Miguel breathed in and out deeply, both from embarrassment and anger. Odessa walked by and paused in front of him. She just stared. He lifted his head and stared back. He nodded. She understood and let him have a moment. 
"Hey, Dess, have you talked to Robby any?" Asked Hailey. 
"I texted him earlier telling him i'm happy he got out.  We've been emailing any chance he could get." She informed.
"Do you miss him?" Grayson asked and sipped from his water. 
"Of course I do. Do I still think about what happened at the school? Yes. But he's not a bad person and I can't treat him like one."
After the five minutes were up, they all gathered back into a circle. "You gotta be shitting me!" Mitch shouted at his phone. 
"What? What happened?"  Miguel quickly asked.
"They canceled the All Valley." 
Odessa quickly looked at him. "What!"
"Fuck, I was learning my spin kick for nothing."  Grayson cursed and stomped his foot on the ground. 























Thalia felt obliged to attend the council meeting at the school with Johnny. The pair argued for a while on it. She didn't hate the idea of them canceling the All Valley. A part of her didn't want Odessa to be back in karate at all. She was still recovering from what happened at the school. But Johnny convinced her that Odessa needed karate in her life. It brought her out of her shell, it made her feel more connected to her father's roots, and she was the former All Valley champion.
Even when they were in high school, Johnny was always persuasive. The pair shuffled by everyone who was seated so that they could sit down. Daniel turned his head and saw them. "What are you doing here?"  He whispered to Johnny. "And why is Thalia here.
"Fighting for the All Valley. She's my support system." Johnny replied. "What about you? Gonna read from your diary?"
Thalia rolled her eyes. 
"There's nothing wrong with being prepared." 
"Yeah,  well I don't need notes. I'll shoot from the hip." Johnny remarked. 
Daniel turned his attention to the woman. "I'll do the talking."  Said Thalia. 
Amanda gave her a look of a approval.
The Councilperson banged her gavel and announce the next meeting. "Okay, next we will hear appeals for the cancellation of the All Valley Under Eighteen Karate tournament. Who would like to speak first?" She announced. 
Johnny and Thalia stood up from their seats and began walking to the front. Daniel stood up at the same time as them, along with Kreese, who was sitting in the front row.  "Ladies and gentlemen, i'm retired army captain John Kreese." Kreese introduced himself before they could. 
Thalia scoffed and shifted her weight on her hip, looking at Johnny in disbelief.
"Thank you for your service." The councilperson thanked.
Johnny nudged her and they sat back down. "It was an honor to serve. And I continue to serve right here in our community," he continued. "By teaching your children strength and disciplinary through karate."