A/N: I started a new job on the 5th of October, so my update schedule might be a bit up in the air. Anyway, it's New Year's Eve in this chapter and you know what that means… It's time to PARTY!
Disclaimer: I don't own Cobra Kai or anything from third parties that I might reference.
New Year's Bash
A lot had happened in the days between Jason's first date with Aisha and today, which was New Year's Eve.
Jason had gone on another date with Aisha while Miguel and Hawk had their first dates with Sam and Moon respectively.
Plus, Jason had made plans with Miguel, Hawk and Demetri for New Year's Eve. Training was more than likely still happening on New Year's Eve, but they would get New Year's Day off. Probably because Sensei would be celebrating a little bit too hard.
Jason got out of bed and went to go and take a shower.
After his shower, he put on a Mastodon t-shirt, boxer shorts, jeans, a belt and black socks. He picked out the clothes he'd be wearing later and put them on a chair along with his red leather jacket.
Jason puts his wallet, phone and keys in the pockets of his jeans before walking downstairs.
He made breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, sausages and chocolate chip pancakes.
Jason finished his breakfast and washed the plates and cutlery he used before putting them away.
He sits down on the sofa.
Jason's phone starts ringing so he answers it.
"Hey, Jason!" He could hear Aisha's voice.
Jason smiles. "Hey, Aisha."
"So, what have you got planned? For tonight, I mean…" Aisha starts.
Jason shrugs. "I was thinking about hanging out with Miguel, Hawk and Demetri. And, we're probably going to have dinner somewhere and possibly try and go to a party or something. You?"
"I'll probably spend it with my parents. Again." Aisha answers.
Jason nods. "Oh. Maybe we could do something tomorrow if you're not too busy? We probably won't have training tomorrow, so…."
"Sure!" Aisha exclaims.
Jason grins. "Great. I guess I'll see you in the afternoon some time tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah. And you'll be seeing me at training. Just in case you're forgetting." Aisha replies.
Jason leans back in the sofa. "I know. I promise not to get in too much trouble tonight."
"I know you won't. See you later!" Aisha says.
Jason and Aisha talk a little more.
He eventually hangs up. "See you later!"
Jason turns on the TV and channel surfs for a while before settling on something to watch.
He watches TV until he gets another phone call.
The person calling him this time is Robby.
"Hey, Jason. Happy New Year." Robby says.
Jason turns off the TV. "Happy New Year to you, too. What's up?"
"Not much. Actually, there is something…." Robby replies.
Jason is confused. "What?"
"You know that guy from your old high school? The one who was, and probably still is, running that fight club?" Robby asks.
Jason nods. "Yeah. Lowell. Brad fucking Lowell. The vice-captain of the football team. And the guy who got me kicked out of my old high school because I said I was running the fight club. Because I naively thought he'd do the same for me. You won't catch me making that mistake again in a hurry."
"Anyway… You want to get lunch or something?" Robby asks.
Jason nods. "Sure."
"Great. See you later, then." Robby hangs up.
Jason turns the TV back on and relaxes until it's time for him to leave.
He turns off the TV and exits the house with his wallet, phone and keys.
….
The drive from Encino to North Hills went by pretty quickly.
Jason parked outside the apartment building that Robby's apartment was in and got out of his car.
He locked the Dodge Viper and walked into the ground floor of the apartment building before taking the elevator.
Jason got out of the elevator and walked to the door of Robby's apartment.
He knocked on the door and waited before Robby opened it.
"Hey." Robby welcomed him into the apartment.
Jason watched as Robby closed the door behind him. "So, where's your mom?"
"She's started celebrating early." Robby replies, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Jason grabs a soda from the fridge and sits down on the sofa. "That makes sense. I haven't started celebrating yet. In case you're wondering."
"So, you want me to show you what that Lowell guy was saying about you now or after we have lunch?" Robby asks.
Jason shrugs. "You might as well show me what he was saying about me now."
"Okay. But you're not going to like it." Robby says.
Jason watches as Robby takes out his phone and starts playing a video.
He sees Lowell standing in the living room of his house with a big smile on his face.
At least until he opens his mouth and starts talking. "Hey, yo, Jason Kreese! That's right! I'm calling you out, you coward! You think that taking karate classes makes you a big man now? Well, I got some bad news for you, it really doesn't. I can't believe you actually thought that I was your friend! How fucking pathetic is that?! You never had any friends!"
"The rest of the video is pretty much just him ranting and insulting you. Plus, he said that he's throwing this huge party at his house and he's invited you so you can "Prove him wrong" about everything he said about you." Robby paused the video.
