I'd be willing to bet that you had given up on Roxy by now, huh? I have been unavoidably detained with other business matters. This week I am back and Roxy is ready to rumble. Let's see what she's gotten up to now.
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all rights reserved to Gina Carano, courtesy of GQ.
Oral Dilemma
by
Ellie Mack
Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.
Read Part 3 here.
The rest of my senior year rocked. I was confident in myself, not because I was someone’s girlfriend but because I felt good about me.
Devon was always there for me. We developed our friendship first, the romance gradually. It was a natural easy relationship. We could laugh and joke with each other, be ourselves. I never felt awkward, or guarded with Devon. We could just as easily be playing video games, discussing homework, or the latest movie, or taking about our dreams.
I dreaded the end of my senior year in ways. Devon was going into the Marines. It had been his dream for years, since he was 14. I wasn’t about to stand in the way of that and neither of us made any professions of love to deter the other from their dreams.
Devon would go to boot camp at the beginning of June, I would go back to my summer job at my dad’s company. We had a good time for a while, and until I met “the one” as my mom would say, Devon would be my best friend.
The summer job paid well, I managed to save 75% of what I made. I indulged in the MMA classes. I was stoked to make my body stronger, leaner, more agile. I worked hard in my off hours. I trained with single minded focus. I was determined to climb in that ring and see if I had what it took.It took me all summer to get up the nerve to actually enter a match. I knew I had the skill, but going in that ring was the scariest thing I had ever done.
I didn’t win, but I did manage to do fairly well. The most important thing though, to me was that I had met a challenge and not given up or backed down. I sent email to Devon to tell someone. I was proud of myself for completing it. When I got his return email, he wasn’t as thrilled. Thought that I was taking dangerous risks. Nobody seemed to think it was a good idea but me. When I came home from the match with a black eye and a busted lip, dad said I’d need plastic surgery. His bimbo suggested that it might be a good idea anyway. OUCH!
Two weeks later when I showed up at college my bruises were nearly healed. My roommate thought I had been in a car accident, and when I told her that I was an MMA fighter, she immediately requested a roommate change. I didn’t get a replacement so I had the room all to myself.
The first few weeks of classes were hectic, but mostly uneventful. The biology teacher gave us group assignments, to work on genetics problems. I was in group three. That’s when I met Luke. He was the most obnoxious guy in the group. He instantly got on my nerves with his cocky attitude, and sarcasm. I figured he would be one of the slacker students, but he wasn’t. He was in fact absolutely brilliant, but I wasn’t about to acknowledge that.
He followed me out of class and caught my shoulder. “Hey”
I turned, glaring at him. I didn’t say anything just glared.
He took his hand off my shoulder, then combed through his hair. “ Hey, um I didn’t catch your name in class. I’m Luke. Luke Reed.” He offered me his hand.
“I’m Roxanne.” I shook his hand briefly.
He looked around, then adjusted his backpack. “So, you’re heading for the gym now, right?” He turns back and looks at me a little sheepish, “I um saw you working the bag the other day. Where did you learn that?”
“From my trainer over the summer.”
“Do you have a sparring partner here?” He shifted from foot to foot, bouncing on his toes.
“No, I don’t.”
“Well. Um, would you like to train with me?”
“Why?” I adjusted my backpack, shifting my stance.
“Well I just thought, well, you know, we could get to know each other, and maybe challenge each other.”
I stood there for a few minutes then figured ‘what the heck’. “Well Luke, if you think you can keep up, sure.”
A wide grin slowly spread over his face. It made his eyes light up in a peculiar manner. Luke had gorgeous eyes. I’ve always been a sucker for eyes. I know that may sound strange, but I heard someone say one time that eyes are the windows to your soul, and I believe it’s true. What you see in some people’s eyes makes you want to run the other way. But Luke’s sparkled like a child’s on Christmas morning. It made me smile.
I started walking towards the gym, Luke in step beside me. “So um, what’s your major? I notice you have a couple of the same classes with me.”
I chuckle quietly. “Luke, they are basics. Everyone has to take them.”
“Well yes, but you have the honors classes with me.” He took a couple long strides ahead of me then turned around, walking backwards facing me. “You seem like a serious student, not one of those girls that are just here to pass the time or find a guy.”
“Graphic design” I offered it. Devon had encouraged me to pursue something I felt confident in as a backup for when I was too old to fight in the MMA. Of course in his opinion, I was already too old. He didn’t like me getting in that ring, said I was still trying to prove something. Damn right I was, I was determined to prove I was made of more than the fat girl I used to be in high school, the one that had her heart broken. “What about you?”
“International business law. I’ve always wanted to travel. I’m from a small town, and the only pace I’ve traveled to so far is Washington DC.” He flashed that smile. I knew it was sincere because he smiled through his eyes.
“Sounds like a tough major.”
“Nah, it’s actually simpler than U.S. Business law, each state has specific laws. I plan to represent the big businesses that deal internationally.”
“Cool, sounds like you have your plan mapped out.” I reach for the door just as he turned and nearly smacks into it.
“Whoa! That was close.” He side stepped and opened the door for me. “Ladies first.”
I entered with him close on my heels. “I’ll um, I’ll meet you back at the multi trainers.” I pushed the door to the ladies locker room open, unaware that I was smiling for the first time since saying farewell to Devon.
