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Odessa didn't understand relationships. She was never in a proper one. The first boy she ever took interest in ruined her reputation and every boy she liked beyond that didn't like her the way she thought they did. The only true love she ever had in her life was with her father, and now he was gone. She thought to herself everyday how a father could leave his daughter so easily. Did he not love me at all? Was I even a daughter to him? Why was it so easy for him to chose drugs over me? She thought every boy that came into her life would eventually leave like he did, so she just stopped trying.
But Eli was different. He was patient. He was kind. He was funny. He was caring. He didn't see her as the school slut and he only saw her as Odessa. He was allowing her to slowly open herself back up, allowing forgiveness and patience back into her heart. She was a person who loved with everything she had but forgiveness was something she struggled with.
"Fighting positions!" Johnny shouted while walking along the rows of kids. He kicked Eli's front foot forward causing him to stumble a little. "Stabilize your balance, Hawk."
"Yes, Sensei!" Eli yelled back and jabbed his fist forward. "Hi-ya!"
He walked through the rows until he got to Hailey, who fists were too close to her face. "Don't hold your hands so close to your face, Cooper. Oliver, stand up straight!" His eyes went to Odessa and he noticed her posture was slumped over. He grabbed her shoulders and straightened them back. "Beaumont, what have told you about your posture?"
"Sorry, Sensei," she muttered. She was aware she had really bad posture due to her chest size. She had always been a big chested girl.
Johnny walked up to a smaller kid and got in his face, causing him to flinch. "Did you just flinch, virgin?" He asked, not believing what he was seeing. He went up to a kid in Eli's rowand he flinched as well. "Holy shit, we got a room full of flinchers!"
"Yes, Sensei!" The class chanted.
"Losers." Oliver said under his breath.
"That was not a question!" Johnny shouted. "Raise your hand if you've never been punched in the face."
Everyone except Miguel, Aisha, Oliver, and Hailey raised their hands. Johnny sighed. "Put your hands down! All your lives you've been avoiding fights so you don't break your nose or lose a tooth or break a nail. So, there's only one solution and that is before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face."
Odessa eyes widened and immediately turned to Miguel, who could only shrug.
"Miss Robinson, Miss Cooper, and Mr. Benson, line them up and unflinch this group."
Hailey raised her hand. "Can I punch Dess? I don't trust anyone else with her."
He looked at the lonesome blonde who was standing innocently with her hands behind her back. He sighed and gave in. "Yeah, go ahead."
