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chapter thirty ✧ separate ways & business opportunities ( season two, episodes twenty-two & twenty-three )
❝ you were the one who went radio silent. you don't get to be mad at me. ❞
"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐎 long?" Veronica hissed into her phone, watching Rudy's karate demonstration in the mall courtyard, glancing around at the shoppers who were paying no attention to the sensei on the large stage in the center of the area. "You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!"
She let out a breath. "I told you to set an alarm!" She pressed her lips together. "Sorry, not helping. Just—get here before Rudy loses it. He's still a little frosty now that he knows we're dating."
"That was refreshing, huh, friends?" he said and looked around at the unimpressed mall-goers. "Yeah. You know, karate gives you energy to burn. Don't believe me? Just look at my students!"
She glanced at Jerry and Eddie, who had fallen asleep. She shook her head and elbowed them harshly, causing Jerry to wake up and fall backwards. "Wake up, you idiots."
"Hey—Hey, karate man," Milton said, pretending to be a mall-goer, and Veronica sighed at his tone; he sounded very unnatural. "I have a question."
Correction: he sounded like a robot.
"What is it, random stranger?"
"Is it true that you can teach me to break a board with my hands?" Milton asked, holding up his hands as if people didn't know where his hands were.
Rudy nodded. "Absolutely!" he exclaimed. "One of my students will now show you."
Eddie walked up to the stage, and Rudy frowned, glancing behind him at Veronica, who was muttering into her phone again. "We'll be back in a minute," he said, turning back to the small crowd in the courtyard.
Veronica turned her head as he and Eddie returned to their table. "Oh, look who showed up."
"Where have you two been?" Rudy asked Jack and Kim. "My demo started twenty minutes ago. Ronnie's been doing it all herself."
"I'm sorry, Rudy," Jack apologized with a shrug. "I forgot to set my alarm clock, and then I couldn't find my Gi, and by the time I found it, I missed the bus."
Kim shook her head. "I just didn't want to be here."
"You know what? It doesn't matter," Rudy said while Veronica's eyes shifted back to the stage behind her uncle. "These people are obviously not into karate."
"Uh..." He looked at his niece, who pointed to the stage. "I wouldn't speak too soon..."
He followed her gaze as rock music began playing and saw the Black Dragons had taken over his demonstration. Ty stood to the side and watched them intently. At the end of their routine, the crowd cheered loudly, and Veronica sighed.
