FIcover

Proposed design for a “Fighting Ingenue” cover. Cover-story was to speculate on Kimmie’s path to hegemony, with the cover-caption to read “First Kelly, then Mish?” Kelly refused permission to use her image, citing the “absurdity” of the article-premise, and the “blatant falsehood” of the cover design. “It’s so stupid,” Kelly snarked. “They’ve got Kimmie in this dumb girl-on-a-mission pose…as if taking me down could actually happen. It should be me hurting Kimmie, with Mish lying on her side in the corner of the bedroom, completely knocked out. THAT’S a cover!”

Even Michelle, hardly the most bellicose voice in the gym, had her doubts. “The cover’s fine - whatever,” Mish shrugged, “but Kimmie emerging as gym-boss? I mean - Kimmie’s a girl on-the-come, no question. But she’s not athletic enough to compete with me on all surfaces, and she’s not rugged enough to hang with Kelly. Kimmie can land ten of her whippy little kicks, but once Kelly gets hands-on? Fight’s over. Kimmie should concentrate on keeping the smaller girls in check, defend her proper turf, and leave gym-domination to me and Kelly. And sometimes Taylor.”