It's a Girls Job

                                                                                                    Jaelle “Oomph” Uppercuts to the jaw are never pretty. Before I can process what just happened, I’m taking a roundhouse kick to the ribs. Falling to my knees I try to catch my breath before my opponent comes running at me again.  She executes another roundhouse and sends me flying. I fall again, this time I am sprawled on my back mere inches from the mats edge.  Thea has really gotten better since we first started training and it looks like, for the moment, she’s forgotten her “No tolerance for violence” motto that she always carries around like a medal.  I hear my dad's words in my head all over again. “Come on Jay get up, I taught you better than that.” I can see him standing in front of me, smiling.  “That’s my girl, take him out. Go for the sweep, just like I taught you.”  He follows me around everywhere I go, like a shadow.              But he isn’t here now.  This is the last of the many finals I have before school is over and I am up against Miss Perfect, Ms. Wonderful, Althea Grey. Thea is good at everything, literally, everything.  She will deny however this one simple fact.  That’s her, always humble, and something tells me that she is not fishing for compliments -- she’s not the type.  Her parents put tremendous pressure on her to be perfect.  They are legends in the Spy world, so was her sister.  Notice how I said was, here -- as in past tense. Thea’s sister died a few years ago in a mission gone wrong.  Her informant was a double agent, he’d been giving her false leads and she walked right into a trap.  Thea’s parents took this personally.  As if their daughter had intentionally died just to spite them. So Thea always tried to be the best at everything until I came along. I was better a better fighter than she was and she resented me for it at first.  She always tried to beat me but her anger would get the better of her and I would win. Eventually, she realized that she didn’t have to be the best in everything, especially not around me.    Despite the fact that she hates fighting, she is one of the best in our class.  The best, of course, would be me.  Since this is our last match, (both of us, undefeated) we have to fight each other.  To be honest we both hate fighting one another because I know her like the back of my hand, and she knows me like… well the back of her hand. Sometimes it seems as if we’re so in sync that we know which punch or kick is coming before the other throws it.  Luckily, I have some tricks up my sleeve -- moves that I learned from the one and only Marcus Mansfield. I only utilize this advantage when I really need it. I look up to see Thea backing off, her eye is almost swollen, from a back fist I got in a moment ago. I’m going to pay for that later.  Thea does not strike again she has always had this “noble complex”. She won’t kick a man when he’s down.  This is her downfall. In that moment I know without a doubt, I can beat her. Even if she decides to go easy on me, I won’t return the favor. When I have to I play dirty, I do. Thea knows this, but still, she insists on playing fair --  whatever that means.  She never uses an opponent's moment of weakness against them, even though it would mean her victory.  I’m terrified that if, and when we get into a life or death situation --a fight to the death perhaps, a fight that is not against me, her best friend -- her enemy will use this trait against her.   My dad would always tell me “Fight to win, fight like your life is betting on it or expect to lose everything.” I am momentarily distracted and I shake my head getting my father’s words out of my mind, this was only a test not life or death. Standing up I get back into a fighting stance. Thea smiles, “Ready?” she asks, in that quirky high pitched voice of hers. It is a trait that I love, she has always been an optimist.  We’ve been fighting for a good fifteen minutes and she isn’t even winded. Neither am I, mind you.  She dances on her toes, arms up, waiting for me to strike. When I don’t she goes in for the kill. Metaphorically speaking of course. I weave to the right just in time to miss a jab to the jaw.  Before Thea can stop it I snake my left leg around her ankle and throw a ridge hand right into her gut. In the next minute Thea is down. But out of anyone, I should know, just because your opponent is down, that does not mean you have won the fight. Just as I am thinking this, Thea rolls out of the hold I have her in, and flips me over her shoulder. Before she can pin me down I slip out from her grip and throw my legs around her and over her chest. I have her down on the ground and decide to go for an arm bar.   One. Two. Three. And the fight is done.             Our Professor, Mr. Gyatso who is also a master of martial arts says,“Good job Althea.  Well done Jaelle. I think we can safely say that you passed. And this years’ gold medal goes to Jaelle Mansfield!”    The class claps and cheers in unison. I bow to my sensei then reach my hand down to help Thea up, she might be Ms. Perfect, but fighting is  my forte.    “Damn it Jay, I really thought I had you that time. You cheated!”  “Haha it’s not cheating when you’re this good.” I laugh as we head out through the gym doors down towards the track.   “Did you learn that move from your dad too?” Thea asks without hesitation.  She doesn’t understand why I never talk about my dad.  She has had years to come to grips with losing her sister.  I avoid her gaze. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see her smile begin to falter. She is one of the few people that understands what it is like to lose someone so close, but keeps living despite that burden.  So I give her my best fake smile and nod my head. Even though Thea is my best friend I don’t talk to her about my dad’s death.  Or anyone for that matter.  He was one of the greats, but he went MIA last fall and just like that the Great Marcus Mansfield suddenly wasn’t so great and just disappeared forever. And that hurts, more than I can say, more than I will ever admit.                “Hey, I’m sorry Jay, you know he would be proud of you, if he could see how well you’ve done. You’re on your way to being one of the greatest agents just like him”             “Yeah sure...want to run a few laps?” Then I add in, “I’ll race you.” Before I can even get the words out of my mouth, Thea is long gone.              “Hey wait up you cheater!” I yell to her             “Takes one to know one!” she shouts back.                        “Hey Batman and Robin, hang on a minute!”             I recognize the voice immediately. As I turn around the first thing I notice is his goofy smile and those sea green eyes.  Taking off in the opposite direction of Thea I barrel into Eric as he wraps me in a hug.  I have known Eric since we were five, which is ions longer than I have known Thea. When I was younger I always wanted to be just like my dad. He was a great fighter and a great agent. When the Golden Dragon Dojo opened a few blocks away from our house I begged my mom and dad to let me join.  Eventually they caved, and before I knew it, the time for my first class had already come. A million things were going through my head on my first day. I thought, “What if I am not good at it? What if I let my dad down?” I was hopeless with fear. To make matters worse, the first thing I saw when I walked into the dojo was this small kid with a fierce look in his eyes, flying around the room like he was a ninja! And my dad was beaming at him with...pride? -- Excitement?   “Show off” I murmured under my breath. Suddenly green eyes stopped and turned toward me. “I heard that midget.”  I stared him straight in the eyes ready to brawl “Oh, yeah, what are you going to do about it?” Then the kid started laughing, and for some reason my anger had dissipated as I joined in on his laughing fit. From that moment on, Eric and I were best of friends. We chose one another as sparring partners every single practice, and even spent time together out of the class. ‘Play dates,’ my mom liked to call them. I will only admit this once, but he kicked my butt for quite some time -- they didn’t call him ‘the karate kid’ for nothing. I didn’t mind it, because to him I was just his opponent equal in all ways. It didn’t matter that I was a girl, he never took it “easy” on me.  Over the years Eric helped me improve my moves. Now, I can beat him a solid three times out of five.  “Oh, I know, you are not referring to me as Robin!” Thea says as she runs up to the two of us, her curly head bobbing up and down.   “Hey, I can’t be Robin either! You’re digging yourself a grave Yin son.” I say, then punch him in the arm. He laughs then drags me into a headlock while I punch him in the gut until he lets go.   “So what do you girls say I get you some ice cream?” Eric says smiling at the two of us his arm now wrapped around my shoulder.   Thea and I raise our eyebrows and smile at each other.  “Sure” I say “We both have a few hours before our next tests. I could use a little cream and Ice in my life.”