Jason nodded. "Right. So, all I have to do is turn up at a house party hosted by him and kick his ass? Wow. That doesn't sound so bad."
"But you know this guy, right? He's probably got some more stuff planned than just you and him fighting." Robby says.
Jason frowns. "I guess you're right. But the only way to know for sure is to go over there."
"Well, yeah. I don't think you're the type of person to take that kind of crap laying down." Robby remarks.
Jason nods. "I'm not. And he's going to find that out pretty quickly."
"Okay. So, you want to get lunch now, or…?" Robby starts.
Jason stands up. "Getting lunch sounds like a good idea."
Robby stands up and they walk out of Robby's apartment after Robby locks the door behind him.
They get the elevator to the ground floor and walk out of the building.
Jason unlocks the doors of his car.
Robby gets into the passenger seat at the front and Jason gets into the driver's seat.
Jason turns on the radio before driving off.
….
Jason parked outside of an In-N-Out and stopped the car.
Robby gets out of the Dodge Viper and closes the door behind him.
Jason gets out of the car as well.
They walk into the In-N-Out and notice that there's a queue, but they don't mind.
At least until they see who's standing in front of them.
"Well, well, well… What do we have here? I could have sworn I smelled a couple of rats, and I did! It's Jason Kreese and his little boyfriend. Or one of them, anyway." Lowell turned around so he could face them.
The other people Lowell was with turn around so they could face Jason and Robby.
Jason squares up to Lowell. "I saw that little video you made. I don't think that calling me out is as good an idea as you think it is."
"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do about it? Huh? Karate faggot!" Lowell spits on Jason's left shoe.
Jason shoves Lowell before Robby can intervene. "Would you mind saying that again?"
"See you at the party later tonight, karate faggot!" Lowell gets right back in Jason's face.
And that's when all hell broke loose.
Jason reared back and headbutted Lowell in the nose, breaking it.
He then started throwing punches before Lowell could react.
Lowell's friends tried to get between Jason and Lowell but they were too late.
Jason starts raining down more punches on Lowell while the latter teenager is left holding his broken nose.
Other people in line turn around so they can see what's going on.
Some of them even have their phones out.
Jason waves at them. "Sorry about that! I'm just taking out the trash!"
He notices that Lowell takes a step back so he can reset his nose. Lowell's friends also step between them.
"You're fucking dead, Kreese." Lowell wiped the blood away from his nose before his friends lead him away.
The other people in line put their phones away hesitantly.
Jason looks at them. "What the fuck are you looking at?"
"Calm down!" Robby tries to defuse the situation, even if he is a little bit late.
Jason sighs. "Yeah. You're right. I've probably gone and made things worse."
A distance has formed between Lowell's group and Jason and Robby. Lowell and his friends occasionally sneak glances back at them while also making threatening and rude gestures towards them.
"Just ignore them. They're probably going to get bored eventually." Robby says.
Lowell and his friends order, collect their food and leave.
Jason and Robby order cheeseburgers, fries and sodas.
They walk back outside after they collect their food.
"That got a bit heated." Robby remarks.
Jason shrugs. "Don't worry about it. He was my friend, or at least I thought he was, until I covered for him and got kicked out of my old high school because of it."
"Because he was running an underground fight club? I think I remember you mentioning it at least once." Robby says.
Jason decides to change the subject. "So, when's your job starting?"
"In a few days." Robby answers.
Jason nods. "Cool. I hope it works out well for you."
"Thanks." Robby replies.
Jason smiles. "You're welcome."
They stop talking so they can eat before getting rid of the garbage and getting into the Dodge Viper.
Jason turns on the radio and turns it up as he drives off.
He was looking forward to spending time with Miguel, Hawk and Demetri. It had been too long since it was just the four of them hanging out.
Plus, he had to settle things with Lowell.
….
Training went slightly different on account of it being New Year's Eve. It was more relaxed and there was more of a party atmosphere than other training sessions.
Miguel leads the warmups and Jason helps out.
"Today is the last day of training for this year. You've all really improved, and I hope you all keep on making progress. Oh, and today is New Year's Eve, so don't forget to celebrate responsibly…" Sensei starts making a speech.
Sensei continues. "You're going to be getting tomorrow off, but I expect you all to show up the next day and keep kicking ass. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Everyone says the same thing.
Sensei smiles. "Good."
There are some sparring sessions, but those are more for fun rather than scoring points or training.
Everybody wishes each other a Happy New Year before they go their separate ways.
….
