The Threat
By Jonica

I have been teaching college English for almost seven years.  I have had many strange encounters with students, but nothing like the incident I'm about to recount.

First a little background about myself.  I am a brunette with with a short layered haircut.  I'm 5'2 and I only weigh about 120lbs.  I keep myself in shape by running on the school's track...unless it's raining...then I run in the gym and workout with weights.  When I was in college, I tried a little competitive kickboxing.  I quit when I decided I was better cut out for teaching and not contact sports.  I didn't have the time nor the willpower to devote to that type of demanding training regiment.  I ended my brief amateur career with a respectable 3 wins to 1 loss record.  In the years since college, I have married and had a child.  I never missed kickboxing.

As I said before, I had never had an encounter with a student become surreal...but on a rainy afternoon late one fall semester...a very bizarre meeting occurred.

I was sitting in my office late that day grading Comp I term papers.  I noticed a young girl from that very same comp class nervously hovering outside my office door.  You could tell she had something on her mind, and the longer she waited to air her problem the more agitated she became.  I recognized this student as being one of the brighter of my comp students, but she only made average grades.  She was a good writer, but full of angst.  Or maybe anger.  I try not to meddle in my students' lives, but you could tell she has had a hard life.  One of the first things you notice about her is her emo (or goth...I can never tell the difference) attire.  She always wore black clothing as well as a ton of mascara and black lipstick.  She had several piercings to go along with three visible tattoos.  But what really drew your attention was her hair.  She wore it long on the sides and shaved in the back.  And it was dyed purple.  Obvious she was rebelling....against what, I had no clue.  It was a shame because she was a very pretty girl.  She was about eighteen, maybe 5'4", and about 135lbs.  She had some gorgeous dark blue eyes.  And today she had a very bad attitude.

During her pacing, she finally noticed that I was looking at her.  She took that has an invitation to enter my office.  When I asked what she needed, she replied that she was worried about her grade on her term paper.  She said that if she doesn't get at least a "B" then she most likely will fail the class.  I told her that I hadn't gotten to hers yet, but if she would be patient, then I'd check while she was there.  As I was looking for her paper, her reason for being there became obvious.  She told me that her father wouldn't be very happy if she brought home a "D," let alone an "F."  She said her father was one of these "old-fashioned rednecks" who think women don't need to go to college.  She said he would make her quit and go to work in his tavern (where the men...her father included...treated her like trash)  if she brought home anything worse than a "C."  She said she would do anything to ensure that didn't happen.

I finally located her paper, and as I read it one thing became obvious, she didn't write a "B" paper.  It was apparent that her paper was hastily written and not researched well.  I told her this, and her nervousness erupted into hostility.  She said I had to give her a "B."  We got into an argument that ended with her issuing the following threat....if I didn't give her a "B" she'd beat the shit outta me when I went to the gym.  She said she knows all about my workouts.  She also knew I was the last one who left the track or gym in the afternoon.  She said she would "cram her paper down my throat."  

Needless to say, I was shocked.  But I was also a little curious.  How far would she take her threat?  I probably should have just called campus security, but I didn't.  I looked her in the eye and calmly said, "We can discuss this at that time."  She stared at me for a full minute, and I could tell her plan had backfired.  She fully expected me to give in.  Why?  I'm damned if I know.  But you could see her anger replacing what embarrassment she felt, because she stormed out of my office and left the building.

After that I was done for the day.  I was still a little shocked, and I probably should have went home.  But, like I said earlier, I was a little curious.  I changed into my sports bra and running shorts and....since it was raining....headed for the gym.  I worked out for about an hour, and I noticed I was a little disappointed.  I couldn't believe it, but I was really hoping she would show up.  I decided to shower and change then go home.  

As I was heading for the locker room, I heard the gym door open and slam shut.  I anxiously looked toward that door, and sure enough, my student was there.  She asked if I was going to give her the grade she wanted.  I said that I wasn't going to give her anything...that she was going to have to earn it.  She looked at me for a moment, then began to laugh.  She said that she wasn't much of a fighter and she knew I had some kickboxing experience from reading my campus biography.  But she said she had wrestled some with her boyfriend and she thinks she could take me on the mats.  She said she could tell by the look on my face that I wanted to try it.  And I was surprised to find that she was right!

