The school day ends with Marie and Edward walking home together while his brothers went off doing their own things since they don't have much to do either . The couple take a different route home as they don't want to get spotted nor interrupted, some time together under the sun is crucial for this new love to blossom . On the other Ile, Tessa leaves the school and goes to a different location to get pick up . Sarah is in the infirmary after being found by the volleyball team ,passed out in the shower , waiting for to be picked up by her parents. The nurse checked and no physical mark was on Sarah so there is no clue on what happened in there and she can't do a toxicology test since the school doesn't have the permission of the parents nor the equipment to perform so this will remain a mystery for the time being .
Edward and Marie are walking their way to a bus stop as Marie has Taekwondo practice after school . Edward asks to tag along and possibly observe her training . Marie knows Edward has been in so many fights , probably more than her time training in the dojo so she shyly inclines but Edward asks with his sad puppy dog eyes and gives her a quick kiss on the lips , she let him tags along .
Edward: Guess this is our first date then .
Marie blushes while holding his hands , after hearing that .
Marie : I guess it is .
She tries to hide her face away but Edward pulls her in closer as the two rest by the stop to wait for their ride . It didn't take long for the bus to arrive and the two quickly get on board . Marie pays for the fees as Edward carries her bag for her as the two sits in the back , away from the crowded front . Marie gets her phone to check in on Lee and May . Edward doesn't have much to do so when his phone starts ringing , he is confused at who could call him at this point of the day . Edward moves away from Marie a bit , looking at his phone to see that is Chuck who is calling him . He takes the opening when Marie distracted and accept the call .
Edward: I didn't expect for you to call me , Chuck . What can I do for you?
He has to whispers into the phone since every calls he makes with Chuck often contains some illegal information.
Chuck: Heard you need some quick money and since I can't hire you back just yet, I think I have a solution for your little financial situation .
Edward darts his eyes to Marie to make sure she isn't listening to what he is saying then darts back to the phone after seeing that the coast is clear.
Edward: I'm listening.
Chuck : Good to know , there is a fight club down at Jatsy at 11 tonight . V I P guests only but the fighters are a bit more loose and who happens to have 1 recommendation slot . Me , your old boss , Chuck.
Edward: How much money do I get from this ?
Chuck : All of it , you need it more than I do and I ain't bringing money for my wife to spend on my little baby girl dresses . I love her but it has to stop, also some extra street credit never hurts .
Edward: How big is this club and how much per fight ?
Chuck: It will goes through the weekend. 2 fights the first night then the semi then the grand final . 1st place 5 grands , 500 per fights but something tells me you already aiming for the 5G the moment I said it .
Edward: You know me , Chuck . I'm in , give me the address, I will be there .
Chuck : Great , I will meet you there to sign you in . Chuck out .
The call ends as Edward puts his phone away to get back to sight seeing , his new girlfriend. Marie is also done with her phone as she puts hers away only to find Edward gazing at her . She blushes at how deep he is staring into her , Edward chuckle as he holds her hands and rest his head on her shoulders for a bit after a long day at school. She pat his head gently a bit as he takes long breathe to rest his tired mind , she wishes she could feel his hair , the ever so mysterious hair of Double D . It's not like no one can see it but no one have seen it in its entirely . She gets a bit curious after seeing some white strand protruding from his hat . Possibly some gray hair from the stress she thinks but after noticing how large the patch of white hair is, may be it's not some , may be it's. Edward snuggle in a bit closer , causing Marie to lose focus as they are closer than ever before . She decides to leave the hair mystery be and enjoy the moment . 10 minutes passed and the couple finally arrive at their destination, the dojo is in the mid town area where the metro connect to the uptown area . The two get out of the bus and start walking the remaining distance on foot. It was getting close to 4 and at the entrance, Edward can see a lot of people are here .
Edward: Must be a popular place then .
