"Horseshit!" Johnny interrupted this time and he hopped up from his chair. Thalia threw her hands up. "Your honor, Johnny Lawrence of Eagle Fang karate,"  he introduced himself. He pointed at Kreese. "This man has poisoned the minds of his students. And I should know, I was one of them."
Thalia frowned. 
Kreese looked at him. "Were we competitive? Sure. But it was all for good sport." He dismissed. 
"Bullshit." She snapped and glared at him. "Why don't we go back in time and talk about what you made Johnny do. Made my husband do." She emphasized. 
"This man is a thief and a liar!" Added Johnny. 
"And he put a live cobra in my dealership!" Said Daniel.
Councilperson Roberts banged her gavel. "Enough! Sit down, all of you!" 
Thalia did a 180 and her blonde hair flew behind her.  She sat down and crossed her legs in annoyance. Johnny sat beside her. 
"It is clear this karate tournament is causing division and rivalry in our community. You gentlemen and lady. . . have made an excellent case today as to why this tournament should not continue," councilperson explained.  
"Wait!"
Everyone turned their attention to the back of the room snd Thalia's eyes widening when she saw Miguel and Odessa. Everyone started to whisper. The best friends walked down the steps and Miguel walked up to the podium. Odessa stood to the side. "My name is Miguel Diaz. I was in the school fight. I was the one that got kicked off the second floor," he spoke quietly into the mic. Gasps and whispers spread throughout the room. "You know, uh. . . I thought I was going to be paralyzed. I relearned how to stand. I relearned how to walk. And I want the tournament to continue."
"We are very happy for your recovery, young man. But i'm afraid you don't understand—"
"Yes, he does," Odessa and Sam said in unison. She looked over her shoulder and saw Sam stand up from her seat. She joined the two at the podium. "We're the ones getting hurt. We're the ones fighting. Our voices should matter the most."
"And we want a place we here we can compete fairly and safety," Odessa added to the conversation. 
Miguel looked on both his sides and smiled at the girls. "When I first moved here, I was bullied. And I realize that there's no escaping it," he said into the mic. "There'll always be a kid who wants to steal your lunch money, or give you a wedgie, or give you a swirlie—"
"A swirlie?" The councilperson questioned.
Johnny stood up. "It's when you dunk someone's head in the toilet and flush it. Pretty funny actually." He said with a chuckle.
"Johnny." Thalia voiced. 
He frowned and sat back down.
"Instead of burying your heads in the sand, pretending that bullying doesn't exist, or that you could just get rid of it, what you need to do is teach kids how to defend themselves." Miguel continued.  
"Physically and mentally—"
"In a safe way that they know how to control themselves." Odessa added after Sam.