We decided that the best way to do this was to wrestle one fall until one of us quits.  If she wins, then I give her not only the grade she wants, but I give her an "A."  If I win, then she takes the grade she earned and leaves me alone.  We pulled the wrestling mats out on the floor and began stretching.  I was already in my sports bra and gym shorts, so all I had to do was take off my shoes and socks.  She was wearing baggy black jeans, black t-shirt and combat boots.  To my total shock, she took off her boots, jeans and shirt.  She was left wearing a pair of white cotton panties...and nothing else.  She wasn't wearing a bra.  Her skin was so smooth and pale that it resembled smooth porcelain.  The paleness was offset by the many tattoos she had on her shoulders, small of her back, and arms.  She also had a perfect body that she hid under all those dark clothes.  She smiled and asked if I was ready.  I said I had to make things fair, so walked over to the gym door and locked it.  I then removed my sports bra and my gym shorts.  I faced her in nothing but a similar pair of white cotton panties.  My skin was a little darker because I believe in exposure to the sun.  She looked like one of the vampires from the "Twilight" movies.  I have no tattoos, but I have a pierced belly button.

We faced each other, both of us obviously nervous.  I thought about just telling her that I'd give her and "A", but part of me wanted to beat her at this little game.  She looked nervous as well, but she smiled and said, "Say when...."  I waited another long minute and then said, "Let's do this...."  

We began circling warily, and she finally reached out and grabbed my left arm.  She stepped right and used her momentum to twist me to the floor.  For the fourth time that day, she shocked me!  I couldn't believe how quick she was!  I also couldn't believe how bad my arm was hurting.  As she twisted, I was being forced face down into the mat.  I couldn't allow her to get behind me, or this match would end rather quickly.  I was able to reach back with my right arm and hook it around her right leg.  a quick jerk and she was off balance.  She tried to regain her footing and as she did she relaxed her grip on my left arm.  I fell back forcefully against her legs and knocked her to the mat.  But before I could continue my assault, she got to her knees and we were facing each other again.  

We both were breathing heavy from exertion.  I tried to go back on the offensive rather quickly and I went for a fast headlock, but she was a tad faster.  She used my oncoming momentum and pushed me forward and got her hands under my arms.  She pushed her torso into my back and forced her hands and arms up under my shoulders.  Next she cupped her hands on the back of my neck and put me into a picture perfect full nelson.  I felt her push against the back of my neck, lean all her weight into my back, and force my head down toward my chest.  She pushed me so far forward that my head was almost touching my bent knees.  I had to think fast, or this match was over.  I could feel her warm breath against my right ear when she asked if I wanted to give up.  I refused and she pushed more of her weight into my back.  I was having trouble breathing.  She began demanding that I give up as she pushed more and more of her weight against my back and neck.  But her barefoot must have slipped or something because she suddenly lost her balance and almost tumbled over my head!  As she fell forward, I couldn't believe my good luck!  I half rose and fell to my side and rolled.  She lost her grip on my neck and once again found ourselves facing each other on our knees.  She was looking at me and glancing around trying to see what her foot had slipped on.  To this day, neither of us knows.

We were both breathing hard and sweat was beginning to give our skin a slippery sheen.  We faced each other again then after a brief moment we locked our hands in a test of strength.  As we struggled, it became apparent that my upper body strength was greater than hers.  I wrestled her back on her heels and quickly went to her right and trapped her in a side headlock.  I used my momentum to push her onto her right side.  I put all my weight on her head and neck.  I began tightening the hold with all my strength.  Fortunately, I could actually feel her strength waning.  I was in better shape than she was!  I began using all my remaining energy to force her to quit. I was trying to push her through the mat.  Her breathing became raspy and her struggling became weaker.  I heard a strange sound and I realized she was whimpering and sobbing!  I asked, but she refused to give up.  I kept trying to grind her into the mat and she still refused to quit.  She began sobbing harder because she knew she was beaten.  But she refused to end her agony.  I finally felt my own strength starting to ebb, so I poured on what little I had in reserve.  I began to think if I pushed any harder her neck would snap.  After a few moments of this, I finally heard her say the magic words in between sobs and whimpers.  I had won.

I released my grip on her and sat off to the side so she could relax and regain her composure.  She cried the lament of the defeated for a while.  Then she looked up at me and apologized for putting me in this position.  She said she understood if I had her kicked out of school.  She had made her peace with it.  As I began getting dressed I told her that this was our little secret as far as I'm concerned.  I also told her that she will do fine in school....when she applies herself.  As I finished, I told her that she had earned her grade so she was going to have to live with it.  But I also told her that next semester could be different.  Before I left her, I told her that she is welcome in any of my classes.

The next day I was a little surprised to see her show up for our comp class.  She was back in full emo/goth (I really don't know the difference) attire.  I handed out the graded papers just before class ended.  This time I wasn't surprised when she came to my office.  She wanted to know why I gave her an "A."  I told her it was because she had applied herself and earned it.  

I kept to myself the fact that she would have most likely won easily if she hadn't mysteriously lost her balance.....