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Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, gender discrimination, and bullying.

The next day, July 15, begins with a continental breakfast spread at the motel where most of the boxers are lodging for the tournament. The boxers only eat peanut butter and hard-boiled eggs. Rachel, wearing her racoon hat, eats her breakfast in an orderly fashion, starting with the egg whites, followed by the yolks, and ending with the peanut butter, which she scoops out of tubs with her hands. She does the last step as an intimidation tactic, hoping that Artemis can see her.

Rachel returns to Bob’s Boxing Palace with her grandmother, taking off her racoon hat to don her boxing gear. Artemis is already there, which means that she never got to see Rachel at breakfast. This worries Rachel, who suspects that Artemis must have gotten up early to fix her hair for the match. Artemis’s preoccupation with her appearance makes her naturally resistant to Rachel’s weird-hat philosophy. Artemis’s body is also much larger than Rachel’s, giving her a physical advantage.

Rachel tries to discern Artemis’s thoughts as their match begins. She imagines that Artemis has lead in her gloves and will use it to kill Rachel during the match.