Post-Denial

Taylor stubbornly kept her distance, and nimbly flitted away from Gabby's left. "I know what I know," Taylor growled back. "Nothing happened, or... Everything happened. Maybe she just... came to her senses."

She flicked a quick left kick at Gabby's body that lacked conviction and set it down in front.

Gabbie furrowed her brow at Taylor's kick and sidled away enough to turn and mitigate it, snapping her foot high at Taylor's face to try and tell her she needed to stay serious.

"Well, what the fuck does that mean!? Why didn't she tell you!?"

Taylor blocked high and let Gabby's kick knock her to the side. She circled and moved away, keeping Gabby far outside. Her arm stung from that kick.

"She's my best friend, Gabbers," Taylor retorted. "She doesn't need to tell me anything. I was there for all of it. The last... five, six years..."

Her conversation with Cassie had been short. She already knew all the reasons why Cassie should leave, and she agreed with all of them, more or less. She knew in her heart that this was a better move for Cassie, and that she would be happier back home, and she hated the part of her that hoped that she wouldn't. No matter which way she spun it, nothing could cover the gaping hole that Cassie's absence would leave.

"And now you'll never get a shot at her. Guess you guys better get comfortable down there in second place."

Gabbie's eyes narrowed at Taylor's words. She faked a few kicks upward and then swung a hard kick at Taylor's shin to try and put her off balance.

"It wasn't my shot. It was Nikki's and she'll be happy if Cassie's happy because she's fucking like that but don't talk to me about second place when your girl can't hang the second she's not in her comfort zone!"

Taylor kept moving back and circling, and lifted her leg to check Gabbie's low kick. It took her a moment to reset, but Gabbie was taking the opportunity to run her mouth, and finally Taylor had had enough.

In a flash, she dropped her weight and stepped in and drilled a straight left into Gabbie's solar plexus at full strength. Fuck sparring.

"Guuuuuaaah!"

Gabbie nearly gagged when Taylor's punch connected. She threw herself at Taylor to clinch the blonde in a tight hug.

She knew that punch was vindictive and she snarled as she tried to suck her breath back in. "The truth hurts more than your pillow fisted fucking cheap ass punch!" Gabbie snarled between pants.

Taylor tucked her elbows in between herself and Gabbie when the girl came in to clinch, keeping a little space between them. Just like she was used to doing with Akashi, only that was to keep her from getting crushed to death, and in this case it was quite the opposite.

"RrrrrRRRRRRGH!"

She shoved Gabby off and ducked in low, putting her shoulder in the girl's stomach while she grabbed her wrist with the awkward thumb of her glove and wrapped her other arm around Gabby's thigh. She lifted her up across her shoulders in a fireman's carry, and, without a moment's hesitation, dropped to the side to bring the kickboxer crashing down to the mat on the back of her neck.

"I TOLD YOU TO WATCH YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" She screamed, and leaped back to her feet. She began to rip off her sparring gloves.

"Aaaaaaahhhh!"

Gabbie shrieked as she crashed neck first into the canvas. She rolled onto her hands and knees and covered her head with her gloves. Her feet kicked up and down as she whimpered for a moment before she pulled her gloves to her mouth and started tearing them off with her teeth.

"You're no fucking different! You act like you're some hard ass but from what I see you just puss out when things don't go your way. Are you going to break my neck for talking some shit? Some true shit? Fuck you!"

Gabbie pushed herself up and stared hard at Taylor, wincing a bit but not backing down. She puffed out her small chest. "You want to go?" She said harshly, pulling up her bare fists.

"Believe it or not, I don't want her to go either."

Taylor stabbed an accusing finger at Gabby while the girl righted herself. "You've always hated her for being better!" She seethed. "So take your fucking cheap shots, you rotten bitch. Talk your shit, like everybody else, but it's still gotta sting that you'll never be as talented, or as tough, or as well respected as that fucking girl!"

Taylor stood tall, shoulders back, face to face with the smaller girl. She wanted nothing more than to grab her by the hair and sling her to the mat and rip her to pieces, so... she did.

She shot a hand out for Gabbie's short, blonde hair, turned and kicked a leg out and threw the girl over her hip. She followed her down to the mat and scrambled to get on top of her.

"BITCH! Don't act like you care! Not NOW!"

Gabbie snarled again when her hair was snagged and she was flung. She hit the deck again with a thud but as Taylor's weight descended on top of her, she coiled her legs around Taylor's body and squeezed. She held up her own hands in a guard position and scowled at Taylor through them.

"My sister, asshole!" Gabbie shouted. "Elliot's better than me in one thing and one thing only and that's Jiu Jitsu! I'd wipe the floor with her in boxing." She insisted. "I don't like that girl because of what she did to my kin but I'm not like either of them!"

Gabbie's breath was starting to even out and she waited in anticipation. "I don't want her to go because I care." Gabbie said as her eyes narrowed. "I still don't like her! I just never thought she was a chicken shit coward!" Gabbie growled. "The fact that someone who I actually respected could turn tail and run... that's more disgusting to me than anything she could have done to Nikki, me or my whole family! I hate her even more now because she's leaving!"

"You want to kill me for being honest? Then fuck you too! I'm sorry your friend's leaving you. I know how hard that is but it's not my job to hold your hand and tell you everything's going to be alright. It's going to suck. Bad. And you'll get over it and you'll have fights that you'll need me around to help you train for." Though her tone was harsh, her words seemed to be sincere. She cracked a weak smile. "Because you still punch like a pillow fisted pussy."