A long blond and pink pony tail flailed from side to side as a teenage girl practiced her footwork, fists raised. She stood in the center of a boxing square that sat in a large open room lined with exercise equipment.
Her gloved and padded hands deflected a blow aimed at her face, and she kicked her opponent in the stomach. He stumbled backwards and raised his gloves.
"That's it, Diamond. You're getting better," a tall man with slicked back brown hair said as he bounced from side to side.
Diamond winked and stayed on her toes as she wiped a bead of sweat from her nose, then gestured towards herself with her finger tips. She ducked a left hook and jabbed at his nose, then she side-stepped a powerful right swing from the man, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward as she did so. He followed the weight of his swing and Diamond swept his legs out from beneath him with a swift kick.
As he hit the ground, Diamond pulled back on his arm while securing one leg around his chest and the other between his thighs. He flailed and struggled, but Diamond held tight, pulling his arm back slightly further with each jerk. His shoulder ached as he detected an approaching dislocation, and he violently tapped the mat in front of his face with a flat palm.
Diamond immediately let go and stood up, brushing herself off before spitting her mouthpiece onto the floor. "Good try, Daddy. You're getting too old for this. You're so slow and predictable these days."
"Hey now. A fifteen minute match would be tiring on anyone!" He stood up and sheepishly chuckled. "I'm proud of you, Diamond. You're a very talented young lady."
Diamond smiled and wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel. "That's true, but what do you think Mom would say about this?"
"She'd say something like, Rich! How dare you expose my perfect, precious, innocent, defenseless daughter to such awful violence?! And of course I'd say, defenseless is right, and our daughter needs to be able to protect herself from those who might wish to harm her. This is the only way I'll feel comfortable with her going out to see her friends on her own, and no teenage girl wants to be tracked twenty-four-seven. Of course, she's always welcome to finish school at home and never leave this safe, secure and clean environment." Rich laughed and scratched his head. "It's still on the table, you know. What do you see in that public school anyway?"
"Daddy, you're the one who told me that if you start something, to see it through no matter what. Plus... I like it there. I'm graduating in a few months anyway." Diamond removed her gloves and rubbed her red knuckles.
"That's true, and I'll be relieved once you do. In the mean time, you need to work on your power. You're a small girl, so you really need to put all of your weight behind your punches." Rich climbed out of the ring and approached a thick black punching bag hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh really? I didn't hear you complaining about how weak I was while you were tapping out." Diamond scoffed and joined her father by the bag.
"Well I was going easy on you and got careless. Your attacker won't be so kind."
Diamond rolled her eyes and watched her father take on a strong stance. "That pose is so unflattering..."
"Shh, pay attention. Do this right and you're free to do whatever you want for the rest of the day." With his daughter's attention caught, he took a step forward and struck the bag full force with a straight arm. The entire bag caved in around his fist and the chain rippled all the way up to the ceiling. He then hugged the bag to stop its swaying.
Diamond re-gloved her right hand and nodded while her father held the bag and watched her. "So step into it, right?"
"Everything works together. You don't step and punch, you blend them into a single action, and every inch of your body must work in harmony to maximize power. Don't worry about how you look while stepping, or how your hand will feel after impact. Just worry about damaging your target." Rich gave his daughter a nod and took on a stance as he clutched the bag.
Diamond returned his nod, gritting her teeth and bending a knee. She lunged forward and extended her arm, striking the bag with all of her might! Her fist collided with leather to create a light smack. Rich then raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Oh, did you already hit it? I didn't notice," he teased.
Diamond blushed and turned around as she slammed her glove onto the floor. "This is stupid! I don't need to punch hard! I don't need to know any of this!"
"Settle down, darling." Rich waved his hands and stepped towards her. "I know it's difficult to learn this. You're already doing much better than most ever could, and that is amazing. I'm glad to know that my little girl can take care of herself if she needs to."
"I don't need to... You've been teaching me this stuff for almost four years and I've never gotten into a fight with anyone!" Diamond shouted.
"Don't you remember what happened to that girl in Detrot? She got... hurt, in the locker room... by a teacher, no less. I can't stand the thought of something like that happening to you. I need to know that you could stop it." Rich rubbed his face and shook his head. "One powerful punch to the chest is enough to scare a would-be predator away."
"That stuff never happens at Caterlot High, Dad... Don't worry," Diamond explained.
