Marina shook her head. "Then stop trying to hit me." Her voice wasn't mocking or loud, just matter of fact. That made him even angrier. He lunged again.
This time, Marina didn't dodge. She stepped in. A controlled move. Legs bent, shoulders relaxed, a tiny pivot to redirect his momentum. Her uncle had drilled it into her since she was 12.
An angry opponent collapses on themselves. Don't push them. just guide them where they're already falling. Dylan's own momentum carried him forward and Marina used one hand on his shoulder to shift him slightly offline. He stumbled hard, catching himself on the edge of a table. Cups clattered to the floor.
Students howled, "Dude, she juked him. He can't touch her. He's getting worked." Dylan whipped his head around, face burning with humiliation. "You think this is a joke?"
"No," Marina said softly. "But I tried to walk away, and I told you." he growled. "You're not better than me." He charged again and this time Marina raised her hands, not in aggression, not in fear, just ready. Her stance was clean, balanced, solid, a full transformation from the shy girl who walked in earlier.
Jace's laughter cut off, his jaw slackened. "Yo, what is she doing?" Trevor whispered. "Oh no, she's actually about to—" Dylan swung a sloppy right hook." Marina leaned back half an inch.
The punch brushed past the air near her cheek. Then one single move, a light tap to the chest with her open palm. Not a punch, not a strike, just a controlled push that used Dylan's own speed against him. He flew backward. Students parted like a wave.
He crashed onto the floor, sliding slightly on the slick punch stains. Silence. A huge, stunned silence. Even the students who hated drama stared wide-eyed. Trevor muttered under his breath, nearly in awe.
"I knew she boxed, but that was insane." Brandon stepped backward, eyes darting from Dylan to Marina. "Bro, what just happened?" Jay swallowed hard. He didn't make a joke this time.
Dylan lay on the floor, blinking up at the ceiling, breath knocked out of him. His ego cracked open in front of the entire room. Marina didn't move toward him. She didn't follow up. She didn't brag.
She just lowered her hands slowly. "You need to stop," she said simply. "Before you do something, you can't take back." The crowd murmured, soft at first, then building. "She didn't even hit him.
He fell on his own. She handled him better than any of us would." Dylan sat up, furious and embarrassed. Punch stains smeared across his sleeves and pants. His hair was a mess.
His chest heaved from rage and embarrassment. "You think this is over?" he rasped. Marina met his glare. "I think you should be done, but that's up to you." Brandon looked at Dylan.
"Man, maybe just stop." Even Jace nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, this is making us all look bad." Dylan pushed himself to his feet, shaking with anger. He opened his mouth to yell, but every student suddenly turned toward the ballroom entrance.