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“In this corner!!! She’s fast. She’s Fierce. She hasn’t lost a match once. Please welcome, Piper the Viper!” The announcer exclaimed.
Abigail Piper stepped out of the dark tunnel. She looked up at the boxing ring with determination in her eyes. She smirked at the announcers lively introduction. She knew how to throw a punch and make it count. The crowd started to go wild and scream her name as she walked toward the beloved boxing ring. Her home awaited her with another trespasser. She ascended the stairs with a scowl on her face to alert every one of her annoyance. She could hear her father behind her cheering for her and telling her to give it all she could without holding back. He should know by now that I never hold back. I think everyone knows by now. Abigail thought to herself.
Abigail looked at her opponent with a sneer. The buff heavy weight champ was no match for her exquisite intuition of the human body. She knew where to hit each person to make her opponent scream in pain and be momentary paralyzed. She would then hit harder in other areas to ensure her opponent stayed on the floor writhing like a dying bug.
Her father taught her how to hit and defend herself since he was a professional boxer himself. Growing up in his shadow wasn’t easy. It seemed that her father was always grooming her for the boxing ring. He finally retired when she was fifteen. He prepped her enough through the years with blow after blow to her body and psyche to endure the scrutiny and pressure of the pro ring.
She learned in high school about the best pressure points to hit and attack first to make her opponents weep. Her anatomy teacher worked with her to understand the human body. He seemed to think she was interested in becoming a doctor or using the knowledge for other’s benefit. Sadly, she didn’t care about other people or their medical needs. She just wanted to use the information to street fight.
At the age of fifteen, it was the only escape she had from life. She continued to get good grades in school because she wanted to. Abigail didn’t feel pressured by her father to do anything since he always said she wouldn’t amount to anything. She didn’t need to pretend to be the rough, cool kid in school because she was the rough, cool kid. Her reputation followed her everywhere she went. Her short spunky hair matched her rugged and rebellious exterior. Everyone thought her hair was short to play off the rough look. Unfortunately, Abigail cut her hair one day after her father and other opponents pulled her hair. She figured she could get the upper hand by removing her weakness.
Her father retired from boxing shortly after she started street fighting. He claimed he wanted to change after ten years of alcoholism and abuse. She didn’t believe it at first, so she kept going on with her life. She refused to let him get close to hurt her again, or any man for that matter. She was afraid of letting her walls of protection fall for someone to crush her even more. She liked being the bitter, pointed woman she had become.
Her father did get his life together by getting a full-time job selling electronics at a store. His determination and gruff exterior helped to pressure customers to buy things. He started getting promotions and made good money. He even started attending AA meetings regularly. He started making good friends who weren’t involved in fighting or drinking. It seemed like her father moved on like nothing happened. Years of abuse and neglect were pushed to the side without another word. Abigail couldn’t handle her father’s new happiness since she was bitter and angry inside.
Abbie continued to street fight because it provided an out with money coming in. Everyone bet on her and accepted her for the broken, shallow girl she was. In fact, they rewarded her for her rough exterior and bitter heart. She finally had positive attention, even if it required a couple broken bones.
Fighting was always part of her life, whether her father was practicing his punch technique on her at home or the kids at school were being jerks. Her first fist fight happened at a young age. A girl at school told her she looked like a boy and smelled like one too. The girl didn’t know they didn’t have running water at the house since her father used all his boxing winnings on alcohol to numb his pain.
Abigail hit the petty schoolgirl with all her pent-up frustration and anger. A teacher pulled Abigail off the girl even though Abbie wasn’t done messing up her face. The little girl’s nose was bleeding, and her eyes were already starting to change color. Abigail thought the girl deserved it, but her father didn’t. He chastised her at home then beat her up. He didn’t understand what she was going through at school and didn’t seem to care. The other girl didn’t get punished at all, but Abbie gained reverential fear.
Street fighting was her freedom bell. Speaking of freedom bells, the bell just went off for the first round of her current fight. She approached her opponent without fear. The woman eyed her down, but Abigail could tell the woman was intimidated. Everyone heard about Piper the Viper. She was fast and typically won by the third round. There were some outwitting opponents that knocked her on the ground or kept fighting even though they were clearly going to lose. Abigail would always get back up and hit her opponents harder. Anger and frustration from years of pain and abuse acted as her fuel.