Jason drove home and took a shower before getting changed into the clothes that he'd left out.
He grabbed his wallet, phone and keys before leaving his house and locking the door behind him.
Jason walked to the Dodge Viper and got into the driver's seat before starting it.
He turned on the radio and turned it up as he drove.
Hawk's house was the first place he stopped at.
Jason parked his car and got out.
He walked up to the door of Hawk's house and knocked on it before taking a step back.
"Jason! What's up?!" Hawk opens the door and steps outside.
There's a brief moment where Hawk tells his mom that he's going to be gone for a while before Hawk closes the door behind him.
Jason smiles. "Not much."
"Tonight's going to be awesome!" Hawk sounds hyped up.
Jason nods. "Damn right."
They walk over to Demetri's house and Hawk knocks on the door this time.
There's a pause before the door is opened.
Demetri steps outside and looks at Jason and Hawk.
"Oh. Hey. I was torn between just watching TV, playing video games and reading comic books and seeing what you've got planned for your little Magical Mystery Tour." Demetri says.
Jason rolls his eyes. "Oh, come on. It sounds like a bad thing when you say it like that."
"Just to let you know, I've never had an alcoholic drink in my life and I don't intend to start now." Demetri continues.
Jason doesn't seem shocked by that statement. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Alcohol impacts your cognitive function, Jason." Demetri replies.
Jason considers this "It does. But…."
"It's also a social lubricant. Right?" Hawk interjects.
Jason nods. "Exactly. At least someone gets it."
They walk to Jason's car.
Jason unlocks the Dodge Viper and Hawk and Demetri get in the backseats.
It's almost as if they know that the passenger's seat is, on this occasion, reserved for Miguel.
Jason gets in the driver's seat and starts the car.
"I don't want to be rude, but how good of a driver are you?" Demetri asks.
Jason shrugs. "I'd like to think that I'm a fairly good driver. Why do you ask?"
"Oh. Uh. No reason." Demetri replies.
Jason rolls his eyes. "Whatever. I hope you like loud music!"
"I never said I liked…." Demetri started.
He was cut off by Jason turning on the radio and turning it up.
Jason smiles. "Buckle up! Next stop, Reseda!"
Hawk and Demetri fasten, or buckle, their seatbelts.
Demetri is holding onto the back of the passenger's seat for dear life as Jason accelerates.
Jason drives with the windows down and singing along to the radio.
….
The drive from Encino to Reseda was a relatively short one.
Jason parks the Dodge Viper a short distance away from Miguel's apartment.
He gets out of the car along with Hawk and Demetri.
They walk over to Miguel's apartment and knock on the door.
"Hey guys!" Miguel opens the door and looks out.
Jason smiles. "Hey. You ready to hit the road?"
"Yeah. I'll just tell my mom and my Yaya that I'll be gone for a while first." Miguel replies.
Jason nods. "Cool. I mean, we're not really in any rush, so take all the time you need."
Miguel walks back into his apartment and says goodbye to Carmen and Rosa before walking back out after a few minutes.
He closes the door of his apartment.
"So, what's the plan?" Miguel asks.
Jason grins. "I've got a few ideas. We could probably go get dinner somewhere, see if there's any good parties going and have a kickass New Year's Eve."
"That doesn't have anything to do with that video some guy named Lowell posted? Right?" Demetri asks.
Miguel and Hawk look at each other with quizzical expressions on their faces before looking back to Jason.
Jason sighs. "Brad Lowell was one of my friends in my old high school. Or, at least, I thought he was my friend. Him and some of his actual friends had set up an underground fight club and they needed muscle. Things were going well until we got discovered. Lowell didn't want to get in shit for it because it could have hurt his chances of getting into a good college or whatever. So, I took the blame and got kicked out of my old high school. And they basically wanted nothing to do with me after that. Until Lowell called me out."
"What are you planning to do about it?" Miguel asks.
Jason tilts his head to one side. "Well, he's kind of invited me to a party he's throwing tonight so he can fight me in front of an audience."
"You could just not go to the party. It's not like there's anything he could possibly do to you if you don't go." Demetri interrupts.
Hawk speaks up. "Or he could just keep hounding you. Which means that we don't really have much of a choice."
"I guess that means we're going to that party, right?" Demetri asks.
Jason nods. "Yep."
They agree to go to Lowell's party, even if it was going to be a hostile environment.
And there might be a fight.
They walk over to Jason's car.
Jason unlocks the doors of the Dodge Viper.
Hawk and Demetri get into the back seats of the car and Miguel gets into the passenger seat.
