~* Boy Trouble *~ We rounded the corner into the gym to find Maria talking to Jason quietly off to one side. He stared awkwardly at the two of us, despite Maria elbowing him twice to get his attention. I tried to offer a disarming smile, but kept walking anyway. I wasn’t ready to make the first move. Fortunately or unfortunately, I wouldn’t have to, as Maria called after me a moment later. “Robin, come here a second.” I paused in my steps and slowly turned to approach, keeping a good foot of distance between us. I heard Allison’s footsteps stop beside me, but I didn’t take my eyes off the pair. Maria frowned at me as she stepped closer. “Why is it you can forgive Brittany after some fake tears and an awkward hug, but you act like Jason has the plague?”

---

Our Girl Scout meetings never progressed the way I always imagined them, but then again, our troop wasn’t the largest nationwide by a long shot either.

As things stood we met at the high school auditorium after school once a month. With basketball practice, cheer, and other activities we older girls were involved with during the week, we agreed to schedule a different day of the week each month. For this month it happened to fall on a Thursday.

The day before, I had just learned that Margie had been writing the Aria Blade comics all along. Of course, I immediately called Jennifer and Nicole to tell them the big news, but they were the only ones. After all, the magic’s in the mystery!

I had basketball practice to look forward to immediately after the meeting, but fortunately Angela Greer, the cheer squad, gymnastics, and assistant Track and Field coach in Spring happened to have taken over as our den mother when Mrs. Lawrence stepped down for health reasons, so she’d promised to let Allison and me leave early if the meeting ran long.

Despite using the auditorium for the meeting, things still progressed rather informally as we discussed plans for the big Halloween party to honor our founder. It actually reminded me a lot of planning for the luau, with ideas being thrown around and discussed, price points brought up, and the like.

“Spirit’s got something she wants to discuss with the rest of us before she has to go to practice,” Jennifer chimed in at one point. The sea of girls from various grades silenced and all eyes settled on me. I shot Jennifer a teasing glare, causing her to stick her tongue out at me, which of course made me giggle as I stood.

“Right. Um, I’m not even sure if this is my place to ask this, but there’s someone that I want to help, and I’m not sure how to do it, so I’m bringing it to your attention as a troop.”

Angela approached and placed her hand on my shoulder supportively. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can pull together to help.”

I took a deep, slow breath, turning to look out across the girls’ faces. “As some of you know, I had a little trouble at the start of school with a boy named Jason. I just learned a couple of days ago though, that his mom is very ill. My mom said that it’s like she’s just given up all hope. She won’t even try to fight it. Despite my problems with Jason, I still want to help her, but I don’t know what I can do alone.”

“How bad is it?” Julie, our seventh grade Homecoming royal stood up from her seat a few rows back to ask.

“Bad. It's some kind of cancer. The doctors say she has maybe eight more months at the most. Mom says there are cancer treatment places that have had a lot of success, but she doesn’t want to even try.”

“Wow… That sucks,” she offered softly, sitting again.

“When she doesn’t even want to try to fight it, I just don’t know what we can do to make her realize Jason needs her to fight. He’s kind of a jerk, but he doesn’t deserve to lose her — nobody does. So, does anyone have any ideas?”

An older, red-haired girl with sparkling green eyes and a light dusting of freckles raised her hand. I thought I knew all the older scouts, but her presence surprised me — wasn’t she a senior? “Why not do a cancer awareness fundraiser, like a walk-a-thon and invite her to be the guest of honor?”

Angela smiled warmly, “Tracey that’s a wonderful idea. Seeing an entire troop of girls willing to pledge their support for someone they’ve never met just because one member asked them to would probably do wonders to lift her spirit.”

Tracey smiled wryly as she nodded, returning to her algebra book. Meanwhile Allison pointed to her watch, nodding toward the door. Angela nodded. “Go ahead, you two. We’ll see what we can come up with for now, and we can meet again on Sunday afternoon to discuss this further.”

I turned to hug Coach Greer, getting a smile from her as she returned the gesture. Little Amanda leapt from her seat and ran over to hug me as well. I laughed as I knelt to hug her back. “Sorry we didn’t have more time to talk. I’ll see you Sunday though, okay?”

