Oh Suzannah, Don't You Cry For Me

Chapter Seventeen: 3, 2, 1...Fight!

"Wear him out and use your speed against him," Alice coached. She stood in front of Suzie, wrapping white gauze around Suzie's hands to protect her knuckles. "Use your legs and elbows; they're the strongest part of your body."

Dressed in a light tank top and shorts, Suzie hopped from one foot to the other and shook out her arms like Bucky before his fights. Across the designated fighting area, Suzie squinted against the sun toward her opponent.

The man, someone from another unit, removed his shirt and flexed his shoulders. The dark-haired nurse, who must sponsor him, massaged his tense muscles. The spectators on the man's side outnumbered the half dozen men from Suzie's unit standing behind her. Lemay and Garcia watched from the other man's side, making their point clear. They cheered for her opponent, so they did not count toward Suzie's unit. They never contributed much to their team-based exercises anyway.

About twenty feet away, Suzie could see the other man did not have much muscle definition. She always joked that she looked like a rectangle, yet her form gave her a sturdier base and an athletic build. The tournament did not follow standard boxing rules and allowed any type of fighting as long as it did not damage anything. That meant Suzie could get a little scrappy, which she used to her advantage when fighting bullies. Her unpredictableness usually helped her win fights or scare away bullies. Most of her fighting experiences occurred at school. The fight against Lemay and Garcia and that one Hydra guy she still had no answers about did not add much fighting knowledge.

Her fingers twitched at her side where she usually kept her pocket knife. When all else failed, once she pulled out her trusty pocket knife, street bullies would turn tail and flee. She couldn't use it now, not that she needed to. This fight did not mean a life-or-death situation. As much as she wanted to hide in the barracks, she could handle this fight against a random man.

If the man standing across the dusty square forfeited, Suzie would still take the win without complaining. She only cared about ending the fight as soon as possible. If she progressed to a rank in the middle of the tournament, then so be it. Win or lose, none of it mattered as long as she never had to face Lemay. If that happened, she would keep her pocket knife on her in case the fight got out of hand.

"You got this, Barnes," Richard said beside Suzie, shaking Suzie from her pre-fight worries. He patted her back and flashed her a smile that did not mirror Suzie's mood.

Let him do the work first, Bucky's voice in her head spoke. Fighting is a dance. There's a certain rhythm to it. All you gotta do is break that rhythm; the least predictable fighters are the best.

"Wish you can see me now, Buck," Suzie whispered to herself and stepped into the square.

Take your time, you know your strengths but you don't know his.

Suzie's opponent joined her in the square and rolled his neck in a circle. The pop of him cracking his knuckles filled the tense air.

On the other side of the square, Lemay and Garcia jeered at Suzie. Garcia flipped her the bird and Lemay dragged his finger across his throat and grinned like a wild beast.

"Kick his ass, Cody!" Garcia shouted and slapped the man on the shoulder, pushing him further into the square.

Cody brought his fists up in front of his face, hunched over in an amateur position that cost many of Bucky's boxing opponents a win. His eyes were wide and fixed on Suzie.

"Knock him out right away," Alice said behind Suzie. "The sooner it's over with, the sooner you can leave."

Copying Bucky's fighting stance, Suzie stood up straight with her feet shoulder-width apart. She dragged her right foot a few inches behind her left to maintain her balance. With her palms open and facing toward each other, she brought her left hand in front of her right and lined both sets of fingers up with her nose.