Karate Kick (9 page)

Around they turned to the opposite direction, to do the cross shuto, the knee, and the double punch.

“Ki-ai!”

Then came the throw, a sweeping move that saw both arms circling up, over, and around, ending with the fingers pointing to
the ground. The throw turned them to the back of the room. That’s where they directed their right straight-in punches and
left snap kicks.

“He-ya!”

Back around they spun, three-quarters to the right, for another cross-shuto, this one with the opposite hand. Knee and punch
came after and then —

“Ki-ai!”

— another three-quarter spin into an outward elbow jab found them facing the audience again. But only for a second, for with
the next move, a left circular outward block, they shifted to the left. A spear and a punch — “Ki-ai!” — finished the kata.

As one, they turned to the front, crossed their fists in front of them, and bowed.

There was silence for a heartbeat. Then the audience exploded with applause and whistles. Sensei Joe stepped forward, clapping
and smiling. “I think we have a winner,” he said, and the crowd roared with approval.

Monique hadn’t moved. Cole walked toward her, unsure if she was happy or furious. Then she turned and looked at him. Her blue
eyes were shining and she was smiling from one ear to the other.

“You learned my kata!” she said. “I can’t believe it!”

Cole stabbed his toe at the wood floor. “I had to do something to make up for what I did,” he said. “I’m really,
really
sorry for taking it out of your bag.”

Monique’s smile faded. “It was a rotten thing to do,” she said.

“I know,” he admitted. “And I don’t mean to make excuses but… why didn’t you tell me and Marty that you had made up a kata?
Why did you make it sound like you weren’t going to enter the contest?”

She turned away but not before he saw her blush. “I
wasn’t
sure if was going to enter, because I wasn’t sure if my kata was any good. That’s why I didn’t show it to you, either. I
thought you might laugh or call it dumb or something.”

Cole was about to protest that he’d never do anything like that. Then he thought back to how he had often treated her and
realized she had every reason to think that he might. He heaved a big sigh.

“I might be a green belt,” he said then, “but I think maybe I need to return to white belt level. Seems I’ve forgotten the
part of my training that teaches me how to respect others and be a good person.”

Monique threw an arm around his shoulder. “Aw, don’t worry, we all make mistakes sometimes. And —”

She stopped talking suddenly. Cole looked up to see her staring through into the waiting room at a person standing there.
It was Ty. He was staring right back at her. Both wore amazed expressions.

“I know him,” she said. “He’s the boy who tried to help me and my mother in the playground all those years ago!”

“You started taking private lessons right after that, didn’t you?” Cole asked.

“Yes!” she exclaimed in astonishment. “How did you —?”

Cole punched her lightly in the ribs. “Come on, let’s go see him. And I’ll tell you all about how I figured out one of the
greatest mysteries of my life.”

“Which is?”

“Why you started taking private lessons — and why I didn’t do the same thing when you jumped ahead of me in rank!” He laughed
out loud. “Just think! If I had, you and I would be even, and I wouldn’t have spent the last three-and-a-half years being
jealous of you. Instead, we could have stayed friends.”

She returned his punch with one of her own. “Well, we’re friends again now.”

“That’s right,” Cole agreed just as Marty came up and looped his arms across their shoulders. “And that’s how I intend to
keep it from now on!”

Matt Christopher®

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