"That's one way to describe it."
She almost smiled.
Coach Dalton sat down.
"Ethan's going to be difficult today."
"I figured."
"He'll probably ask for another round."
Claire nodded.
"That's his choice."
"You don't have to accept."
"I know."
Coach Dalton studied her.
"Do you want me to say something to him?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because he'll hear it as an excuse."
Coach Dalton nodded slowly.
"You've dealt with people like him before."
Claire looked toward the wall.
"I've dealt with a lot of people."
He noticed the change in her voice.
"Military?"
Claire looked back at him.
"Yes."
"What branch?"
"Navy."
Coach Dalton nodded.
"How long?"
"Fifteen years."
He waited.
She added:
"Medical."
That was all she said.
But the word hung in the air.
Coach Dalton knew enough not to pry.
Ethan arrived twenty minutes later.
He saw Claire.
His jaw tightened.
He approached.
"You free?"
Claire looked up.
"For what?"
"Another round."
"No."
Ethan laughed.
"Still?"
"Yes."
"You beat me once."
"Did I?"
He paused.
Claire continued:
"You tapped."
Ethan's face changed.
"I know."
"Then what are you asking?"
"I want another chance."
Claire considered him.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're not asking for training."
Ethan stared at her.
"Then what am I asking for?"
"An apology from reality."
Several students nearby tried not to react.
Ethan flushed.
"You think you're funny?"
"No."
"Then roll."
"No."
"You're afraid you'll lose again."
Claire stood.
"You're still doing it."
"Doing what?"
"Trying to make this about me."
Ethan stepped closer.
"You're the one who walked in here pretending to be a beginner."
"I never pretended."
"Then what are you?"
Claire looked at the black belt around his waist.
"Today?"
She pointed toward his belt.
"A beginner."
Ethan frowned.
"You don't get to say that."
"Why?"
"Because I earned this."
Claire nodded.
"I believe you."
That answer stopped him.
"I believe you earned it," she continued. "The question is whether you deserve to keep learning."
Then she walked past him.
Ethan remained frozen.
Later that night, Coach Dalton found him sitting alone.
"You need to decide what you want."
"I want to beat her."
"No."
Ethan looked up.
"You want to beat her."
Coach Dalton shook his head.
"You want to beat what she represents."
"What does she represent?"
"Someone who doesn't care about your reputation."
Ethan said nothing.
Coach Dalton sat beside him.
"A black belt isn't proof you're better than everyone."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
Silence.
Coach Dalton continued.
"It's proof you've spent enough time losing that you've learned how to keep going."
Ethan looked down.
"Then why does losing feel like this?"
"Because you stopped seeing losing as part of training."
Ethan clenched his fists.
"She doesn't even look impressed."
"That's what bothers you."
He hated how easily Coach Dalton understood him.
"What do I do?"
"Train."
"With her?"
"If she'll let you."
Ethan looked toward Claire.
She was helping a teenage student adjust his grip.
She was patient.
Quiet.
Completely ordinary.
Except she wasn't.
Not really.
And Ethan was beginning to suspect there was much more behind those pale green eyes than he understood.
Fifteen Years
The first clue came from a photograph.
It was accidental.
One afternoon, Claire arrived early and left her phone on the bench.
A message appeared.
Coach Dalton happened to see it.
Not the message itself.
The background image.
Claire standing beside a military helicopter.
She looked younger.
Much younger.
Her hair was shorter.
She wore a uniform.
Beside her stood six men in full tactical gear.
One of them had his arm around her shoulder.
Coach Dalton recognized the insignia.
He did not say anything.
But Ethan saw the photograph.
"She was military?"
Coach Dalton looked at him.
"Yes."
"What did she do?"
"Medical."
Ethan laughed softly.
"That explains some things."
Coach Dalton frowned.
"What?"
"The way she moves."
"No."
Ethan looked at him.
"What?"
"It doesn't explain anything."
That evening, Claire arrived late.
She looked exhausted.
Her hands shook slightly as she unpacked her gear.
Ethan noticed.
For the first time, he did not approach her.
Instead, he watched.
Claire went through her usual routine.
Tape.
Stretch.
Breathing.
Then she sat against the wall.
A loud crash came from the storage room.
Claire flinched.
Not much.
But Ethan saw it.
Her entire body tightened.
Her eyes immediately scanned the exits.
Then she exhaled.
Slowly.
Ethan understood that something had happened.
Something serious.
Later, Mason told him what little he knew.
"She served with special operations teams."
Ethan looked at him.