He thinks to himself as Marie greets some of her fellow students on their way in before entering the main room where the class will take place . It's quite spacious with how little people are here , mostly students attending Marie asks for her bag back and instructs Edward to sit by the bench to wait for her as she needs to changes her clothes for practice . Being a good boyfriend, he does just that as he takes his seat by the bench just behind the row of students who is already there but despite didn't start anything with anyone , his interactions with Marie has already garner some attention from the other students, mostly female. He can hear their whispers from where he is sitting but he decides to block it out and be a supportive boyfriend, watch his girl practice. Marie steps out of the locker room after 5 minutes, in training uniform as she waves at him from the distance. As everyone take their seat and the spectators begins to get quiet , the master enter the room and upon entering the ring , all the students greet him in unison. The class starts with simple duo stretching exercises before the main lesson and training, Marie occasionally waves at Edward from the ring which he waves back at her but after getting a warning from the master, she stops doing so . Being on the bench was starting to get boring with Marie to keep him engaged and with a big fight coming tonight , his tired mind begins to convince itself to take a nap despite his refusal and not before long , he actually drift into sleep . While nobody else noticed as they are focus at the ring , the master was not so as he spotted Edward reclining on the bench , sleeping. He takes offense to this and makes his way to Edward . The sudden movements cause the students to lose focus and look at their teacher leaving the ring . Marie immediately notices the direction of where he was going and she gets worry at from the distance, she can see Edward sleeping on the bench. The Master stands over the sleeping Edward and in his rage , kicks the bench which resulted in Edward falling over and waking up . He let out a big yawn as he gets up , standing face to face with the master with a tired look on his face , not knowing the situation, he figure may be the class has ended with the teacher being here .
Edward: Must have slept my way through practice, I should be leaving now . Oh wait , where is Marie ?
As he looks around for Marie ,he spotted her still sitting in the ring giving him hand signal that he is in trouble. Piecing one by one together , he realized his mistakes and immediately apologized.
Edward: Oh sorry there teacher , my mistake. I didn't know how tired I was .
The Master was not pleased with the fact that one of his students would disrespect his dojo by bringing in a hooligan such as Edward so he decides punish both .
Master : With how little respect you have given to both me and this dojo . Ms Vincent, please pack up your things and leave this dojo along with your guest .
Edward: What ?
Everyone in the ring is shocked by the statement as whispers begins to rain over Marie , causing her to feel bad for the entire situation but Edward wouldn't have none of it.
Edward: Hey ,hey , hold your high horse buddy .
Edward engaged in a stare down with the Master .
Edward: I may have screwed up here but I ain't gonna let some snoppy hipster like you punish my loving and kind girlfriend for my mistake. What kind of shitty teacher are you for engaging in such behavior, although that may explain why you are still single by the look it .
That quick jab at the teacher cause the students along with Marie to giggle in laughter as Edward can't help but grin along . The Master was not pleased by this second offense.
Master : I'm the master here , it's my rules that you must follow as long as you are in my dojo .
Edward : Fine , but I ain't letting go the fact you tried to kick my girlfriend out for some petty mistakes so how about we settle this like men .
The Master is intrigued by the boy confidence but he is not backing down .
Master : Are you suggesting we fight ? I would be wasting my time dueling with an hooligan such as yourself.
Edward: Don't judge a book by its cover . You are lost at this point .
Edward confidence remains strong as the Master moves to the sides and guides Edward to the ring to begin their battle . Edward takes off his hoodie and walks over to the ring , much to Marie concern. The Master follows as he is just a few steps behind Edward. Edward takes off his shoes before entering, stretches a bit as the Master getting into his battle stance .
Edward: Before we begins , I want to ask you something.
The master raises an eyebrows as Edward get into his battle stance .
Edward: Have you ever been into a fight that you would need to kill? well I have .
The question is dark as the student stays silent as the fight is about to begin. The two moves closer to one another and as soon they are at three feet from each other , they starts swinging. The Master strikes first with swift left then right back hand swipe which Edward dodges quite easily.
Edward: I had more fun dodging knives than whatever you just did .
Edward moves with precision, dodges every kicks and punches that the Master throw at him , not even flinching when he has to block the ones that managed to get close . Edward seems so relaxed to everyone who is watching as Marie marvel at her boyfriend fighting capability. She knows he has been in a lot of fights but to see his skill first hand is truly something else . Edward dodges one high kick to the face as he takes one step back .
Edward: Going for the kill , I thought you didn't have in ya .
Edward nows raises his hands as he changes stance , ready to attack.
Edward: Now I won't hold back .
