Page 84 of Rules

There is a nervous air around Brook. She nibbles at her lower lip as she looks at the ring.

“I’m not sure I can do it.”

I can feel her fear and uncertainty, but I won’t let her get out of this that easily. “It feels to me like you’re stalling, Taylor. I didn’t peg you as somebody who gives up without trying.”

Brook lifts her chin in the air, and I can see the stubbornness in every line of her face. Pushing my hand away, she puts one leg on the edge of the platform, grabs the ropes and gets in. Dusting off her hands on the sides of her legs, she lifts her gaze to me.

I smile reassuringly. “Let’s see what we’re working with.”

I walk around her, assessing her stance critically. “If you’re ever a-attacked,” I stumble over the last word. Just thinking of her getting attacked again makes my stomach roll, but that’s the point of all of this. Gritting my teeth, I push my personal feelings back. I can’t let the rage own me, because it won’t help anybody, least of all Brook. Taking a deep breath, I try again. “If you’re ever attacked again, you have to be able to defend yourself.”

“I watched some self-defense classes online. After...” Brook whispers bitterly, looking down. “Much good that did me.”

I stop in front of her, my hands gripping her shoulders. I wait for her to meet my eyes before continuing. “Informing yourself is always good, but there is nothing quite like trying the moves out on somebody else. Preferably somebody bigger and stronger than you. Let me do this for you, Brook. Let me help you.” I cup her face, my thumb brushing against her cheekbone. “I wish I could tell you I’ll always be there, but that would be a lie. But this… teaching you how to defend yourself, that I can do.”

Silence settles over us, and for a while we just stare at each other, not saying anything. Then finally, after what feels like forever, Brook nods. “Show me.”

And I do.

“If there is any chance you can avoid confrontation with your attacker, you do it. Keeping to well-lit and public places is always better, but there are no guarantees. If you see there is no avoiding confrontation, you have to keep a cool head. I know that won’t be easy, but if you start to panic, all the knowledge you have will go away. The goal is always to get away from the attacker. Disable him and get away.”

“Disable him. Get away.” Brook nods her head in acknowledgment. “Got it.”

I give her a quick smile before I continue. I tap her foot with mine. “Try to keep your feet shoulder-length apart. It’ll help with your balance.” She does as I say, and I correct her a little before continuing. “The idea is to keep the attacker as far away from you as possible. Don’t throw pointless punches. Go for the soft spots—face, throat, gut, and groin. If you throw a punch, throw it like you mean it and then make a run for it.”

Stopping in front of her, I take her hands in mine and clench her fingers into fists. “Always flex your fingers this way. First the fingers, and then the thumb goes over them, not the other way around. You don’t want to injure your hand. Go for the nose or throat and always remember to punch with your dominant hand.” Letting go of her hands, I go to the side and grab a pair of gloves. “C’mon, try it.”

Brook frowns, looking at her clenched hands, then at me. “You want me to break your nose?” she asks skeptically.

This time, I do laugh. “As much as I think you’d enjoy doing that, I’d really appreciate you not breaking anything today.”

I put on the practice pads and put my hands in front of my chest. Squatting down a little so we’re at the same level, I say, “Come on, let’s see that nasty right hook.”

Sighing, she gets in the stance. I let her throw a few punches at her own pace. They’re slow and weak at best, but I can see that stubborn gleam in her eyes grow, determination setting in, and as it does, her punches become more forceful. Only then, when I know she’s getting into it, do I start correcting her.

“Lift your hands higher, elbows to the side. It’ll give you more force behind the punch.” She hits me again and again, this time stronger. “That’s it, put all you have in that punch.” Sweat is glistening on her forehead, baby hair curling around her face. I take a step forward, forcing her to retreat. It throws her off balance for a second, but then she’s back at it, her punches more forceful, even if a little off. But it’s nothing a little practice can’t help with. Her breathing grows labored as she goes at me, punching the mitts with all she’s got. “Now aim higher. You need to knock the fucker out so you can get away.” With every word, she goes at it stronger, putting more force behind her punches, her face a mask of determination. “Go for the…”

In the last second, I put the mitt in front of my face, stopping her from actually punching me in the nose.

“Nose,” she pants, bending forward. Her hands grip her knees as she tries to get her breathing under control. Lifting her head for a second, she flashes me a smile. “Got it.”

“Remind me not to piss you off,” I laugh. “Firecracker just got a bit edgier.”

Brook laughs too, but when our laughter dies, determination returns to her face. “Show me more.”

And I do. I walk her through some of the classic defensive moves like heel and elbow strike, as well as groin kick. I let her try them out on me, the third one reluctantly, until she’s confident she has them mastered, and then I show her how to get away if somebody actually manages to capture her.

Brook masters each move one by one, and I watch her confidence and smile grow with every praise I give her.

“One more time?” she asks after we’ve been at it for more than an hour.

Sighing, I agree. “One more, but then we’re done for today.”

She turns her back to me, and I grab her from behind. She throws her head back, missing my face by an inch and casing my leg to get between hers. Brook bends down and grabs my leg, pulling it as she gets up from the squat, making me fall on my ass.

The breath gets kicked out of my lungs, and I stay glued to the floor, not moving a muscle. My body aches from all the practice, but I don’t regret it for a moment.

Brook’s face looms over me, a big smile spread on her lips, but it’s gone as soon as it appears when she lowers down to the ground next to me.

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