Cruel Summer

by Vaporwave Fan01

Tensions grow between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai karate, as John Kreese, Daniel LaRusso, and Johnny Lawrence are Senseis once more. There isn't enough room for two dojos in the Valley, let alone a third. The third book of the series of Defeat Does Not Exist.

14. Back to School

Chapter Fourteen: Back to School

…

"We do not train to be merciful here! Mercy is for the weak!" barked Kreese in the Lankershim dojo. "Here! In the street! In competition! A man confronts you, he is the enemy! And the enemy deserves No Mercy!"

He continued. "Defeat! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

Sixteen Cobra Kais all were kneeling on their shins on the mat and yelled together. "No Sensei!" they roared so loudly people walking by on the street could hear them.

"Pain! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

"No Sensei!"

"Fear! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

"No Sensei!"

"Defeat! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

"No Sensei!"

"Pain! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

"No Sensei!"

"Fear! Does not exist in this dojo! Does it!?"

"No Sensei!"

"Ready stance to bow out. Ais!"

The class knelt their heads forward to bow to the dojo. Then the class bowed their heads to Kreese to respect him as their Sensei and he merely nodded his head deeply with a strong bow as well.

"Ais!"

The class leapt up instantly from their shins with a collective slipping sound between their uniform and the mat. All of them made a follow up snapping sound with their GIs from how strongly they stood in ready or Junbi stance.

Kreese began to pace around his class, speaking.

"You study more than karate here. You study to become the best version of yourself. One with discipline, skill, respect, strength-"

"Honor," said Daniel as Miyagi-Do all stood and listened, doing light kata as he spoke to them. "Character. The moment you fight with hate in your heart. You lose. And that's because-"

"Mercy is for the weak!" said Kreese, looking past Lucas who was now ranked at Cho Dan Bo, a midnight purple or dark brown belt only half a year away from his black belt test. "And your greatest enemies are always-"

"Yourselves." Johnny said to Steel Eagle Karate in his dojo in a strip mall in Reseda. "Because to be an Eagle you gotta be tough. You always have to be tougher than yourself the day before. Always improving always-"

"In balance." said Daniel as Sam and Miguel did kata next to him alongside Demetri and the rest of his class. "Let the bullies of Cobra Kai sneer. Do whatever they can to you. That's when you don't give in to anger. To violence. To what they want. Because fights-"

"Are exactly how you win! How you beat bullies!" shouted Johnny, not seeing the face his son made. Robby continued to frown as Johnny went on. "They don't want you to fight back. They're not expecting it. They think they're on top of the town. That they're better than you. Because-"

"You simply are," Kreese said quietly. "You are all Cobra Kai."

Hawk smiled and nodded silently as Kreese continued to pace around the class wearing mostly green belts and blue belts with lines with a few orange and yellow belts.

"You know yourselves. You know the skill and technique your karate gives you. More importantly. You are not weak. You are not afraid of your own abilities, of what you can accomplish as a team." said Kreese. "Their karate isn't just different. It's wrong."

Tory, Lucas, Shawn, Piper, and all the other Cobra Kais blinked standing in ready stance, listening attentively as Kreese continued.

"We include Miyagi-Do in small parts of our training as a means to an end," he said. "To improve all of you. Make you all better. The best. I will not accept anything but your best. Because in a real fight, neither will your enemies unless you want them to injure you."

"Accidents on the battlefield mean injuries. Possibly irreversible ones." Kreese said in his Cobra Kai Sensei uniform. "Always strike first. Do not give your opponents the ability to attack you first, you always make the first move. We do this because-"

"It's badass!" said Johnny to his students. "You don't wait around like a pussy waiting for the other guy to attack. I don't know what LaRusso teaches. But it sure ain't real karate hoping you're quick enough to counter everything. Because in life it doesn't work like that. You fight to be tough, to show your toughness. So assholes like those over at Cobra Kai, know not to mess with you."

"When you give in to violence. You've already lost." Daniel said walking past Chris and Demetri who kept doing kata like the rest of the class. "Karate is for defense only. And these lessons shape you into the most balanced version of yourself. These lessons are all about improving your character and are about-"

"Showing no weakness," Kreese said looking at his class, from Shawn, to Doug, to Mia, Big Red, Edwin, Dieter, and then Mikey. "Weakness is unacceptable. Losing. Is unacceptable. None of you have lost a real challenge, through either wit or courage, skill or strength. You've proven yourselves. When you see your enemies at your school very soon. They will be expecting you to make the first move. Do what you must, it's all up to you."

Kreese nodded. "But like I always say. Fight smart! Is that understood!?"

Tory barked with the rest of the class. "Yes Sensei!"

Kreese smiled.

Johnny spoke. "Be badass! But be better people than the asswipes calling themselves Cobra Kai. They aren't badass mind you. They're bad people! But be tough! Always be aggressive. Is that understood!?"

Steel Eagle Karate all barked in unison. "Yes Sensei!" Robby said with Dirk, Bert, Charlotte, and Aisha.

Daniel looked out over Miyagi-Do, proud after an entire summer of teaching them his karate.

…

West Valley High School's first day back began at 8 AM sharp.

Those with zero period started their classes early but spoke to far less people.

Cobra Kai wasn't leaning on their motorcycles and speaking to each other like they used to every day.

For the first day of their junior year, Lucas and Hawk decided to catch up with everyone they hadn't seen over summer break.

"Did you catch the new Deadpool movie? Great film."

Lucas smiled at what the fellow West Valley student said. "I mean it was alright."

Everyone greeted Lucas quickly when they say him, he was well known by almost all at West Valley High.

He closed his locker and could see Yasmine speaking to Sam, and Moon and another cheerleader.

Lucas turned and put his backpack over his shoulder. "I gotta go," he said as the other West Valley student nodded.

Hawk smiled as he walked up to Lucas' side. "What's your first class?"

"Nowinski. Chem."

"Good luck. Hear that class is tough man."

Hawk and Lucas walked past Miguel and Demetri.

A pair of glances were exchanged and both pairs of boys kept walking.

"Your best friend joined Miyagi-Do."

Hawk frowned. "Hasn't been my best friend for a while. How are we gonna get them today?"

"We don't. There's a principle in Miyagi-Do called No Be There."

"Don't you mean. Don't be there?"

Lucas smiled as they continued walking down the hall. "It basically just means dodge your opponent by just moving to a different angle when he attacks. Already being out of the way before you're struck. This applies here."

"How?" asked Hawk.

"You don't attack when your opponent is heavily expecting it."

"That leaves you open to being attacked."

"Unless you're expecting it."

Hawk scoffed. "That's letting them strike first. You don't wait for the enemy to attack."

"Oh my god." chuckled Lucas. "We're literally at school. This isn't a battlefield. Sensei Kreese told us it's up to us if we even need to do anything."

Hawk nodded slowly. "You do know Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do better than anyone except for maybe the Senseis."

"Or Sam LaRusso in a way."

Hawk frowned quietly.

"Still haven't been able to talk to her huh?" asked Lucas.

"She wants nothing to do with me. I might've said something that was outta line."

"Remember. No Mercy man."

The bell rang for the first class after summer break in months.

…

I kept making quick glances over at the intercom every few minutes during our first Chem lab.

It was a safety quiz mostly based on the syllabus, and it was hard to focus with the nagging thought that Tory could be heard at any moment threatening to assault Miyagi-Do or Moon.

If she had seen Moon and I together during the party, which was extremely unlikely as she was nowhere near the upstairs part of Moon's house a few days ago, would Tory attack her?

Tory seemed to nod to me during the time I addressed the party and dismissed Demetri's accusations out of respect it seemed. But I didn't know yet.

I quickly aced the Chemistry quiz as the teacher graded it on the spot and handed it back and then first period was over.

No Tory yelling 'I'm coming for you bitch!' over the intercom, Miguel and Robby weren't sprinting down the hallways to find out what was going on.

Everything felt oddly calm.

I had second period PE almost everyone from Miyagi-Do and Steel Eagle, as well as my dojo, but nothing happened since it was an introductory day and we just talked and sat on the bleachers and did nothing else. Again, nothing happened.

