INFERNO (Submissions for Write to Rank)

Round 3 - The Title

"Let's face it sunshine, I'm the hero, and heroes always win," Cam Messer smirks on the outside but panics on this inside. It would take all she had for her to win this fight, and she was prepared to give it, but a little voice inside her head asks, what if it isn't enough?

Her opponent, Lana Delmonico, looks her up and down. She's a good head taller than her, and her body was leaner. She scoffs, "Good thing this isn't fairytale then, princess."

Cam breathes deeply and recalls why she has to win. I've trained seven years, broken too many bones, and had no social life, just so I can win this tournament and this title. This is my damn time to shine. Call me Laura Croft because I'm about to show her what a badass bitch looks like. "We'll see."

"You got this Cam!" A voice yells out in the stands.

Cam turns her head to see James, the boy who taught her how to live outside of the gym. His dark hair is messy and his smile is as vibrant and carefree as ever. He looks exactly the same as the day she first met him. Cam smiles for the first time since she saw him yesterday.

"Aw, cute," Lana's mocking tone interrupts Cam's one moment of happiness. "Need your boyfriend to come up and help you fight too? You'll need it." She purses her lips and raises her eyebrows as if say, I dare you to try me.

Unfortunately for her, while Cam was nervous about the fight, the girl in front of her didn't scare her one bit. "Bite me. At least I have people supporting me. I'd rather suck and never be alone, then to always be alone and be the greatest. Unfortunately for you, I have the best of both worlds."

Lana's striking green eyes narrow on the shorter, dirty-blonde-haired girl, "Someday he's going to wake up and realize that you're not good enough for him, and it's going to hurt a hundred times worse than being alone." She turns on her heel and walks to the ring, leaving Cam behind with a mix of emotions.

James had a history of being a player before they met, and Lana's comment hits her harder than she wishes.

Cam shakes off the negative energy by jumping up and down and shaking out her limbs. Focus. Focus, She reminds herself.

She walks towards the ring, ready to claim her title as New York's youngest women's MMA champion. She lets out a deep breath and closes her eyes before walking on the mat. Focus.

The announcer steps into the ring and places himself in the middle, microphone to his mouth, ready to start the fight. "Ladies and gentlemen I welcome you here tonight to witness history!"