Tori wiped the sweat from her brow and tightened the tape on her knuckles. The gym smelled of chalk and old leather; the crowd outside the door thumped like a second heartbeat. Tonight was the tournament final — the one everyone said she had no business being in. They called her too small, too young, too unrefined. Tori carried none of that in her gait. She carried a quiet hunger.
Tori wiped the sweat from her brow and tightened the tape on her knuckles. The gym smelled of chalk and old leather; the crowd outside the door thumped like a second heartbeat. Tonight was the tournament final — the one everyone said she had no business being in. They called her too small, too young, too unrefined. Tori carried none of that in her gait. She carried a quiet hunger.