After the break, Jade decided to run the second half a little different than she'd described it to Trina. First she decided to run the sparring just a little faster than they'd been doing. "Students, this is about control. The goal here is to use as much force as necessary and no more. We'll be running the sparring at about three quarters speed. You will not hit your opponent, because you will find that level of control. Focus, be aware of whats around you but at the same time stay focused on the person you're sparring with. And yes, there are girls watching. Lets show them how good we can be, and to do that, you need to focus." Jade instructed the class.

Then Jade lined them up, only to move people. She had them out of line, paired off wherever. Trina was tasked with the job of helping them rotate once the previous pairing was done. Jade knew that would put others in the sight line of the various students, and would distract them. Then, because they weren't safe to spar yet, she had Trina call out moves as she wandered about.

The students reacted pretty much the way Jade expected them to. Suddenly Jade's presence was unnerving, her presence seeming to drift in and out of view as she watched the sparring. Worse, Trina saw how quiet Jade could be when she wanted to. The students would often be focused on one move or another, and Jade would just appear to let them know whatever correction she wanted then to do.

Trina got into the action herself. She took the last pairing and gave them a padded kicking shield. Then she had them take turns striking the shield while their partner held it. It was practicing using full force with their strikes, and while Jade frowned on allowing them to use flawed techniques, Trina felt it was good for them to start getting used to the idea that fighting wasn't just slow motion and choreographed moves. She wanted them to feel what it was like to be struck by that kind of force, because even with the pads, the person holding them could be moved if they weren't ready.

Jade, however, seemed pleased by Trina's idea. She even offered whatever pair was using the shield to show them how hard someone could strike it. No one volunteered to be on the receiving end of one of Jade's kicks. Trina did sneak in demonstrating for one or two students who were curious but wanted to live through the experience, and was amused when each one was knocked on their backsides by her kicks. It wasn't meant to humiliate, just as a reminder of what they wanted to achieve. Trina had power, and they wanted it.

Finally, after they'd rotated enough for everyone to have a turn striking the pad, Jade called them back into line and brought the lesson to a close. Then she oversaw the tear-down of the room. Students putting the mats away, taking down the heavy bag, and other things that were necessary to leave the room the way they'd found it. After one last bow, she sent them on their way, and made her own bee line towards where the girls who'd watched the lesson had been.

Of course, Trina figured it would be a waist of time. The girls were bangers, Trina was sure of it. That meant that they would either disappear before Jade got to them, or they would act tough and pretend they weren't threatened by the black belt. The older girl was right, and by the time Jade went looking, the girls were gone. Still, Trina now knew the actress was right about one thing, they'd need girls in the class if the program was going to be a success. Trina just figured out a very different reason for wanting the girls in the class. Respect. If the girls were going to leave the gang life behind, they had to have the respect of the guys. As long as they kept the class part of the so called 'boys world', the girls were never going to be equals.

Trina found Andy as he was talking to a couple of the guys. They were apparently thinking of hitting the gym the next day, and Trina was tempted to watch. 'Remember Scotty Pierson.' she reminded herself. "Andy, could I have a moment of your time?" she asked.

"Sure, anything for a pretty lady." He replied.

"I think Jade's right. You have the girls in the gangs, some fight, so why not have them in the class? Besides, Jade will go easier on the whole group if she's afraid of killing the new students." Trina said.

"So, they'll join the class if they want to." Andy said, almost blowing Trina off. This was a side of him she didn't see often. He was caught up in his macho image, and reluctant to challenge it.

"NO they won't. It's hard to be the one who defies the norm. Jade wants them, and I know you can deliver. It'll help the program. Besides, you're one of the higher belts in the class. Jade might have you help the girls learn the basics." Trina reasoned.

"Would you go out with me?" Andy asked.

"Can't. Stan keeps reminding me it's against policy for center staff to date clients." Trina said, stretching the truth. Trina was a volunteer, and as such barely staff. 'I don't want to hurt his feelings, but honestly, Scotty's a better match for me.' She thought.

"Then what's in it for me?" Andy asked.

"Jade's might give you some extra pointers. I don't know, just do it. We need new students, and Jade's afraid of driving away the ones we have." Trina said.