It was a rather relaxed day, in my third and fourth period classes as well.

Then it was lunch, and I had started to get so anxious about what was gonna happen I had an idea.

I must've placed Miyagi-Do and Steel Eagle under the impression I had told everyone to back off. Or my plan to tell Hawk not striking was the best idea when it was a double bluff to in fact strike.

He likely either passed the message along to the rest of the squad, and everyone had an awkwardly calm first day back for our junior year of high school too.

Miguel Diaz had the right to defend what was his, Miyagi-Do, and his new girlfriend from Tory spray painting her car. But I had the right to defend Cobra Kai as well, and the best defense was being on offense in some cases.

He had slandered me with no chance to defend myself. Repeatedly.

…

Sam and Miguel were in line waiting to get food from the cafeteria servers.

"So where do you want to sit?"

"Um. With Yas and Moon I guess. Everyone at the dojo said they didn't mind sitting with the Eagles today."

"Really. Isn't that a bit surprising," said Miguel. "All our friends from Miyagi-Do with the Eagles. And we sit with just the cheerleaders."

Sam smiled. "We could sit alone. As a couple."

"That does sound like a pretty awesome idea too," admitted Miguel. He saw the way Sam glanced at the food on Miguel's lunch tray. "Not one for cafeteria food?"

"No. Just. No," Sam said.

"Hey guys. Hey Miguel." one of Yasmine's friends on the cheer team Moon sat with too said.

Before anyone realized it, Lucas Schwarber had slipped a plastic bowl of macaroni and cheese on Miguel's seat as he sat down.

Smiling, Lucas put his hands on his hips as Shawn Payne could be heard laughing most of all as the table of Cobra Kais including Mikey, Edwin, Doug Rickenberger, and Hawk all laughed at as loudly as they could.

Moon laughed in surprise, unsure what to think as Yasmine found it hilarious but hid it mostly.

"Moron!" shouted Sam.

Lucas smiled at Miguel and spoke. "Sorry, should've taken it off the bench. Should watch where you're sitting, likely your only pair of pants right?"

Miguel picked up the macaroni glaring at Lucas strongly.

Lucas shook his head. "Man, don't even think about it," he warned.

As Miguel tried to slide the bowl down his shirt, Lucas smacked the bowl out of Miguel's hand as he reached forward.

The macaroni went flying and then the bowl struck her head and fell all over Yasmine's face.

She gasped loudly and then the entire cafeteria began to laugh loudly. Aisha had already been recording it on her phone and soon Charlotte moved her phone next to hers and they both started to laugh even louder.

Lucas frowned, stunned. "Damn," he muttered. "Yas-!"

She ran off with her friend on the cheerleading squad helping her to the bathroom, a hand over her shoulder.

"Hope you're happy." Miguel quickly tied his jacket around his waist to cover the macaroni stain on his jeans. He nudged Lucas strongly out of the way walking out of the cafeteria as well.

Sam glared at Lucas too as she walked past and Lucas looked over to his table of Cobra Kais.

Tory smiled and nodded as Hawk raised an 'okay' symbol with his right hand.

"My man," Doug said quietly.

Lucas glanced silently at Moon before walking out of the cafeteria too.

…

Moon walked around for a bit before finding Lucas standing in a secluded corridor between hallways.

"Are you alright?" asked Moon.

Lucas shook his head.

"What was that. Why'd you do that?"

"Trying to strike first," Lucas muttered.

Moon scoffed. "Why?"

"He calls me evil," Lucas said to Moon silently. "He hates me Moon. It's not fair and I have to show him that."

"Then let him. Don't give him a reason to," said Moon. "You are not hateful Luke I keep saying that. You're happy."

"Look everyone all day has been tense as all hell waiting for something to happen. I kinda just. Let it unwind."

"Let it unwind in other ways." Moon said walking forward to hold Lucas by his shoulder. "Find peace with them. You don't always have to act tough."

"They're not innocent in this Moon."

"No one said they are, after talking to you I realize now things aren't black and white. But I don't want you to escalate this more, it's clearly not healthy for you."

Lucas nodded as he frowned. "Thanks."

"Don't get so down. You're trying to protect your friends too."

"I just don't know what to do about this. Things have been tense all day. Everyone's glaring at each other and muttering. I just." he sighed, and stopped talking.

"You'll be fine," Moon said kindly. "Just let things go."

Lucas looked at her. "Thanks."

"I'll always help, with stuff like this or otherwise. I know you'd do the same for me."

Lucas nodded, smiling. "I would."

Moon glanced around the hallway and walked off with a small wave to Lucas as she left.

He began to drink from a nearby water fountain before Yasmine and her friend from the cheerleading team were walking down the hallway together. She quickly saw Lucas and muttered to Yasmine before she left.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Sorry about that. Total accident."

"Moon um. Helped me get all the cheese and macaroni out of my hair. Nothing to worry about." Yasmine smiled. "I've done uncool things that were accidents too. Again. Don't worry about it."

"Like what?"

"Before I left. I um." Yasmine spoke quietly. "Started making out with you at the country club. And that got one of your friends from your karate place all mad and she had food dumped all over her on accident."

Lucas nodded. "Got it."

Yasmine sighed. "Can't say I didn't miss you this summer."

"Can't say I didn't miss you either," Lucas said quickly.

"How much did you miss me?"

Lucas cleared his throat again. "Um. I'd say. A reasonable amount."

"How reasonable?"

"As reasonably as someone can miss a person they liked."

"The last time I said this nothing happened. No dates, nothing. But I really do mean it this time." said Yasmine. "Can we try. Going out. Again?"

"Let me see first."

"See what?"

"See if a date could work. See if we work."

Lucas took a tiny step toward Yasmine and she mostly froze. Yasmine didn't move at all when Lucas held her chin lightly and kissed her tightly. It took Yasmine a small moment to wrap Lucas quickly in her arms and begin to kiss him in return.

They began to make out in the hallway next to a West Valley High poster.

Nearby down the hall, Chris and Demetri were speaking.

"So wait. You're hoping a girl totally outta your league will see you as the knight in shining armor or somethin'. Cause you were there for her when she got cheese splattered all over her."

"That's the only way guys like us end up with girls like that." Demetri sighed. "Guys like Schwarber just like, he's the worst. He wasn't even into her when I was first. So-"

They stopped, seeing Lucas and Yasmine kissing in the secluded and slightly darker hallway nearby.

Demetri shook his head, turning around and fixing his blue shirt of the Periodic table. "Ridiculous."

"Hey 'met man wait up," said Chris.

About two minutes later Lucas and Yasmine stopped.

Lucas watched Yasmine stare at him silently as he was completely calm too. "Would you say that worked?" he asked.

Yasmine laughed quietly. "Yeah." she said breathily.

"I'll hit you up then. Or you can hit me up. Whatever works," Lucas said as Yasmine fixed her hair and he nonchalantly took a quick glance down both ways of the empty hallway between the classrooms and left.

Yasmine was surprised by how quickly Lucas had talked to her, kissed her and left.

Still, she smiled, looking after Lucas as he walked away.

…

The next day at West Valley, Yasmine walked into her first period class a little surprised.

Everyone seemed to stare at her almost.

Then, Yasmine sat down and she heard someone say. "Hey yo, it's the cheese queen."

"Macaroni Bukkake ass." one West Valley student muttered before several others began to laugh.

Yasmine was utterly confused and embarrassed and then she noticed Charlotte and Aisha laughing over something on Aisha's phone.

Yasmine stormed out of her seat towards Aisha. "What's going on?"

"Oh I just took a video of course." Aisha said. "I knew Luke and Miguel might've started to throw down. And the next thing I knew you went viral."

Yasmine watched as Aisha had caught on camera just how embarrassing it was for Lucas to accidentally throw macaroni all over her.

"It definitely tops your spaghetti shot at the country club from two years back." Charlotte said.

Aisha and Charlotte laughed together and Yasmine crossed her arms and looked at her. "So you call me the cheese queen huh?"

"Better than the names you gave me. Wanted you to see what it was like when the shoe was finally on the other foot."

