Page 82 of Undefeated

The crowd became quiet.

“Oh my God, that was exciting,” I looked toward Ripp, smiling.

Ripp was rubbing his bald head and appeared to not even hear me. I turned to watch Shane and Kelsey. Kelsey was screaming at Shane and hitting his shoulders as he squirted water in his mouth.

My heart raced. People started chanting again.

I looked up at the steel structure above us and listened at the chants of the crowd.

Shame…..on!

Shame…..on!

Shame…..on!

Ding!

“Ripp, they’re screaming for Shane!” I screeched as the bell rang.

The crowd continued to cheer. The cheers seemed to fuel Shane. Ripp and Kelsey both have said that Shane hears everything as he fights. I squeezed the dog tags between my hands and hoped that the cheers gave Shane courage. I turned toward Ripp, who shook his fists in front of his chest.

As I turned back to the ring, Shane stood in the center as Mc Claskey approached. Shane pounded his gloves together.

“Here we go,” Ripp screamed.

Do it again, baby. Do it again.

SHANE. If this prick thinks he has me figured out, he’s dead wrong.

C’mon, you big son-of-a-bitch.

Mc Claskey approached and held his gloves close to his face. From what I could see in the first rounds, he didn’t have much to counter my speed. Ripp, Kelsey, and Kace probably thought I was crazy in the first four rounds. I had to see what this big fucker was made of.

He’s strong as fuck.

He’s soft.

And he’s slow.

I stepped in close and switched to southpaw.

Here’s where I belong, big boy. Coming at ya with this.

I swung a right hook into his ribs. As he exhaled what little breath might have been in his lungs, his face had a look of surprise that his eyes couldn’t hide.

I swung a left cross that caught the bottom of his jaw. As he turned to try to take me to the ropes, I stepped in close and clenched him, holding him still.

What, you big muscled up prick? You don’t like fighting? You wanna wrestle?

He should know I don’t like to push and shove. I let go and pushed him off.

I came here to fight.

I unleashed a series of punches to his mid-section - an unanswered barrage of hooks and jabs that would have dropped any previous fighter in my career.

I swung an uppercut, and barely missed his jaw.

Shame…