CHAPTER 5
A LITTLE COMPETITION

The next day, I carefully tied the magic black belt under my tae kwon do uniform before I left the house. I didn’t want anyone else to see it or ask about it. Emilio was already waiting outside. Together, we climbed into the back seat of Mom’s car.

“Excited for camp today?” he asked as we drove.

“Definitely!” I exclaimed.

Emilio looked shocked.

Mom clearly was too. “Feeling better after your practice with Dad yesterday?” she asked, glancing back at me. “You seemed like a pro.”

Next to me, Emilio turned and raised an eyebrow. I shrugged. I felt bad keeping something from my best friend. After what had happened with my lunch box when we first met, I knew he’d believe me. But I didn’t want him to know I needed magic to be good at tae kwon do.

Mom dropped us off, and Emilio and I walked into the studio together. Luckily, none of the other students mentioned my fall from the day before.

Master Kim took his place at the front of the room and said, “Cha-ryut!” The whole class got into position.

“I have some big news today,” Master Kim announced.

“At the end of camp, we will be hosting a beginners’ demonstration. Everyone will participate to showcase what you’ve learned. There will also be a mock sparring match. Today, I will be testing each of you on your skills. I will choose two students to participate in the match.”

For a second, my stomach dropped. I didn’t even want to imagine embarrassing myself again. But then I remembered my black belt. I balled my hands into fists. Things would be different today. I would make sure of it.

Master Kim had us line up. I stood behind Emilio. He practiced his punches while we waited. I played with the edge of my robe to ease my nerves.

Soon, it was Emilio’s turn. He did a combination of jabs, uppercut punches, and cross punches. He also did some side kicks and roundhouse kicks. They were even quicker and stronger than before.

Master Kim gave an approving nod. “Great work, Emilio,” he said. “Kicking comes so naturally to you.”

Emilio beamed. “Thanks! I love the kicks,” he said before sitting back down with the others.

I frowned. Did Emilio even realize he was showing off?

“Next!” Master Kim said.

I took a few deep breaths and moved to the front of the room. Everyone’s eyes were on me.

Please work your magic, I silently begged the belt.

Closing my eyes, I let out a loud, “Hai-ya!” and raised my leg to kick in the air. Whoosh!

There was a moment of silence. My eyes were still tightly shut, expecting the worst. Then I heard cheering.

“Go, Ben!”

“Wow, that was amazing!”

“How did he do that?!”

I slowly opened my eyes. My leg was perfectly straight up in the air! My pose looked just like the one from the flyer Mom had shown me before camp started. Every kid in class—including Emilio—was clapping and cheering… for me!

Even Master Kim seemed impressed. “Wow, Ben! That was one of the best kicks I’ve ever seen,” he exclaimed.

One of the best? A big smile spread across my face. I put my leg down and bowed a thank you to Master Kim.

“I have to say, Ben, I did not expect such a kick. You must’ve practiced very hard,” Master Kim continued.

Again, I felt a twinge of guilt. I hadn’t really been practicing much at all. “Why don’t you show us some punches?” Master Kim suggested.

“Yes, Master Kim,” I said. I got into the ready position and counted in Korean as I punched. “Hana, dul, set, net.”

I did some jabs and even rotated my body to do a cross punch, one of the newer punches we had learned. My fists pushed out strong, even thrusts.

“Incredible,” Master Kim said, his eyebrows raised with surprise.

I grinned and joined Emilio on the mat.

“That was awesome,” he whispered. “I didn’t expect you to do so well.”

I immediately frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I just meant after yesterday,” he said. “You got so good so fast.”

My face got hot. “I practiced a lot,” I lied, crossing my arms.

After everyone had been tested on their skills, Master Kim called for attention. “I am very impressed with all the hard work I’ve seen,” he began. He looked at each of us thoughtfully. “Two students in particular have stood out and will participate in the sparring match. They are…”

I glanced at Emilio. I knew he would be chosen. He’d been the best since day one. “…Emilio and Ben! Congratulations!”

“Yes!” I cheered. This was the best day ever! I couldn’t believe that only yesterday, I had been terrible at tae kwon do. Now I was one of the best students in class—all thanks to the magic black belt.

Emilio turned and high-fived me. “I’m so happy we both got chosen!” he said.

“Me too!” I said, forgetting Emilio’s earlier surprise at my sudden improvement. This was what I’d imagined when I’d asked him to do tae kwon do with me—my best friend and I having fun together.

When class was over, Emilio and I hung out on the bench waiting to get picked up. As we sat there, Mr. Wiz came out of one of the other rooms. He wiped sweat off his forehead.

“Ben and Emilio!” he exclaimed. “How was tae kwon do camp today?”

“Great!” Emilio said. “Ben and I were chosen for the sparring match at the beginners’ demonstration!”

Mr. Wiz looked at me and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really? How exciting for you both.”

“Sure is,” I replied nervously. Yesterday, Mr. Wiz had seen me crying on the bench. I really hoped he wasn’t suspicious.

“Well, congratulations to you both,” said Mr. Wiz. He smiled at me. “And don’t stop building your indomitable spirit, right, Ben?”

“Right,” I replied. With a wave, Mr. Wiz walked toward the exit.

“What was that about?” Emilio asked.

I shrugged. “How would I know?”

“Hey, you should come over later tonight. We can practice together!” Emilio said.

My stomach twisted. I wanted to practice with Emilio, but what if he saw my magic black belt? “Um… that’s okay. I think I might practice on my own,” I mumbled.

Emilio’s forehead crinkled with confusion. “Why? We could help each other,” he said.

“I just don’t want to,” I said shortly.

Emilio looked hurt. I felt bad, but I couldn’t risk having him find out about the belt. But my best friend wouldn’t let it go.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re acting kind of weird. Is there something going on?”

Acting weird? I thought. Why would Emilio say that? Does he suspect something?

“There’s nothing going on,” I snapped. “You just want to practice together so you can prove that you’re better than me.”

Emilio’s mouth dropped open, and he looked even more hurt. I crossed my arms and faced away from him. We didn’t say a word to each other after that.