"Every school can say that, until that stuff does happen. If anyone wants to try anything like that, I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen to you." Rich held his hand out and nodded.
Diamond gulped and bumped her fist to his glove.
"Go shower and have some fun. We'll work on your power more later." Rich wrapped a towel around his neck and flexed in the mirror. "Who's old... not me."
Diamond giggled and sighed as her father exited the room. She clenched her fist and gave the bag a quick jab. She then silently screamed and shook her hand back and forth. "Ouch... Stupid leather," she muttered.
Heading toward the home gym's exit she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She walked up to it and rested her left hand on it as she looked herself over. A tight pink and white sleeveless unitard hugged her body, and then she stared at the pale band of skin around her bare finger. Her deep blue eyes shook as a welling of liquid fought its way to the surface, and she squeezed them shut and turned away, snatching her bag from the table and storming out of the gym.
She stomped through the mansion and made her way upstairs to her bedroom, where she nearly slammed her bedroom door closed, but caught it last second for a quiet latch. Diamond then huffed and fell backwards onto her huge canopy bed. She pulled her bag open and dug for her phone, where she found a silver ring that gleamed in the afternoon light when she held it up. Inside the metal band read the words: Two Worlds - One Heart.
She slid it over her left ring finger and closed her eyes for a moment before resuming her search for the phone. It flashed as she touched it, alerting new messages. She skimmed over them and otherwise ignored them. With a sudden ache in her chest, she opened an older message thread and stared at it. The last message was one she had sent to Silvy several days ago, which never received a reply.
[Sent 2:52]Let me know when you want to hang out again. Love you!
She read over it a dozen times before the screen went black, and she pressed the phone against her chest as she bit her tongue. With several quick breaths, she sat up and reopened the message before beginning to type.
Hey just wondering what you're doing. I miss y—
She scoffed and deleted the message before sending it.
Can you come over tonight?
Diamond stared at the message, her thumb inching towards the 'send' button on the screen. She swallowed hard and felt her heartbeat quicken. Her stomach sank and she shook her head, deleting the text and tossing her phone onto the pillow. She groaned and trudged into her personal bathroom attached to her bedroom, and turned on the hot water.
"What are you doing, Silvy?" she whispered as she unbuttoned her tracksuit and kicked off her boots, then stepped into the shower. She pulled the band from her hair and tossed it out onto the tile floor.
She slid down the back of the shower and hugged her legs, resting her forehead on her knees as the steaming water fell over her.
I'm a seventeen year old girl, and I live a comfortable, privileged life. I'm the daughter of the world renowned Mr. Rich, owner and founder of the Rich-Mart superstores that dot the world. My name is Diamond Rich—suits me I suppose—and the media refers to me as Diamond Tiara, the heiress and princess of the Rich-Mart fortune.
I don't know how I feel about this. After my father's company piqued as the largest corporation in the world, the media began paying attention to our lives when they had left us alone prior. Daddy sued a news station that was harassing me at school for disrupting my education rather than keeping me home and schooling me here. Ever since that day during my freshman year, the students have treated me differently.
They recognize my status and its value in a world of such drastic financial disparity. I could own everything they own with a snap of my fingers, but that isn't who I am. I'm a nice girl when my "peers" show me the respect I deserve. And no, I don't feel that my father's success entitles me to anything, even though in reality it does and will all be mine someday.
No, those children need to respect me because I'm smarter, stronger, faster, more talented, and more beautiful than they could ever hope to be. My father has ensured that I am as presentable and as respectable as possible. If his business associates can recognize my splendor, then my classmates sure as hell had better!
There is one girl in the world who can stand at my side as my equal, and she's a sinking ship. Silvia Stone, or Silvy, is the daughter of my father's legal adviser/lawyer and childhood best friend. We were best friends once too. Maybe more than that, we were like sisters as kids, and something deeper when we got older.
I miss her so much right now. I messed up and said some horrible things to her that I regret, and even though she said she forgave me, I'm afraid things will never be the same between us. I need my best friend, but I don't know if I have one anymore.
I think she has a boyfriend, and that's why she's been avoiding me. She's too lost in her little world of boy-town to pay attention to me, and sure; I could have anyone else in the world if I wanted to, but I only want her. She isn't just another girl... I just think that...
I don't really know what love is, but I feel like I have those feelings for Silvy. The thought of her spending time with someone else is killing me inside, and now for the first time in my life, I think I know what jealousy feels like.
