"Depends on the art," she shrugged.
Derek’s smile widened into something condescending. "I’m a jiu-jitsu black belt," he announced,
expecting a reaction. When Claire simply replied, "I heard," Derek felt a prick of irritation. Mike
stepped in, ordering Derek back to warmups, but the seed was planted in Derek's mind. He had
found his next target.
Claire changed into dark training leggings and a faded navy T-shirt. She found a quiet corner of
the mat and began to stretch. She moved carefully, working slowly through hip and ankle mobility.
To the untrained eye, there was nothing impressive about it. In fact, she seemed a bit stiff on her
right side.
Derek was already doing explosive movement drills near the cage, making sure to be as loud
and flashy as possible. His friend Brandon held a phone, filming content for Derek’s social media.
Derek watched Claire’s slow stretches and leaned over to Brandon.
"Mike’s friend is definitely retired from something," Derek whispered loudly. "Retired yoga,