The little girl beamed as though Santa Claus had just promised her a pony as she nodded vigorously. “See you, Spirit!” She giggled, returning to her friends as Allison and I left the auditorium. Allison glanced back over her shoulder and giggled.

“What?” I half-laughed as I asked.

“You. You’re so great with kids.”

“Oh hush you,” I teased. As we left the main school building behind, I thought I saw Maria walking with someone, but they disappeared into the gym too quickly for me to get a good look at them. Allison seemed to notice too.

“Was that Jason?” she frowned.

“Could be. She was talking about him at lunch yesterday. Let’s go see what’s up.”

We rounded the corner into the gym to find Maria talking to Jason quietly off to one side. He stared awkwardly at the two of us, despite Maria elbowing him twice to get his attention. I tried to offer a disarming smile, but kept walking anyway. I wasn’t ready to make the first move. Fortunately or unfortunately, I wouldn’t have to, as Maria called after me a moment later.

“Robin, come here a second.”

I paused in my steps and slowly turned to approach, keeping a good foot of distance between us. I heard Allison’s footsteps stop beside me, but I didn’t take my eyes off the pair. Maria frowned at me as she stepped closer.

“Why is it you can forgive Brittany after some fake tears and an awkward hug, but you act like Jason has the plague?”

I started to speak, but Jason interrupted, “Maria, stop, this isn’t helping. Look, you’re a nice girl. You’re too nice. You’re only going to get hurt if you hang around me alright? Just... Just go.”

He turned to walk away, leaving us both stunned silent. Maria’s jaw hung open as she watched him walk away. She turned, glowering, back at me as though it were my fault then stormed off to the locker room. I sighed as I turned to Allison, shaking my head slowly.

“What the hell did I do?”

Allison wrapped me in a friendly hug. “I’ll go talk to her. Maybe I can calm her down before she incites a riot or something.”

I nodded, following her as far as the coaches’ offices where I stopped off to change. Coach Wilson, sitting at her desk, glanced up at me. “Everything okay? You look like you just lost your best friend.”

“I wish I knew, Coach. It’s this whole Jason mess.”

She stood from her desk and approached me, concern etched all over her face. “He didn’t jump you again did he?”

“No no, it’s nothing like that.” I sat down on the sofa and proceeded to explain to her everything that had happened, from the party, learning about Jason’s mom, the Girl Scout meeting, and what had just transpired in the hallway. She nodded as she listened, and when I concluded, she remained silent for a few seconds.

“It sounds like Jason’s in a pretty complex position. Maybe he wants to change, but he’s too proud to admit he was wrong. Maria’s a good kid, but she’s got a bit of a temper. I’d just let her cool off if I were you, and try not to take it personally.”

“Ally went after her to try and calm her down.”

“Uh oh. Maybe I’d better go in there and make sure they’re okay,” she chuckled dryly, patting my shoulder. “Go ahead and get changed, and I’ll see if anyone needs to cool their heels for a practice.”

Surprisingly, Maria, Chelsea, and Allison were already on the court practicing when I emerged. Maria and I didn’t say much to each other beyond what was required to function as a team for the practice.

Chelsea, for her part, joined Allison in staying right out of it, but Brittany just seemed to be looking for trouble. She constantly tried to check Maria, forcing her to foul, and even tripping her once, albeit accidentally.

By the end of practice Maria had had enough, and stormed off the court. I glared at Brittany, who smiled smugly. “Hey, if she can’t take the heat, she should get out of the kitchen.”

“Brit, that was not cool. Maria’s already having a bad day because of me and you’ve only made it worse.”

“And you think the other team won’t do the same?”

“Um, no. We’re all here to win, but it’s just a game.”

“Maybe to you,” she shot back, a certain bitterness in her tone as she sat on the bleachers, nursing a bottle of water. No one else seemed to want to set foot in the locker rooms while Maria was inside, so I resolved to go in after her.

I could hear the telltale sounds of water running full blast beyond the rows of lockers, a thick cloud of steam billowing out from beyond the blind corner as I stepped closer, calling.

“Maria?” She didn’t respond, so I continued. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened with Jason. Whatever you think I think of him, you should know that I talked to the Girl Scout troop today. We’re going to do a walk-a-thon for cancer research, and ask his mom to be our guest of honor.” I paused, shaking my head.