Edward starts striking back , getting in close to the Master so he won't be able to kick back as Edward starts swinging left to right from every angle , making swift combinations of wrist , elbow and fist strike , forcing the Master to be on the defensive as he tries to fall back and put some distance between them but Edward won't let him . Edward makes a right hook which misses as he moves his body and perform an over the shoulder kick from above . The kick was blocked but the impact stunted the Master as he feel how much force was in that kick but it's not over as when he tries to grab Edward's leg to pin him down , Edward immediately spins and perform the same move as before , rotate and kick from above . This time it lands right on the Master face as he fall back after the hit . Edward lands on his feet after the Master let go of his leg and Edward rushes toward him ago , this time round house kick him right on the cheek , sends him flying out of the ring . The guy grunt in pain as Edward dust his jacket and goes over to Marie and apologize while the other students go over to help their teacher.
Edward: Sorry for messing up your practice, I guess I screwed up .
Marie holds his hands and gives him a quick pinch on the cheek .
Marie : I will just tell my mom to cancel my practice, may be you should be teaching me some fighting skills.
The two giggle as the Master get up ,angry and bitter about his defeat.
Master: I don't want to see you in here ever again , both of you. I will not let those who disrespect the rules of this dojo remain here so arrogantly .
Edward turns around.
Edward: Judging by how weak you were , I will be happy to teach my girlfriend to fight , may be even beat you at the local tournament by the end of the year . Till then ,see ya .
Edward turns back to Marie and helps her get up as he escorts her to the locker to change clothes and head home. Marie sees the contempt from her fellow classmates after what happened but Edward assured her that they aren't her true friends , she still has Lee and May ,and him by her side and they will never abandon her for something like this . Marie finds comfort in his words as she arrive at the dressing room and quickly changes back into her old clothes without a shower since she doesn't feel she could even do that there anymore. Edward makes sure nobody gets in the locker room until Marie is out , this causes the other student to chatter about their relationship but they got spooked after Edward raises his fist from his side only to turn around and greet Marie exiting from the door . Edward catches a taxi for the ride home as in this hour , he needs to give Marie some alone time to processs the whole ordeal . One stops as the two get in and Edward gives the address to the cul-de-sac. In the cab , Marie is hesitant to call her parents to cancel her practice class as she is hovering her finger over her mother phone number. Edward puts his arm around her shoulder , snuggle in close and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead.
Edward: You don't have to worry , if anything goes wrong , I will be there to help you .
Marie manages to put on a smile as she taps her phone and the call dial up . It doesn't take long for the other to pick up the call and it's her mother .
MM : Hello sweetheart, is there something you need ?
Marie: Yes , I was wondering , can I...
She stops for a moment then she looks over to Edward and then reassure herself.
Marie : Can I cancel my after school practice?
MM : Why ? you were quite fond of it for the past few months, what changed your mind ?
Marie : I just realized that I won't be needing it anymore that I rather spend my time studying and being with my friends.
MM : That is fine .I will make a call to your teacher and cancel your subscription. As long you do well at school and be a good daughter, we will give you anything you ask . I have a work call , see you later sweetie.
The call ends as Marie leans back into the seat to let out of a sigh of relief.
Marie: Hope mom and dad doesn't freak out when they find out we are dating .
Edward chuckle and looks over to her .
Edward: Whatever the case may be , if they want to separate us . You can rest assured I will be always waiting for you , my light.
Marie smiles and snuggle with Edward as they enjoy the ride home together. It took a while , by the time they make it home , it was already dark . Edward pays for the ride as Marie gets her bags out of the car . The cab leaves as Edward walk with Marie to the front door .
Marie : My folks won't be home till the weekend, so if you want , you can hang out with me , may be help me a bit with my homework.
Edward smiles .
Edward: I would love to but I have something to do at home . If you need ever need me , just make a call and I will be there .
