chapter twenty ━ life coaching & tournaments
( season two, episode seven )

❝ why are these grown adults taking
advice from a sixteen-year-old? ❞

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐒𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐀 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇 inside the dojo, snacking on a chocolate bar just as Jack broke three successive boards in front of her. "Show off..." she muttered teasingly, looking up at him.

"Wow, Jack," Milton said while Jack playfully gave her a look and she smiled back innocently. "How do you do that?"

"It comes from inside me," he replied, hitting his chest. "It's my Kiai."

Jerry crossed his arms and smiled. "The boys in my family get their Kiais removed," he told them making Veronica furrow her brows. "It's tradition."

"I don't think you actually know what kiai means," she quipped, standing up and moving to stand beside Jack.

He nodded. "A kiai is the sound you make when you release the power of your inner self," he explained to the boys. "Come on, guys. Free your inner beast!"

"Kiai!" Eddie shouted.

"Kiai!" Jerry mimicked.

"Coo!"

Veronica winced and scratched the back of her neck. "Your inner beast sounds like a sick dove," Jack said and Milton groaned.

"Gah!"

Eddie looked at Jack. "Oh. Are you and Rudy ready for the big sensei-student tournament this week?" he asked.

"Totally." He nodded. "And since I'll be competing with Rudy, I've been training my butt off. Dude, our timing during the routine has to be perfect. You know how competitive he is."

"Well, thankfully, this means you'll stop waking me up at the crack of dawn to be your training buddy," Veronica said, walking over to him with a small bag in her hands. "Oh. This is for you."

Jack furrowed his brows as he looked down at it. "What is it?"

"I call it my 'Rudy travel essentials'," she replied.

Eddie tilted his head. "It is very helpful," he added.

Jack began digging through the bag. "Earplugs? Sleep mask? Nose plug?" He raised his eyebrows. "Is this money?"

Veronica nodded. "Just trust me."

"Jack." Rudy walked into the dojo with a box in his hands. "I hope you're prepared for our trip to San Francisco because I know I am." He dug through the box. "I found my rubber vomit and my deluxe whoopee cushion."

His niece's eyes went wide and she took the nose plug from Jack's bag. "What makes it deluxe?" Eddie asked with a frown.

Rudy pressed the cushion and the boys immediately gagged. "The smell," he replied with a smile.

"Rudy, you're not taking this competition seriously," Jack said. "Don't you want to win?"

He shrugged. "Come on, let's just go and have fun. Make some memories. Road trip!"

Veronica tilted her head. "Then I guess I should warn you that you will be making a lot of stops for snacks and bathroom breaks." She patted Jack on the shoulder. "Better you than me. Good luck, Brewer."

"You're not very comforting, you know that, right?"

She nodded. "I've been told."

"Alright, see you later, guys." The group looked over at Milton who had changed his clothes. "I got a little pre-anniversary gift for Julie. I made a chocolate rose by hand." He pulled it out of the box and saw only the stem remaining. "What happened to my rose?"

"Dude." Jerry's mouth was full of chocolate and Veronica and Jack glanced at each other. "It looks like someone ate the head of it."

Milton huffed. "My rose. My sweet rose!" He began breathing heavily and Veronica furrowed her brows. "Kiai!" She jumped as he flipped Jerry onto the mat. "You just met my inner beast!"

"Oh, dude," Jerry said while wincing. "Eddie ate some of your rose, too."

He growled and looked at Eddie who immediately ran away in fear. Veronica let out a breath. "Well, at least we know not to eat Milton's handmade chocolate roses..." She looked at Jerry who was still on the floor. "You had that coming, you know."

"Pizza?" Jack asked her.

"I could eat."

___________________________

[ SKATER BOY ]
4:32 am
You didn't tell me that Rudy
plays a mariachi band on a
noise machine to fall asleep.

[ RONNIE ]
4:35 am
how dare you text me before
the sun is awake. use the ear
plugs!

Veronica walked with Eddie and Jerry at school later that day when Milton approached them. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"I'm tired," she replied, stifling a yawn. "Jack just had his first night on an away trip with Rudy and apparently he's already broken the TV and nearly had a heart attack when he heard a mariachi band play at 4:30 in the morning. Oh, and Kim's not here."

Eddie nodded. "That all sounds pretty accurate, though." He looked back at Milton. "We just came from Spanish. Jerry's bummed 'cause he failed another test."