The woman took a swing at Abbie’s face, but Abbie blocked it with one glove. She used the facial distraction to hit the woman in the ribs. Abbie saw air leave the woman’s rib cage from the fast blow. The woman took another swing too soon before she was able to catch her breath. Abbie hit her in the ribs again and added a face punch. The woman hunched over in pain from the lack of oxygen. Abbie hit her back and pushed her to the ground. The woman laid on the ground for a couple seconds. Suddenly she stood to her feet and started going after Abigail again.
Abbie watched the woman’s movements to gauge her next attack. The woman lunged for her to take her to the ground. Abbie side stepped out of the way just in time. The woman fell to the floor again after tripping over herself. The woman stood up quickly, but Abbie jumped to action. She held her like her father used to hold her to ensure the woman didn’t go anywhere. Abbie controlled the woman with one hand while she hit the woman with the other. She hit the woman in the face several times then moved to hit her ribs in record speed.
The woman struggled against Abbie’s grip. She started to hit Abbie in the face. Abigail didn’t mind the face punches. She moved to stop another face blow. She used the woman’s miss hit as an advantage. She threw one last death punch to the woman’s rough bleeding face. The woman fell to the floor unconscious. Abbie stood her ground over the woman to ensure she didn’t trick her into turning her back. Abbie heard the crowd gasp then start cheering once again.
The referee bent down to inspect the woman. He pronounced the match over. Abbie was happy to be finished after one round. She had plans to attend a party later and didn’t want to be late. The referee raised her arm as the crowd cheered her name once more. Abbie looked straight faced forward then exited the ring. She liked to hear people calling her name, but she also hated the attention. She just wanted to get her fill of relief and financial gratification so she could live her life.
Abigail hardly ever smiled. She was a solemn woman who refused to show emotion. Emotions and feelings made her feel weak and useless since her father would hit her every time she cried. Her tear ducts were closed, never to be opened again. She endured enough pain and crying at a young age to last a lifetime. She didn’t want to cry anymore and didn’t have a good reason to.
Each day was different, but the theme was the same. She woke up, worked out, ate breakfast, worked out again unless she had a match later in the day, then ate another meal or two then tried to rest. She put her body through the ringer to ensure a win in the ring every time. At the age of twenty-five she hadn’t lost a match yet. Her father was extremely proud since he was her trainer and main supporter. He understood the boxing world and how to deal with opponents and the press.
Abigail stepped to her father’s side as news crews approached them. Her father smiled at Abbie then looked at the cameras and broadcasters. Abigail refused to smile as the news crew asked countless questions. Each reporter was the same. They all asked if her success was handed down from her father’s winning career. Her father always spoke up and gave her all the credit.
Abbie hated how often people assumed her father just handed her the fighting gift and experience. They had no idea what abuse and turmoil she endured from a young age. That was her handed down training! If only everyone knew her true story and the affect her father’s career had on her and her so called family. She never told anyone about her life growing up and she didn’t plan on sharing any time soon. She didn’t want more attention and she didn’t play the victim card EVER.
Her first camera interview after making it into the professional boxing world made her livid. Abigail started going off on the woman asking questions. Her father noticed the outburst as well as everyone else in the arena. Her father stepped in to calm Abbie down then finish the interview. Abbie didn’t want to wait for her father to smooth things over with the reporter. She didn’t like the eyes fixed on her in shock at her outburst. She walked home alone since she was still fuming from the interview.
She got home just in time to punch the huge boxing bag her father used while he was still boxing. The ratty old bag was all they could afford at the time. Abbie hit the bag countless times until her father finally arrived home. He scolded her about the interview. She fought back with cutting words of her own. He apologized then offered his congratulations for winning her first fight. Abigail urged her father to start speaking for her after fights since she obviously couldn’t say the right thing.
Her father didn’t like her brutal mouth, but Abigail didn’t care. She could cut people in two without swearing. At a young age swearing got her into trouble with adults so she learned how to crush someone without using a “bad word”. She was secretive and speedy with her comebacks. Usually, the person didn’t even realize what she said until she was one yard away.
She learned how to use her words to cut against her father’s abuse. He would hit her harder, but it was worth it. She knew her words stung him enough to cause the reaction she expected. She started cutting people at school with her words which sometimes led to fights after class. After a suspension for fighting her father claimed she had to stop fighting at school or she wasn’t allowed home anymore. She decided to find alternative ways to deal with her bottled up emotions.
