>>18185762>>18185754>>18185749Colby stops fighting, and at once a lapse in the fight-or-flight adrenaline surge that's been spurring her on leaves her feeling EVERYTHING. Her head is ringing, her face swollen, her body bruised. Her eyes are blurry and stinging with any number of foods and sauces. Beneath her embarrassingly-bared chest, her heart is hammering against her battered ribs, and her lungs burn with attempts to draw breath.
She stands silently before Miss USA as she talks. There are so many different things she could say, ways in which she could protest or dispute what her rival is saying, but this isn't the time for that. When she finally talks, her voice is more hoarse and weak than she expected. The fighting, the exertion, and a lump that's started to form in her throat have all taken the strength from her.
>"You're right. You're right. I'm proud of who I am, and where I came from. Arkansas, the liberal Yankee college where I got my degree, Spaghetti Town..... it's all America, right?"Colby tries to laugh, but the pain ringing through her head forces her into a squint instead.
>"America's our country. It's yours, but it's mine too."There is so much left to disagree and fight about, but the time for fighting, if even then, was ten minutes ago. Now Colby has no more strength left. She takes Miss USA's hand firmly, shakes it, and keeps her grip for perhaps a second longer than needed.
>"A truce, for now, Miss Addams. We've still gotta wrestle on the next show. You and Red, me and Amy."Colby looks around at the destruction and havoc in the grocery store, and this time, she does laugh, despite the pain. She shakes her head.
>"We didn't even get PAID for this!"On the way out, she collects her purse and glasses from the store clerk who had taken them as evidence. One look from her, in her current state, and she doesn't hesitate to hand them over.
The blazing sun and summer heat bear down on Colby when she steps out of the grocery store.