"Well you wouldn't know. I mean, about sex in general to make jokes about it." Aisha was confused and Yasmine went on. "Guys want nothing to do with you. Or you either correct?" Yasmine turned towards Charlotte for a moment and immediately back towards Aisha. "They don't go near you though Robinson with a ten foot pole. Or am I incorrect?"

The smiles on the faces of those laughing at Yasmine quickly vanished.

"I'm a karate champ." Aisha said strongly.

"Right. Definitely got the right body type for it." joked Yasmine walking back towards her desk.

"Oho hooo." one student in Yasmine's class said as the teacher walked in and Aisha couldn't move from her desk.

…

Later that day, Yasmine walked up to Lucas at his locker with the other Cobras.

"You have to do something." Yasmine said quickly.

"About what?"

"Don't act like you haven't heard." said Yasmine angrily.

Lucas said nothing as Shawn chuckled. "Oh yeah. We heard." he said as Hawk nudged him strongly, and Doug and Mikey both stopped laughing quickly too.

Lucas sighed. "I can't go near Aisha. She's a girl. Plus I don't think fighting is the first answer."

"Come up with something."

Hawk smiled. "Look after all the shit you pulled. You definitely deserve a taste of your own medicine." Hawk shrugged. "It's not like you only made fun of Aisha."

"I barely made fun of her for a semester before Luke stopped me. Don't you all remember?" asked Yasmine.

Lucas sighed. "You're right. I'll think of something."

Yasmine nodded walking off briskly. "Thank you."

Shawn leaned on Lucas' shoulder looking off after Yasmine. "Man these girls are just straight up nasty. This cheese stuff has me thinking. Have you ever actually. You know. On her face or something?"

Lucas was instantly angry enough to almost hit his friends. "What the- Payne! That's disgusting get outta here!" the Cobras all laughed as Lucas grabbed Shawn by his face and shoved him away, all of them laughing except for Lucas.

…

In Smitty's diner, Sam, Aisha, and Charlotte caught up after a Thursday and a Friday back to school.

"Can't say Yas doesn't deserve to get put in her spot for once," Sam said. "But she did change for a while Aisha."

Aisha scoffed. "Please. If it takes someone splattering food over you. Twice? To get the message, you messed up."

"Did she ever actually say she was sorry?" wondered Charlotte, eating from a basket of fries.

"No. And she hasn't changed either." Aisha said. "She called me fat and stuff and said guys want nothing to do with me."

"She didn't," Sam said.

"She did!" Aisha's eyes widened.

Charlotte sipped from a glass of water through a straw. "I mean. You did kinda make an innuendo of Lucas kinda. Doing. Gross stuff to her after the cheese splatter thing, might start the wrong rumors. Yas was bad, I'll admit it. But I think you took the aggression too far Aisha. It's not like you."

Aisha looked toward Charlotte. "It's not like I started kicking her ass. Like Sensei taught us! I did no worse than she did."

"Oh no." Sam looked aside.

"What?" asked Aisha.

"Shit." Charlotte gritted her teeth.

Tory, Mia, and Sarah were all walking towards the diner very quickly.

They entered the diner and Aisha was looking directly at Tory.

"Can I help you?" asked Aisha.

"Take it down. Now." Tory said. "Or we take you down."

Sam looked at Tory up and down as Aisha sighed. "I can't take it down. It went viral. Not my fault Yasmine's popular only when she's covered in shit."

Sam and Charlotte had to hide their laughter as best they could.

"Then apologize for putting it up." Sarah walked forward but Tory held her back. "We will kick your ass!"

"Explain to me how Yas managed to convince you three to show up and threaten us." Sam said.

Aisha smiled. "Let me guess. Luke." Tory frowned, grinding her teeth for a moment while looking aside as Aisha spoke. "Isn't that a little degrading? A guy snaps his fingers and you go running to do his dirty work to protect. His girl?"

Aisha began to chuckle. "You're such a simp for him it's actually sad."

"And. Who's a simp for you?" asked Tory bitterly. "That's right no one. No one wants anything to do with you three." Tory eyed Sam. "Except Mr. Runner Up."

Sam looked so angry over the comment about Miguel she had to turn away from looking at Tory to not react.

"You know Yas made that same joke," Aisha said quietly. "You don't scare me Nichols. What about you Sam, does she scare you?"

The other girls in the booth with Aisha shook their heads.

"Uh uh," Sam said.

"Char?" wondered Aisha.

"No way," Charlotte muttered.

Tory chuckled. "You have fifteen seconds before I pummel you Robinson. Same goes for you LaRusso, and you Everston." Mia nodded after Tory's statement, cracking her knuckles.

"Well if it's gonna be like that." Aisha moved out of her booth and Sam and Charlotte instantly joined her.

Tory looked at Aisha up and down. "Come on you tub of lard. Prove how shitty that Eagle stuff is."

"Let's go make a move," Aisha said.

Sam spoke angrily to Sarah. "Basketball freak."

"You call that an insult bitch? Come on let's see what you got." Sarah said quickly standing on Tory's right.

A man who clearly the manager of the diner spoke. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you ladies to leave."

"You call the cops I'll break your goddamn wrist." Tory pointed to him without even looking at him, keeping her eyes directly on Aisha.

"These stupid karate people." the manager reached for his phone and Sarah spoke.

"Wait!"

Mia and Tory looked at her, the manager stopped dialing the police.

Sarah sighed, muttering to Tory. "The guys use this place all the time after practice to eat and stuff. Luke even gets free milkshakes from this place."

"So?" asked Tory.

"They'll never let him or any Cobra Kais near here again. Sensei always says. Fight smart." Sarah walked forward and spoke quietly to Sam so she and the other four girls with them were the only ones who heard her. "The old junkyard off seventh. Twenty minutes. Unless you don't have the guts to fight."

"Oh we do." Sam said quietly.

"See you there then." said Tory, turning around.

"Hey!" the manager of Smitty's Diner said to Tory. "You're banned."

"Shitty place anyway. Can't believe you sponsor our top student." Tory scoffed.

The Cobra Kai girls all left, leaving Aisha, Sam, and Charlotte to speak to each other.

"We're not. Actually going to fight them right?'

From the look on Aisha's face and Sam's, neither of them were going to refuse Tory's challenge.

"Guys?" asked Charlotte.

…

Sam sat on a stack of ruined tires next to where Aisha was sitting.

All three girls were nervous out of their minds for challenging Cobra Kai to a brawl but didn't show it.

"Hey where are your glasses?" asked Sam.

"I got contact lenses. I know how easy it is for glasses to get broken or removed from my face during a fight." Aisha said a bit sadly. "But I am glad though."

Sam was surprised. "What? Glad about what?"

"I'm glad our first fight will be together. After the tournament, I know things were awkward between us. Glad we're on the right track."

Sam smiled to Aisha. "We always were."

"Thanks." Aisha laughed.

"Um," Sam said. "You didn't. Really hate Yasmine do you?"

"Sort of."

"What did she do?"

Aisha sighed. "She'd get people to DM me anonymously with death threats and all sorts of insults."

"Oh my god." Sam was shocked.

"It was only for a few weeks and. I don't think she was responsible for all of it but it was definitely uncool."

"Wow." Sam scoffed. "No wonder people like her and Tory and Luke and all of them. Just. Combine."

Aisha's hand balled into a fist. "I want to tear Tory's hair out. I am sick to death. Of people just. Calling me ugly. And saying guys don't like me."

"You don't deserve that. Everyone. At Cobra Kai is worse than a bully. They are just, evil. That simple." said Sam.

"I'm gonna kick Tory's ass tonight." Aisha sighed looking up at the night's sky for a second and then at Sam. "Then. No one will bother any of us. And this will all be over."

"Then the guys have to figure it all out. I can't tell you how badly Miguel wants to get Luke back for beating him three times in a row. The tournament, Coyote Creek, and Moon's party."

The headlights of Mia's car appeared.

Quickly, the Cobra Kais all got out.

"You bitches ready to do this?" Tory started walking quickly towards Aisha, both her and Sam jumped off the small stack of tires and Charlotte quickly formed up behind Aisha.

"Yeah let's go!" roared Aisha.

There was no hesitation from any of the six girls as they began to brawl in the junkyard. No hesitation in how hard they started to fight.