“Maria, I don’t hate the guy. I just don’t trust him. I can’t trust him until he proves he’s changed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to try and reach out to him. Anyway, just … just think about what I said.”

As I turned to leave, the water stopped, but I didn’t stay. Instead I stepped out, to an entire team of sweaty, tired teammates expectantly waiting for an answer. I nodded. “Go on in.”

I pushed my way past them as they filed in, and felt someone squeeze my hand. It wasn’t Allison’s though. This felt different, but I couldn’t see who it was, so I resolved to continue on to the coaches’ office to get my much-needed shower.

I enjoyed an exceptionally long shower that day, letting the stress and pressure melt away. I knew things were becoming too easy, but I never dreamed it would be Maria who caused me problems. She was one of those people like Allison, Jennifer, and Nicole, that I believed I’d never have a real argument with, least of all over a boy.

Nicole and Allison awaited me when I finally emerged from the coaches’ private shower. Nicole wrapped me in a much-needed hug, and I happily nuzzled into her shoulder as I hugged her back. “God I needed that.”

“Yeah, Ally told me what happened. I’m sorry Robin. Are you ready to go home?”

“Yeah. I’ve got my Orange Belt to think about tomorrow night on top of everything else. There are like twenty-four kata I have to know. I’m not ready yet.”

“Jeeze. Stressed much?” Allison offered. “Kenpo’s about self-defense and stuff. You shouldn’t take it so seriously.”

“I can’t help it. I’m an over-achiever.” I laughed quietly as we walked out of the gym toward Nicole’s waiting Mustang. I still couldn’t believe Mom agreed so easily to let Nicole drive me home from school, but with Margie working late, and her ahem ‘coffee date’ with Sensei Rogers tonight it almost seemed a necessity for the family as much as a luxury for Allison and me.

“I still can’t believe Margie is the author!” Nicole burst into a giggle as she opened the door to her car.

“I know!” I brightened, which in retrospect she probably intended, as she smiled at my sudden reaction, as I sat in the front passenger seat beside her. “This is so cool. Sometime next month she wants me to model for a new poster for Aria. Hey, you should talk to her about modeling for Raven Wing. I mean, she did base the original comic off you after all.”

“I’ll think about it,” she responded in an odd, almost enigmatic tone. Her grin as we pulled out of the parking lot left me wondering if she was up to something. I hadn’t told her I already started working on my Aria costume though. I wanted that to be a surprise for the Halloween party, since she wanted to keep her costume a secret as well.

“Thanks for the ride Nikki. Are you sure you can’t stay?” I leaned over to kiss her cheek after we came to a stop in my driveway. She nodded.

“I wish I could, but I’ve got to get a jump on my surprise costume, plus Shadowfang’s coming back into town for the evening to help get started on setup for the party.”

“Already?” Allison poked her head up between the seats. “Man, this party’s gonna be awesome! Let me know if you need anything!”

Nicole laughed, tilting her head to give Allison’s cheek a friendly peck. “You won’t be saying that when you’re helping me decorate every inch of the ball room and back garden. But thanks. There’s no way I could pull this off without you guys helping. I only have one rule though — no peeking during stage practice.”

“Stage practice?” I asked curiously as Allison and I stepped out of the car. Nicole grinned.

“Yes. You guys went all out for me for my birthday, so I’m planning a fun little surprise for you guys as well that’s worthy of my comic book’s namesake.” She giggled, waving. “See you guys tomorrow.”

Allison and I looked at each other as she pulled away. She shook her head slowly. “What do you suppose she meant by that?”

I laughed. “With Nikki? Who knows. C’mon ‘Rose’. Margie wants you to look through some sample sketches to pick out the new hero’s armor. She’s working late at Touch of Style, and Mom’s having coffee with Sensei Rogers again, so…”

“So go get her sketchbook, and I’ll tell Mom we’re having my other sister for dinner,” Allison grinned. I giggled and hugged her before racing into the house to get Margie’s sketchbook.

I hadn’t forgotten what happened with Maria earlier that day, and the whole encounter still stung, but I knew I couldn’t do anything more than I had without making things worse. I’d try to talk to her again at school, and maybe get them to lighten up on keeping Jason from coming near me.

