Triangle Choke

Once she submitted her first male opponent, Thorne sensed a change in her. She screamed and jumped up and danced around the mats and completely forgot to check on whether she had injured him with her arm bar. Her celebration didn't stop for nearly five minutes, and on the drive home she couldn't sit still.

When she got home, she was like a woman possessed, and she nearly dragged him to bed and raped him, though he wasn't resisting. When they were exhausted, he quietly congratulated her on her victory. She didn't thank him but began raving. She had no breath left but that didn't stop her. In between gasps for air, she exulted.

"Did you see what I did to him? He was humiliated. I destroyed him. I wonder if he'll ever show up at Star Gracie again. Can you believe it? You were there at the beginning. You know how far I've come, and I feel like I'm just getting started."

He listened to her, but he could tell she was talking to herself, not to him. He liked to see her so full of life, but at the same time, he found himself repulsed by some of her words. It seemed he was wrong about her progress toward equanimity. Her personality was as mercurial as ever.

After that victory, she never faced off against a woman again. Even when she lost to a man, she acquitted herself well, although Thorne knew better than to tell her that. She nearly bit his head off the first time he congratulated her on her effort in a losing match. She was still a devastated loser and an ungracious winner.

*************

Harley was getting ready for a regional tournament and asked Thorne to be his opponent in a rehearsal match the week before. The word got around the academy, and the room was packed the Thursday night of the match. Thorne was in the bottom position for most of the first two six-minute rounds and Harley was slightly ahead on points.

Harley took the bottom guard position at the start of the third round. From there, his hands and legs flew in all directions as he tried one move after another. Thorne countered him at first, but eventually Harley was able to swing his leg around, get on Thorne's back and use a rear naked choke to make Thorne tap out.

Harley thanked Thorne profusely and told the onlookers that if Thorne ever decided to compete, he would win a lot of medals.

Andi gave Thorne a big hug and kiss after he got up and congratulated him for his efforts. The crowd divided into two groups, analyzing the match. One was around Thorne and the other was around Harley. Thorne was so involved in the conversations that it was a while before he noticed Andi was in the Harley group.

On the way home, she was silent at first. Then she blurted out, "You must be devastated. Everyone could tell Harley was toying with you for the first two rounds, and once he decided to compete, he destroyed you so fast that I was shocked. He's really something."

Thorne didn't say anything.

"I know how you must be feeling," she continued, "because that's how I feel when someone humiliates me at work or in a match. You just want to be left alone for a while, so I'll shut up and keep away from you tonight."

Thorne thought about telling her that the match was over and he felt about the same now as he did before the match, but he decided not to contradict her.

After that, he noticed that whenever Harley showed up at the academy, she was all over him. She peppered him with questions and asked him to roll with her and critique her moves.

Harley was polite to her, but made it a point to spend less time with her than others. Thorne smiled when he saw Andi use her wiggles and even accidentally rub herself against Harley to get more of his attention.

One night, while Andi was in the locker room, Harley walked over to Thorne and spoke softly to him.

"Listen, buddy, I hope you aren't getting the wrong idea. I have a feeling she's coming on to me, but I want you to know that I'm not going to touch her, and not just because she's not my type. I hope you know that I would never disrespect you. I look up to you more than anyone I've ever known.

"She keeps asking me to meet her for coffee, but I'm afraid she's got more than grappling on her mind, so I've turned her down."

"Thank you for confiding in me," Thorne said. "I know I can trust you. Andi is an unusual girl, as you know. I don't think there would be any harm in having coffee with her. I think you could be a good influence on her."

"You're sure you're okay with me meeting her outside the academy?"

"Absolutely! If I didn't trust her, I wouldn't be with her."

At that moment, Andi emerged from the locker room in time to see the men move away from each other. She looked at Harley and then turned and looked at Thorne, and she smiled.

On the way home, she seemed in good spirits and pleased with herself as she talked about her progress in learning some of the more unusual chokes and pain submissions. Then she changed the subject.