…

OST: From Shadows - Jeff and Casey Williams

"Intruder Identify Yourself"

…

Tory got a running start to leap into the air and throw a round kick from mid air right at Aisha's face.

Aisha easily dodged and then started to trade punches with Tory the second she landed back on her feet.

Neither landed until a sharp jab from Aisha hit Tory straight in the nose and Tory started to circle her after staggering back. Tory soon realized her advantage in athleticism meant nothing compared to how much skill in her karate Aisha had.

Her range, her speed, her strength, Aisha had no trouble fighting Tory at all from mid or long range.

Aisha checked Tory's front kick so hard she went reeling back holding her foot and then Aisha brutally punched her in the nose and then checked her in the jaw with her elbow.

Tory dropped and Aisha pointed down to her. "That's right get taught!"

Wiping the blood off her nose, Tory spun into a leg sweep knowing Aisha would dodge and then simultaneously dodged and attacked by spinning upwards using the momentum of the missed sweep to smack Aisha right in the head.

Tory had pulled off a flying tornado kick with ease and Aisha was knocked right back onto a grey ruined junkyard car from how strongly it landed on her head.

The entire car seemed to ring metallically as Aisha dodged and Tory's front kick hit the door of the car.

Aisha blocked a jab punch and moved back as Tory grinned. "Goddamn! Traitor. You're dead. You're deeaaad!"

Tory ran forward knowing she'd get countered and managed to headbutt Aisha in the nose at close range. Tory punched Aisha twice as she covered up, once to get her to stumble back and a second time to pierce her guard and hit her in the jaw.

Aisha staggered and then Tory hit her in the chest with a front kick. Aisha sprawled back over another ruined car behind her, and Tory punched her so hard in the face she turned back and some blood flew out of her mouth. Aisha recovered within a few blocks and swept Tory's leg countering a round kick in time.

Tory landed hard on the ground and Tory was unable to block in time as Aisha jumped directly onto her ribs using all of her weight and momentum onto her knees.

Tory roared in pain, smashing a wooden box nearby in fury from how hard she felt Aisha hit her.

"That's right get up!" roared Aisha at the top of her lungs as Tory reeled on the ground.

Tory yelled at the top of her lungs running forward to grab Aisha and start to knee her in the chest.

Sam quickly realized the importance of size in a fight.

Sarah had nowhere nearly as much experience in karate, but the entire summer of Cobra Kai basics and specific counters to Miyagi-Do Kreese and Lucas created made her a weapon.

A weapon Sam was amazed she had to struggle against.

Sarah knew spectacularly how well to throw a jab, she moved around using her range, forcing Sam to stay away unless she wanted to get caught.

On one attempt to close the distance, Sam learned the hard way to not leave her hands down and Sarah dropped her with one hard jab with her front hand directly to the nose.

Sarah grabbed Sam by her hair, dragged her along, and with strong upper body strength threw her against a ruined car in the junkyard.

Sam groaned and Sarah laughed. "Keep up LaRusso come on!"

Sam managed to catch Sarah's leg in time and then elbowed her in the ribs, making her stagger back.

At close range Sam was faster as she struck first, throwing multiple knees, punches, and kicks directly to Sarah's midsection.

She failed to block most of them in time and Sam panted, wiping the blood off her face as Sarah clutched her chest, wincing and gasping for breath.

Sam balled her fists again, staying in her stance. Then she roared as she ran forward to attack. Sam ran forward to attack her again but Sarah grappled her at close range and easily took her to the ground.

There, Sarah utterly dominated Sam. She punched her repeatedly in the face until Charlotte managed to quickly knock down Mia for a moment and throw Sarah off Sam.

Sam was given a chance to breathe as Charlotte yelled. "Get up LaRusso we gotta keep going!"

Charlotte barely blocked Mia's punch in time to grab her and then throw her away. Charlotte threw her hands towards herself to egg Mia on and then was instantly caught with a sidekick to the kidneys.

Charlotte flew back, golden hair flying about before Mia ran forward to try to beat her up on the ground.

Charlotte managed to stick her foot out and kick Mia in the shin as she ran forward, making her stumble forward and land hard directly on her face.

Mia groaned on the ground and Charlotte forgot she was fighting her enemy.

She saw her friend, her old sparring partner from the dojo sprawled out, dizzy.

Charlotte offered a hand up, one that Mia accepted but then spoke angrily.

"No mercy." she said as she punched Charlotte as hard as she could in the face.

Charlotte reeled back strongly and then Mia tackled her to the ground of the junkyard.

Sam ignored the multiple bruises all over her face and brutally began to strike Sarah.

Sarah was strong and had good technique, but heavily outmatched in speed when Sam managed to close the distance between them with strong kicks to the legs and midsection.

Sam battered down Sarah's reverse punch with her right hand and used the opening she created to instantly snap her fist forward and twist it right back as hard as she could like a spring coil before Sarah could do anything else.

Knowing she was dazed, Sam ignored Sarah's wild front kick and then knocked her onto the ground in one blow.

She threw her elbow upwards and then cracked Sarah's nose as hard as she could.

Sarah fell and Sam didn't waste a second, she kicked Sarah in the chest.

She went spinning back and Sarah grunted on the ground in pain.

"That all you got?" asked Sam. "Getting how stupid it was to fight us!?"

Sarah ignored how likely broken her nose was and Sam was stunned silently when she gripped her own nose and ignored how much pain in her face she must've felt.

Sarah ignored her own blood on her sleeves and glared directly at Sam. "Pain. Does not exist."

Sam was almost too shocked to do anything when Sarah came running forward and Sam managed to trip her and throw her to the ground.

On the dirt of the junkyard ground, Sam started to beat Sarah in the chest and face too frightened to trust Sarah wouldn't do the same to her unless she ended the fight for her own safety.

Sarah had enough grappling technique to quickly throw Sam off her and then the two continued to punch each other, and kick each other in the legs, chest, and head, as hard as they could.

Eventually, Sam won out when Sarah was quickly knocked out cold when catching a round kick to the head when Sam moved back and countered Sarah as she rushed forward throwing multiple punches to the face.

Sarah spun back and hit her head for the final time on the door of one of the flattened cars in a tall stack nearby in the junkyard.

She hit the ground with her eyes closed.

Aisha and Tory had almost beaten the daylights out of each other repeatedly as well, but Tory got the upper hand one time too many and Aisha had to quit after it was possible Tory broke a rib with multiple punches and knees directly to the liver.

Aisha was yelling in pain unable to push Tory away from her before Sam shoved her away.

"Enough!" yelled Sam. "Stop it!"

Tory raised her hands and so did Sam to start fighting again, but Tory then saw Sarah laying on the ground, beaten.

Tory now looked at Sam with a look of utter fury and Tory walked directly into a punch that sent her spinning back and then she recovered and back kicked Sam in the chest to give her enough time to run to Sarah's side.

Sam was about to chase after her when she quickly realized the shape her legs, face, and body were in.

She was completely unable to walk very well, let alone fight Tory.

Tory tapped Sarah's face. "Gold." Tory panted. "Gold, Goldstein. You alright?"

Mia elbowed Charlotte in the eye and knocked her to the ground with a round kick to the chest, completely knocking the wind out of her.

Charlotte rolled around on the ground, yelling into her sleeve unable to breathe very well for a moment. There was nothing that made her angrier than seeing Mia walk away muttering. "Don't test Cobra Kai again."

…

Aisha winced, holding her chest as Sam slung an arm over her shoulder. "I'm fine, rib's fine. Not broken. Not broken don't worry."

Sam limped over to Charlotte. "You okay?"

She winced, now backing up to lean against Sam's car. "I. I'm fine. I just." she groaned. "Got hit real hard, center of my chest."

Charlotte quickly was able to gain her breath back and then stood up to let Aisha sling her arms around both her and Sam.

Sarah was still out cold and Mia and Tory laid her in the back of Mia's car.

"My foot's messed up." said Mia. "Real bad."

Tory sighed. "Give 'em."

Mia tossed her car keys to Tory and she opened the driver's side door to Mia's car.