I mean, the guy’s parents were apparently separated, his mom was sick, and his friends ditched him because of me. If Maria could just reach him, and get him to realize he doesn’t have to be some sort of macho ass…

School the next day progressed relatively normally. ‘Relatively’ because Friday was the day we were to conduct our oral presentations for AP English.

We were each given the assignment to select one piece of classic literature and memorize an excerpt to recite, or for a short piece, the entire work. Mrs. Ellis gave us permission to use props to enhance the reading as we saw fit, within reason, and I had something very special in mind.

“Are you ready yet?” Allison called from beyond the bathroom stall. I had just changed into the ‘Carmilla’ dress I wore to Nicole’s party. I pulled the stall door open, Allison giggling as she turned around. “That dress really does suit you. Does Mrs. Ellis know you’re doing this?”

“Well, kind of. I asked her permission yesterday and got us a hall pass ahead of time, but she doesn't know what it looks like or anything. God I’m so nervous though. What if I forget a line?”

“Robin, you read that poem all night last night, and on the way to school this morning, AND you’ve been reading it between classes. I think I have it memorized at this point!” She giggled, giving me a reassuring hug.

“Thanks. I still need to do my makeup. I want this to be perfect. What time is it?”

“Five minutes to class, but since you got a hall pass you’ve got plenty of time. Want me to stay and help?”

“Yeah, please. I don’t feel comfortable walking around school dressed like this alone.”

“No kidding,” she teased as I opened the black bag. I pulled a pair of borrowed opera gloves and the silver necklace Margie gave me to wear from the large black satchel which also held my one other ‘prop’ safely from view, slipping them on, and with Allison’s help transformed myself into the mystical gothic vampire Carmilla.

As we walked to class, Principal Rochelle held up his hand, approaching us. “Halloween isn’t for another week, ladies. What’s this about?”

I giggled as I produced my hall pass for him to inspect. “It’s for Mrs. Ellis’ AP English class sir. I’m presenting a reading of Edgar A. Poe’s ‘The Raven’, and she told us we could use props and stuff.”

He stared at the hall pass a moment then back at me, then laughed. “Carry on then. Just be sure to change again before your next class.”

“Oh, I will sir,” I responded confidently. I had no intention of staying like this all day.

When we arrived at the class, we could hear Mrs. Ellis already giving the introductions. We quietly stepped inside. As our teacher droned on, every eye fell on us, and more specifically, on me.

Mrs. Ellis taking notice of the sudden change in class attentiveness shifted her gaze toward me. She literally jumped back, causing a few stray giggles from the class.

“Um… My goodness. Can I help you?”

I giggled quietly, handing her my hall pass. She stared, wide-eyed. “Robin?!”

“Yes ma’am,” I offered as Allison quickly took her seat. “I’ll wait until everyone else has presented if you want.”

I turned to move toward my seat, but she called after me, “Well now, hang on a moment. We might not get to everyone today, and you obviously went to a lot of trouble. What do you all think? Should we let her go first?”

The classroom exploded into unanimous cheers of ‘Yeah!’ and ‘Totally!’, and even a stray ‘Please?’, so I reluctantly turned to return to the front of the room.

Mrs. Ellis motioned a hand, stepping aside. “The floor’s all yours, dear. What did you select for your reading?”

“Well, this dress is modeled after the female vampire, Carmilla, but I’ve chosen to read ‘The Raven’ for my recital.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, and began to recite the poem just as I had practiced. I tried to bring the weight of the author’s dark intent to each word, slow, methodical, rhythmic and dark at first.

At the first mention of the raven, I turned the satchel over in my hand and pulled it away dramatically to reveal the wooden carving of a raven I borrowed from Nicole’s dad’s study - with his permission of course. A few stray gasps escaped my audience, and I cast a brief, sly grin, turning my attention back to it.

At the appropriate points in the poem, I raised my voice like a madwoman cursing the foul creature.

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”

I turned dramatically to the audience and spoke in a grim tone, “Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore.’”

I raised the statuette high as I concluded the final lines, of how that raven still perches on the pallid bust of Pallas, and concluded by collapsing dramatically, and covering the raven with the satchel. The entire room exploded into applause. I could feel my cheeks burning as I stood and bowed, moving to take my seat.