"I noticed you and Harley talking. Was it about me?"

"What else?"

"It looked to me like two bulls snorting around each other ready to lock horns over a heifer."

"What?"

"I'm just joking."

*****************

From that night on, Andi only rolled with Thorne when Harley wasn't around. Otherwise, she spent the whole night watching Harley and trying to get him to give her some attention. Frequently, the evening ended with her coming over to Thorne and telling him she was going to coffee with Harley and Harley would bring her home. She was never late by more than an hour.

Harley came over to him a few weeks later and said he'd like to tell Andi that he wanted Thorne to come to their coffees, because occasionally some guy tried to put the make on Andi and she made a show of flirting with him.

"She's doing that for a reason," Thorne said.

"Why?"

"She wants to get inside your head so you'll do what she wants."

"Does she do that with you?"

"No."

In his mind, Thorne added that she didn't need to because he did she whatever she wanted anyway.

"I don't like it," Harley said.

"Tell her that you'd like her to stop," offered Throne. "I have a feeling she'll needle you a little but she'll stop, because she told me she's getting a lot out of your sessions. She credits a tip you gave her for helping her defeat Joe last week."

"I know. She told me. I like her spirit and persistence. She works hard and doesn't complain. I just wish she'd be a more gracious winner."

"You and me both."

At that point, Andi walked up to them and asked, "Anything I need to know?"

"No," they both said in unison.

Harley wouldn't go for coffee with Andi that night, and on the way home she pouted at first. Then she brightened up and began needling Thorne.

"You two were at it again over me tonight, weren't you? You know what they call it when a woman is involved with two men. It's a triangle. The three of us are in a triangle."

"Doesn't a triangle mean the woman is sleeping with both men?"

"No. It could be that way, but there are also romantic triangles where both men compete for her, or adulterous triangles, where she's with one of them and cheats on him with the other one."

"Which one is this?"

She laughed and didn't answer his question but took the conversation in another direction.

"I just thought of something. In addition to the triangles I mentioned, there's also the triangle choke. I mean chokes. I thought I knew them all but Harley keeps showing me new ones. He thinks my leg work is the strongest part of my skill set."

She was quiet for a while and then spoke as if she was thinking out loud.

"It would be funny if you could combine a triangle with a triangle choke."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea. Just a silly thought that came into my mind."

*********************

Andi lost her next two matches with men. They weren't underestimating her anymore, but after that, she won three in a row. She was ten feet off the ground after the third one.

On the way home, Thorne could tell she was dying to say something, but she had doubts. He wondered if she was trying to control her bragging. Then she blurted out what was on her mind.

"I want to challenge Harley," she said.

"You're crazy."

"I know. But I still want to do it. Do you think he'll agree?"

"I don't know. You've spent a lot more time with him than I ever have. You tell me."

"I'll tell you next Tuesday if he's there."

***************

He was there but wasn't going for it, and Andi was silent and gloomy after the workout. Thorne was sure that wasn't the end of it, and he was right.

It took her two months to wear Harley down. She did it after he won a tournament. He was both weak from exhaustion and in a good mood. She used both weaknesses to get her way.

Two days later, Harley approached Thorne.

"Are you okay with this? I know how bitchy she gets whenever she loses, even if everybody tells her how well she did. You're the one who has to live with her.

"The more I think about this match, the more I can't think of anything good that will come of it. I feel like telling her I've changed my mind. She'll go nuts, but I don't care."

"I don't want to interfere," Thorne said. "This is her thing. I think it can be educational. She wants to test her limits and learn what she's capable of. I can't see anything wrong with that."

"All right. I see what you're saying. Just don't blame me for how she is afterwards."

*****************

Andi stopped working with Harley and spent all her time at the academy with Thorne again. She didn't even reply when Harley greeted her. Thorne called her on it.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm focusing on him as the enemy to be destroyed. You can't be friendly with your enemy. It's war. What's wrong?"

