Arlo Miller and Eli have been best friends since second grade. They spent every minute they could by each other's side. Everything was perfect, until they find themselves in the middle of a resurfaced karate rivalry from the 80s. The past continues...
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Everyone in the dojo now wore their own karate gi. Miguel, Aisha, Hawk, and Arlo stood at the head of the four rows of students in the dojo. Although he didn't mind if Arlo called him Eli, she would still call him by his new namein front of other people. She was as supportive as she could possibly be. She missed the personality of the boy she had known for so long, but she was willing to change and adapt to the boy who stood beside her now.
"Fighting positions!" Johnny shouted as the students got into their stances. Johnny walked over to Hawk, kicking his front leg forward. "Stabilize your base, Hawk." Johnny threw a punch to demonstrate it to the boy. "Keep your balance. Full rotation when you strike."
"Yes, Sensei." Hawk nodded and threw a punch in front of him. "Hai!"
Johnny walked by a boy and Arlo saw him flinch quickly in the reflection of the large mirror.
"Did you just flinch, Virgin?" Johnny walked to another boy and stepped in front of him quickly, causing him to flinch as well. "Holy shit. We got a room full of flinchers."
Everyone except for Arlo, Aisha and Miguel shouted. "Yes Sensei!" Causing Arlo to squeeze her eyes shut tightly.
"That was not a question!" Johnny shouted as he walked through the rows of students. "Raise your hand if you've never been punched in the face."
The teens in the class left their fighting positions. Everyone except Arlo, Aisha and Miguel raised their hands.
"Put your hands down." Johnny walked towards the front of the dojo as he spoke. "All of your lives you've been avoiding fights, so you don't break your nose or lose a tooth. This concussion nonsense."
"Concussions are real you know that right?" Arlo's eyebrows were held together in confusion. He comment earned a laugh from a couple people in the dojo as Johnny put his hand up to silence them.
"There's only one solution, and that it before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face." Johnny turned to Aisha and Arlo. "Miss Miller and Miss Robinson, line 'em up. Un flinch this group."
"Yes Sensei." Arlo and Aisha said at the same time as the man walked back to his office.
Arlo walked to stand in front of Hawk who simply nodded at her. "I'm sorry."
"Go for it." He shook his head.
Arlo curled up her fists, took a deep breath in, and punched the boy in the face. He didn't seem to that affected by it and Arlo watched as Miguel walked towards the small office.
"Again." Hawk shook head and looked down at the girl whose hands were still clenched.
