Once lunch was over, the walk to the gym felt too short. With every step that we took, the harder and faster my heart beat in my chest.

By the time we were entering the building, I felt as if I were about to throw up what little food I'd managed to force down at lunch.

Naomi kept giving me reassurances that everything would be okay, but that didn't make me feel any less queasy.

In the locker room, there were simple black training outfits waiting for us in our lockers instead of the regular uniforms. I swallowed hard as I changed quickly, stuffing my school uniform and my backpack into my locker before clicking the lock into place.

The training uniform was thick, with a rough fabric that hugged my skin. Despite the long sleeves and pants, I felt more exposed in this outfit than I had the first time I'd worn a bikini to the beach. I kept tugging it away from my skin, as if I could make it looser on my skin. But it always snapped right back into place.

Naomi's hair looked brighter than ever against the black of her uniform as she led me out of the locker room. Several people milled around, talking to each other as they waited for the rest of the class to assemble.

Mari already waited with Alek, her long blonde hair pulled into an immaculate ponytail. Jason was roughhousing with a few of his friends, laughing the entire time.

After a few minutes, Coach Knight stepped out of her office, her face all business. Her slate gray eyes were stern as she took in all of us. Jason and his friends immediately stopped what they were doing to stand at attention.

"Today marks a new beginning in this class. The real training begins now." Coach Knight stared at each of us individually before continuing. "Some of you have been training for years, but others have not. In order for me to properly train you, I'll need to see each of you in action. You'll be randomly paired with a sparring partner. You will then demonstrate your skills to me in an exhibition fight."

Nausea rushed to the surface, and I thought that I might lose my lunch. I shot a quick glance at Naomi, who was looking at the floor.

Coach Knight held a small basket in her hands, and she shook it lightly as she moved in front of a student. "These are numbered slips of paper. The person who gets the same number as you is your partner. There will be no whining or crying about your partner."

No one said anything, though the way several people shifted their weight made it clear that they didn't particularly like that rule. Naomi gave me a comforting smile as Coach Knight moved along the class, holding out the basket to everyone.

Naomi grabbed her slip of paper before I grabbed mine. I held it awkwardly in my hand as Coach Knight moved on to the next person. I unfolded it, reading the number seven written in a clean hand. Naomi's had the number one on it and she gave me a small, tense smile.

When Coach Knight was finished, she stood in front of us. "Alright, those with the number one, please step forward."

Naomi slipped the piece of paper in her pocket and stepped forward, her shoulders tense. One of our classmates, a girl with rich black hair whose name I didn't know, joined her. The girl with the black hair was small, but I had a feeling that there was more to her.

"Clean fighting, no magic," Coach Knight warned. "Begin."

The girl fell instantly into a fighting stance, her feet shoulder-width apart and her hands held defensively in front of her face. Naomi's stance was much shakier, and she was slower to fall into it. Naomi seemed unsure of herself as her opponent came at her, swinging one of her fists.

She blocked it, but barely. The force of the hit sent Naomi off-balance, which her opponent took advantage of immediately with a quick, clean sweep of her leg. Naomi tumbled, catching herself just before her face slammed into the padded floor.

"At ease," Coach Knight said, as she marked something down on her clipboard. "Match to Sylvia."

The black-haired girl, Sylvia, offered Naomi a hand. Naomi took it, her cheeks already a bright shade of red. She returned to my side, her eyes cast down to the floor. The next pair stepped up to the mats, more people I didn't know the names of.

"Are you okay?" I asked Naomi.

She gave me a tight smile. "I'm physically fine. My ego's a little bruised though."

I watched the people in front of us spar, exchanging punches and kicks that made me ache just watching them. "If it makes you feel better, the last fight I got into was in middle school. There was a lot of hair pulling."

Naomi's lips quirked up into a grin. "Did you win?"

I shook my head. "I did not. And the black eye to prove it lasted for nearly three weeks."

"Ouch."

I murmured my agreement as the fight in front of us ended. Out of the people around me, there were four that I didn't want to be paired with. I wasn't sure which of them would be the least damaging to me in a fight. Maybe Alek, since he always seemed bored. One good hit and then he'd probably just leave me alone.

The girls though... they would be more willing to knock my lights out, consequences be damned.

I watched the next several pairs with interest, trying to see what I could glean from the fights to help me. Naomi murmured things in my ear as we watched, but for as much sense as what she was talking, Naomi couldn't fight. She was book-smart. The kind of person who'd knock you out in a battle of smarts. But in an actual fight? Well, I'd seen first-hand how well she performed there. Still, I tried to be grateful for the tips she was giving me.

Then it was my turn.

"Seven," Coach Knight said. "Please step forward."

I moved slowly, stepping ahead of Naomi. My heart raced in my chest and nausea surged in my stomach. Across the room, Alek also stepped forward, his face a blank slate.

Please just make this quick and painless, I thought as I stepped up onto the mat, trying my best to keep from shaking.

We stood across from each other and I tried my best to sink into a fighting stance, though I was sure I was doing it wrong. Naomi gave me a small thumbs-up from across the room, but it did nothing for the churning in my stomach. Maybe I could win by projectile vomiting on Alek.

"Begin," Coach Knight said, her voice impassive.

Alek's eyes met mine for a second before he looked away. He shook his head. "No."

There was silence in the room as Coach Knight stared at Alek. "Excuse me?"

"I said no. I'm not going to fight someone who's never learned how. It'd be like punching a baby in the face. I won't do it."

"If you refuse to fight, I will place you with the beginners and you will receive a week of detention." Coach Knight said, her voice stern.

"Whatever," Alek said as he stepped off the mat and back into the crowd. "I'm not fighting someone who can't even take a stance properly."

"Two week's detention, for the backtalk," Coach Knight said as she marked something down on her clipboard. "Back in line, Selene."

I stepped off the mat, my nerves still buzzing. Coach Knight called up the next pairing, who stepped up. But I was too distracted as I took my place by Naomi.

"What was that?" She asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea."

From across the room, Mari's cold blue eyes were focused on me, narrowed into slits. Apparently, Alek refusing to fight me offended her. I'm sure she expected him to knock me around a few times, specifically for her enjoyment.

The rest of class was uneventful. Once the sparring matches were over, Coach Knight released us to change back into our normal clothes. I changed quickly, wanting to get out of the gym before Mari said something to me. I could see her across the room, murmuring angrily to Nadia.

Dressed, I grabbed my things and practically ran out of the changing room. Alek waited across the hall, leaning against the wall. His expression was as bored as ever and I wondered if he had any emotions at all.

I started to walk away, then I stopped and turned around. "Thank you, for what you did in class."

His face showed he was annoyed. "I didn't do it for you. We aren't friends."

At his words, my stomach churned with anxiety. We'd already had this discussion. I was the playmate he'd never wanted. It was hard, reconciling my memories with the facts now. I wanted to remember the Alek I knew. But the Alek I knew was long gone. And this cold-hearted stranger remained.

"I know," I replied. "But I'm grateful all the same."

"Don't be," Alek said as he peeled himself from the wall. Like always, there was no emotion in his words. "You'd better go before Mari gets out here. Hate for you to be spared in class, only for her to black your eye in the hallway."

"Right." I said, turning away from him. I made my way out of the gym and into the brisk winter air, wondering what I'd ever done to make him hate me so much.