Carly’s smug gloating

Unknown: thanks for sparring with me today!

Billy stared at the message, the light of his screen shining onto his face in the dark bedroom. He didn’t have the number saved, but it must have been Carly. It seemed like she was being a good sport, at least. Billy began typing a sporting, complimentary reply when her next message came through.

Carly: can't believe how easy it was to beat u XD

So much for sportsmanship. Carly was obviously just here to gloat, and to bask in the glory of outboxing the undefeated champion who had made her leave the club when he was just a rookie. She was obviously frustrated with not getting her chance to knock him out, and must have asked a clubmate for his number so she could fish for more validation from him. Getting him to personally admit that she had beaten him. Or maybe hoping that humiliating him would make up for the lack of closure, being stopped right before she could put him to sleep in front of the club that worshipped him. Or maybe she was just here to humiliate a guy she thought could use a “reality check”.

Whatever the case, Billy wasn’t interested in giving her the satisfaction.

Billy: you didnt beat me. it was pretty even the whole time, and i wasnt going 100% anyway.

Carly’s reply came quickly. It was clear she’d been mentally preparing for this conversation, for this dressing-down of the club champion, all afternoon. Running through EXACTLY what she would say to him when she finally sent that first message.

Carly: nice try lol. i legitimately OWNED you XD

Those crying laughing emojis were pissing Billy off. It was just another reminder at how many women now felt safe disrespecting him. Billy gripped his phone tighter.

Carly: remember what ur coach said? “we allll know u were about to knock him out”, lol. the whole club knows. in a real fight, ur coveted chin would be fucking mine.

His coveted chin… The chin no one had ever claimed in an official fight. Carly wanted it. She wanted to make Billy slump, and hang his former glory up on her mantle. She wanted that fucking chin, and she was pissed off that she’d been stopped just short of claiming it in front of everyone. She really believed that she deserved to take it. That she was good enough to steal Billy’s chin out from under him, and send the champ to sleep.

This was getting ridiculous now. After the humiliating evening he’d just had at Karen’s, Billy couldn’t just put his phone down and ignore her. He HAD to correct her, even if it meant playing right into her hands… Just as he’d done during their earlier sparring match. A heated exchange followed.

Billy: what the fuck do you mean “my chin would be yours”? I beat your ass the last time we boxed, this spar doesnt mean shit.

Carly: didnt knock me out tho. Lol

Billy: fuck off

Carly: u had to get saved by ur fucking coach. lmfao

Billy: im serious

Carly: all that raging male attitude, all that talk about being the best, and i was about to put ur weak ass to sleep XD

Billy: I wasn’t going to sleep

Carly: u so were. u were gonna get put to sleep in front of EVERYONE. XD

Billy: you need to learn some respect

Carly: for who? for fucking loser men who cant handle getting beat by a girl? why should i respect a man who cant even stay awake during a spar lmfao

Billy: I WAS AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME, YOU BITCH

Carly: awwww, someones cranky lol. sad that im better than u now? deal with it bahahahaha

Billy: nobodys better than me

As Billy hit send, the image of Heather in her sports bra and boxing gloves flashed in Billy’s mind, as if to correct him. His heart sank. Even his own mind was betraying him.

The messages revealed at least one truth, though. Carly was clearly out to humiliate him. She obviously didn’t expect him to admit he lost, but rubbing it in his arrogant male face was all the fun she needed.

Carly: I srsly cant believe how simple beating u was. ur such a fraud. it was easy as fuck to KO u

Billy: for the last time, you didn’t fucking KO me.

Carly: ur brain was one kiss away from a knockout

The message stunned Billy. He suddenly felt Karen’s lips on his forehead again, planting the lipstick print that was still there. A warm heat spread out from the print of those smug lips, dissolving into his brain. Billy shuddered. He didn’t type a reply for a long time, just rereading Carly’s message over and over again. Eventually, a new message came through from her.

Carly: mwah~ <3

The message came with a lips emoji. Billy’s heart fucking jolted. Fear ran down his spine. There was no way Carly knew, right? Had Anna somehow told her about the lipstick on his forehead? How would Anna even know who Carly was? Had Carly seen it happen?

All these irrational, devastating fears began rushing through his body, his mind getting completely owned by that one teasing message the thick girl had sent him. Panic overwhelmed him. Had Carly, the thick feminist, figured something out? As Billy lay in bed, stunned, his mind racing and his heart pounding, Carly sent another message.

Carly: lol. did u get fucking KOd again?

Billy hastily typed his reply.

Billy: no

Carly: LOL! just too intimidated to reply then?

Billy began typing another “no”, his hands shaking. But just as he hit send, another message came through from Carly.

Carly: do u honestly think ur better than me after what happened today?

Billy: no

Carly: LMFAOOOO

Billy’s heart sank. His messaging app told him that Carly had taken a screenshot of the conversation. Holy shit, no, no, no…

Billy: yes im better than you

Billy typed his message quickly, hoping to move on fast, but Carly wasn’t letting him slip away.

Carly: LOL im glad you know ur place below me

Billy: that wasn’t the message I was replying to

Carly: I guess getting knocked out humbled u a bit? XD

The messages were coming in fast, Carly was pouncing on the opportunity to make a mockery of the incumbent club champion.

Carly: u thought a girl could never beat u, and got slept for it. lmfao

Carly: u got fraud-checked HARD, all it took was someone coming in from outside ur safe space of a club

Carly: i could almost see the ego draining out of your face as you got sleepier and sleepier LMFAO

Carly: such a famous chin, but I broke right thru it and knocked. You. OUT.

Carly: weeeaakkk~~

Carly: weeeaaakkkkkk~~

Carly: ur a fucking loser LOL. cant even admit when ur beaten until the very end.

Carly: bad sport, glass jaw, sleepy af… yep, typical “alpha male” XD

Billy was aghast. Even Anna and Karen hadn’t been so open and relentless with their degrading comments. Was it just because she was behind a screen? What made THIS girl, who hadn’t even fully knocked him out, so confident about talking to him this way?

She hadn’t been this aggressive in person. It’s like in the time between the sparring, she’d built up this image in her mind that Billy represented all the roadblocks women face, and that she needed to tear him down. Put him in his place and make an example out of him. Or maybe she’d only been acting respectful before she realized she could beat him. Whatever caused this sudden change in her attitude, Billy didn’t like it. He hated that she could talk to him like this.

Billy: seriously, fuck off, you didn’t knock me out.

Carly: lol. ok big guy. how about a rematch then? XD

Billy stared down at the text. He was furious, and humiliated, but not sure of what to do. Beating her in a fight and shutting her up would solve a lot of his piled-on problems, and make his club a peaceful place again… But if he somehow lost to her, if she managed to push him all the way into getting knocked out…

Well, she was clearly the type of woman who would love nothing more than to tell everyone about the highly-praised man she knocked out. Getting slept by Carly could be the end of him, for good. In a way he could never come back from. There wouldn’t be any negotiations, or any ****… Just public photos and videos of Billy knocked the fuck out, by this thick feminist.

He stared down at his phone, thinking how he should reply, for a long, long time… A new message came through.

Carly: lmfao ur so scared.