Holly knew that. She also knew how it would look. A retired boxer and a martial artist surrounded by children arguing over who had started it. She did not want the kids caught in the middle of another fight. She told the trainees to call their parents and wait together in the back room. Ben hesitated. Holly gave him a reassuring nod, then watched him join the others. Jiselle tucked the contract under her arm. “You had your chance to be reasonable.” “I asked you to wait for the board.” “And I told you the room is mine.” “Then let the board say so.” Jiselle turned toward the stairs. At the top, she paused long enough to look back at the patched bags, the old mitts, and Holly standing between her and the children. “This place is done,” she said. The door shut behind her.
Holly did not follow. She went to Ben, checked his shoulder again, and brought him an ice pack from the small refrigerator. The other children were quiet, each of them waiting for an adult to explain what had just happened. Holly could not tell them the gym was safe forever. She could tell them the truth. Jiselle had made a claim. The board had not reviewed it yet. And the next step was to get the paperwork in front of the people responsible for deciding. Then Holly looked at the desk. The contract Jiselle had left behind was not there. She had taken it with her. All Holly had were her own notes, the lease folder, and the memory of what she had seen on those pages. If there were missing attachments, she would need proof. If the deadline was real, she would need to know what it meant and if Jiselle planned to force the children out before anyone could review the transfer. The clock had already started.
The first call was to Ben’s mother. Holly explained that he had been shoved and had stumbled into a bag, but that he was safe and did not appear seriously hurt. She apologized for letting the situation unfold in front of him. Ben’s mother arrived in a raincoat, took one look at his face, and pulled him close. Then she asked Holly whether Jiselle had really tried to hit her. Holly told her what had happened without dressing it up. Jiselle had swung. Holly had redirected her and let go. Ben’s mother listened, then glanced toward the door. “Will she come back?” “I don’t know,” Holly said. That answer unsettled the room more than any promise would have. Soon, headlights appeared outside the upstairs windows. Parents came in ones and twos, shaking rain from their coats and asking questions. Some were angry, some were frightened. Several wanted to know whether they should take their children somewhere else. Holly told each family the same thing. No one had to decide that night, but the lease needed to be reviewed before Jiselle could claim the room was hers.