They were at the kitchen table having breakfast, and she saw Thorne scowl. She had never seen that expression on his face before. He got up and walked away. She heard the bathroom door close.

A few minutes later, he was back.

"What did I say?" she asked.

"I apologize for losing my cool. I guess it's my military experience. When people talk about war and fighting the enemy, I get worked up."

"I didn't mean real war. I was just using the word figuratively."

"I know. It's my fault. There's no way you can understand. That's why you and other people can use the word the way you do."

"I won't use it again. The last thing I would ever do is hurt you. You know how much you mean to me."

"Thank you" was all he could think of saying. She could tell his mind was still in turmoil, so she switched to what she hoped was a lighter topic.

"You're old fashioned, aren't you?" she asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'll give you an example. When you find your true love, you'll think about getting married and having a family? What if she was a modern woman and asked you to marry her?"

Thorne thought about her question, but he didn't answer. Andi observed him and spoke again.

"That's what I thought. You wouldn't like it. You think the man has to ask the woman. You probably think he has to get down on one knee and open a little box with a ring in it. I bet you'll even ask the father for permission first."

He looked uncomfortable when he spoke.

"You must think I'm living in the last century."

"It doesn't matter. I like you the way you are. Whoever marries you is going to get a real catch. You are the type who's devoted, loyal and unselfish. You'll do whatever she wants. She'll wrap you around her finger. I envy her."

He thought of replying, "Like you've got me wrapped around your finger?" but didn't say anything.

The next week, he spent his lunch hour at Benny's Jewelers. He picked out a stunning ring that he thought she would like. He also made sure that Benny would exchange it for a ring that she picked out in case she didn't like it or take it back and give him a full refund if she turned him down. He stashed the ring box on the back of a shelf in his clothes closet and covered it up. He began to think of where and when he would offer it to her

She was thinking of nothing but the match. She trained hard with him and yelled at him to push her more and fight back harder. When she first began grappling with men, she wanted to have a match with him, but he told her he would never do that. He was at Star Gracie for exercise, not competition.

"What about Harley?"

"Sometimes I'll agree to a sparring match with Harley, like the last one, to help him tune up for a tournament."

"Have you ever beaten him?"

"No."

"I wonder how you'd do against him if you had a reason to win. What if the two of you were fighting for me and the winner could only have me if he totally humiliated the loser. It couldn't be a quick tap out. He would have to knock out the loser."

"That's not BJJ. That's MMA. That stuff is illegal in grappling."

"I know. I was just fantasizing. It would be so romantic."

"What's romantic about making someone pass out?"

"I mean, the thought of the two of you fighting for me until only one of you was standing. I know it's silly, but it arouses me."

He looked at her. She licked her lips, stood up and grabbed his hand. In a minute, they were in bed and he forgot her crazy fantasy.

******************

The evening of the match, there were even more people crowded around the mats than when he had fought Harley.

Taking Thorne's advice that her leg work was her best weapon, she immediately went into the bottom guard position. Harley looked around the room as she held him with her legs around his waist and her hands pulling on the collar of his gi. He smiled and then looked down at her.

He slowly made a move to free himself. It was a classic move, and she quickly countered. He stopped and looked around again and then tried something else. She adjusted to stop him. He gave up, waited a few seconds as he looked around and tried something else.

After the fourth move, he didn't look around anymore. Everyone in the room knew what he was doing except Andi. She was so focused on preparing for his moves and thinking about hers that she didn't realize what was happening until more than four minutes into the match.

As they moved from one of his attempts to the next, he also gradually increased his speed. Both of them were working hard and sweating because she had to move faster to stop him.

She wondered if his strategy was to wear her out so she would finally make a mistake. She felt confident in her conditioning. No matter how fast he moved, she could last three rounds. The match would probably end with one of them winning on points.