Jason gets into the driver seat and starts the car.
He turns on the radio as he drives off.
Jason, Miguel and Hawk sing along to the song on the radio while Demetri stays relatively silent.
….
Jason parks the Dodge Viper at a gas station, even though the Dodge Viper still has plenty of gas.
He watches as Miguel, Hawk and Demetri get out of the car before getting out of the car himself.
Jason locks the car doors before walking into the gas station along with Miguel, Hawk and Demetri.
They grab snacks and place them on the counter.
The person behind the counter looks them quizzically before scanning everything.
Jason pays for the snacks.
He grabs some of the snacks while Miguel, Hawk and Demetri grab the rest.
They exit the gas station and walk over to where Jason had parked.
Jason unlocks the car and they get in, putting the snacks they got down in front of them.
He starts the Dodge Viper and drives off after turning on the radio.
They eventually come to a stop after parking outside a liquor store.
There's a silence as they eat the snacks that they'd gotten in the gas station which is punctuated by them talking to each other over the sound of the radio.
When they've finished, they get out of the Dodge Viper and go to throw away empty wrappers and whatnot into the trash.
Jason pulls out a fake ID.
"Did you always have a fake ID? And isn't using a fake ID a felony?" Demetri asks.
Jason shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe it is. Maybe it's not. But it shouldn't be an issue."
"And why's that?" Hawk asks.
Jason smiles. "Because I got THIS fake ID from a guy who's really good at making fake IDs. He's like the Rembrandt of fake IDs. Trust me."
"And here I was assuming that you were an uncultured meathead. No offence." Demetri remarks.
Jason laughs. "None taken."
They walk into the liquor store and Jason grabs a twelve pack of beer and Demetri grabs a few sodas.
The cashier looks at Jason's fake ID and hands it back to him without saying anything before scanning the twelve pack of beer and the sodas.
Jason pays for everything and hands the sodas to Demetri. He has the twelve pack of beer under one arm.
They walk back over to the Dodge Viper.
"So, what are we going to do now? Are we going straight to Lowell's party or are we going somewhere to eat first?"
Jason thinks about it. "Lowell's party might not be happening until later tonight. So, it'd probably be a better idea if we got something to eat first. But, first, I think that a toast might be in order."
He opens the twelve pack of beer and takes a beer for himself before Miguel and Hawk take a beer each.
Jason offers a beer to Demetri, but Demetri holds up a soda.
They make a toast before taking a drink.
When they've finished their drinks, they throw out the cans or bottles before getting another drink. Demetri takes another soda and Jason, Miguel and Hawk all take another beer.
They make another toast and eventually finish their drinks before getting back into the Dodge Viper.
Jason hands the twelve pack, or nine pack now, to Miguel before starting the car.
They drive off, looking for somewhere to have the rest of their beers and also looking for somewhere to eat that isn't too crowded.
….
Jason parks the Dodge Viper across from an Applebee's.
They stopped somewhere before then and Jason, Miguel and Hawk finished off the twelve pack of beer while Demetri had another soda.
Jason is the first person out of the car. Him and Miguel have more experience of drinking alcohol so they're steadier on their feet than Hawk is.
They walk into the Applebee's, which is relatively crowded.
It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes for them to get a booth.
Jason and Miguel sit on one side of the booth while Hawk and Demetri sit on the other side of the booth.
They eat mozzarella sticks and talk until they're ready to order.
The quartet all eat together and Jason pays for everything. Because having a wealthy family friend has its benefits.
They walk out and get back into the Dodge Viper.
Jason remembers where Lowell's house was, and he keys in the address on his phone before driving off.
He doesn't turn on the radio.
Miguel, Hawk and Demetri notices that Jason didn't turn on the radio but don't say anything.
….
Jason finds somewhere to park outside of Lowell's house.
Miguel, Hawk and Demetri all look up at Lowell's house with an awestruck expression on their faces.
They snap out of it when Jason walks past them.
"I think the party has already started." Demetri observes.
They see people walking around the house with cups and bottles in their hands.
There are people congregating in almost every corner.
One couple even goes upstairs to another room.
"You're Jason Kreese, right?" One of the guests asks.
Jason nods. "Last time I checked."
"Lowell's looking for you. He's out back." The guest walks off.
Jason sighs. "Of course."
"So, what goes on in the back?" Hawk asks.
Jason turns around. "I guess it's one of the places where Lowell is hosting his little fight club seeing as he can't use my old high school anymore."
"Oh. Guess we'd better get going, huh?" Hawk looks at Jason.
