Page 31 of Hellfire

Tank held a roll of tape in one hand. “Safety first.”

He beckoned me closer and my upper lip began to sweat.

Was I really doing this?

Tank leaned in close to me while he wrapped my hands in blue tape, his breath warm on my ear. “You don’t have to do this, you know?” he whispered. “We could train somewhere else.”

My eyes darted to Diamond, and she gave me a friendly grin. I wanted to do this, no; I needed to. This was to prove something to myself Prove that I was strong enough to handle this. Feeling a flutter in my chest, I straightened my spine.

“I want to do this,” I said firmly. “Tank, I have to learn how to fight. I’m tired of feeling helpless.”

His eyes softened. “Okay, pretty girl. But if it’s too much for you, we’ll stop.”

I sighed in relief, giving him a small smile. I needed him to teach me, but I wasn’t quite ready to fight him.

Diamond walked over, a confident smile on her face. “Ready?” she asked, and I felt a surge of excitement.

“As I’ll ever be,” I said, gnawing on my lip.

“I’ll go easy on you.” A mischievous smile played on her lips. “Until you get the hang of it.”

“Alright, first things first,” Tank said, “Your form.”

He demonstrated the basic boxing stance, lifting his hands into a loose fist, his right foot forward, knees bent. I tried to mimic him, but felt clumsy and awkward. My eyes darted to Diamond. She seemed to know what she was doing, and I suddenly questioned if I could do this.

“Katrina,” Tank said, getting my attention back to him. “You got this.”

Inhaling sharply, I lifted my hands again. “Like this?”

“Good, that’s it. Keep your arms up,” Tank said, pushing my fist up slightly near my face. “Ready to start with some basic moves?”

I nodded, licking my lips nervously.

He turned to Diamond. “Why don’t you show us a jab?”

Diamond stepped forward and threw a quick punch. I watched closely, trying to memorize the movements. I wanted to do well today.

No pressure.

My heart pounded in my chest when it was my turn. Taking a deep breath, I threw my first punch and a bubble of laughter bursted from my chest. It felt weak and awkward. I started to second guess myself.

“Try to keep your arm tighter and snap your punch a bit more,” Tank suggested, seeing my struggle. I smiled at him gratefully and tried again.

By the time Tank had gone over a few different punching techniques, I was already out of breath. Sweat poured down my forehead. Nerves hit me again as I watched Diamond’s execution. It was obvious she was a skilled fighter.

“Alright. Are you ready to give it a go?” Tank asked me.

“I’ll go easy on you, Kat,” Diamond reminded me. I nodded, stepping up and resuming the stance Tank had taught me.

“I’m going to have Diamond throw the first punch. All I want you to do is try to block it.”

“Ready?” Diamond asked.

I nodded and braced myself. I flinched as my side took the brunt of Diamond’s first punch. But to my surprise, it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. She really was holding back for me.

“Again,” I called out, more confident.

The next few punches came faster, and I was able to block one with my forearm.

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