The girl noticed him watching.
Their eyes met.
For half a second, Adrian thought he saw recognition.
Then it disappeared.
He clapped his hands.
"Everyone on the line!"
The students moved.
The girl joined the white belts.
Marcus looked over his shoulder.
"Fresh meat."
Leo laughed.
Jake cracked his knuckles.
But Coach Adrian didn't laugh.
He kept watching the girl.
Because the three men saw a small woman wearing a cheap white belt.
He saw something else.
He saw someone trying very hard to look ordinary.
And that was usually much more interesting.
The warm-up was brutal.
Running.
Shrimping.
Technical stand-ups.
Forward rolls.
Backward rolls.
Hip escapes.
Sprawls.
By the fifth minute, several beginners were breathing heavily.
The new girl wasn't.
She wasn't moving quickly.
That was what caught Adrian's attention.
She moved efficiently.
No wasted motion.
Every movement ended exactly where it needed to.
When Adrian demonstrated a technical stand-up, most beginners watched his hands.
She watched his hips.
When he demonstrated a bridge, the others copied the motion.
She studied the pressure points.
When he told them to shrimp across the mat, she adjusted her angle before the first movement.
Adrian's suspicion grew.
Then came partner drills.
"Find someone near your level," Adrian announced.
Before the girl could move, Marcus walked toward her.
"I'll take her."
Adrian looked at him.
"Marcus."
"What?"
"Technical roll."
Marcus smiled.
"Of course."
The girl stepped onto the mat.
Marcus towered over her.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
He lowered his voice.
"I'll be gentle."
She nodded.
"Okay."
Marcus dropped into position.
The timer started.
He immediately pushed forward.
The girl moved backward.
Marcus tried to establish control.
She gave him nothing.
Her arms were loose.
Her shoulders relaxed.
He reached for her wrist.
She withdrew it.
He reached again.
She changed angle.
Marcus frowned.
"Stop moving."
She blinked.
"You told me to roll."
Leo laughed from nearby.
Marcus's face tightened.
He attacked again.
This time he managed to grab her sleeve.
He pulled.
She allowed herself to move forward.
Then she turned her hips.
Marcus suddenly lost his balance.
He caught himself before falling.