Kiss with a Fist

((Here on the Masterpost))

Kiss with a Fist

A story by Suzanne Helen James

Despite the strong rainfall on the stadium that early evening, the weather didn’t deter the girls on the field from playing like mad. Muddy shoes stampeded all over wet grass as the two rugby teams jostled for control, with yellow shirts against blue shirts. Leading the team towards enemy goal was a slim, dark-skinned girl with short red hair and brown eyes, with back of her blue shirt inscribed with the number 12 and the name “Anderson”. Huddling the ball under her arm, Anderson sprinted away from the 5-girl army chasing her. Feeling an assailant about to lunge from behind, the girl dodged her tackle, but failed to stop the next one from the right.

In order to avoid penalty, Anderson threw the ball aside and left her nearby teammate to catch the ball. As the other players moved onwards, the former leader was thrown to the ground by her attacker. “What the hell?” She muttered as the other girl grabbed her collar, only to slam her back on the ground. Glaring back at her was a short, brown-eyed Japanese female, with blonde streaks highlighting her front bangs. Being from the opposing team, her shirt was yellow and the back of her shirt had number 1 and the name “Sekiguchi” printed.  Squinting as the stadium light brightened above her, Anderson couldn’t see Sekiguchi’s punch until she felt a fist connect with her cheek.

By the time everyone had realized that the girls were starting a brawl, it was too late. Anderson retaliated by punching Sekiguchi back and launching herself on the other girl. The fighting had intensified to the point of the girls’ ignorance of the repeated whistles by the referee; they two had barely spared him a glance before punching each other out again.

Eventually the game had to be halted, with Anderson and Sekiguchi being forced apart when their teams pried them away from their clawing hands and kicks. Even as the game was officially over and the audience left, everyone could hear the strings of “Cunt!” “Bitch!” “Fucking Ass!” and other expletives until neither girl could see each other anymore.

When in the locker room, Anderson quickly rushed in and out with schoolbag, hoodie and messy uniform. She had no interest in dealing with angry glares from teammates or lectures from an annoyed coach. She might’ve cost them an important game, but was it her fault if she had to fight off the one person she hated all the time?

Anderson glared at the sky as the rain poured down and drenched her. Instead of taking the early bus or carpooling with her team, this time she chose to walk back home. Sure the rain wasn’t making this bearable, but it would be better to avoid questions that way. Plus, it was a few blocks from the stadium. Her thoughts interrupted by the constant vibrations of her cellphone, Anderson groaned loudly and cursed under breath.  “Flying fuck,” she muttered again as she started walking along the last sidewalk of the parking lot. Just as she was about to cross, a car suddenly stopped and splashed her, making the black girl even more annoyed.

“I fucking can’t believe you!” she yelled as the car door clicked and pushed open by the driver. Inside the car was her rival of mere minutes ago, Sekiguchi, whom Anderson had fought with back on the field.

Glaring daggers at her sworn enemy, Anderson’s brooding was interrupted. “Hurry up and get the fuck in, twat-head! Unless you want the herd to get you first, I’m not done bitching at you.”

Twitching as she was once again insulted, Anderson jumped inside and threw her bag in the empty car seat. Not willing to be outdone, the girl retorted as she snapped her seat belt, “Say that again and your parents will have a corpse when they see this car.” Managing a sideways glare at her new passenger, Sekiguchi slammed her foot on the gas pedal and sped out of the parking lot, splashing an angry mob of Yellow and Blue shirts.

As the car left the stadium grounds and drove into building traffic, the two girls resumed their glaring contest. Both had  bloody noses, with cuts and scrapes on their cheeks, lips and foreheads. Sekiguchi had a big red bruise on the right side of her face, covered by a round white patch of bandage gauze. Due to Anderson’s dark brown complexion, the large bruise on her face was barely seen not by color, but by the imprint of a large bump on her left cheek, the physical proof of Sekiguchi’s early punches.

After minutes of silence, Anderson was the one who relented as she looked away, leaving the driver to look back on the road. “…That's a pretty bad bruise I gave you.” She said, eyes still glued to her window. Sekiguchi glanced sideways and raised an eyebrow. “It’s awful yeah, but so's yours. What’s your point?”