"Here at Rich-Mart, you can save money on all the things you need to live your life everyday. From our competitive prices to our outstanding customer service, you'll love your shopping experience here at Rich-Mart. We have great deals on—"
Diamond shut off her television and dropped the remote. She saved the entry to her video diary and closed her laptop, then lifted her phone with a yawn. As she unlocked the screen, the same message thread popped up, and she continued staring.
"Come on, Diamond! Just say something... Maybe she just forgot about it. She's... Ugh! Come on..." Diamond pulled her pillow over her face and screamed into it.
"Sweetheart? Come down here please," a voice sounded from the main chamber.
Diamond dropped the pillow and groaned, then slid off her bed and flung her damp hair over her shoulder. She pressed her door open and leaned over the second story guard rail, where she spotted her father struggling with his sleeves near the front entrance. "Yes, Daddy?"
"Could you give me a hand here?" he asked with a wave.
Diamond nodded and hurried down the spiraling staircase at the manor's left wing. She jogged across the huge clearing to her father's side beneath a gigantic sparkling chandelier. She grabbed his suit's cuff and fastened the button with ease, then straightened his tie. "Where are you headed?"
He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. "I have a meeting to attend regarding opening stores in a country that has unstable relations with ours. It'll be nothing too grating and I shouldn't be too late."
"Okay. I'll be here when you get back." Diamond stood back and waved.
Rich placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Your mother would be so proud of the woman you've become. I love you, Diamond. You are a very unique and talented young girl. You're so much better than what society paints privileged girls like yourself to be."
Diamond nodded and let her arms hang limp. "I love you too, Dad."
"I can tell you've got something bothering you; you just haven't been yourself this past week." Rich kneeled down and looked up into her deep blue eyes.
Diamond shook her head with a rueful smirk. "Just school and friends. You know."
Rich bowed his head and nodded with a chuckle. "People are a complicated issue, sweetie. Just know this: if there is something in the world you need, then take it! Don't turn to money to get what you need, because money is weak. Money comes and goes. Money can't get you what's truly valuable, and sometimes, money stops you from getting what you need. Believe it or not there's always a chance we could lose everything. I won't let that happen so long as there's a pulse in my body."
"I understand."
Rich stood tall and took his daughter's hand. "Separate who you are inside from all of this. Diamond, you're a girl who can beat down a grown man, a girl who fluently speaks three languages, and to top it off you're stunningly beautiful. Take every penny away, and you're still that girl." He sighed and began to twirl the silver ring around her finger, watching the light shimmer off of its perfectly polished surface.
Diamond pulled her hand away and gave a few quick nods. "Thank you... Why are you telling me these things?"
"You need to make this distinction, sweetheart. You aren't money, and you can never lose yourself in that world. The things I said about you are the things I'm most proud of. You are anyone's dream daughter. There's so much more to you than that, though. Whoever gave you that ring I always see you fiddling around with, that person knows something I don't. Who has the brilliant idea to buy 'The Diamond Tiara' a silver ring?" Rich laughed and stoked his hair back. "Someone who connected with you. Right? Remember what I told you, okay? Money does not define you. Money is weak, money is fickle, money is a dangerous, manipulative weapon but you... you're strong."
Diamond clenched her fists behind her back and stared sharply into Rich's eyes. "I think I finally get it. This is why you teach me so much... Thank you. I know what to do now." She jumped up and hugged her father. "Good luck at your meeting!"
Rich patted her back before lifting his suitcase and stepping to the door. "Yes, thank you. I should be going. I'm certain Wheeler is growing impatient. Good luck, dear." He opened the front door and Diamond waved at a man sitting in the front seat of a running glossy black sedan.
"Thanks." Diamond shut the door behind him and pressed her back against it, her eyes lowered in thought.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Madam?" a tall, older gentleman in a dark gray suit asked as he held an empty silver platter and stood at the base of the main stairway.
"Yes, actually. Fetch me a glass of five raw eggs blended with vegetable juice and a popcorn ball, please." Diamond snapped her fingers and headed back towards the gym. "Chop chop, Jeeves. Deets is hungy!"
The butler held his professional composure until Diamond had exited the room, then shook his head with a chuckle.
Diamond jogged up to the punching bag and began to stretch her legs. She kneeled forward and ran both arms down the length of one leg, then repeated with the other leg. She then squatted down and bounced back up to flex her shoulders. A cool evening breeze chilled her skin through the open window as she loosened up, her small pair of sleep shorts and thin tank top freeing her body heat.