Even Mrs. Ellis clapped as she stepped behind her podium again. Her shock waned as she waved a hand toward me, “Well, that was incredible, Robin, and so believable! A+! Oh, and don’t worry; I don’t believe in grading on a curve.” She grinned, causing about half the class to laugh and the other half to sigh with relief.

Becky Larsen, Bobby’s girlfriend, leaned over and whispered, “You should be in drama club. That was amazing!”

I giggled, “Thanks. I wish I had time, but with everything else going on there’s just no way I could squeeze it in. I’m thinking about trying out next semester if I can make room and still take gymnastics though. I guess you could say this was a test to see if I could really do it.”

“I’ll say you can!” Bobby leaned forward and whispered from behind us. I grinned as I settled in to watch the rest of the oral deliveries. Bobby and Becky’s joint work was definitely my favorite. They didn’t show up in full costume or anything like I had, but they obviously worked hard to memorize the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Since I had Phys. Ed. next anyway, I opted to just walk to the gym dressed as Carmilla and enjoy the strange stares a little bit longer. It was funny in a way. For the longest time I hated attention, positive or negative, as Robert. Even the thought of being in the Homecoming ceremonies a mere week prior to the event terrified me to my core, but now I found I kind of enjoyed it. Plus it got Maria to talk to me again.

“Oh my God. What possessed you to wear that to school?” She giggled as she joined us halfway to the gym.

Nicole laughed, “Hey, don’t knock it. I think she looks hot!”

“I had to recite part of a classic literary work for AP English, so I chose ‘The Raven’, and dressed appropriately for it. Don’t worry; I have my normal clothes in my backpack. It’s just I figured it’d be easier to change at the gym since I’d be headed there anyway.”

“Suuure. Hey, listen, about yesterday… I’m sorry I went off on you like that. Did you mean what you said though, about wanting to try and get Jason’s mom to accept some help?”

“Yeah. We’re meeting again this Sunday to discuss plans for the walk-a-thon. You’re welcome to come join us if you want. We’ll be meeting at the auditorium Sunday afternoon.”

“That sounds great. I’d love to help. Jason’s a really sweet guy when he wants to be. It’s just… I dunno.” She sighed as we pushed through the doors to the gym. Sounds of basketballs being bounced, conversations on bleachers, all grew silent as I stepped inside. Maria giggled. “Damn chica, you really know how to make an entrance. I gotta get to class. Can we talk again soon?”

“Sure. Here, let me give you my cell number. Um…” I glanced between Maria and Allison and Nicole. Nicole pulled out a black pen, offering it to me with a gum wrapper, and I scribbled my phone number down, handing it to Maria. “Glad you’re not still mad at me!” I called back to her as I rushed off to the coaches’ offices to change. Of course, both Coach Wilson and Coach Greer HAD to be there. Coach Greer noticed me first, reaching a hand over as she stared blankly to nudge Coach Wilson. Coach Wilson slowly raised her head and gave a startled jump next.

I giggled as I watched the almost cartoonish display, giving a small wave. “Just give me a minute to change and wash this makeup off. It was part of a semi-impromptu English project. Good news is I got an A+!” They continued to watch as I disappeared into the bathroom, and I could hear their muffled conversation beyond the door as I changed.

“Was… that Robin?”

“I think so. It sounded like her.”

“Well she did say it was for a class project….” I tuned out the rest of the conversation as I washed away the heavy makeup, unfrazzled my hair, and returned to being ‘just’ Robin again. For now I hung the dress in the coaches’ bathroom. Margie’d come by to pick it up at lunch so I wouldn’t have to carry it with me, and as a bonus she promised McFlurry goodness!

After school, I walked with Jennifer, Nicole, and Allison out to the parking lot. We passed Jason talking with Maria again, but this time we didn’t stop. I’d already done enough damage for one week. Jennifer, sensing the tension, elbowed me playfully.

“Robin, I still can’t believe you pulled that off today. That was so good!”