Anderson rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat, hands in her drenched pockets. Chewing her lower lip, she muttered, “…I’m trying to apologize here and you’re not making it very easy.”

Another silence reigned before Sekiguchi snorted and swiftly replied. “Oh please," she scoffed, "We’ve been over this so long that it’s routine. Whenever we see each other, we get this mutual urge to beat the crap out of each other. We fight for a bit, make up…Or at least something close to that.” That last sentence stifled a laugh from both girls and dulled them into quietness. The girls keeping their mouths shut, Anderson stole another glance at her driver and kept her eyes on what she could see of the Asian girl’s face.

 Sure, her cheek was a little blotchy and covered with a giant gauze bandage, but it wasn’t that bad. And those eyes of hers, always flickering with mischief and a little…something else the other girl couldn’t describe. Was it excitement, anticipation? Every time these two met, sparks flew. This was literally so because when they first bumped into each other at a mutual friend’s party, the first thing that came to Anderson's and Sekiguchi's drunken mind was to deck each other in anger.

Eventually the frequent fighting between them became a habit the girls developed as a way of meeting, and the love-hate relationship intensified when each found out that the other was playing for opposing teams. However, all the heated rivalry and animosity took a surprising turn when a few months ago, Sekiguchi confronted Anderson after a game in the locker room. The conversation at first light, turned physical very quickly, and in-between the familiar wrestling and tangling…

A single misstep in their limbs and the girls’ faces collided with their lips. Despite the clumsy lip-lock, Sekiguchi hadn’t moved away but pulled Anderson’s mouth to hers, evolving the chaste kiss into a full-on make-out. However, their moment was brutally interrupted by nearby noise. Brought back to reality, the startled pair quickly escaped and parted ways.

After that accidental kiss, one would expect the two rivals to try and put their fighting aside and see if maybe they could reason and see what feelings were hidden behind their actions.

But actually, the opposite effect happened. The girls did everything but talk, choosing to express their feelings with fists, kicks, crude words, taunting on the field…

And the occasional car rides, glaring contests, texting conversations and secret meetings off the field.

“Why does she force these car rides on me anyway? It’s actually kind of nice, sure, but still…what’s her deal? I mean, all of this bitching and fighting…if she truly hates me, then she wouldn’t give me the time of day. But I suppose that I’m just as guilty for going along with her. Fuck her for being so damn cute. And damn yourself Anderson for saying that.”

As Anderson continued her introspection, Sekiguchi tried not to return her stare. She had to keep her eyes on the road, which was moving rather well…at a snail’s pace, but still. It was better for her to look at the car in front of her, or the windshield wipers swishing away the raindrops…anything else than those brown eyes staring back at her so intently!

Shutting her eyes and blushing at the scrutiny, Sekiguchi suddenly glared back at Anderson and barked irritably, “God damn it Lillian! It’s just a bruise, it’s not like I have a rash!”

Startled by the other girl’s yell, Anderson blinked and rolled her eyes before smirking. “Aww, what’s wrong? Too afraid that I might add more injuries to that fugly mug of yours? Or better yet, afraid that I just might like looking at said face? Don’t kid yourself, Jennifer. You're cute, but i’ve had better.”

This subtle insult stunned Sekiguchi, who gripped harder on the steering wheel. Blinking, the Asian girl took a few minutes of silence to formulate a response.

Eyes still wide minutes later, Sekiguchi suddenly scoffed and hunched her shoulders, chuckling at Anderson before delivering her smug reply with a long sigh and a roll of her eyes.

 “Oh. My. Fucking. God. I never knew that all your pent-up retard antics on the field was just a release for your frustrations. Had I known that...I would’ve reminded you that you’re a bitchy little child who always wants what she can't have!”

This single sentence broke all remaining attempts at friendly dialogue as the girls resumed their barrage of cussing and verbal attacks. As the fight heated up however, the traffic slowed down considerably. This made the cars move quicker, making the bitching Sekiguchi turn on an open road and speed out of traffic. Spotting an open parking spot a block from a coffee shop, the girl braked her car there and screeched to a halt. When the car stopped, so did the loud fight, leaving the two to brood in silence. Once again, Anderson spoke first, unlatching the seat belt and grabbing her bag, not even giving Sekiguchi a heated glare as she left the vehicle.

