CHAPTER 10

The gym at Stone Canyon High School was packed full. Adam stood next to Rocky in his black polo with the Path of Light logo on the chest, arms crossed over his chest. Around him, he could see teams from all over their region. The Path of Light group from Angel Grove were all together in one corner of the gym, watching their competitors warm up.

Rocky let his breath out slowly as he glanced around. "Lotta teams," he noted, absently rubbing a hand over his face.

"Nervous, Sensei DeSantos?" Adam teased him.

"What, me?" Rocky shrugged indifferently. "Nah. No way." He looked sideways at Adam. "You?"

"Terrified," Adam confessed. He glanced up at the screen being projected on the wall. "But we got this," he said, not sure if he was trying to reassure Rocky or himself. "Our kids can do this."

"Why is it every competition we act like we've never done this before?"

Adam shook his head. "Because every time, it's like doing it all over again." In more situations than just this one, his inner voice reminded him, sounding vaguely like Tommy Oliver.

After the National Anthem and introductions of the teams, competition began. Gold wrestling mats had been laid out across the gym floor, providing space for six matches to happen at the same time. Adam and Rocky split their time walking around watching all of their students competing as well as checking in with the ones who hadn't yet. After awhile, Adam realized, he wasn't nervous anymore. He was too focused on his students. Discipline and focus. He hadn't realized he'd be learning from them today as well.

Abbott finished his match in second place overall in his bracket and Adam clapped him on the back proudly as the older teen made his way back over to their team's camp. Jenna Connors met them both with Abbott's water bottle and a side hug for him. "Good luck," Abbott told her, breathing hard. "You got this. You're looking really good today."

Off Adam's raised eyebrow and Jenna's pink cheeks, the boy hastily amended, "In form!" Then he closed his eyes, realizing it still sounded awkward. "You, ah, you know what? Good luck," he said quickly, and then moved past them to go sit against the wall.

Adam watched him go, amused. He looked at Jenna, who was bouncing nervously on her heels. "Well, you heard the man," he told her. "Good luck."

She nodded, biting her lip. Her eyes drifted to the stands. Adam followed her gaze. "No sign of your mom?" he guessed.

Jenna nodded. "I was hoping she'd be here by now." She fished her phone out of a pocket. "But I haven't heard anything."

Adam frowned. "That doesn't sound like your mom not to let you know her status."

"I know." Jenna swallowed. "But it's okay. I can do it."

"You know she's rooting for you," Adam reminded her. "And so am I, and so is the rest of your team. We believe in you. You got this."

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, okay." Her last name was called as on deck, and she began bouncing on her heels again.

Just then, Marcus, one of Adam's younger students, came running over to the group. "Jenna! Your mom is here!" he announced, but the look on his face wasn't a happy one. "She's out front arguing with some guy," he explained breathlessly.

Jenna's eyes widened and she looked to Adam in panic. Then, she turned and ran for the gym doors. "Jenna!" Adam yelled after her. He spotted Rocky jogging over to them. "I'll be back!" he yelled at his friend, following Jenna out of the gym and into the hall. Jenna almost skidded past the entryway to the school, where Rachel Connors was yelling animatedly at a man with shaggy blonde hair in jeans and a flannel shirt.

"..you're not supposed to be here, Jack, you need to go home!"

"I just want to see her!" Jack Connors barked back. "She's my kid too, Rachel!"

Rachel's voice was deadly serious. "You should've thought about that before you hurt her, Jack."

"Mom! Dad?" Jenna called tentatively from the hall. Both Connors turned to see her standing there. Adam came up behind her and stood with her. He could see relief in Rachel's eyes and something in Jack Connors'. His eyes were bright, face redder than it should be from just yelling. He'd been drinking, Adam could tell.

Jack spotted Jenna. "Hi, baby," he said. He sniffed, and smiled at her. "Look at you in that uniform. You look great."

"Dad, you shouldn't be here," Jenna said. "Mom doesn't want you here, and I…I don't either." Her voice broke, and Adam put a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

Jack saw the motion, and his attention moved away from Rachel to the two of them instead. "You must be the teacher Jenna can't stop talking about."

Adam nodded, not removing his hand from Jenna's shoulder. She was shaking under his fingers, and he was afraid if he let go she'd fall. "Adam Park," he introduced himself, his eyes on Jack at all times.

"Yeah, I've heard. Did some checking up on you."

"Really."

"Seem like quite the guy," Jack said. "The hero come to the lady's aid."

"Your wife and daughter rescued themselves," Adam told him carefully. "They didn't need my help. They saw a bad situation and removed themselves from it."

"That what I am?" Jack asked, looking from Rachel to Jenna. "A bad situation."

Rachel nodded. "Ever since you lost your job," she told him, her voice a bit more controlled now. Adam could tell she was trying to keep it in check for Jenna's sake, and not to cause a scene. "Jack, you have to see that you're not the same man. Your drinking's changed you."

Jack looked at Jenna. "That what you think too, Jenna?"