Sam limped forward. "Hope you realize this was a bad idea. This won't happen again, but we'll stop you. You and the bullying and how awful you all are."

"Oh this won't happen again I agree." Tory glared at Sam, both girls with cuts and several bruises all over their faces, legs, and chests. "Because you'll be the ones knocked out cold next time."

Tory closed the door to Mia's car and drove off.

…

I closed my textbook on Korean. I was glad West Valley was a wealthy enough school to include Korean classes for electives instead of just Spanish and French.

I thought about taking Spanish, but I did already know it fluently in my previous life and that carried over with everything else.

My previous life. A casual Friday night wasn't filled with karate, not like this kind of karate at least. The one I knew.

I heard the doorbell ring and Donnie Junior started to bark loudly.

"Oustide boy. Now."

He quickly smiled and panted, wagging his tail outside. Whoever was at the door he clearly knew already.

I opened the door to see Mia White, Tory, and Sarah all looking like a train had flattened them and Sarah was being propped up by both Mia and Tory, her arms slung over both of their shoulders.

Sarah's eyes were barely open. She did not look right.

"Are your grandparents home?" Tory asked with a bloody lip and several open cuts and bruises on her face.

"Luckily for us. They're not." I said. "Upstairs. Now."

…

I used my grandpa's study, it was a mini medical practice in the eighties so it had a patient's table, some equipment, medical textbooks, everything.

"L-Luke what do we do?" Mia asked.

I cycled through all the stuff I could find in the room next to my grandfather's office. "I want you all to listen to me very careful. Lay Goldstein down on the table."

"Luke we're messed up too." Tory said.

"I know. She has to go first. This is serious."

Mia watched as I found the smelling salts in a plastic bin on a shelf. "Since when are you a doctor?" asked Mia.

"I'm not. Just read a few of my grandparent's books when I'm bored sometimes."

I used the strongest smelling salts I could find, broke them open and waved them beneath Sarah's nose.

She coughed and looked around. I spoke to her. "Hey. How many fingers? Sarah, how many fingers?"

"Uh. Four?"

I nodded. "Okay. Can you tell us who we are?"

"Nichols. Schwarber. We." Sarah winced. "We do karate together."

"That's good enough. Okay, this part's not going to be fun. Sarah, I'm gonna need you to take your shirt off for us to clean your wounds."

Tory looked pale. "Luke-"

"I'm not messing around here. Do you think that right now." I almost lost my temper but still made myself clear. "I'm trying something like that?"

Sarah leaned back and nodded. "Just get it off." she gasped quietly in pain when she leaned back.

Tory and Mia helped remove Sarah's jacket and shirt.

She was not okay either from the waist up, she was very hurt.

"I can't believe." I said quietly. "Who did this to her?" she had more bruises than I could count.

"LaRusso," Tory said.

"Doesn't sound like Miyagi-Do to do this kind of damage. You three attacked them I bet." I sighed. "You three. You three just. Wow." I did what I could.

Sarah luckily only had a few open cuts on her face after I was done with her entire midsection.

I cleaned them all as fast as I could. It was something my grandfather taught me in case I got hurt doing sports the summer I arrived in LA two years back.

He said 'A Mills must always be a doctor.'

"You couldn't go to a normal hospital?" I asked, finishing my work on Sarah's wounds.

"Not without alerting the police," muttered Tory as both her and Mia had found towels and bandages to try to contain the bits of bleeding from their face. "I knew your grandparents would be able to help maybe."

"Fair assessment. Nichols. Sit down right here. Now. White, hand me that box over there. Yup, that one." I said as Mia handed it to me.

I sat down in front of Tory and tried to stitch what I could, a needle would've been too painful without any anesthetic, all I did was try to close the cuts with lighter material I found. It would hurt just be temporary for now and not hurt as much.

None of the three girls had trouble breathing, or pain when breathing. Something my grandfather, an actual doctor, retired doctor but still a doctor, told me was a sign of a broken rib.

This luckily was not the case.

Tory was tough as nails, I used ointments made with pretty painful chemicals, medical swabs and special bandages and she barely winced. Someone had really done a number on beating her up from the shoulders up, knowing Tory, she definitely returned the favor for whoever it was.

There was no time to reprimand them, no time to ask for the details of what happened. How three, admittedly very attractive girls looked like they had survived a bear attack.

All in all, I was successful in piecing Tory's face back together.

Mia was last and she was hurt the least, that's why unfortunately she had to go last.

It only took five minutes to finish up.

Tory nodded. "Thanks. We gotta go." she stood up limping towards the door and I spoke.

"Sit back down," I said.

"Luke-"

"Sit down!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Sensei Kreese and I had developed a kiai loud enough to shake the roof of the All Valley tournament, they did not hesitate.

I looked out over the three of them.

"Not the time for a lecture Lucas." Tory said quietly. "Can't fault us for defending the dojo."

I already knew what happened.

"You were supposed to make peace."

"What did you think would happen when you sent us three?"

"You already knew Charlotte and Aisha! You and Mia go way back with both of them. Till last year. But no. You had to threaten them."

"Should've been specific with us," mumbled Tory.

I yelled at her. "I was specific!" I sighed. "I can't even."

I sighed as loudly as I could.

"You proved their point Nichols. Now. It's either all three Senseis forget this happened. Which won't. Or we make peace. Which won't happen either. Or we keep fighting which will."

Sarah started to gain better control of herself and wake up a lot more. "Then we'll be ready," she said buttoning her shirt back up.

I spoke calmly. "Here's a good idea. We apologize-"

"They did this to us."

"We apologize!" I said over Tory. "Before Diaz asks me to throw down. If Robby and Miguel team up, which might also happen. They won't hesitate go on offense, they're smarter than Daniel LaRusso. If the guys and I strike first. Miyagi-Do and the Eagles would be finished within a day."

"Then do it!" said Tory.

"It'd be a mess. It'd make this look like a tray of cakes." I said. "Moreover it wouldn't solve anything."

"You're really going to back down."

"You're acting insane Nichols!" I said to Tory. "You think I like seeing you three like this? Oh wait. I forgot you think I'm some sort of pervert right? That I like taking off my friend's shirts to see them covered in bruises."

Mia sighed. "I don't get it. I thought you wanted to go all in against Miyagi-Do," she said, rubbing the bandage on her chin.

"We have to fight smart. You three did not fight smart tonight. You went at them with everything you had and you weren't ready. You underestimated Robinson. Tory you can't take on both Aisha and Sam at the same time. Sarah is improving, but she's not ready. We found that out the hard way."

"Are you ready to take on Diaz? Or Robby?"

"Don't worry about that." I said.

I knew I was.

"Well I think I should!" said Tory.

"You want to act like a psychopath who blames me for not fighting them at the drop of a hat. Be my guest. Even a white belt knows not to walk into a fight he might lose."

"I just underestimated them okay. You said it yourself."

I sighed. "I'm not going to explain a word to Sensei Kreese. He'll ask, and he'll know. Guess what, he'll blame me."

Tory stood up off the chair. "I should've gone with my instincts. Lord knows you can't help anyone, least of all your friends."

"Some friend you are. Sam's been trained since she was like. Five. And Aisha, literally, is the best karate fighter for all girl's in the Valley. She proved it at the tournament. You are close behind." I looked toward Sarah and Mia. "They're great. But they are really far behind."

"Yeah you're all that." scoffed Tory, starting to leave. "We already know."

…

Carmen Diaz opened her door to see Samantha LaRusso, Aisha, and Charlotte completely beaten at her doorstep.

"Miggy!" she shouted.

Miguel was jaw dropped. "Sam. Oh my god what happened?"

…

As an x ray technician and nurse, Carmen was able to do what she could within minutes.

Carmen muttered to her son. "Miguel. We need to call the police. These girls were attacked."

"Sam told me they mutually agreed to fight," Miguel muttered. "They all attacked each other technically."

"Then stop with the karate madness. No rivalry is worth this much! Your friends, and your girlfriend are acting crazy." said Carmen. "I knew karate was a bad idea."

"Sam stood her ground against really violent people. I'm proud of her ma-"

"They needed to have gone to an actual hospital, and let the authorities handle this." Carmen said. "I will talk to Mr. LaRusso tomorrow morning myself. When we deliver his daughter to her and explain everything."