"Which is kind of weird, 'cause I speak it fluently," Jerry said before talking in rapid Spanish. Veronica furrowed her brows.

"What'd you say?" she asked.

He frowned. "Well, how am I supposed to know?" he replied. "I just said that I'm failing Spanish!"

She tilted her head as Eddie followed after the boy. "Forget Spanish!" he exclaimed. "I got girl problems."

Jerry turned around and looked confused. "Girls don't even talk to you."

"That's the problem!"

Veronica sighed and shook her head, leaning against her locker while seeing an unread text from her father. "You know what your problem is?" Milton asked Eddie. "You lack confidence. When you ask a girl out, make her feel that if she doesn't go out with you, it's her loss." He turned to Jerry. "And you! You speak the language, don't look at it as taking a test. Look at it as if you're having a conversation with a piece of paper."

"Hey, that might actually work."

"Wait. Milton, where's all this great advice coming from?" Eddie asked him.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug. "But yesterday when I did that kiai, I think I woke up my inner voice. And now I see everything so clearly. Kiai!" He gasped and clutched his side. "I think I tore my kiai."

Veronica grimaced. "Oh, boy..."

The next day, Jerry was frowning while holding his latest Spanish test. "V, I took Milton's advice, and look what I got on my Spanish test." Veronica looked down at it. "She gave me two stacked-up 'D's."

She chuckled. "Jerry, that's a 'B'." He quickly snatched the paper back from her and he fell down the stairs. "Oh—Jerry!"

"A 'B'?!" he exclaimed in shock, still looking down at the paper.

"Tonight..." Veronica looked over when she heard Eddie's voice and saw him walking with a girl down the hallway. "It's just the two of us. Double feature. And that means back-to-back Eddie." The girl looked as though she was clutching her pearls and walked away. "Ahh!"

The brunette girl looked over at Milton. "I think your advice worked."

Eddie nodded. "Ever since I took it, I can't keep the girls at school away!"

"Dude, everybody's talking about how you changed us," Jerry said, turning to Milton. "Check it out, man."

Veronica furrowed her brows and followed their gaze to see a long line of students waiting at Milton's locker. "They all want your advice!" Eddie told him.

"That's the power of my inner voice!" Milton nodded. "I really have unleashed my beast."

___________________________

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋, 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 friends were sitting in the dojo with Julie who immediately stood up when Milton walked inside. "Where have you been?" she asked him.

"And what happened to you?" Veronica added, looking at his appearance. He was wearing all black, had attached a fake ponytail to his hair, and had a Bluetooth earpiece in. "You look like those people in the mall that I avoid."

"I sold out my first seminar," Milton replied to the two girls. "It's gonna be right here tomorrow night in the dojo. It's called 'Holla at your Inna Winna!'"

"What?" Julia asked with a frown. "Tomorrow's our anniversary!"

He turned back to them. "You gotta understand. Milton doesn't just belong to you guys anymore. Milton belongs to the world!" Julia looked at Veronica who shrugged. "Now that my inner beast is released, I've become an independent warrior!" His phone rang and he tapped the side of his earpiece. "Mommy. Could you pick me up? My bike has a flat. Well, then what do I pay you for?"

Veronica shook her head and walked out of the dojo. "Stupid inner beast..." She looked down when she heard her phone vibrate. "So, how's San Francisco? Make some memories yet?"

"Apparently I'm a disappointment."

She furrowed her brows and glanced at the contact on her phone. "I'm sorry, I am speaking to Jack Brewer, right?"

"Ronnie."

"I'm just making sure because you being a disappointment is not something I hear very often about you," she said, sitting down at an empty table. "What happened?"

"Trent Darby came to town for the tournament—"

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh."

"—and now Rudy is even more determined to beat him," Jack continued while she held her head in her hand. "But apparently my best is not good enough."

Veronica tilted her head. "Rudy said this?"

"Yeah..."

She sighed and fluttered her lips. "Well, damn... Look, Jack, you are anything but a disappointment—especially in Rudy's eyes. You're the type of person that he brags about to his mother... which he does. Nana knows you very well by now. But Rudy's also the person who lets the past get the better of him. Trent embarrassed him; he's still affected by losing Lorraine or whatever her name is—"

"Lenor."

"Sure. The point is... you know that you're not a disappointment and that's all that matters. And it wouldn't be like you to quit."

