Not A Small-Town Girl

The students in Class 2 weren’t satisfied. One by one, they stepped forward to challenge her.

One by one, they were defeated.

A few young instructors who didn’t know Danielle could only tell from her stance that she seemed to have some training. One of them stepped forward and said, "Mind if I spar with you?"

This time, the students watching weren’t so confident in Danielle. Sure, she was skilled, but an instructor was bound to be on another level entirely.

Danielle gave the instructor a lazy, uninterested glance.

The instructor mistook her calm demeanor for disdain and immediately looked displeased. "What’s the matter? Afraid?" he taunted, convinced she didn’t have what it took to face him. "Are you sure?" Danielle asked. She wasn’t particularly eager to spar-knocking down the instructor would be humiliating for him.

The instructor, oblivious to her consideration, took her reluctance as arrogance.

"Mr. Turner, I’d advise you not to spar with her," Maximus chimed in, his tone tinged with a mix of pity and exasperation. noveldrama

Toby Turner, however, dismissed the warning with a scoff, assuming Maximus was just shielding a student. "What’s the holdup? Are we sparring or not?" he demanded impatiently.

’The competitive energy of youth, Danielle thought with an inward sigh.

Danielle shrugged. "Fine. Let’s do it."

Toby smirked as they faced off. "Don’t worry, I’ll hold back."

"You don’t have to." Danielle’s voice was flat, almost bored.

All the students were stunned when they heard Danielle’s remark. ’Is she serious? This was beyond bold-it was downright audacious.’

She had actually told Toby to go all out? Did she not realize the risk of getting her teeth knocked out? Toby wasn’t just another student; he was a trained professional, an actual instructor.’

’Does Danielle really think that just because she defeated a few students, she can now take on a seasoned instructor? they wondered incredulously.

Where’s her sense of reality?’

Maximus blew the whistle, and the match began.

Danielle remained on the defensive, dodging Toby’s