"Ma-"

"Entendes mi hijo?" Miguel sighed and Carmen repeated herself but in English. "Miguel. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma." Miguel said quietly.

Carmen shook her head and walked off towards her bedroom, very upset but unable to say a word.

Miguel closed the door to his bedroom behind him.

He cupped Sam's face. "I can't believe they did this to you. I knew Tory Nichols was just, crazy." Miguel hugged Sam to his chest.

"No. We challenged each other. No one was at fault."

Miguel sat down on his bed next to Sam. "Sure your parents are fine with this?"

"They think I'm spending the night at Aisha's with Charlotte."

Miguel sighed loudly. "We'll tell them the truth tomorrow. Char and Aisha will help explain everything too."

"I can sleep on the couch." Sam tried to move away.

"Char and Aisha already are there. I'll sleep in the hallway."

Sam scoffed. "Really?"

"I'm not sharing a room with my grandma she's. Old and a bit gross in a way. Don't want to get into it."

Sam smiled and laughed quietly. "Why don't you stay in here with me? I know my face looks like it was hit with a mallet but-"

"No. Even now you look beautiful." Miguel held her face. "Just a little hurt. Glad my mom helped."

Sam looked at Miguel blankly for a moment and then she kissed him.

Sam pulled away speaking. "Stay with me tonight."

"Uh…" Miguel was wide eyed.

"No not for sex. I want to just. Be with you. Unless." Sam said slowly.

"No. No no unless. You're ready for it?"

"Are you?"

"Honestly with how many people being in the house right now it's a bad idea." Miguel took a quick look around his bedroom. "And I don't want to think back on it and remember how hurt you were tonight."

"Last time you were drunk and Moon's party was a mess so. We'll get another chance. Soon. You know, whenever we can. Maybe later. Maybe much later, when. When you can, when we can." Sam said rapidly.

"Another chance you mean." Sam was staring at him without words or emotion at all and Miguel cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go sleep on a bag in the hall."

Sam smiled. "Good night."

"Night." Miguel said with a nod.

Rosa Diaz was smiling at her grandson in the hall.

She winked and gave him the thumbs up nodding as Miguel hid his face in his hands and used a sleeping bag to sleep in the hallway between the doors to his mother's room and his grandmother's room.

…

I woke up worried about what I had helped my friends with the night before.

Applying ointment and bandages all over Sarah Goldstein's chest.

She was a basketball player. Someone I respected a little who I knew got her tooth chipped in a spar with Tory to try out for the team in another turn of events if the Cobra Kai dojo was in a strip mall in Reseda instead of its original place in Lankershim.

Sarah was cut and hurt all over, if I was going to be a doctor it was something I needed to get used to.

My issue wasn't the blood or the wounds themselves, but the shape of all three of them anyway.

All this because I thought Tory and Charlotte could see reason and especially with Aisha considering their friendships.

They hated each other at this point. A fight was inevitable if they would could get this heated this fast over something so small.

Sam would've dismissed me after the macaroni incident with Miguel, the moment I walked towards them to apologize I would've been accused for the tenth time this summer.

All I could do was either escalate and finish the entire situation by striking Miyagi-Do at my fullest strength, or trying to bargain for peace.

Either option was poor.

The six girls from all three dojos hadn't cracked a rib or an orbital bone or something, the police would've certainly been involved at that point.

But either way, this wasn't good at all.

Both Miyagi-Do and us could rightfully argue this couldn't be tolerated. But who was at fault?

Me?

All I did was accidentally smack some macaroni into Yasmine's face, and politely ask Tory to go make peace with Aisha on Yasmine's behalf.

This was a tall order, but I was banking on the very true fact that both in the alternate turn of events I was accustomed to and the ones I had seen with my own eyes. Tory and Aisha weren't the best of friends, but they got along pretty well.

Instead they both instantly became hostile, not a good thing.

Tory? Or the girls?

I mostly blamed Tory and Aisha. Sam's boyfriend had been. I did the macaroni prank almost as a way to ease tensions for the day and the rest of the week. So many people were waiting on someone to make a move that I went with the least physically harmful alternative besides giving Demetri or Nate a wedgie.

I didn't hate those guys I didn't want to hurt them. Why not put some macaroni under Miguel's chair, they're mad for a bit and then. Everyone thinks, that's it for Cobra Kai for this week? They're done, no fight.

Aisha cyber bullying Yasmine in return to get revenge for Yasmine cyber bullying her first was what made me the most upset.

I can't believe she'd do that. That wasn't within her.

I know how hard it was to be harassed, but I was on her side during all of that. Even Johnny argued against bullying online, he found it cowardly.

He found making fun of someone in person to be the only way to do it. And he did it still.

I sighed loudly.

I had to talk to her. I could see Aisha spreading the cruel macaroni meme about Yasmine around school in person for sure, and she probably did that too, but the video didn't sound like her.

…

Isaiah Robinson answered the door.

I wasn't that big of a Chargers fan but I still always paid my respects.

I gripped his giant hand and smiled. "Nice to see you sir."

"Nice to see you too kid. Welcome to athletic stardom." he nodded quietly.

"Well you're an actual legend so." I said respectfully.

Mr. Robinson chuckled. "Kid. Karate might be different than football, but it's certainly a sport. I'll go get Aisha."

I could hear Aisha and her father arguing quietly behind the door before she stepped onto her front patio to speak to me.

"Respectfully Schwarber. Fuck off," she said.

"No way for me to take that respectfully."

I sighed. After stitching and cleaning Tory's face yesterday, I was very upset to see Tory had repaid the favor most likely to Aisha personally.

"What the hell has been going on?"

"All of you at Cobra Kai have been acting like a bunch of little shits!"

I sighed. "That gives you the right to cyber bully Yas? You do know she regretted what she did right?"

"I knew it, I was right. You're into her, so you forgive her."

"Aisha she already got punished. You were there that night, everyone laughed at her over the spaghetti thing. What does your dad think about. This?"

"Oh you mean you Nichols trying to break my ribs? I already told my dad and he agrees with me. She was acting crazy and trying to fight me, I put her in her place."

"Asking you to respectfully apologize and- Aisha that is so unlike you to harass Yasmine."

"I never got my payback. Sensei said I deserved it."

"He did but," I looked at Aisha. "Johnny Lawrence never condones making fun of someone without looking them in the eye."

"I know. But I couldn't just attack Yasmine in the hall or just jump her randomly, I'd get in trouble for that. I had to be smart about it, like she was maybe? Doing to her what she did to me was only fair. Balanced, like you always say."

This dojo war was starting to make bullied kids start to bully. Even if I saw Aisha as mostly the same person and what she did was tame compared to the height of what Yasmine did, I saw why now.

Not fully, but I got a good idea of her pain.

I looked at the state of Aisha's face, she likely had some sort of brace on around her chest, likely pretty hurt from the beatings the girls all gave each other.

"You are not one to talk," said Aisha. "You've been acting like a piece of shit Luke."

"How?"

"The macaroni with Miguel? The entire summer." Aisha said. "Yasmine is basically on your side at this point. It's just harder to strike back against you because. You're a lot smarter than most of your friends."

"Strick back against me? Aisha what is going on?"

Aisha looked at me. "Nate's nose was broken. And Sam's car was spray painted. Now, these are bad things. They're criminal for sure. Assault. Vandalism. But they're not like, the end of the world I guess."

"Okay," I said slowly.

"But we lost any sense that you guys had grounds to act at all like this. When the moment Miyagi-Do just asks for it to stop. They're met with constant deflection."

"Aisha. Aisha Robinson." I repeated, speaking clearly. "We were not in town. We took care of." I couldn't explain Tommy to her right now. "Something. Sensei Kreese and I were on a hunting trip in the woods."

"Sure. Then punish Hawk and Tory for what they did, make sure nothing like it happens again. Nope. Instead you act like a frat boy the moment Moon throws a party to make peace. To make matters worse. School starts, and the first thing you do is prank Miguel. I start a meme, okay, an uncool joke I admit it was wrong. But that is not grounds for sending Tory after me."

