Finding Virginia: Show & Tell

I stepped to the side and felt the air rush passed my cheek. He looked surprised, but recovered before I could take advantage. I kept moving, looking for an opening. It wasn’t a fair fight. He was at least twice my size and the only reason I wasn’t already lying on the dirt was the adrenaline pulsing in my veins. If I stopped moving for a second I was dead and that was the whole point.

In the corner of my eye I could see my teammates watching. Gina’s nose was still bleeding from her sparring match with Patricia. Brian and Kevin were both rooting for me but if they’d laid down any wagers I know it wasn’t on me. I dodged to the left, narrowly missing his left fist. This time he overreached and for a single moment he was off balance.

The time for thinking was over. I kicked a red dust storm into his face and as he stumbled backward sputtering, I spun low to the ground sweeping my leg into his and sending him down to the ground. Unfortunately, he didn’t stay there. He rolled up and came back at me, rushing like a blind bull. I stepped by him and we squared off again.

“Stop letting that bitch make you look like a fool! Finish her Dennis.” Patricia yelled from the side.

“Keep your head V and you’ve got him.” Brian yelled.

The heat of the day was coming on us and I was getting tired. We spent half the morning learning how to fight and the other half I’d spent watching the sparring matches until it was finally my turn. I’d had all of Brian and Gavin’s match to prepare myself for the ridiculously uneven match of myself against Dennis. The guy was built like a truck and I wasn’t even a speed bump. Rick had only fatherly words of advice for me, “Life isn’t fair.” No shit, tell me something I don’t know.

Virginia was a little less resigned to defeat than I was. She must have been dropped on her head as a baby because she kept telling me we could take the bastard. Maybe to bed, but I usually prefer men whose IQ exceeds their BMI. Suddenly, Virginia had an idea. I wasn’t too thrilled with it, but my survival instinct kicked in and I just surrendered to the only chance I really had.

I dodged two more punches and decided to hell with it. I backed up from him a little to give me plenty of time and then yanked my tank up and off over my head. I heard gasps of shock from all sides and Dennis just stared at me like he’d never seen a pair of tits before. I bounced in closer on my toes and kicked him in the groin. Mean yeah, but just think what he would have done to me if I hadn’t dodged all those punches.

He went down on his knees gasping like I’d winded him. The poor guy. I gave him another kick to the side of the head and he just sort of fell over on his side and flapped there like a dying fish. Everyone was staring at me, I can only imagine why, and nobody was saying anything. My eye caught Rick's and I pulled my tank back on.

“Interesting tactic.” Rick said.

“You did say to make use of our assets and take advantage of our enemies weaknesses.” I replied.

“I did and you did it very well. Dennis are you going to be alright?” Rick said.

Dennis just moaned in response.

“That’s an interesting tactic? She kicked him in the head not to mention his testicles and that’s not worse than me hitting Gina in the nose?” Patricia demanded.

She walked up all fiery until her nose was practically planted in Rick’s chest. He looked down but didn’t back up an inch.

“He was still up when V kicked him. Gina was lying on the ground surrendering when you punched her in the nose. I’d say that’s a difference. Wouldn’t you?” Rick replied.

“Fucking double standard is what I call it.” Patricia said.

“I won’t be bullied by you or anyone else. If you don’t like the way I run my camp you can leave anytime.” Rick said.

He didn’t wait to see if she was going to take him up on the offer. He pushed his way around her and went to kneel next to Dennis who was starting to become a little more aware of his surroundings again. I moved over with my teammates, feeling a little insecure by the hell’s fire blazing in Patricia’s gaze. It was obvious she hated me but I haven’t done a thing to her.

Rick helped Dennis back on his feet and then he cautiously walked toward me. I was really wanting to disappear about then but Brian was standing behind me, leaving me no place to run. At least he had my back. Not that it was going to do me any good if Dennis decided to rearrange my face. Instead, he held out his hand to me and stopped a safe distance back.