Nicole pouted, “I wish I could’ve seen it! That’s like the one class we don’t have together. Next semester I’m taking AP English with you guys!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Allison grinned that impish ‘I’m up to something’ grin and flipped out her pink cell phone. After pressing a few buttons she handed it off to Nicole, and I could hear the recital being replayed. She recorded it on her cell phone!

Nicole stopped to watch the entire thing, giggling quite a bit. “Oh my Gawd, this is so cool.” She turned and hugged me, kissing my cheek. “Robin, don’t take this the wrong way, but you make a hot goth chick. I mean, I know I said that this morning, but seeing you ‘in action’, this is just so cool!”

“Thanks,” I laughed, “But there’s no way I could keep it up full-time. You said it yourself; I’m a girly-girl.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. And I’d love you even if you were one of those flannel and hiking boots back to nature girls. Oh hey, you’ve got Kenpo tonight don’t you?”

“Wanna come watch me make a fool of myself in front of the whole dojo? I only have fifteen of the twenty-four kata mastered. I don’t know why Sensei thinks I’m ready for my next belt already.”

“Maybe he just wants to see you try your best?” she offered, snuggling into my shoulder as we continued walking out to the parking lot. She held up her alarm keychain, shutting off the alarm and popping the trunk for us to toss our things in the back. As girlfriend of the designated driver, I seemed to enjoy a place of honor in the front seat. I hadn’t heard Jennifer or Allison shout ‘Shotgun!’ since Tuesday anyway. It was kind of sweet. I’d have to remember it the next time Josh gave us a ride somewhere.

“I hope so. Maybe he’ll let me work on my kata before the actual test. It’s too bad Kenpo’s not like reading.” I giggled. “THAT I’m good at.”

That night Mom made her special peppery fettuccini chicken alfredo, and as the seven of us (My friends and me plus Mom, Margie and Kelly) sat around the table giggling about my earlier performance, Mom raised her glass of tea and smiled softly. “I’m proud of you sweetheart. You’ve just come so far since June, and now it seems you might just have a budding acting career ahead of you!”

Kelly, sitting beside me, reached over to wrap me in a hug. “Yeah, I have to admit I’m really amazed how far you’ve come too.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you guys. All of you have helped me so much, but Ally, you’ve probably been my biggest supporter through all this. I mean, even before you knew me as Robin you’d already resolved to spend your summer with me. … I guess you could say you’re the reason I try so hard to pay forward when I can. Helping Nikki get over Jason dumping her, helping Natalie come to grips with losing Crystal…”

Margie glanced up from her meal. “Hey, speaking of Jason, did you girls ever decide what to do about Mrs. Beaumont?”

Nicole cheerfully nodded, “Tracy, one of the senior scouts, suggested a walk-a-thon, inviting Mrs. Beaumont to be the guest of honor.”

Jennifer added, “Yeah, we’re going to meet again Sunday afternoon to discuss the finer details, and we’ll have to do it soon if we want to help her, but it looks like pretty much everybody’s interested in helping. After Robin and Allison had to leave for basketball practice we talked about it a little more. The girls also pretty much unanimously agreed to call you ‘Spirit’ indefinitely,” she giggled at my blush.

“Oh, shoot, what time is it?”

“Quarter to six,” Kelly offered. “You’re not going to turn into a pumpkin are you?”

Nicole and Allison snickered in unison, Nicole echoing, “Pumpkin.”

“Close. My orange belt testing is in fifteen minutes!” I leapt from the table, darting upstairs to change into my karate gi. I tied my yellow belt in place, grabbing a simple black scrunchie from the dresser as I raced back downstairs. By now the girls were waiting for me in the foyer. Nicole grinned.

“C’mon, Pumpkin. I’ll drive.”

Jennifer’s boyfriend Josh waved as we entered the dojo, chuckling. “Good timing. Sensei was just about to start testing. Are you ready?”

“Not really. I know all my kata, but I only have some of them mastered.”

“You’ve mastered some of them? Show me.” He grinned, motioning toward an unused training mat.”

“Robin and Josh are sparring!” I heard someone whisper a little louder than they probably intended. I caught sight of two students running off together as I removed my shoes, setting them aside at the door and following Josh onto the mat. After a respectful bow, he lunged at me. I stepped forward with my left foot to enact the Dance of Death kata. Josh evaded the follow-up strike, but I could tell I caught him by surprise.

