After school, I waited in the parking lot, holding onto my backpack straps. I checked her pink wristwatch and sighed. 3:00 PM.

I still have time to make it to my kung-fu class at the Dragon Dojo. My schedule usually started around three-thirty on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Perfect since I don't have cheerleading practice on those days.

I heard a new teacher arrived to replace my previous teacher after he broke his back. Totally not my fault! His back sprung after he walked down a staircase at the mall. No wonder old people shouldn't teach kung-fu. I hope my new teacher will go easy on me.

I learned martial arts after my evil werewolf ex-boyfriend tried to kill me. I couldn't just fight like an animal because there might be more monsters who were stronger than me. I had to use my brain and fighting skills to overcome my enemies. So far, my new skills worked against my ex-boyfriend's sister, who tried to kill me and my friends. Nobody lays a hand on a werewolf cheerleader.

Before I checked my watch again, my dad's jeep arrived. He honked his honk like a dozen times.

“I’m here!” I waved.

Dad opened the side door and patted the seat. “Hope in, my kung-fu girl!”

Errrr… I got in and closed the door. “Dad! Don’t embarrass me!”

“There’s nobody around.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Except us.”

Dad chuckled and drove out from the parking lot. “I only meant to say….. I am still happy you didn't quit the Dragon Dojo."

I glanced at him suspiciously. "Why?"

“Because if you give up, you might face serious consequences."

I crossed her arms and turned forward. “Yeah, I'm not giving up."

"Good.” Dad turned the wheel. “I remember you keep saying fighting is for barbarians.”

I lowered my jaw. “Iiiiiiiiii didn’t mean that. I just totally didn’t want to get hurt.”

Dad chuckled. "Now you know why. Martial arts isn’t for show. It is a serious self-defense skill for protecting yourself. You don’t have to fight, but sometimes you have to. This town is dangerous at night, and freaks like to come out to mess with girls like you.”

If I didn’t have to fight, I wouldn’t. I never took self-defense seriously because I hung out with my friends a lot. We carried pepper spray and watched each other's backs.

But everything changed after I received my curse. I knew my cheer squad couldn't protect me against a bloodthirsty werewolf pack. You could say not only I needed to protect myself against monsters, but also protect those who I deeply cared about. My dad still doesn't know my dark secret, which was for the best. Who knew what he would do to me if he discovered his daughter was a werewolf.

“We’re here.” Dad parked his jeep in front of a square bricked building between two shops. The Dragon Dojo sign hung over the double glass doorway between windows, showing the students sparring inside.

“Remember, call me when class is over,” Dad said. “I don’t want you out late.”

I nodded and stepped out with my backpack. "I'll call if anything comes up."

“I love you.” Andrew closed the door and drove off.

I then entered the martial arts building.