Secret Diaries (Heartlake Cliche #1)

Chapter Five

April 3, 2009

When you’re caught stalking, tell him you’re currently doing a qualitative study entitled, “Perilous Streets: The different strategies of teens to sense and react on threats along the road”.

     “That final throw you did on Saturday was wicked,” Matt told Nick in words that showed just how impressed he was. “That was the Koshi Guruma, right? Damn, those moves made me wish I learned judo instead of taekwondo.”

     Koshi Guruma was a judo throwing technique also called the Hip Wheel where the attacker forced his opponent to bend a little, allowing him to grasp his opponent’s head with his right arm. While doing this, he would turn his right hip inwards past the opponent’s right hip, and his legs would follow in a series of steps toward the same direction. Once this new position had been achieved, the attacker would bend forward, lifting his opponent’s body from the ground. The last step was to rotate the body clockwise therefore throwing his opponent to the ground.

     The two of them were on their way to Nick’s place (a full floor condo unit in the RCL Tower in the Financial District with a sound-proof studio that Q25 Music sometimes used for the musicians they handled) for band practice. Quarter To Five had to adjust their practice sessions in the past two weeks due to the judo tournament that ended two days ago. Today would be the first time in weeks that Nick could join the band from start to finish.

     “Yeah, it was,” Nick replied, distracted.

     “And that Reverse Side Kick could’ve permanently damaged your opponent’s face,” Matt said casually while looking at his friend’s preoccupied expression.

     “I guess,” Nick answered, his mind still somewhere else.

     Matt burst out laughing then slapped Nick on the back.

     “I hope that’s a girl in your head or I would never again believe you’re the judo team’s captain,” Matt told his band mate. “When did you guys start using a taekwondo technique?”

Matt’s shoulders began to shake with laughter again.

     Nick silenced him with his judo captain’s look and then sighed.

     “It is a girl,” he muttered. Matt almost grinned from ear to ear when Nick continued: “Rachelle.”

     That name instantly made Matt serious.

     “What about her?”

     Nick saw Matt’s I’ll-kill-anyone-who-dares-to-hurt-my-sister look and immediately tried to calm him down.

     “Relax, Matt,” he said to reassure his friend. “It’s nothing serious. For real.”

     Matt responded with an incredulous snort. “It’s Rachelle we’re talking about and it’s you who’s worrying about her. It could only be serious.”

     Nick knew that there was no way Matt would let the issue go now that his attention was piqued so he decided to go and tell him. “Yeah well,” he began, “I hadn’t been able to talk to her since Friday—we were both busy—”

     “Judo and pictorials,” Matt interrupted with a nod.

     Nick agreed then continued, “And the thing is, I heard some things that are probably not good news.”

     “And these are?”

     There was something tight with his friend’s expression and for a moment, he worried about his reaction. On one hand, Matt needed to know.