Her school was full of drama and fighting without her help. The kids were fighting for life each day they took a breath. Their poor Bronx community bred injustice and pain for everyone who walked through the public-school doors. Abigail refused to be like everyone else. She only fought with her peers if someone called her a bad name or attacked her first. Everyone learned quick not to come at her. She started street fighting to ensure she had money to run away from her abusive, alcoholic Father.
At the age of fifteen she started street fighting to deal with her pain and aggression without getting in trouble. Her buddy Ricky told her about street fights happening every night. She hated walking around Hunt’s Point at night since all the crime happened in the darkness. Bronx, New York wasn’t a nice location to grow up for anybody. Violence accompanied the poverty filling the streets.
She pushed past her fear though with Ricky’s help. She started to attend all the street fights she could. She would sneak out after her father fell asleep then return at three in the morning after each fight. She got three fights in a night thanks to Ricky handling the set ups and money. He would take bets from everyone for her fights like a good friend should.
She fought against men and women who thought they were strong enough or fast enough to fight her. Abigail always won since she knew anatomy. It was the secret weapon in her arsenal that she yielded very well. Each opponent doubted her ability after seeing her petite frame unless they had fought against her already or heard rumors swirling the neighborhood. Her name was whispered to everyone in the fighting community after she took down the best street fighter at the age of seventeen. He really didn’t like losing his career to a girl. Abbie was delighted.
Two years of hard work and blood shed finally put her on top. She had bad occurrences after she doubted her opponent. Often, she landed a bloody face and bruises as reward for her stupidity. She used her winnings to buy a makeup kit to cover all her blemishes. Her father just thought she was getting into makeup and starting to be girlie. He had no idea she was street fighting and racking up a hefty amount of money. She never got all her winnings since Ricky started to take a cut after the first month.
She didn’t mind since Ricky set up the fights. She had no idea he was pulling sixty percent of her winnings. They got into a big fight after Abigail found out the truth. Ricky apologized and swore it wouldn’t happen again. Ricky didn’t want to lose the money or her, since she was his money maker. Abbie threated him to not take her money again. Ricky seemed to straighten out, for the time being at least.
Her life was headed in the right direction. She was delighted with her schedule and growing cash stash. Her father was two years sober and didn’t seem to notice her sneaking out every night. He stopped hitting her once he quit drinking, so she didn’t have to deal with his bruises. Sadly, the damage he did to her mentally was stuck in her behavior patterns and psyche for life. She had good friends and good cash flow coming in from street fighting. She was on top of the street fighting food chain in New York with Ricky’s help. She was looking forward to turning eighteen so she could find her own place to live. She was happy with her life and the opportunity to street fight without trouble.
Sadly, her plans for freedom and financial success were destroyed six months before she turned eighteen. Her father caught her coming home late one night with a busted lip and black eye. The guy she got into a fight with hit her pretty good. She still beat him though because he didn’t protect his face. He cried like a baby when she hit him where it really hurt. Abigail didn’t think the guy would be producing kids when he got older. It was his reward for destroying her face. She didn’t mind making a bad trick shot when necessary.
Her father chastised her and asked her why her face was busted up. She lied but he saw right through her. He told her about the whispers he heard at work. He still had contacts in the fighting world who told him about her street fighting. He was ready to bust her that night when she got home. Instead of playing the doting father, like normal, he was the angry father. Abigail cut into him with her words, blaming him for her fighting streak. He didn’t retort. Instead, he told her to stop fighting or get out of the house. She went to grab her cash stash from under her bed and clothes to leave.
Her father stopped her in her tracks by holding up the wad of cash. She screamed at him to give her the money back. She fought hard to get the money. She endured too many black eyes and bloody noses to let her father take her money. She launched at her father like he had done to her. She was knocked on her back by one shove. She wanted to fight for the money, but her father took out a lighter to burn the money. She froze with wide eyes.
He threatened her one more time. He said she could either stay, train with him, then go pro the moment she turned eighteen to get her cash back or leave the house with a burnt stack of money. She chose to stay and learn how to be a pro fighter.
Her name was blotted from city streets as the top fighter. She gained a workable career against her will. She threw herself into training and doing the whatever her father said so she could run away as soon as possible. Her father taught her everything he knew and helped her to enhance her craft. At the age of eighteen she got all her money back after her first fight. Her father claimed to be proud of her and told her she could stay in their dingy apartment if she wanted to.
