The Scholarship: Part Two
by M.C.
A working class girl gets a chance to fight for a college education


Both boxers emerged from their respective corners as the bell sounded. Steve
immediately began throwing punches, hoping to end this *farce* as soon as
possible. The large man threw several left jabs at his smaller opponent but
the surprisingly quick girl easily blocked them with her gloves. Angered, he
threw several more but Shana deftly blocked these also. As she circled around
the ring, dancing gracefully up and down on the balls of her feet like her
father taught her to, the muscular girl seemed content to let Steve be the
aggressor for the time being. She recalled her father's advice,"be patient and
study your opponent first. Look for his weaknesses; weaknesses you can use to
your advantage later on." Steve, on the other hand, seemed to be relying
simply on his superior size and strength - and the fact that he was a male -
to overpower her.

After about two minutes of this sparing, during which Steve failed to land a
single solid punch, he became impatient and decided to go for the quick
knockout. Charging forward, he threw a powerful right hook. Anticipating this,
Shana ducked and the blow passed harmlessly over her head. Eyeing his
unprotected midsection, she landed her first punches of the fight; a quick
series of left jabs into Steve's stomach, which was followed by a hard right
cross to his jaw. The force of her blows drove the surprised man back. Wisely,
Shana decided to break off her attack, resume a defensive strategy and wait
for another opportunity to attack again. "Gee Stevie," she teased,"hitting you
is much more fun than hitting a punching bag, tee, hee, hee."

Whether it was hubris on her part or a tactical attempt to unravel her
opponent, the result was the same; Steve became enraged. "You'll pay for that
you bitch!" he screamed,"big time!" Throwing caution to the wind, the
university's heavyweight boxer charged forward again, throwing wild punches
left and right as he did.

"Bitch?" Shana replied as she deftly blocked or avoided his errant blows,"
that's how you address a member of the *weaker* sex? It looks like you need to
be taught some manners big boy." Remembering again her father's wise words -
'be patient and wait for your opportunity; if you're patient, it will come' -
the beautiful, athletic girl avoided most of his punches. The few glancing
blows Steve did manage to land hardly seemed to bother her at all. Shana saw
Steve was tiring but also knew that the first round was almost over. She'll
get him, of that she was sure...but not just yet. "CLANG!" The first round was
over.

As the two combatants went to their corners Shana had a smile on her beautiful
face; Steve, a look of surprise on his. For three years he had been the
university's undisputed heavyweight boxer, and a pretty good one at that.
True, he did have a rather large chip on his shoulder but he was a jock after
all and, being from a very affluent family, was used to getting things his way
for most of his life. Now, just one year shy of his degree in business
administration - and the junior executive position waiting for him in the
family business upon his graduation (his parents made that conditional upon
his completing his degree however) - his whole future was now suddenly put in
jeopardy; all because of this working class waitress who had completely
out-boxed him in the first round. Well, she wouldn't do it in the second
round, that's for sure. Steve couldn't allow that...he had way too much riding
on this.

Shana, in direct contrast to Steve, was elated. She knew she had clearly
beaten him in the first round and felt she would do so in both the second and
third (college boxing matches consist of three rounds of three minutes each).
Though always a very athletic and intelligent girl, because of her
socioeconomic situation she never felt she would be able to attend the
university as she dreamed of doing someday. Unlike her friends, Shana had to
go straight to work right after high school in order to help her family. Now,
because of her boxing abilities, the beautiful 19 year-old girl was on the
verge of her dream; and all that stood in her way was this arrogant, conceited
jock. Well, she couldn't allow that... Shana had way too much riding on this.
While each boxer contemplated their respective futures, the bell to begin the
second round rang.

"Come on Steve," a very attractive young woman shouted from the sidelines as
they emerged from their corners,"smash her into the ground." Glancing over at
the woman who said this, Shana surmised that she must be Steve's girlfriend.
Looking back at Steve, she smiled and said," that's right Stevie, smash me
into the ground tough guy ...if you can."

Steve stormed across the ring, determined to finish this once and for all.
Shana again chose simply to defend herself for the time being as her larger
opponent threw a series of hard punches at her. A less worthy opponent might
have succumbed to Steve's ferocious onslaught; but not Shana. She skillfully
blocked or avoided most of his punches, patiently biding her time until an
opportunity to strike back presented itself. Mid-way through the second round
she got her chance.