"It was a bowl of macaroni come on. Also I knew you, Charlotte, and Tory were good friends at one point."

"How was any of that supposed to defuse tensions?"

"Maybe because it was a harmless prank? I'd rather people think I don't want this to escalate beyond light jokes and namecalling occasionally. Besides, Miguel is the one thinking I'm literally Satan apparently for being loyal to the closest thing I have to a parent."

Aisha looked at me tilting her head towards me slightly. "You have other issues if a guy like Sensei's old Sensei, John Kreese, is your only father figure."

"At least I don't cyberbully people."

"Luke! How can you not see how awful these people are being to us? Tory. Hawk. Yasmine. Your Sensei. You! You're starting to act like an asshole."

"I mean. I explain myself reasonably. Give facts and cause for why the incidents this summer had nothing to do with me. And Cobra Kai is called the root of all evil without further discussion. Besides Sensei Kreese, I am the most well recognized part of Cobra Kai Aisha. Literally, I am."

"Right. You can take those magazines of you, and all your trophies. And just shove them up your ass Luke. I'm so done, I'm so beyond you thinking you can let people get away with whatever they want if they happen to be your friend."

"Well since you're a cyber bully now. Which is, as unlike you as it gets-."

"I sent that thing to Charlotte. Next thing I know it goes viral. I couldn't stop it at that point."

I laughed sarcastically. "Oh my god that makes it so much better! Thank you Aisha. Thank you for trying so hard to stop a person who hasn't done or said anything wrong for over the past year. From being bullied."

"Do you take me as the kind of person who will do that repeatedly? My point was already made, and Sensei Lawrence told me to put bullies in their place. If you think that macaroni thing you did was a one time thing you really do not take part in a lot of them, imagine how this is for me."

"Yasmine is not a bully anymore. Tell me. Tell me it felt good to see Yas be treated that way."

"It was, people were actually telling me to kill myself for daring to show up at school. If someone treated you like that, you'd want them to get a taste of their own medicine. I don't respect cyberbullying in the slightest, so when Char and I set that off imagine how I felt. I only liked one part of that."

I looked at the floor of Aisha's front patio. "I really pissed you off didn't I? To get you. To get you to do this?"

"Luke you like. You turned into a completely unrecognizable person. I'm not talking about something stupid like. A nerd to jock change. That is really really dumb. I mean you went from a pretty nice person, to someone so obsessed with winning and looking tough, that you betrayed. Everyone! Every single friend you made but a couple you've known for ages, the start of high school, forcing us to do this. I'm sorry. That's just unforgivable."

I shook my head and began to mutter.

"You know what, if that's how all of you see me. There's no point in even trying to argue with you all anymore. I'll let you all think what you want. If I'm dead to you all. Because of Cobra Kai. Of a man, I respect and see as my family. Of everything. You were never my friends to begin with."

"I think we feel the same way." said Aisha.

If someone would honestly not give me any logical chance to explain myself what was the point? What was the point in even trying to help?

I shook my head and left Aisha on her front porch walking back to my motorbike.

I didn't want to talk to Daniel LaRusso when he inevitably came over to chew me out for everything that happened.

It just wasn't my fault.

This all started because of an accident in the cafeteria. A pure accident with a person who forgave me for it.

Since when is Aisha Robinson more vindictive and petty than Yasmine?

…

I sat at home waiting. Waiting for Daniel to ring the door to my house. I wanted to get it over with, I was so done with all of that.

I got a text from someone.

Yas: I need your help with a project. Can you come over, remember where my place is?

I smiled. Finally, someone reasonable and genuinely nice to me. I responded as fast as I could.

Absolutely.

…

It was hard to say anything to Yasmine at first.

Her house was like mine. I didn't care about our class, but it simply was. Same neighborhood, level of wealth, I didn't remotely care but we were very similar in that aspect.

I kept sitting on her couch frowning. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea that little thing in the cafeteria would make-"

"That was all Aisha," Yasmine said dryly.

"I still can't believe she would do that."

"We never got along. Ever. I've known her for ages. Most of it was my fault."

I shook my head. "No. No no. You tried to make amends. I didn't give you the time of day for it."

"Luke you don't need to trouble yourself over it. I think we're all good."

"You're not. None of you are. You all are literally trying to rip each other to pieces. Six people, beating each other up who knows where. Over a very cruel meme. Like. Why? Any of it. Why?"

Yasmine sighed. "Just forget about it. I promise you. I'm over it."

"It was a lot. People were making it seem like." I stopped myself. "You're right. It was messed up. But people will forget. What they won't forget is. Seeing six people walk into school next Monday looking like they tried to beat each other to a pulp."

Yasmine nodded. "I know."

It seemed to make her more upset the more I mentioned it.

"Look. I brought my stuff. We can start with Physics. Chem. Anything. What project were you thinking about?"

"The kind I want you to see in just a second alright?"

I nodded. "Sure."

She shot upstairs within a minute.

I was confused at how fast she seemed to go to her room. Wondering just, what exactly it was I began to walk up the stairs slowly slightly confused.

I knocked on the door to her bedroom. "Yas? You good?"

"This took a lot of time to prepare. Give me a second."

Was it a model for Bio? It was a huge year for a new set of. Huh. Those were the expensive ones. Maybe she got.

Yasmine's subjects were always really strong, what could it be.

"Alright! Now."

I opened the door and walked in.

My backpack fell loudly onto the hardwood of her floor.

I was almost jaw dropped for a second. It almost never happened.

I had seen a girl naked almost four times a week for this past summer. This wasn't that impressive to see a girl lying on her bed in her underwear flat on her front.

But it was so. So her. It was amazing.

Yasmine was wearing high heels, and the most, simply designed black bra and panties made of. I don't even know what kind of lace.

She moved her legs around in the air, smiling at me. "So?"

I think Yasmine had an incredible, completely, unimaginably great body. Other girls I knew were bustier, curvier in some areas. But Yasmine's skin was just glowing, not too pale, not tanned at all still. Perfect.

I wasn't thinking about them. Any of the others with them. I couldn't think of the madness of the last few days either. Just this.

I sat down in the chair next to her bed. "You know. I. H-How did you make this?"

"First I just used that sewing machine over there." she pointed to it on her desk. "Found the fabric that worked for me. Then just did trial and error until I found the right fit. One that looked right."

Yasmine turned around and looked at me, letting me see her from the front with another smile. "And?"

"If I said I didn't like it. Would you have any actual reason to think I wouldn't believe you?"

"Well, your dojo is merciless right? Casually cruel?"

"That's not me."

"Yeah that cobra on the front really inspires kindness." Yasmine crossed her arms. "Of course you're not merciless. No your dojo is all about peace. And love. And kindness. So soft. So just. Understanding right?"

"I understand plenty," I said perfectly calmly, still able to make perfect eye contact as she rolled over onto her front again.

"Mm." she closed her eyes and looked at me slowly. "Then understand this. I want to try another project with you."

I had a pretty decent idea of what it was but said nothing.

"Oh yeah?"

"It's a simple one." said Yasmine. "Do me a favor. Stand up for me."

I did so.

"And I want to see you. Take off. I don't know. Everything?"

I did so with my blue sweatshirt first.

"Shirt. Pants. Do I need to go on?"

I smiled and unbuttoned my shirt and then took it off.

Yasmine seemed to stand up much straighter on her bed now, the edge of her high heels dangled just above the floor of her room.

"Months of pictures does not do the real thing justice," Yasmine muttered soon after.

I smiled. "Same thing here. Just didn't know what we were doing exactly. Didn't want to um. Yas we don't have to do this three days after you come back. I was going to take you on a date regardless."

"A date? This is for me. I missed. All of you. Dates or not. I missed what we started to have."

"Okay." I knelt next to her on her bed. "How much did you miss me?"

"You're quoting me now."

"I still need to know."

Yasmine looked at me slowly up and down. "I missed you like hell Luke."

"Think I'll show you how much I missed you now."

I wish this was our first kiss instead of the complete mess back at my house the night I won the fiftieth All Valley tournament.

…

After we picked up where we left off the night where Tory Nichols decided to interrupt us, we talked next to one another.