The terms of her stay included him continuing to train her and be her agent for fights. He claimed he knew how to handle the boxing world. She knew she needed someone she could trust to handle setting up fights. She couldn’t count on Ricky since he disappeared after she quit street fighting. He walked away in anger because his main money maker was out the door. He didn’t understand why she didn’t just leave her father to move in with him. Abigail didn’t want to live with him because she knew what he wanted from her.
Ricky was three years older than her. He had a part-time dead-end job half the day then fought on the streets all night. He wasn’t reliable for anything other than a good street fight rep. She didn’t want to endure a relationship with him or any man. Her view of relationships was tainted after her mother abandoned her and her father when she was five. She refused to let anyone close enough to hurt her. The walls she built surrounding her heart would never come down. She wanted to remain untouchable.
Her father started to coach her and be her agent while she endured living in her childhood bedroom. After one year of pro fighting Ricky came back around to cheer her on at one of her fights. She remembered the knockout fight easily. She only fought women since she was a pro. She was happy to not be beat up by men anymore. The fight was a little bloody and lasted five rounds. She ended up winning with her father’s advice. He was good at watching the fight then teaching her how to analyze the opponent.
Ricky stopped her in her tracks after the fight. He apologized then asked her out for real. He always alluded to wanting more but never truly asked. She felt vulnerable since she was one year into the pros. She accepted his offer of one date to see where it would go. After the first date he wanted her to put out. She refused because she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to take a chance getting pregnant and ruining her career. She couldn’t afford to have a baby, so she told Ricky no. He assumed she just wasn’t ready. After five more dates he tried to seduce her again.
She was starting to go along with it until he pulled her hair. She pulled away and refused him again. He grabbed her by the waist and tried to pull her pants down. She hit him good in the face to get away. He was used to fighting so he started hitting her back. She fought back with all she had in her. She kicked his erection then ran out of his apartment. He yelled at her then tried to follow her. She was halfway down the street in a flash. Ricky gave up on Abigail, claiming she wasn’t worth it. He called his normal booty call to finish the job.
Abigail got home just in time for her father to see the blood dripping down her face. He asked if she fought on the street again. She didn’t know what to say since Ricky had tried to push himself on her. She didn’t want her father to go after Ricky, so she lied. He threw her out and told her to get her own apartment.
She found her own apartment at the age of nineteen. The tiny studio space was just enough for her to sleep and eat since she spent the rest of her time working out or fighting. Her relationship with her father was strained and the man she thought she loved was gone. A couple weeks later Ricky came to another fight to apologize. He started getting verbally abusive and calling her names. Her father was still her coach and support. He was at the fight and heard the whole conversation. He stepped in and threatened Ricky to never come around Abigail again.
After six years, Abbie hadn’t seen Ricky once. People in her circle claimed Ricky got a girl pregnant shortly after they broke up. Abbie believed she was saved from one of the worst decisions in her life. She was thankful she didn’t sleep with Ricky and ruin her life. She thanked her father for defending her. He apologized for not making a loving or trustworthy environment for her to open up in. He told her she could move back in after her lease was up. She refused because she liked living alone. She fell into her own rhythm over time. She refused to ever let a man into her heart.
Abbie blinked with each new question the reporter asked. She got bored and walked away to drink her water in peace. Her father finished talking with the press then joined her. They turned to leave the arena together. Her father congratulated her as usual and offered to take her out to dinner. Abigail declined because she was going to a lively party. Abbie wished she would have eaten with her father before getting drunk at the party. It was a great party with laughs and fun. Alcohol allowed her to relax and live for once. She felt like a completely different person when she drank.
Life was good once again. She had good friends, a great right hook, and best of all a life without drama. She loved her schedule although many found her dull and uneventful. She liked being home or focusing on herself. She liked the lack of distraction and drama. It was a nice change of pace compared to her youth.
She returned home around two in the morning to sleep in her comfortable bed. She heard her neighbors metal bed shaking as she opened her door while rolling her eyes. So much for no distractions or drama... Abigail thought to herself. Her nasty neighbor was screwing his girlfriend all night long.
Abigail decided to try to sleep since she thought her neighbor would be finished soon. She took some pain reliever then tried to sleep. She pressed her pillow to her ear to muffle the noise. At four in the morning, she banged on the wall to silence the disgusting duo because she couldn’t sleep. She finally fell asleep at five in the morning. She decided to sleep in and skip her routine for once the next day.