When another wild right hook by Steve - which Shana again ducked under - left
him wide open and begging for her to counterattack; she obliged. With speed
and strength that the 21 year-old senior had never before encountered in his
boxing career, the 19 year-old co-ed began her attack. Several solid punches
to Steve's mid-section forced the 220 pound boxer to lower his hands to defend
himself, thus leaving his face exposed. Shana, taking full advantage of that,
fired off another series of rapid blows to Steve's face. When he instinctively
raised his hands to protect his face, she then pummeled his stomach again; her
rock hard fists proving too much for his abdominal muscles. As she drove the
larger man back into the ropes, Shana couldn't resist the urge to tease him at
the same time. "Well tough guy, this isn't as easy as you thought is it? Maybe
you could replace me at Denny's after I've beaten you off the boxing team.
Then maybe your rich pompous ass will understand what it's like to actually
have to *work* for a living rather then get everything handed to you on a
silver platter." The powerful girl had backed Steve into a corner and began
pounding away at him. He was reduced to simply trying to protect himself as
best he could. But many her punches were getting past him and, slowly but
surely, Shana was wearing him down. She continued to land punches until the
bell to end the second round mercifully rang out. "Rest up sweetie pie," Shana
giggled as she walked past the stunned fighter on the way to her corner. She
then added ominously, "next round I'm going to get a bit rough with you."

Despite the fact that Steve now knew she was a much better boxer than he was,
his masculine pride would not allow him to concede defeat to a girl - no
matter how good she was or had bad she was beating him. So he trudged on.
Still wanting to punish him for his arrogance (remembering the 'androgynous
bitch' remark he made to her earlier) as well as to secure her place on the
boxing team, the powerful girl held nothing back in the third round. After
first easily fending off his feeble attempts to hit her as the round began,
Shana quickly took control and began to batter Steve around the ring. His
larger size and desperate determination to hold on proved no match for her
powerful fists, greater speed and superior boxing ability. Their fight became
a massacre.

"Gee Stevie, I think I'll use you for a punching bag instead of the one at the
gym; you're a whole lot cuter and have almost as much personality," Shana
laughed as she relentlessly pounded the helpless boxer from one side of the
ring to the other. Then, letting him temporarily escape from his predicament,
the gorgeous girl began to pound him again; and he was now completely
powerless to stop her. Out of the corner of her eye, Shana spotted Steve's
girlfriend leaving the boxing arena in a huff. "How fickle,"she giggled to
herself. With only about a minute left in the third round, Shana once again
had Steve backed into a corner as was wailing away at him at will. The once
proud boxer was bleeding from the nose and mouth, would have at least one
black eye as well a dozen bruises all over his body; all administered to him
by this beautiful girl who had hardly worked up a sweat in the process. "Well
Stevie, it looks like your reign here is over," Shana said as she cocked back
her fist and prepared to slam it into Steve's badly swollen jaw one more time.
Then, remembering what he said to her earlier, she asked," would you like to
apologize for that 'androgynous bitch' remark now? "

Swallowing what was left of his pride, Steve - the once mighty warrior now
reduced to a pathetic, battered shell of what he once was by this beautiful
girl - humbled himself and said, "yes Shana, I would. I'm very sorry for what
I said to you before. It was wrong and arrogant of me and I apologize. You've
proven yourself to be a far better boxer than I am and you certainly deserve
my place on the boxing team. I hereby officially resign. Now you can finish
the job if you like. I'm prepared to accept whatever punishment you deem
appropriate." Stoically, Steve prepared himself for the worst.

Shana still held her powerful fist back; it was simply awaiting for her
command to plow into Steve's now defenseless jaw. But that command was never
given. Instead, the mighty girl lowered her muscular arm and said in a soft
voice," thank you Steve...your apology is accepted." Without saying another
word, Shana turned around and walked back to her corner with arms raised high
above her head in victory.

As the assistant boxing coach unlaced her gloves, he smiled proudly at the
university's new heavyweight boxer. "Shana, today you've made me the proudest
father in history." Fighting hard to hold back her tears, she smiled up at him
and said," I could never have done it without you dad. Thank you, thank you
for everything." As she watched father and daughter engage in an emotional
embrace, Dr. Susan Watson - standing off to the side - had a very satisfied
smile on her face...mission accomplished.

Later that afternoon...

The large, battered man slowly packed his belongings into his suitcases. As he
did so, he couldn't quite hold back the tears in his eyes. Steve had given his
word that he would leave the university if Shana could beat him in
boxing...and beat him she did. In fact, she utterly destroyed him. His
girlfriend broke up with him as a result of his humiliation and his dream of
working in the family business now appeared to going up in smoke. What he
would do now, he had absolutely no idea. While he sadly reflected on the
dismal situation he now found himself in, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Err...it's somebody you'd probably not wish to see at this time," the female
voice answered.

