Page 30 of The Fight

Every time I move, I find myself not caring about standing my guard. Instead, I’m searching for her out in the crowd. Her eyes are still locked onto me like she’s trying to telepathically ask me what the fuck is going on, but her guess is as good as mine.

The punch I throw next misses by a fraction, and the guy across from me takes advantage, landing a sharp uppercut to my chin. My head snaps back, and the sting of his fist radiates through my skull.

Blake’s voice rings out from the corner, his tone doing nothing to hide his irritation. “Shay! Get your head in the game!”

I blink, shaking my head, trying to clear the fog. I focus again, forcing myself to engage with the fight, to tune everything else out.

I throw another punch and land it right in his jaw. He stumbles back, and his eyes flash with frustration. Good. I’ve got his attention again. But as he steps back to recover, I glance over to Blair once more, but she doesn’t look at me this time. Instead, she looks away.

The bell finally rings, signaling the end of this round, and I back away, stepping toward my corner.

Blake looks at me through narrowing eyes as he leans in. “You need to keep it together.”

“I know.”

I can’t let shit get to me. Not here. Not in the ring. But as the second round starts, I know it’s already too late.

The bell rings again, and I square up. I can feel Blake’s eyes on me, but it’s still not enough to shake the fog of wherever my head is.

He charges at me this time, faster than before, and I’m too slow to react. He throws a quick combination—left jab, right cross, then a solid hook that catches me off guard. The punch lands clean on my cheek and snaps my head back. The sharp sting vibrates through my jaw, and for a split second, the world tilts.

I stagger, my vision blurring for a moment. I hear Blake shout something, but it’s distant and muffled, like I’m underwater.

I steady myself and take a breath. The guy presses forward, sensing my weakness, but I’m not out. Not yet. I clench my fists again, tighten my core, and throw a quick jab to his stomach to create some distance. He stumbles back, but only for a second, and I know I don’t have a lot of time to reset.

But the damage is done. My head is still ringing, and my focus? Shattered. Has been since the second I stepped in the ring. I can feel blood from my lip and taste the copper on my tongue. The crowd is a distant hum, but Blair’s figure from the corner of my eye? That’s sharp, cutting through the haze. I turn my head fully to catch a full look at her again, and everything stops for a second.

The guy takes it as his opportunity to charge forward again, and this time, I don’t see the left hook coming. He lands it hard, right under my ribs, and my breath is knocked from me again. I go down to one knee, gasping for air.

Staggering back to my feet as quickly as I can, my legs shake, and my breath is ragged. I shake my head, trying to clear it, but my opponent is already moving again, bouncing effortlessly on the balls of his feet and taking advantage of the split second I’m off-balance.

I have no time to recover before his fist flies out again, landing right in the same spot he got my jaw earlier. It lands with a sickening crack, and my knees give out beneath me. I hit thecanvas hard. Blinking, I try and force my eyes back into focus, but it’s hard.

Blake’s voice breaks through, though. “Get up, Shay!”

But it’s too late. The countdown is already ticking away.

One…

Two…

Three…

I lie there, not even trying to move. The past month has been moving too fucking fast, and I just need a minute.

When the final number is yelled out by the ref, I loll my head to the side and search for Blair. She’s still in the same spot as earlier, but this time, her brows are furrowed, and she frowns.

Don’t sweat it, Dollface. I needed a break.I try to communicate with my face and a lazy smirk.

Promptly, Blair’s figure is cut off, though, and Blake’s comes into view. Again, he follows my sights and glances at Blair over his shoulder.

“If you’re going to be so easily distracted by pussy, maybe you shouldn’t be fighting,” he hisses.

I just shrug. I couldn’t give a fuck less about him right now. I know I should, but the first fight back didn’t feel as good as I thought it would.

Or maybe I just have more important shit to worry about now.

CHAPTER TWENTY

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