Marie gives Edward a soft kiss on the lips as a thank you for the wild day as she opens the door and head inside. Edward continues to smile at her till the door is shut . Just after the click sounds hit , Edward smile disappeared and turned serious. Just from the front , he already sees some bad signs that tell him there is something wrong with the house . It's not Marie or whatever is inside but it's an outside threat . He already finds some marks around the front door and window that indicates someone has been scouting this house and and it wouldn't take long to find out who is the culprit as when Edward turns around to leave , he spot a car in the distance and even in the street light , finds someone is looking back at him . Edward pretend not to notice as he leaves the area and head through the wood to get away from the scene . The car also drives away from its location as Edward observed from the trees . Edward goes to where the car park and look around to may be find a cctv camera that may have pick up the plate of the car . The car was park close to the old play ground so hardly any camera was there but with a bit more searching he finds one house with a camera that was watching the car location. Seeing the house is lit up as there are people inside , he takes his chance and sneaks over to where the camera is set up and climb up to the roof with minimal noises . With a solid footing, he goes to work as he pulls out his phone and some tools , hacking into the camera system. He managed to pull the some footage out of it from the memory files , including the closest recording. He quietly put everything back together and leaves the scene.
Hiding in the woods , he pulls the footage to find the license plate but it's too blurry ,still the numbers are there , just need to be processed a bit further. He makes a quick call to an old friend for help .
Johnny: Hello , who is this?
Edward: It's me , Double D . I need a quick favor from you .
Johnny: Well ask away old buddy .
Edward: I need you to use your computer and analyze this picture I will send you later .
Johnny: Easy enough, send it over .
Edward sends the picture over and Johnny uses his gaming computer, opening up a video editing program and start enhancing the photo . Within minutes , he got the results.
Johnny: It's done , here you go pal .
Edward: Thanks man , I knew I can count on you .
Johnny: Any time , gotta get back to the grind now .
Johnny ends the call abruptly but it doesn't matter , what matters that Edward has his target now . Using some online search engines, he put in the license plate number and got a ping . It's from a area just 3 miles away , a bit close to the metro area of town . He stays close to Marie to make sure the car doesn't return while continuing to narrow his search . The hours go by as Edward continues to search for the possible criminal that is targeting Marie . It's close to 9 now and finally he got a precise address. Pulling some favor he garner over the months working under Chuck finally pays off as he orders an uber to drive him to the address.
A minute drive is all he needs as when he arrives at the address , the car from earlier is right there on the narrow street . It's an apartment complex so he will need to be discreet when confronting his target . Hatching up a plan to get close to the target ,he searches the list of name on the mail board and his target is sitting at the bottom floor so he will need to be careful not to attract any unwanted attention. Going to the room , he puts his hoody on and knocks on the door .
Edward: Excuse me , sir , I ran my bike into you bumper and I don't want to get into troubles with my parents so how about you and I work this out .
Edward changes his voice a bit to be a bit younger , more innocent and it wouldn't take long for the target to take the bait . The door opens and an middle aged man stands between the doorway . He doesn't looks too out of the ordinary, late 30s , casually dressed at night with a bit of beer stinking off from him .
The man : Sure , come inside and let talk .
Edward nods while still keeping his low to avoid his face being seen as he walks inside. He gets inside and the place is a bit messy but not too much , with some gambling papers and the smell of narcotics in the air , telling Edward he has found his target . He sits down on the couch as the Man opens a beer in front of him and sits on his armchair across the coffee table from Edward.
The man : So , how are you going to pay me back for the damage without insurance?
Edward can tells the guy is desperate for money as he didn't even check the car but already demanding money .
Edward: I have some cash on me , I can buy the supply . May be I fix the bumper tomorrow and we forgot the whole thing , I know a bit about cars .
Edward continues to play the nervous, innocent teen .
The man : I don't trust you to fix my car and I can find people who can fix it for quite cheap but still you need to pay for what you done .
The man stands up , taking a gulp of his beer before walking over to Edward , stopping just next to him .
The man : How about we come to a different arrangement, I'm a reasonable person after all .
The man puts his cold hand on Edward's shoulders and this basically gives Edward the green light to do what he is seek out to do . Edward pulls something out from his pocket just outside the man's sight as Edward swiftly turns around and stab the guy with a syringe of anesthetic right on the neck . The guy immediately falls on his back , just to remove the needle but it's too late , the drug is already working through his system. The squirming stops as the man fall asleep on the floor . Edward ties the guy up then drag him to the bedroom where he restrain the guy even further , making sure there is no way he can escape nor call for help. While he is at it , he ransacked the place and walked away with some extra cash into the night. He will deal with that guy later but for now, he got a fight to catch .