She wondered why he didn't seem to be trying harder to submit her. Then it finally dawned on her. He was going through each move to see if she could counter and prevent him from freeing himself and putting her in jeopardy. He had started with the most elementary moves and was progressing to the intermediate moves as he sped up.

As she realized he was putting on a show for the other students, a wave of anger swept over her. She lost her concentration for a moment and nearly let him complete a reversal move. She stopped him just in time.

She pushed her emotions to the back of her mind and focused on her defense, but when the round was over and she went back to the corner where Thorne was waiting, the dam burst. She pulled a towel over her head, bent down and began sobbing.

Thorne pushed his head under the towel and within an inch of hers.

"What are you doing?"

"You see what he's doing to me," she managed to get out between sobs. "He's using me like a teaching dummy and humiliating me in front of everyone."

"I know, and I don't like it. Are you giving up? Or are you Andi?"

"What can I do?"

"You can listen to me and stop crying like a baby."

She grabbed the towel and wiped her face hard with it and sat up straight, staring at Harley and speaking with a voice of steel.

"You're right, Thorne. I'm listening. I have no idea what I should do. Tell me."

"I thought of one thing. I don't know if it will work. You told me that you do it at the office. You think about two things at the same time. I think that's your chance.

"The first thing to think about is preventing him from completing one of his attacks and submitting you. That's your main focus. While you're doing that, make it seem like you're helpless and can't do anything except what he wants you to do. It's like you said. Play like you're a puppet he's manipulating to teach a class.

"If you can, look like you were just now. You're angry, frustrated and embarrassed at what's being done to you. Look like you're scared that one of his moves will finish you. How good an actress can you be? Can you look like you've lost your concentration? Can you pretend you're ready to cry? Can you distract him?

"The second thing you'll do is anticipate what he's going to do next. You know what he's already done. Run through the intermediate and advanced moves in your mind and pick one.

"After each attempt, he stops for a few seconds before he moves to the next one. In that time, guess what he's going to do next and how you can incorporate that move into one of your own. As he moves, you move with him. If you guess wrong, fall back quickly to defense. Then guess what he'll do next and prepare for that.

"Don't get frustrated because you're going to guess wrong most of the time. But if you happen to guess right once, he'll be vulnerable, and that could give you a chance."

"I don't know if I understand," Andi said as she and Harley were motioned to the middle of the mat to start the next round. "But I'll try to do what you say."

As the round progressed and Harley continued to attack, she began guessing what he would do next and trying to turn that move into something that would put her in control.

He didn't notice that she was no longer waiting to see what he would do before countering. She started her move at the same time as his and then quickly changed it when she saw that she had guessed wrong. By the halfway point of the second round, she was actually starting a split second before him.

It was the start of the fifth minute when she finally guessed right. Her legs were flying a moment before he started his attack and he moved right into them. He was so surprised that she had put him into a triangle choke that he didn't react until she rolled him over and was on top of him with her legs tightening around his neck and her hands bending his right arm. He quickly tapped out.

She screamed, jumped up, ran to Thorne and launched herself at him. He caught her and held her a moment as she wrapped herself around him. Then she pulled free and ran around the room jumping high on the mats and embracing the Amazons and everyone else who congratulated her.

Harley stood where the match ended watching her antics. He waited almost five minutes for her to come and shake his hand before he gave up and headed to the locker room.

****************

Her friends stopped calling her Andromeda at the academy after that. Her new nickname was Pantarise, after an ancient Amazon who was famous for choking a soldier to death.

She never went back to Harley for help, and he avoided her, too, but she brought him up frequently in conversations with Thorne, always disparagingly.

She forgot that Thorne had given her the strategy that let her beat Harley. She told everyone Harley had beaten Thorne and she had beaten Harley, which proved once and for all that a woman could develop the strength and skills to beat men who were much bigger if she also had the brains to outthink them.

She considered herself the ruler of Star Gracie and basked in the attention the girls and women gave her. Except for Thorne, no man would come near her. She attributed that to their insecurity, because she had emasculated their champion.