fault - eli moskowitz

twenty-three

i was sitting on the ground on my phone waiting for class to start. moon and i were texting and she was telling me all about hawk. 

moon: i hope this isn't awkward talking about this stuff i mean

lucia: it's fine

moon: it's just you're a good listener

lucia: i get it sometimes you just need someone to listen to you

moon: yeah

moon felt like hawk was becoming a bit of bully and even though he was one of my bestfriends, i agreed. 

lucia: well i gotta go class should be starting any minute now

moon: talk to you later!

lucia: bye!

i put my phone into my bookbag and zipped it before i got up hawk, aisha, miguel, and bert were standing in front of the new kids, making fun of them. they were all laughing when i walked over, hawk and i made eye contact and i just looked at him before i turned back towards the new kids, "sorry about them." i said as i walked in front of my friends. "i'm lucia." i said and introduced myself, i shook their hands and politely stood back. 

i heard the door bell ring and looked up expecting it to be a student but was met with an old man. "jesus christ." the man said as he looked at some of the kids. "who's that?" hawk asked us. "i don't know." miguel answered. the man had started to walk through the dojo and i saw miguel go up to him. 

everyone was in their spots, the man was standing in the corner when sensei walked to the front. "class we have a visitor." sensei told us. "this is mr.kreese." he told us all. "he's just a observer." sensei said. "pretand like he's not even here." he said. "mr.diaz, warm them up." sensei told miguel. miguel had walked up to the front and bowed, we all did the same. "fighting positions!" miguel yelled and we all got in position. "front kick!" miguel said and we all kicked. "forward strike!" miguel said and we all punched forward. "side jab!" miguel said and everyone dabbed except me, i hated dabbing, always have always will, so i just stood there. 

"what the hell was that?" sensei asked miguel. "we were just messing around." miguel told sensei lawrence. "we have eleven and a half months until the next all valley." he told sensei. "yeah, besides, we already know how to kick ass." hawk said, chiming in. "oh yeah, really huh? so you know everything?" sensei asked hawk. "there's nothing left to learn huh?" sensei asked. aisha started laughing and sensei walked up to her, "what's so funny ms.robinson?" sensei asked the girl. "i'm sorry sensei you just wouldn't understand." aisha responded. "try me." sensei responded. "it's a snake-do." aisha said and everyone started to laugh, in all honesty i thought it was a stupid joke so i just stood there. "what's a snake-do?" sensei asked and a few people started to do the hand gesture. 

"quiet!" sensei yelled at everyone. "five AM tomorrow morning. corner of fulton and raymer. you don't show and you're off the team." sensei told everyone. "class dismissed." he said as he walked away and the other man followed him. 

later that night i was sitting on the couch watching television when i got a call from someone on my phone. i looked over and saw it was hawk so i answered. "hello eli." i said, purposely saying eli. "hawk." hawk said correcting me. "what is it hawk?" i asked. "nothing it's just sensei was so harsh for no reason." hawk responded. "probably trying to make a good impression on that dude." i answered. "probably." hawk responded. "i'm going to sleep, goodnight eli." i said and hung up before hawk could correct me.