“I’m getting out here." She said flatly, closing the door behind her. "Thanks for the ride.”

Brown eyes bulging as her frenemy darted back into the rain, Sekiguchi huffed irritantly and kicked her own car door open and slammed it shut. When she saw that the blonde had followed her, Anderson quickened her pace and started to sprint away, making Sekiguchi chasing the girl into the coffee shop. “What the fuck already!” The black girl yelled as she opened the door and pushed it closed behind her. The startled onlookers watched the spectacle as the shorter girl pushed the door open and cornered her taller counterpart against a wall. Not wanting a repeat of the stadium earlier, Anderson pushed Sekiguchi and without hesitation punched the girl on her right cheek, sending her crashing to the ground. Throwing herself on the Japanese, an angry Anderson pinned her hands down on the tiled floor and gripped her wrists tightly. As bystanders ran over to intervene, they were met back with glares from both girls, so they stayed frozen in their spots.  

“Fucking shit you’re pulling!” The annoyed girl yelled back at the one beneath her. “Enough already, just tell me the truth! We've done this for more than enough time...start to own up to yourself!” Growling at the aggressive order, Sekiguchi gave a knee kick to her attacker’s stomach, making the other girl flinch. This brief second allowed the blonde to grab the other girl’s wrists and roll them around, making Sekiguchi the dominant one. “Fuck you!” she barked throatily,squinting and gripping her fingers against Anderson’s to maintain control. Hissing at the pain, the taller girl stayed in place, resuming her glare towards an equally pissed Sekiguchi. As brown eyes peered into light hazel, Anderson was then grabbed by the shirt collar and held by the neck. “F-fuck you…” Sekiguchi stuttered again, fighting tears to stream down from her face. “Why the fuck…why the fuck can’t you get it in your head that I can’t stand you? I hate you. You hate me even more. We’re not good for each other. I’m not good for you…” Sekiguchi grimaced and shut her eyes. Closing her eyes too, Anderson sighed and took a deep breath.

“I’m not good for you.” Sekiguchi continued weakly, “I’m not good for anyone. But you…even when I first met you, you challenged me. You talking to me merely irritated me. It made me feel…weak and…nervous inside. But who…who…”She brought Anderson’s collar to her face, “Who the fuck are you, huh?” Slamming the girl back on the floor again, Sekiguchi  mumbled a brief, “You...are my fuckin ass nightmare, that's who” before smashing her lips to Anderson's. Though shocked at first, the black girl didn't take long to reciprocate the action, quickly letting Sekiguchi access her mouth. In the midst of the growing kiss, a slow wave of applause erupted as the bystanders cheered. Once again startled to reality, the bruised pair broke apart and Sekiguchi glared at the crowd. "What the hell, people..!" She yelled. Realizing their public spat and kiss was what the crowd likely took as reconciliation between two lovers, the two girls rose from the floor and departed the shop in a hurry, waving goodbye along the way.

Meanwhile the rain had died down and had left behind a cloudy but clear view of a grey and honey-colored sky as the pair walked back to the car.

When inside the 4-wheeler vehicle, the girls were still silent, but this time due to their newfound awkwardness and nerves over what happened minutes ago. Eyes gawking at their laps and sometimes at the ceiling, Anderson fumbled with her hands and Sekiguchi twiddled her thumbs. After a few minutes of wayward stares, the girls slowly but decisively turned to look at each other. Narrowing their eyes as they studied each other for clues, the silence was then broken by simultaneous giggles and laughs.

With the tension gone, it wasn’t long before the girls had returned to their earlier actions at the coffee shop. The girls reignited the car and took a short drive away from the coffee block and settled in a nearby park. Finally and definitely alone, Sekiguchi didn't take long reclaming her spot on top of Anderson, who had travelled her fingers under the other girl’s shirt. “So then…am I driving you home still?” Sekiguchi muttered in-between fervent kisses to her neck. “If your parents aren’t home then we can stop at your place…”Anderson offered back, “And we’ll see exactly just how much you wanted to fuck me over.” The blonde pulled away from the taller girl and had her own hands fiddling with the belt of Anderson’s pants. “…I gotta say something though,” Sekiguchi interrupted.

“I like the sound of you fucking me over first.”