"Why? Because she's a had ass? We've fixed her biggest problem. She's willing to let us have out pride, so the fact that she could rip the privates off of any of us isn't that big of a deterrent. The hardest part now is her beauty. One past how hot she is, we learn just fine. She can be as tough as she wants, as long as we get to have out pride." Andy said.

"And you can have a lot of pride in the way you bring the girls into the class." Trina tried.

"Or you could do it for community service hours." Jade said. Both Trina and Andy jumped at the sound of the black belts voice.

"Don't do that!" Trina screeched.

Andy was quick to recover, and he thought about what was in the best interest for everyone. "I could get some credits for helping recruit?" He asked.

"If not, then for helping run the class. We'll just say your overseeing the setup and tear down as part of an agreement that also includes recruiting. I'm sure they'll give you something." Jade said.

"Okay, that I can live with." The gangsta said. "So just to be clear, I'd kinda be staff, right?"

"You'd still be a student, and off limits." Jade replied, fully aware of what the man wanted. "Besides, Trina might break you, and then I wouldn't have a recruiter."

"I'd take that risk." Was all he said before they spit up to go change back into their street cloths. It was time to go home and relax.

Jade spent the rest of the evening finishing her homework, then watching 'The Scissoring' again. She never got tired of that movie. It was more than just the blood and gore, sometimes she saw things in the film that she didn't before. She suspected that the actress who played Tawny Walkerblack played her as both vengeful and secretly in love with the pretty one. Rejection makes you very dark, Jade knew that from her own experience.

Trina, however, was knee deep in her own conspiracy and couldn't just relax with one of her favorite films. She had to be ready for Saturday. 'Saturday Jade falls in love with Tori, and I move one step closer to my goal of world domination. That is, If you define world domination as getting my future on. Scotty Pierson, I'm gonna rock your world.' Trina was so busy planning and thinking, she didn't notice she was done removing her makeup until the third go round.

The next day was Friday, and the difference in Trina's life was immediate. The girls who'd been out to make her feel hurt kept their distance. Both Crystal and Jade had said to back off, and so they did. Meanwhile, Tori was busy with her latest school project, working with Andre on the music for the next school play. He was writing the music, and she was providing the lyrics, not an easy task when writing the music for an entire play, and entire musical comady.

The whole gang was involved, in one fashion or another. It started with Jade, who'd written the story, in play format, because her screenwriting instructor had issued a challenge. ("Write something that doesn't give me nightmares.") Beck was set to direct the play, giving his interpretation of Jade's work. Robbie and Cat were probably going to grab lead roles, unless Tori decided to audition for the female lead, while Sikowitz was slated to be the project adviser. Jade was the only member of the gang who's job was done, but agreed to be on hand in case the play needed rewrites. No one could quite believe she'd written what was becoming a musical comedy, but everyone agreed it was up to her usual standards of excellent work. Jade had a wicked sense of humor, and it showed in the story.

So Tori was going to spend study hall with Andre, helping him write the lyrics. Trina remembered when the boy used to do the whole thing on his own, but then Jade mentioned that he only wrote lyrics when inspired. "He has a huge collection of love songs, as well as one song about food, but for most of what he writes, he needs some kind of catalyst. If it isn't getting him a girls attention, then he doesn't know what to write." Jade was spit-balling, but it made enough sense that Trina was willing to believe it. All it really meant was that Tori was writing lyrics that fit the play, and Andre was going to write the music that went with the words.

What this meant for Trina was that Tori would be distracted until Saturday, bad timing with the latest bit of intelligence the older girl had gathered. Jade had admitted that she liked doing things directly. Force was almost always the direct approach, and Jade was a master of force. That didn't mean she wasn't capable of guile. The girl was a master of revenge, and her style of revenge often required stealth and misdirection. It just meant that in matters of the heart, it was better to come directly at her than try to finesse her heart. Saturday, Tori would have to make a bold move to secure Jade as a girlfriend, and Trina felt that they needed to plan it out.

:}

Read, enjoy, review. Doesn't have to be in that order, but if it's review, enjoy, read, then the review will be confusing.

Why does Andre need Tori writing lyrics for him?