Ignoring the chill, she took a deep breath, tightened her stomach, and delivered a powerful kick to the bag.
"Hah!" she shouted as her foot collided with the thick leather and shook the room. Then she jabbed the bag with a quick and forceful one-two punch just before spinning around and back-handing it with bare knuckles. She dug her left hand's nails into the leather and ruthlessly stuck it with a series of right hooks.
She then hopped backwards onto one foot and kicked the bag three times in quick succession, bottom, middle, then top. In an instant she then jumped into the air and delivered a blow with both feet before falling onto her back against the mat beneath her.
She leaned up on her elbows and caught her breath in time for the butler to enter the gym.
He sat the silver platter holding the requested items onto a table near the entrance and bowed.
"Thank you. Now go take it easy, please." Diamond chugged the drink and took a big bite from the sweet popcorn ball. After a moment of chewing, she swallowed and wiped her mouth.
Diamond then cracked her neck and yanked the door open before jogging across the mansion to her bedroom. She dove onto her bed and grabbed her laptop, pulling it open and opening the web browser. With a click she pulled open her favorite social networking site, where she immediately spotted a recent post from Silvy, beneath it her current location displayed.
"What are doing in on the east side? Gross..." Diamond pried further, skimming Silvy's page posts and searched for clues.
A single notification dated for nearly three weeks ago stood out: Silvia Stone has become friends with Stacy Lou.
Diamond scratched her head and thought. We were fighting then... Did you replace me with...
She winced and felt sick to her stomach at the thought. Her breaths quickened and she felt caught in between rage and laughter.
"Really?! Scootaloo?!" she shouted as she forcefully wiped a tear.
She jumped out of bed and kicked her closet door open, where she began tossing her clothes onto the floor. Folded on a shelf near the back she found a charcoal gray zipper hoodie with a black stripe across the stomach. She then kicked her long line of boots over until she eyed her favorite pair.
Her outfit in mind, she pulled a black t-shirt on over her tank top and slipped into a pair of black yoga pants. She pulled her sparkling yellow boots on with black bands wrapped around the ankles, then tossed on the hoodie, lifting the hood and leaving the zipper down.
Diamond stood in front of the mirror and sized herself up. Images of herself pummeling Scootaloo flashed through her mind. Suddenly a stinging sensation shot through her right arm, and she inspected her hand. Her knuckle had a small cut on it with a drop of blood trickling down her finger.
She scoffed and shook her head. "What are you doing, Diamond?"
Diamond let her hoodie fall to the floor and stepped back into her bedroom. She twirled her car keys around and hung them back onto the coat hook, then plopped down belly first onto her bed, where she grabbed her phone and unlocked it.
Silvy, I'm losing my damn mind without you. I'm so sorry for everything, and don't care what happened. I need you here. Please come over or let me go see you. I don't care if I seem pathetic right now. I just want this to be behind us.
I need you in my life. I love you.
She forced herself to send it before she deleted it again. Then with several quick and deep breaths, she rolled over to squeeze her pillow, staring at her phone's black screen. She kept staring, afraid to blink as it stayed black while she waited for a reply.
Suddenly the screen illuminated and the phone vibrated, and Diamond's eyes lit up to match it. She snatched the phone off the bed and read over the message.
[Received 9:45]I'll talk to you tomorrow. Don't come over tonight.
Diamond's entire body went limp and she stared at the ceiling, overwhelming pulses of pain flooding her chest. She sank into a sea of hopelessness as her will to fight for love deflated.
She lifted her phone and typed out a message.
No I love you too?
Diamond sent the reply and clung to a final scrap of hope. Her phone quickly vibrated against her chest, and she read.
[Received 9:49]Not today.
Her heart shattered at the sight of those words, and tears welled up as she ground her teeth. Then her phone buzzed again.
[Received 9:51]...I love you too. But I'm still mad at you.
Diamond beamed, wiping her eyes and sitting upright. She sniffled and typed.
If you can, I would really really really love if you came over tonight.
[Reveived [9:52]Would you cherish it always?
I'd bronze it and display it in my front yard.
Diamond genuinely smiled and crossed her legs while she waited for a reply.
[Received 10:02]Okay. I'll see you in a couple hours. Don't forget that I'm still mad at you...