Steve recognized the voice of course...it was Shana's.

"What do you want?" he asked as he opened the door.

"To talk. May I come in? "

Despite what she had done to him earlier that day, Steve felt no animosity
towards the girl that stood before him; after all, she did beat him fair and
square. The fact that in doing so she also destroyed his dreams was simply the
way things are in life; 'survival of the fittest'; and - as his many welts and
bruises would attest to - she certainly was the fittest.

"Steve," she repeated softly,"may I please come in?" Slowly, he moved to the
side and let her enter.

"I've just come from Dr. Watson's office and I have a proposition for you."
She paused for a moment before continuing."There seems to be a problem on the
boxing team; we don't have a decent light-heavyweight boxer. I therefore
proposed to her that I'll lose the ten pounds necessary to qualify for that
weight class before the season begins and you can remain in the heavyweight
category. That means you can also complete your business degree here. What do
you say to that?"

Steve didn't say anything, he simply didn't know how to respond. In a day that
was full of surprises, this was one for the books. First, he's told that he
has to fight a girl for his place on the boxing team. Then, he calls her an
androgynous bitch. She responds by beating him to a pulp, knocking him off the
boxing team, breaking up his relationship with his girlfriend and forcing him
to leave the university in disgrace. And now, she comes to him with an offer
to let him back on the team and allow him to finish his degree. Steve,
completely at a loss for words, stands there with his mouth wide open.

"Well?" Shana asks again,"what do you say to my offer Steve?"

"Why? Why would you do this for me after the things I said to you today?"

"It's true that you did say some nasty things to me, but you also apologized
and I do believe (she couldn't help but smile now) that I got even with
you...and then some." Shana made a fist and playfully tapped Steve's badly
swollen jaw. "You were beaten up by a girl in front of the boxing team and, no
doubt, by tomorrow the entire university will have heard about it. As I
understand it your girlfriend walked out on you. And now you're dropping out
of school; one year before you're due to graduate. Steve, I have no desire to
see you hurt anymore. I made the team, got a full scholarship to the
university and my father is now the assistant boxing coach here; that's all
that matters to me. As I said before, I'm perfectly willing to fight as a
light-heavyweight this season until you graduate and then move up next year.
So what do you say Steve?" After a short pause Shana giggled and added, "we
could even be sparing partners."

As he stared down at Shana, Steve noticed - for the first time - just how
beautiful the powerfully built brunette standing before him was. Although it
was still very difficult for him to accept the fact that this amazing girl had
so thoroughly beaten him up not three hours before, he also could not help
feeling an attraction to her; a very strong attraction in fact. After several
moments of thought he quietly said," thank you Shana, I humbly accept your
generous offer."

"Good," she smiled. "Now, since you and I are both in training, and you're now
*available*, I suggest we both get to bed early, O.K.?" Before Steve had a
chance to fully comprehend the meaning of what Shana just said, the muscular
girl bent down and easily lifted the 220 pound boxer up over her shoulder and
began to carry him into his bedroom. Although they did get to bed early...they
didn't get much sleep that night.

"Yes," Shana thought to herself," I think I'm really going to enjoy being a
college girl."

Epilogue: Later that evening...

Susan Watson reached over and grabbed her ringing cell-phone.

"Dr. Watson?"

"Speaking"

"So, how did it go today?"

"Not bad. Shana gave him the ass kicking he deserved; just like I knew she
would."

"That's good to hear. How's he taking it?"

"Physically he'll recover soon; emotionally, it may take him a while longer.
It must have been quite a shock for a big, tough macho guy like Steve to have
been so badly beaten up by a girl. Fortunately for him, she's also a very
compassionate person and agreed to allow him back on the boxing team."

"She does sound like a remarkable girl. Maybe after she graduates I can find a
place for her in my company too. Will Steve be able to finish his business
degree now?"

" It would appear so."

"Well then, I guess everything worked out for the best."

"It looks that way Ms. Miller. I believe Shana taught your son a valuable
lesson in humility today; one that will last him his whole life. Do I need to
remind you of our agreement?"

"Not necessary Dr. Watson. A sizeable contribution to your athletic department
will be delivered to your office tomorrow morning, as agreed. Thank you and
good night."

"Pleasant dreams."