“Not bad, V.” He said.

I shook his hand.

“Thanks.” I said.

Rick looked around and checked his watch. It had to be getting to the end of our class for the morning. Everyone was tired and a bottle of room temp water was sounding like a cold mountain stream to me. Rick’s eyes focused on Patricia. Virginia tensed up again, expecting more trouble.

“Trish, let’s get this over with.” Rick said.

She tilted her head to one side and her face said, “Are you fucking kidding me?” without a word. I glance at Brian and Kevin and I could see they were looking forward to the spectacle. Gina was still dabbing at her nose and more or less oblivious to what was going on.

“C’mon. We don’t have all day.”

Patricia huffed and then walked up to him with a sassiness I thought only Virginia possessed. She didn’t wait for instructions. Her thumbs hooked into her waist band and in a single fluid motion her shorts and panties slid down legs to rest around her ankles. Dennis whistled.

“Touch your toes.” Rick ordered.

His leather strap in hand, Rick took up position behind her and as soon as she was down, he let it go. It was kind of fun watching her white cheeks turn a bright red. She didn’t make a sound though, through the whole thing. I guess she got around 18 in total but when it was over she just yanked her shorts back into place and took her place with her team. There wasn’t even a glistening tear in her eye.

“Is it lunch time yet?” I asked.

Rick nodded.

“Lunch it is. Good work everyone.” Rick said.

I walked off toward the cafeteria without waiting for my team. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to explain what I had done. Even further complicating the issue was the fact that although I was completely embarrassed, Virginia was shrugging it off like it was nothing. My team caught up with me by the time I got to the door and by the faces staring at me, I gathered there was going to be a discussion.

“I could never have done that.” Gina said.

She was sitting across from me trying to eat her ham sandwich without getting her swollen nose bleeding again. I felt bad for her, she was just a kid really and Patricia had definitely gone farther than necessary to win their match. I shrugged.

“When you know you’re out of options you’d be surprised what you can do.” I said.

“You had options.” Kevin volunteered next to me.

“I could have chose to lose.” I said.

“But that’s not you.” Brian added for me.

“How can you sit there so calmly? You just flashed eight people you barely even know.” Gina said.

It was a good question. I was sort of asking Virginia the same thing. By all rights I should have been hiding in a bathroom stall waiting for camp to be over. What is it about being Virginia that lets me shrug something like that off?

“Failing here isn’t an option for me Gina. If it is for you, maybe you should take Rick’s advice and move on.” I said.

“No wonder Joseph Candle likes you. You’re just as cold and ruthless as he is.” Gina said.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what your line of work is or how dangerous it could get. What I do know is that there can only be a single limit to what you can do to survive when things gets nasty.” I said.

“Yeah and what’s that?” Gina asked.

“Death. It’s all about living and whatever I’ve got to do to keep on living, I can do it.” I said.

The words sounded like cold hearted advice even to my own ears and it’s nothing I would normally say. Virginia isn’t like that. The truth is I don’t know where she’d stop which begs a more difficult question. Where would I draw the line between surviving and no longer worth trying?

"What about morality?" Kevin asked.

I glanced at him. He was eating his sandwich in small bites while watching Gina and I very closely.

"You gotta be alive to worry about morals." I said.

"You don't believe in God do you?" Gina asked.

"God has nothing to do with it. But if your asking if I think God will save me when some 18 year old soldier boy has a gun pointed at my head, no I don't believe." I replied.

"I'm going to be a photojournalist. The worst thing that will ever happen to me is I'll be held prisoner while governments negotiate my return home." Gina said.

Suddenly things started making sense with Gina.

"I hope that's the worst any of us ever see." I said.

Water bottles were raised in an impromptu toast. I smiled at them, feeling like I was finally among friends.

"Anybody know what Tanya has in store for us?" I asked.

Just then Patricia paused next to our table with trash in her hands.

"Should be right up your alley, ropes and chains. I'm sure a slut like you has tried them all." Patricia said.