The same week as Jake's fight.
She told Principal Harris. She told her classes. Most of the students just wanted to know who the substitute would be. Noah wanted to know if it would hurt.
"A little," she told him honestly.
"Are you scared?"
Emma thought about it. "A little," she said again.
Noah nodded seriously. "You told Jake that courage is caring enough to act even when you're afraid."
She blinked. "He told you that?"
"He tells everybody that. He told the whole beginner group. He says it's the most important thing he ever learned." Noah pushed up his glasses. "So I figured it counts for surgery too."
Emma had to look away for a second.
"Yeah," she said. "I guess it does."
Jake found her in the gym the Friday before the surgery.
It was late. The building was mostly empty. She was sitting alone on the mat in the middle of the room, the same mat where he had challenged her months ago, her crutches leaning against the wall where she'd started using them on bad days.
He sat down across from her without a word.
For a while they just sat there. The overhead lights buzzed. Somewhere down the hall, a janitor's cart squeaked.
"Weigh-ins are Thursday," Jake said finally. "Fight's Saturday. Your surgery's Thursday too, right?"
"Thursday morning."
"I wanted to come see you. After. But Hale won't let me miss anything that week. He says I have to stay focused."
"That's okay. You should stay focused."
Jake picked at a loose thread on the mat. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer."
Emma had a feeling she knew what it was.
"The guy in the newspaper article," Jake said carefully. "Daniel Reyes. The training accident. That's not what happened, is it?"