The teenager looked at Rachel, then over her shoulder at Adam. Adam nodded quietly. Jenna looked at her father. Then, she nodded. "Yes. You're scary now," she said. "Th-that's why I started taking Sensei Park's classes. Because I was afraid of you."

Adam's heart broke, and he could see it on Rachel's face that she hadn't known the reason Jenna wanted to take classes either.

Her words seemed to have gotten to Jack too. He took a step forward toward the women, and Adam tensed. "Oh, Jen," he said. "I…it's your daddy. You don't have to be-"

His eyes landed on Adam, and it was as if he was seeing his hand on Jenna's shoulder for the first time. "Take your hands off my daughter," Jack said.

Adam grimaced. Jenna's words had had an effect all right…they'd brought out the protective father instincts in Jack. Which was great, to know there was still something in the man that cared for his family, but at the same time…Jack Connors was impaired at the moment.

And that could potentially be dangerous. "I'm just here to make sure this conversation stays civil," Adam explained. "Jenna," he said softly. "Jenna, can you go back in the gym and let Sensei DeSantos and the referees know why you were late for your match?"

She looked at him. He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay. We're just gonna have a conversation out here," he said, his eyes drifting back to Jack. "Right, Jack? Jenna doesn't have anything to worry about?"

The other man looked torn. Adam felt his heart pounding. The last thing he wanted was to have to step between Jack and Rachel or Jack and his daughter to defend them, but he would.

"No. Go ahead, baby," Jack said after a moment. "Yeah, we're just gonna talk."

Adam took his hand off Rachel's shoulder and gave her a small push on her lower back toward the gym, his eyes on Jack the entire time. The teenager took off, and he heard Rachel breathe audibly like she'd been holding her breath the whole time.

"Jack, we have a court order. You're not allowed to be around either of us," Rachel explained carefully. "If you would get some help with your drinking, I would talk to them about revoking it," she told him. "And we-we could talk about what comes next."

"You don't know what it's like, Rach," Jack said. "Suddenly, it's you who has the job, you who has to provide for the family. You who feels like-like you've got some worth! My whole life fell out from underneath me!"

Adam could understand that. It was a little like when there was a Power transfer. You had a purpose, had a fight, and then…

"But it wasn't your whole life, Jack!" Rachel said. "Jenna and I were still there. We still loved you. You had every right to be mad, and upset. But instead of talking to us, you found your comfort in a bottle!"

"Because the bottle didn't remind me every day how far I'd fallen!" Jack burst out, taking a step toward her.

In two strides, Adam was between them. "Take it easy, Jack," he told the other man.

"You don't get to tell me to take it easy," Jack told him, glaring. "You've got everything together, Mr. Park," he spat out. "You have everything I used to…including my wife and daughter."

Adam shook his head. "You're seeing things that aren't there, Jack," he told him. "Your wife and your daughter want to work things out with you, not me." The statement stung, just a little, but Adam shoved the feeling down to the pit of his stomach. Not now.

"Adam is a friend, Jack, nothing more," Rachel told her husband.

Jack looked from Adam to his wife, then back to Adam. He nodded with a small smile. "Right."

Adam moved just as the punch came flying toward his face. It glanced off his jaw. "Jack, stop." Behind him, he could see Rocky with the coach from Turtle Cove coming down the hall, Jenna on their heels, and he held up a hand to let them know the situation was under control.

Well, he thought, as much as it can be. Jack came at him again as Rachel yelled at him to stop. Jack was bigger and taller than he was, but Adam had sobriety and years of training on him. I've fought monsters worse than this. Jack took a swing at him again. Adam blocked him with both hands, not wanting to hurt him, and pushed him away. "Jack, you're looking at jail time for assault if you don't give it a rest," Adam reminded him.

"As if it matters!" Jack burst out. He rushed Adam, but Adam calmly grabbed his arm and put him on his knees, his left arm wrenched behind his back.

"Don't," Adam advised. "I really don't want to break your arm," he said, his tone quietly serious. "You need to get some help, Jack," he said. "You've got good people in your corner who want to help you. You should really listen to them."

Rocky leaned against the brick, a small smile on his face as he watched his best friend motion for security to escort Jack from the building. He caught the look on Rachel's face as she threw her arms around Adam and Adam returned the hug. He tapped Jenna on the shoulder and motioned for her to join them. The teenager ran over and the two adults embraced her as well, Adam's hand on top of her head.

Then he coughed. "Hey, ah, sorry to break up the moment," he said, not sounding it at all, "but they postponed Jenna's match for this little hugfest…"

Adam eyed Rocky over Jenna's head. "Well, I guess we better get back in there," he said. "Come on, ladies, let's go." Jenna took off at a run, pulling her mother along with her. He followed them at a slower pace.

"It's pretty obvious why the Power keeps calling you back, man," Rocky said under his breath, throwing an arm over Adam's shoulders. "Like, maybe this whole being a hero thing never stops, huh?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Maybe not," he said with a smile.