Jack nodded. "Yeah... I should probably head back. Thanks, Ronnie."

"Anytime, Brewer."

___________________________

𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 to Milton's life coaching seminar and she didn't entirely know how she was. She had an exciting evening plan of her own. She was going to order Chinese food and watch movies until she fell asleep.

As a bonus, her uncle wasn't home and blasting the apartment with his mariachi band sound machine.

She really did hate that thing.

She rolled her eyes when dramatic music filled her eardrums and she crossed her arms, looking up at the stage just as Milton broke through the paper to loud applause from the crowd. Veronica, Eddie, and Julie looked over at Jerry who was cheering with them.

"Kiai!" A banner fell behind Milton and she shook her head. "Can I get a Holla?"

"Holla!"

Veronica turned to the boy at the end. "Jerry!"

"Why is a mouse a mouse?" Milton asked, beginning his seminar. "Because he squeaks." Veronica raised her eyebrows as the crowd murmured. "Why is a lion a lion? Because he roars! Which is lion for holla!"

"Holla!"

"Why are these grown adults getting advice from a sixteen-year-old?" Veronica asked, looking unimpressed by the crowd. "Especially from somebody who looks like that."

"I can bring it out of you," Milton continued and she looked back up at him. "I can. Do you trust me? Well, I trust you. Front row, catch me." She flinched as Milton fell to the floor with a thump and Julie stood up. "I'm okay. Holla!"

As the night continued, it became more obvious to the four teenagers that Milton was no longer the Milton Krupnick they knew and loved.

And his seminar was incredibly annoying.

[ RONNIE ]
8:23 pm
you chose a horrible time
to visit your grandparents.
at least you'd keep me
company through this.

[ KIM ]
8:24 pm
I'll be back this weekend.
This trip has gone on for too
long.

"Let's take another question from a winner in waiting!" Milton exclaimed and Veronica put away her phone. "Uh..." He covered his eyes from the bright light. "You. You in the back. I can't see you, but go ahead."

She winced. "That's awkward..."

"I have a boyfriend," Julie said and Veronica looked at her. "But because of his new success, he no longer has time for me in his life."

"Or his friends," Eddie added.

Jerry nodded. "Yeah. He's turned into a real snot-donkey."

"Sometimes you've gotta be a hotel operator and give snot-donkeys in your life a wake-up call," Milton replied. "Can I get a Holla?"

Veronica sighed. "I hate that word."

"You've gotta remind this guy of what's important to him," he continued. "In fact, give this jerk a call right now."

"Do it now! Do it now! Do it now! Do it now! Do it now!"

Julie shrugged and pulled out her phone, looking up at Milton whose own phone rang. "Hello?"

She stood up. "I miss you, jerk."

"Julie?"

"You're not a nice person anymore," she said with a sigh. "I want the old Milton back."

Veronica nodded. "We miss you."

"What have I done?" he asked himself before looking around. "They're talking about me, ladies and gentlemen." The crowd all gasped and Veronica rolled her eyes. "You see this ponytail? Like me, it's a fake. Guys, I'm sorry. I got so wrapped up in thinking I could fix everybody else's life that I forgot what was important to me—my friends. Here's the difference between these people and you—you guys, I know I can trust."

"Wait, Milton—" Veronica sighed as he fell to the floor once more. "—never mind. Have a good night, everybody. My bed is calling my name."

___________________________

𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 the doorframe of the hotel lobby, seeing Jack and Rudy standing in front of the front desk with conflicted looks on their faces. "Let me guess..." They looked over at her. "Big bill?"

"Ronnie? What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Well, I realized I only gave you three hundred dollars in emergency 'Rudy money' and he's racked up large hotel bills for as long as I've known him, so we're here to help."

Jack furrowed his brows. "We?"

Veronica nodded. "Yep. Milton offered to pay," she replied, gesturing to the redhead who had made his way to the counter, dropping a large stack of bills in front of the front desk lady. "So... did you have a good time?"

"You know, we did," Rudy answered with a nod. "We got the lowest score in the history of the tournament but we made some memories."

She smiled softly. "Well, good. Now, let's go home. Before Rudy costs us anything more than he already has." She followed after Jack. "Did he bring his volleyball net?"

"And a satellite dish."

___________________________

━ author's note:

I won't lie, I already have some of the "ronnie and jack reveal they like each other" part written and we're not there yet...

oh, well...

it'll be adorable, I'll tell you that much