Jason nods. "Yeah."
They walk through the house until they get to the backyard.
There's a circle of people crowded around outside and someone playing music.
The circle of people parts so that they can walk through it.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally showed up. And you've brought some friends." Lowell has a big grin on his face.
The circle closes behind Jason and the others.
Miguel, Hawk and Demetri all take a step back.
Jason walks forward until he is face to face with Lowell. "My friends don't have anything to do with our issues. But I am going to kick your ass in front of my friends and I am going to embarrass you in front of yours. So, this is where you moved the fight club after we got busted? I can't say that I'm too impressed."
"This is one of the places where I moved the fight club, but it doesn't matter. Because I'm going to kick your ass and humiliate you. Your karate faggot inner peace bullshit isn't going to change a damn thing." Lowell smirks.
Jason takes off his leather jacket and his t-shirt. "It's not "inner peace bullshit." It's Cobra Kai."
"I don't give a fuck what it's called. Because I'm going to…" Lowell starts.
Jason headbutts him in the nose, sending him staggering backwards.
He gets into a fighting stance. "You're going to do what? Bore me to death?"
Lowell put his index finger up to his nose and almost looks surprised to find blood.
"Nobody makes me bleed my own blood, Kreese. Especially not you!" Lowell lunges at Jason.
Jason blocks heavy punches and strikes from Lowell before punching him in the face.
He throws a punch, but Lowell blocks it.
Lowell counterpunches and hits him in the ear, sending him backwards.
Jason winces in pain but he doesn't let it bother him apart from that. "Motherfucker. That one actually kind of hurt."
Lowell closes the distance between them and punches him in the stomach before kneeing him in the stomach and punching him in the face and head. There's a brief pause before Lowell grabs Jason by the neck and starts squeezing.
Jason bites down on Lowell's fingers in order to get him to release his grip.
He bites down on Lowell's index and middle fingers so hard that he actually manages to break the skin.
Jason then kicks Lowell in the kneecap which sends him down to one knee.
He then picks up Lowell and throws him into the crowd of people who push him forward, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Is that all you've got?" Lowell picks himself up.
Jason watches as Lowell takes off his own t-shirt and throws it on the ground.
He shakes his head. "That's not "all I've got." But thanks."
They start circling around each other.
People watching have taken out their phones and are recording the fight as it happens.
Lowell goes to punch Jason, who gets out of the way.
Jason aims a kick at Lowell's face, but Lowell catches him by the ankle and throws him to the ground.
"Is that all you got? Huh? You think you're so tough? Well, I just beat you in front of all these people!" Lowell leans over Jason.
Jason aims a kick at Lowell's face and jumps up to his feet. "Don't count me out just yet."
Lowell spits out blood because Jason's kick caused him to bite his tongue.
"You're fucking dead, Kreese!" Lowell charges at Jason.
Jason gets out of the way.
He grabs Lowell by the arm and throws him to the ground.
Jason stamps his foot on Lowell's head a few times before Lowell gets out of the way and gets back up to his feet.
Lowell goes for a punch and catches Jason on the chin.
Jason is staggered momentarily but recovers.
He gets out of the way when Lowell tries to kick him.
Jason kicks Lowell in the side of the head before dropping down and kicking Lowell's legs out from underneath him.
Lowell lands awkwardly and lets out a pained grunt.
Jason grabs Lowell and puts him in an arm bar.
He tightens his grip and contemplates breaking the arm. "What's it going to be? Are you going to stop? Or do you want to keep going?"
"Fuck you, Kreese." Lowell snarls.
Jason decides to release the hold. "You're not worth it."
He stands up and walks over to where his t-shirt and jacket are.
Jason puts his t-shirt back on and puts his jacket back on.
"This isn't over! You hear me?!" Lowell gets up and tries to grab Jason.
Jason turns around and punches him right in the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground.
He smiles slightly. "Now it's over."
"So, are we sticking around or are we getting out of here?" Miguel asks.
Jason grins. "I think I've proved my point. And I think this might be our cue to leave."
"Good plan. We've probably worn out our welcome already." Demetri interjects.
The crowd of people who watched Jason's fight with Lowell disperse.
Jason, Miguel, Hawk and Demetri walk back through the house and over to the Dodge Viper.
He unlocks the car and Miguel gets in the passenger seat while Hawk and Demetri get in the back seats.
Jason gets into the driver's seat and starts the Dodge Viper.
He turns on the radio as they drive off into the night.
They still had time to find somewhere to ring in the New Year.
Fortunately, Jason knew exactly where to go.