The laughter had disappeared from his face.
Now he looked curious.
Angela raised her hands.
Not high.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Michael's eyes narrowed.
Something about her stance bothered him.
It wasn't wrong.
It was simply unfamiliar.
"Ready?"
Angela nodded.
The timer beeped.
Ryan moved.
And Angela disappeared from the place he expected her to be.
The First Mistake
Ryan had expected Angela to freeze.
Most people did.
When someone with years of training stood in front of a beginner, the beginner's first instinct was often to become stiff. Shoulders rose. Feet stopped moving. Breathing became shallow.
Angela did none of those things.
Ryan stepped forward, reaching for a standard grip.
Angela shifted half a step.
His hand closed on empty air.
He adjusted immediately.
Good, Angela thought.
Fast.
Ryan tried again.
This time he caught her wrist.
A murmur passed through the room.
Angela allowed the grip.
Ryan smiled.
He had her.
Or at least he believed he did.
He pulled lightly, attempting to establish control.
Angela followed the movement rather than resisting it.
Ryan pulled again.
Angela turned.
Her wrist rotated.
Her elbow slipped inside his arm.
Suddenly his balance changed.
Ryan's eyes widened.
Angela didn't throw him.
She didn't need to.
She simply redirected his momentum and placed him in a position where he had to step backward to avoid losing his balance.
The room went quiet.
Ryan stared at her.
Angela released him.
"Again," she said.
Ryan's pride was beginning to wake up.
He moved faster.
This time he attacked with more pressure.
Angela retreated.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Ryan followed.
She wasn't running.
She was measuring him.
His breathing.
His rhythm.
His preferred angle.
The way he loaded his right leg before moving left.
The slight dip of his shoulder before reaching.
Tiny things.
Invisible to most people.
Obvious to someone who had spent years learning how bodies communicated before mouths ever opened.
Ryan reached again.
Angela caught his wrist.
Her other hand touched his elbow.
She pivoted.
Ryan's body followed.
He stumbled.
Angela released him before he could fall.
Jason stopped smiling.
Derek uncrossed his arms.
Michael said nothing.
Ryan reset his stance.
"You're trained."
It wasn't a question.
Angela looked at him.
"A little."
Ryan laughed once.
"That's not a little."
Angela didn't respond.
The timer continued.
Ryan attacked again.
This time Angela moved inside his reach.
Her shoulder brushed his chest.
Her foot positioned behind his.
For one brief second, Ryan understood what was about to happen.
He reacted.
Angela stopped.
She had already won the exchange.
She stepped away.
Ryan stood there breathing harder than before.
The timer beeped.
Two minutes.
Done.
Nobody spoke.
Then Jason said, "Beginner's luck."
Ryan looked at him.
"Shut up."
Jason laughed.
But it sounded nervous.
Derek stepped onto the mat.
"She's mine."
Michael raised an eyebrow.
"Remember the rules."
Derek nodded.
He approached Angela.
Unlike Ryan, Derek didn't move quickly.
He moved carefully.
His size gave him an advantage.
If he secured a grip, Angela would have a difficult time escaping.
Derek extended his hands.
Angela watched him.
"You're stronger," she said.
Derek smiled.
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment."
A few students laughed.
Derek's smile disappeared.
The timer beeped.
He moved.
Angela moved backward.
Derek followed.
He tried to cut off the angle.
Angela changed direction.
He adjusted.
Again.
She changed direction.
Again.
Derek was becoming frustrated.
He lunged.
Angela stepped aside.
Derek caught her shoulder.
His fingers closed around the fabric of her shirt.
He pulled.
Angela turned with him.
Instead of fighting the force, she used it.
She dropped her center of gravity.
Derek's balance broke.
Angela hooked his arm.
For a moment the much larger man was bent forward, his posture compromised.
Angela could have taken him down.
Instead, she released him.
Derek straightened.
His face had changed.
He was no longer playing.
Michael saw it immediately.
"Derek."
"I've got it."
"No."
Derek looked at him.
Michael's voice became firmer.
"Technical."
Derek nodded.
He approached Angela again.
This time he didn't underestimate her.
His movements became slower and more deliberate.
Angela smiled faintly.
"Better."
Derek attacked.
The two moved across the mat.
Grip.
Counter.
Shift.
Escape.
Reposition.
Derek tried to use his weight.
Angela used timing.
He used strength.
She used leverage.
Neither dominated.
But gradually, something became obvious.
Derek was working harder.
His breathing became heavier.
Angela's remained steady.
At the ninety-second mark, Derek tried to force a takedown.
Angela lowered her stance.
She redirected his shoulder.
Derek stumbled.
Angela guided him to the mat rather than slamming him down.
Then she stepped away.
The students stared.
Derek remained on one knee.
He looked up.
"Where did you learn that?"
Angela didn't answer.
The timer beeped.
Round over.
Derek stood slowly.
Ryan looked at him.
"You okay?"
Derek nodded.
But his eyes stayed on Angela.
Jason entered next.
He was different.