“Okay what?”
Jake exhaled.
“Okay, I understand that part.”
Emma looked at him.
Jake met her eyes.
“But I still want to know what I missed.”
Briggs considered him.
Then he looked toward Emma again.
This time Emma gave one small nod.
The movement was almost invisible.
Jake saw it.
So did Daniels.
Briggs placed the folder on the bench.
He did not open it.
“You missed experience.”
Jake stared.
“How much?”
Briggs remained silent.
Jake looked at Emma.
She offered nothing.
His eyes widened slightly.
“More than me?”
Briggs’s mouth moved at one corner.
“That comparison is part of your problem.”
Daniels looked down again.
This time his smile remained.
Jake noticed.
He did not stop it.
Reveal and Ending
Briggs rested one hand on the closed folder.
“Carter has considerably more combat training than you assumed.”
Jake stared at Emma.
She remained still.
Briggs continued.
“And yes, I knew before she crossed the boundary.”
Nobody in the gym reacted immediately.
The reveal seemed to move through the room slowly.
Jake looked from Briggs to Emma.
Then back again.
“You knew the whole time.”
Briggs nodded.
“Yes.”
Jake glanced toward the mat.
He seemed to replay every moment.
Emma studying his heel.
Emma refusing his feints.
Emma redirecting his balance.
Emma touching his shoulder without force.
Her strange comment about counting others.
Her calm response whenever he tried making the confrontation personal.
Jake finally understood.
She had not been improvising confidence.
She had been controlling how much of herself she showed.
He looked at her.
“That’s why you were watching my feet before we started.”
Emma nodded.
“Yes.”
“And the others?”
Jake waited.
“You said you counted the others.”
Emma looked toward several soldiers near the bags.
“I watched your earlier rounds.”
Jake frowned.
“I didn’t see you.”
“You weren’t looking for me.”
The answer landed quietly.
Emma continued.
“You repeated the same entry several times.”
Jake looked at his left foot.
“The heel.”
“The heel was part of it.”
“What else?”
Emma hesitated.
Then she shook her head.
“We’re done training.”
Jake almost argued.
Then he stopped himself.
“Right.”
Briggs noticed.
So did Daniels.
Jake looked toward the closed folder.
“What exactly does it say?”
Emma folded her arms.
“Jake.”
He looked at her.
“You still don’t need it.”
He frowned.
Emma continued.
“You already learned the important part.”
Jake glanced toward Briggs.
The instructor nodded once.
Jake let out a slow breath.
He walked toward the bench and sat.
The room remained silent.
Emma expected him to become defensive.
Instead, Jake rested his elbows against his knees.
He stared at his gloves.
“I made you a joke before you even stepped onto the mat.”
Emma did not soften the truth.
“Yes.”
“In front of everybody.”
“Yes.”
“I wanted you embarrassed.”
“Yes.”
Jake looked up.
The direct answers seemed to hurt more than accusation.
Emma remained where she was.
“You didn’t get angry.”
“I was angry.”
That surprised him.
“You didn’t look angry.”
“I don’t owe everybody every emotion I have.”
Jake considered that.
He nodded slowly.
“Fair.”
Daniels shifted again.
Jake looked toward him.
“Daniels.”
The specialist straightened from habit.
Jake noticed and winced.
“Don’t do that.”
Daniels looked confused.
“Do what?”
“That.”
Jake gestured toward his posture.
“You look like you’re waiting for inspection.”
A few soldiers smiled.
Jake saw them.
This time, he allowed the smiles to remain.
Daniels relaxed slightly.
Jake rubbed both hands over his face.
“I’ve been an ass.”
Nobody spoke.
Emma glanced toward Briggs.
He said nothing.
Jake looked around.
“Apparently, nobody plans to disagree.”
A quiet laugh moved through the room.
Jake heard it.
For one brief second, his old expression returned.
Then it faded.