Ele

I was still friends with Ele after our romance ended, so she asked me to referee her apartment boxing match with Jena. I accepted. At least Ele was still thinking of me and, who knows, helping her might be beneficial down the road.
Leaning next to the closed door of her bedroom, I asked Ele if she was ready. Her opponent, Jena, had just stepped out of the bathroom where she dressed for combat.
"In a second, Bill," the voice called out to me.
Jean, a lean brunette with lively brown eyes and enticing smile, waited in the living room that had been cleared of furniture and covered with blue gym mats and pillows. Occasionally, Jena idly threw punches with her light-blue boxing gloves, glancing my direction. She was actually waiting for Ele to appear. Both women were very mad at each other.
The bedroom door swung open and Ele walked out, wearing only a black lace bra and dark blue shorts and boxing gloves, of course. She was slimmer than her adversary, lanky really. I felt that old spark inside when I saw her. She was in great shape and her smile was still enchanting.
"You ready, Jena?" I asked when all three of us stood together.
"Yeah!" Jena was determined. "I hope you're ready to go to the hospital, Ele?"
Ele fastened her eyes on Jena like she was about to knife the brunette. "Don't strain your little brain worrying about it. Bill knows First Aid, which is good news for you!"
I decided to try once and give up. The fight was going to end with one of these women out for the count and I worried it would be Ele.
"Before you two get underway, I want to say there is no point to beating each other black and blue over a guy."
Ele and Jena looked at me perplexed.
"Tony was my man!" Ele said to me like I was a slow child.
"Now he is mine!" taunted Jena.
"Bitch!" Ele spat.
"Okay..fine..." I stepped away from the fighters. "Ready? Box!"
Jena barely touched Ele's gloves before throwing the opening punch, tagging Ele flush on her cheek. My ex-girlfriend staggered a few paces and then righted herself. Jena was stifling laughter.
Ele came back swinging and Jena was waiting. A whirlwind of punches erupted between them. Jena worked Ele's midsection, while Ele did her best to bruise Jena's pretty face.
One of Ele's left hooks plowed into Jena's chin. The brunette was thrown off her feet and into the air, her arms and feet spread out wildly as she landed on the mats.
I began the count, praying the fight would be over quickly. Judging by the look in Jena's eyes as she rose to her feet as I called out "SIX," that wasn't going to happen.
Jena swayed briefly and waded back into the donnybrook. The two swung at each other with deliberation, inflicting maximum pain being their goal.
Jena's size advantage began to weaken Ele; punches alternating between punishing head and body shots. Sagging from the assault, Ele was fading. Jena slowed her blows, concentrating on surgical strikes on Ele's jaw, rocking the girl's head side to side.
"Jena, Christ Almighty, end it!" I shouted.
Halting suddenly, Jena looked at me. "Yeah? Okay!"
Before I could react, two rapid upper cuts, a left and then a right, smashed Ele's chin. Ele stood completely still, head back to the ceiling, eyelids open just a crack - she was out on her feet. Cackling mercilessly, Jena nudged Ele's shoulder, sending her to the mats, where Ele lay unmoving.
I got the ten count over as quickly as possible. "Help me get her in the bedroom?!" I told Jena.
"What? Let her lay there, the loser!"
"Grab her legs, Jena!"
We placed Ele on her bed. The unconscious girl let out a series of sigh and moans, signaling that she was, slowly, coming back to reality. Seeing her in sleeping on the bed reminded me of our time together.
"I'm out of here, you can help Sleeping Beauty when she wakes up," Jena sneered. "And tell her Tony is mine!"
I walked down to the parking garage with Jena.
"How did you feel seeing your ex get worked over, Bill?" Jena teased me as she opened the driver side door of her sedan.
"Makes me feel kind of like this..."
WHAP!
My left hook put Jean out instantly. I caught her as she sagged and placed her gently behind the wheel of her car. I fished the cell phone from her hand bag and texted a message to Tony as to where he could find his girl.
When I got back to Ele's apartment, she was awake and sitting on a chair in the kitchen. She looked miserable.
"How you feel, Ele?" I asked, filling a bag with ice.
"Like I'm swimming in an ocean of stars," she answered. "Where's the bitch?"
I handed Ele the ice bag, which she pressed to her face. "She's waiting for her ride."