“Nice. Let’s try something a little more advanced.”

For several more seconds the back-and-forth continued. I couldn’t lay a finger, or a foot, on Josh, but I somehow managed to only get knocked on my backside twice during the entire exchange. The third time though nearly knocked the wind out of me. I grunted as I fell to the ground, Josh rushing to offer me his hand. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”

I laughed, waving my free hand as I grabbed his with my other hand, pulling myself up. “No, that was totally my fault. I thought you were going for a sword attack instead of a roundhouse.” I even gave the poor guy a hug so he wouldn’t feel bad about it. When I stepped back again, I backed right into someone, and spun around to apologize. “Oh, excuse m-” Sensei Rogers grinned proudly down at me.

“Well done, Robin. You’ve passed the test.”

“But... I didn’t complete all the required kata.”

“It’s true you haven’t mastered the techniques set forth, but not only did you last quite awhile against a formidable, experienced opponent, but you admitted your mistake when you failed, and you did so with humility.” He turned to the students that had gathered to watch us spar. “Martial Arts are not about fighting, but about self-discipline. This is a way of life, and it’s important, especially when training in these early belts, that you keep your perspective. Always remember, there will always be someone better, faster, or stronger than you, but even in defeat you can take away a valuable lesson.”

He turned back to me, motioning for me to follow. “I asked Josh to administer your test because I knew you wouldn’t be as nervous if you thought it was just a simple sparring match. What you showed me though was surprising. I knew you were a good kid, Robin, but I didn’t realize you understood the importance of humility already.”

“It’s a pill I’m still trying to swallow, Sensei, but thank you.”

“How so?”

“I’m still having problems with Jason, but they’re not the kind that knowing how to defend myself can solve.”

He chuckled. “There are many ways to defend yourself. Sometimes they involve knowing how to get away from a bully, and other times they’re knowing how to keep your temper in check, or knowing what to say to verbally disarm someone. The greatest victories in life aren’t defeating your opponent, but turning an enemy into a friend.”

“… You think I should try and talk to Jason too, don’t you?”

He simply smiled, and turned to step into his private office, meanwhile Nicole ran up and wrapped her arms around me.

“That was so cool! I mean, sure Josh totally kicked your butt, but you were all kung-fu on him this time too.” She giggled as she offered me a fresh water bottle. I accepted it with a smile, tilting it back for a quick drink, and returning it as Sensei Rogers returned, holding an orange belt in his hands. He stopped in front of me and, holding out both hands, spoke reverently.

“Repeat after me: I understand that I am but a beginner in a new and fascinating art which will direct me to greater obligations and responsibilities. To honor my obligations and responsibilities, I pledge to myself to serve my instructor, fellow students, and fellow man.”

I recited the oath word-for-word, after which he opened his palms to allow me to accept the new belt. I bowed reverently then hugged him. “Thank you Sensei. I’ll work twice as hard to show you that I have taken your lessons to heart.”

He smiled warmly. “I know you will, Robin. Now, everyone line up!”

Later that evening, as I lay in bed clutching Mr. Kensington close, I found myself again reflecting on the past week’s events. So much had happened so fast with Nicole’s birthday party and her getting her car, the drama with Maria, and now Sensei honored me with a new belt. Granted I didn’t feel I had truly earned the rank of Orange Belt yet, but I resolved to work twice as hard to master the kata in addition to the new self-defense lesson I had picked up that day.

At least I wouldn’t have to test for the next rank for some time, giving me plenty of time to practice. I wished we had a basement though so I could set up my own makeshift studio for practicing. Maybe I could get some extra practice in the next time I went in to help work on the dojo, though. Maria still hadn’t called, but she had my number, and hopefully she’d be in touch over the weekend. At worst she’d probably be at the Girl Scout meeting that Sunday to discuss the walk-a-thon though.

For the moment, I yawned, rolling over and turning off the light. With the meeting, a therapy session with Dr. Ketz, and work on my Aria Blade costume at the absolute least, I needed all the rest I could get for the coming weekend.

I shut my eyes tight and smiled as, in the back of my mind, I heard my two favorite words. ‘G’night cutie’. “Sweet dreams, vampire,” I whispered to no one in particular, as darkness followed.