough, he pulls me into a side hug.

"You don't have to worry about me, Coach. I got this," I tell him as I lean into the hug.

"Don't get too cocky now, my girl. This will be the tallest opponent you've faced. His reach is not going to be easy to avoid." Danny puts his hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes as he speaks. "He's only your third male opponent and the tallest and strongest."

"I know, I know, but he's missing one thing." I say.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Danny raises his eyebrows.

"The best coach in the city" I flutter my lashes and smile up at him.

Danny's laugh booms through the gym. "Come on, let's go get your gear and head over there."

Just as we finish putting my fight stuff in the car, Kenny comes running up. "Dayla! Sorry I'm late; I missed the bus after work."

"All good Ken; just get in." I hold the back door open for him. Then follow him in. Danny gets into the driver's seat, and Ben, the gym's doctor, gets into the passenger seat. He's a member at the gym who happens to be a doctor, and after I got pretty beat up in one of my early fights, he started coming to make sure I don't take it too far. Danny offered to pay him, but he refused, as he's close with Jason and saw me like a little sister.

"Is Jay coming?" Kenny asks. I look down and shake my head, holding the tears back. Jason hasn't come to my last two fights. We got in a fight when he found out I was fighting in the mens division now. He said I was being stupid and needed to let this fighting dream go. It's not even like its a dream its just the easiest way to make big money and I'm good at it. He doesn't get it because he's smart and is in his last year of university becomign a surgeon. He already has job offeres from numerous hospitals. He's going to be just fine. The diner is the longest job i've had and i'm about to loose it. Fighting has been the only consistent income I've ever had and finding girls willing to fight me has been impossible in the last year.

"I doubt it. But I did send him the time and location." I shrug my shoulders.

"He'll come around." Ben says "He's just scared for you."

"I know it just sucks," I whisper.

"Well, I think he's being an asshole. You've been through everything together; how can he abandon you now?" Kenny scoffs. Kenny has never liked Jason. Kenny came to live in the same foster house when I was sixteen; Jason was twenty. Jason was living on campus at that point and coming home on the weekends to do laundry and eat. He never gave Kenny the time of day, which I understood. I had many foster brothers in that house; none stuck around long because Jim, Jason's dad, didn't like to be challenged, and most foster boys are a bit wild and don't like authority. Kenny was different because he wasn't raised in the system; his parents died in a drunk-driving accident, and he was thrown into foster care at fourteen, as he had no relatives. He was mostly just sad all the time because he knew what a loving family really was. Something neither Jason nor I understood. Jim liked having Kenny around because he would do whatever Jim told him to.

"It's fine, Kenny. He has his own life. He can't always be here; no big deal." I try to shrug it off. But deep down, the last year had been hard. It seemed like no matter what topic we were discussing, Jason and I were constantly fighting. It always came back to my fights, and I was getting tired of it.

Getting out of the car had my body tingling. I was excited for this fight. I know Danny doesn't want me to be cocky, but I've been studying the Giant, and I know I can beat him. He may be big and strong, but he's slow and has a low pain tolerance. A couple of leg kicks, then a few kidney shots, and he'll be primed for a knockout.

I'm ushered into my pre-fight warm-up room, and Danny goes full coach mode. He tells me all the tips and tricks we've been practicing and wraps my hands. I can tell he's a little anxious. He's only started to be that way since I started fighting men.

"Listen Tiny, I know you can do this. You need to be focused and fast. Remember to get in tight, quick shots and leg kicks. Your best shot at this is to get a good headshot to knock him out or get him in a choke hold." Danny says.

He keeps telling me stuff but I'm entering zen mode. It's what I do before every fight. I tune everything out and just focus on my fight plan. I can do this; I know I can. I've already beaten two male fighters, both better fighters than The Giant. I go into a meditative state and wait for my fight to start.

My pump up music plays as I walk into the arena. There are a lot of people here. I knew there would be because The Giant has a huge following. He's known for quick knockouts. Usually catching fighters off guard and beating them with little technique or finesse. He won't get me that way, that's for sure. I keep my gaze straight ahead, focused and ready. Once I'm in the ring, Danny goes to my corner, and we wait for The Giant.

The Giant lives up to his name; being six feet five, he's a foot taller than me, and his arms are bigger than my thighs. It's not the first time I've seen him, but up close with the crowd screaming, my heart starts pounding. It's the first bit of doubt I've felt. I push it away quickly.

We knock gloves, and the fight starts. The first round is a lot of dancing around. I get in close for a few kidney shots, but he pushes me away quickly. He goes for a couple leg sweeps, but I'm too fast. I know if he gets me on the ground and gets on top, I'll be f****d. I'm sitting between round three and four, taking some deep breaths. He got me with a good leg kick, and it's all I can do to shut out the pain. He's hurting too. I can see he's starting to get tired; his fights rarely go this many rounds. I've been running him around the ring, and I'm ready to start attacking hard this round. Danny is going through our strategy again while icing my thigh.

When round four starts, The Giant comes at me faster than before and catches me with a right hook. I shift at the last minute, and it just catches my chin, but it's enough to knock me down. As I hit the mat, I'm facing the VIP section, and I lock eyes with the most beautiful and intimidating man I've ever seen. He's out of his seat, eyes boring into mine with what looks like fear in them. What is he scared of? The men on either side of him are holding his arms like he's going to jump in the ring. What the hell. Suddenly his eyes shift from dark brown to a golden colour and something deep inside me whispers 'MINE'. Who is this man? And why does my body suddenly feel too hot.

"GET THE f**k UP!" I hear Danny and snap back to reality.

Shit, The Giant is about to mount me, and I need to f*****g move quick.