"Holy." Yasmine chuckled loudly, panting, covering her mouth with her arm for a moment laughing before she stopped. "Holy. Holy shit!" she laughed out, her long and beautiful blonde hair strewn out on the pillow next to me.

"What?" I looked over at her.

She said nothing.

"What? What, what is it?"

"You um. You got amazing at that." Yasmine said in a very dead, quiet voice. "You just, you just did. No other way of saying it."

"Did you get much practice in France?"

Yasmine looked back at me. "None. I can see you have. What the hell have you been up to this summer?"

I leaned back. "I think we're just not drunk this time."

"Might've helped sure. But. Yeah I wasn't expecting." Yasmine trailed. "This!"

"Neither was I. Yas what happened? Our first real conversation in months and." I stopped talking.

"You don't think any of our texts were. Sexual. At all?" asked Yasmine.

I sighed. "I think some were, but certainly not all. What. Is happening?"

"Now comes the part where I admit." Yasmine reached for her foot beneath the covers and seemed to stretch for a moment. "That I like you." she leaned back on her pillow and looked at me.

"I mean."

I threw a hand toward both of us.

"No I mean. I'm not just down for whatever. I want us to be together. One step at a time. Anything as long as it's only you. And only me. Only together."

"One step at a time." I said as blankly as possible as I looked at her.

A little late for that after this, but I saw her point.

"You would've been fine with months of sexting and stuff like that. Talking constantly about. About us. And just. Going on dates? Maybe holding hands here and there if we're daring?"

"Yes." I said honestly.

"Yeah, I was fine with that too. I just don't have the patience after how much I started to realize how little I remember our first time together."

I had to say the truth. "Same."

"How much I missed. How much I missed you, Luke."

"So if now is the time we speak honestly. Let me try to get to know you a little better. You know even after. This."

Yasmine chuckled. "Okay," she said.

"You're an only child. Or. At home, you just live alone pretty much."

"Yeah. Both are the case."

"Your parents are always at work, but want you to get the same job as them."

Yasmine shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Knew it."

"What?"

"Those are the two biggest things we have in common right off the bat," I said. I had a sister technically, back home. Ava. But here in LA. No, I lived by myself in a very very large house just like this one. "I don't know. Anyone else like that."

Not even.

I sighed.

Not even Moon.

I dressed slightly just wearing a pair of just shorts and walked around her room to walk to each book sitting atop her drawers.

"What are you doing?" Yasmine asked, slipping into a nearby bathrobe she had hanging near her bed and tying it around herself. She had a sort of nightgown she probably had sewn for herself right next to it, I didn't say anything when she didn't put it on instead.

"Trying to. Figure out how the hell you kicked my ass for almost all of sophomore year in every AP we had. Four if I remember."

"Five." Yasmine corrected with a smile.

I nodded and began to thumb through her AP Biology textbook. "This isn't ours." I realized.

"I got a different one."

"A different one?"

"I did my research. Started studying on my own. If you ask, you'll know if you want to learn about why I do so much." Yasmine stopped herself.

"Say it," I said. "Better than you."

"Differently, than you."

She was only two percent ahead of Demetri and three than I. Hold your horses Yas.

Yasmine kept sounding like she wanted to rephrase what she said. "If you want to learn about why I do so differently than you. Just ask. We can talk about it."

"Like this page here." I turned to her. "Talk to me about it."

"But. Why, didn't we already take the AP Bio? I was pretty sure I got a five."

"No, it got rescheduled remember?" I nodded. "Right. You were in Paris for this. They repealed all the test scores, they found out someone cheated."

Yasmine's eyes widened. "No effing way," she said slowly.

"Yes. Yes, they did!" I said. "And after they proved no one did. They interviewed everyone, they went over the proctor footage and the cameras. Every accusation was invalidated and they still repealed the scores because of some ridiculous-. Point is. The retake is next March."

Yasmine scoffed. "So glad I kept my notes then."

"Again. This page."

We started talking about everything. Everything in AP Bio. It was wonderful.

Her modeling the lingerie she designed herself, surely completely on her own, and then, taking it off for me was one thing. This was something I technically hadn't shared with someone in the Valley.

Gene expression. Viral reproduction. Even basics like Metabolism.

Our ideas, it was hard to have opinions on Biology, but what few ones we had we shared. Everything we liked about Biology, the intricacies, each process, each organelle.

Each lab, each lab background and practical exam.

It hit me really quickly the more we began to talk.

We talked for two entire hours just about her interests, and mine too where they overlapped.

And it wasn't that Yasmine's interests were just designing lingerie. Yasmine was absurdly intelligent. I almost didn't believe it the more we talked.

She was smarter than almost anyone I'd talked to. And I'd talked to Demetri and even Hawk before he hid how great he was at coding and physics to hide who 'Eli' was.

Yasmine had thoughts on what she studied just like I did. She really cared about the practical applications of each subject to jobs and the real world and how most of it worked just like I did. She was nearly fluent in French. She didn't just score a five on her AP, that she took as a sophomore, which was mindblowing since apparently, she'd had people tutor her in it since she was seven.

Yasmine knew so much about Europe. Specifically, Italy, France, Britain. Even Spain. She'd been to these countries every summer for almost her whole life.

Why didn't I see this at school? Not just that but before too. My guess is that she hid it, almost out of embarrassment. She'd rather be perceived as shallow than what she was actually.

Yasmine's intellect and level of culture blew every single girl, no, person I knew clean out of the water.

We were both equally rich and counting things that really didn't matter to me like physical attractiveness to all of our peers and popularity, the same as well.

So this utterly blew me away.

By the end of it I always chose actions, not words to show how this made me feel.

I shut the book on Latin Yasmine was talking to me about and then I kissed her. I kissed her rapidly and she leaned back onto her desk and then I slowly tried taking her bathrobe off her moving my hand between it and the skin of her back.

Yasmine held me by the back of my head, hand in my hair as we kissed and then suddenly stopped.

I froze too. "What?"

"Lucas. We. We can't do this."

"Isn't it going great?"

"Yeah. Yeah better than any sort of date. Or even. Talk I've had with a guy in a long long time. Forever actually. But we can't, do it, again."

"Why not?"

"Lucas I didn't mean to like. Sneak in a bit of that, and then stop it suddenly. But I did really miss you, not just for that."

My eyes widened. "You mean."

"I'm done. For today. For. I don't know, I just. I am fine with us trying to get to know each other more." Yasmine kept holding me behind the head and speaking. "I definitely am. But as a member of cheer, you know, with Moon and Lindsay and all of them."

Yasmine sighed. "I know guys can be. Like, the sex stops. Or it is revealed, that it was never was an option. And." Yasmine snapped her fingers. "Poof. Ghosted. They're gone."

I frowned. "And I know you're not like those guys Luke. You're the, greatest balance between geek and athlete I've ever met. You're a superstar in both, karate king, and a guy who can probably properly kick my ass in APUSH this year."

I chuckled and she went on.

"Luke, I really felt like we needed a do over after the party the day of the tournament. I mean hell I even. I kept them." Yasmine sighed, moving her leg aside to roll open her desk drawer and showed me a pair of tickets. "The wristbands and the ticket stubs. The wristbands, Moon, Josh, Lindsay, and I wore when we went to see you a few months back at the All Valley."

"Hold up. Josh Feinstein and Lindsay Martin. As in, two people who I know for a fact probably don't like me. You're telling me the captains of the football and cheerleading squads, came to see me? In a karate tournament?"

"They all knew how badly I wanted to go. They all knew how badly we wanted to see our classmate. Our friend! Win."

This was genuinely touching but I couldn't do more than smile. "Lucas." Yasmine smiled, shifting her grip on the back of my head as she spoke to me. "Our first time together. Was a mess, and you know it. It wasn't anyone's fault. But don't tell me you don't regret a decent part of that night either."

The only person who seemed to pretend it was all fine and acted all tough or that it never happened was Tory. Not that I blamed her.

"I wanted a proper way to truly remember being with. Anyone. At all for the first time. I'm sure you felt the same way. The whole summer got off to a bad start. With summer over. This can be a real chance to make Junior year special. For both of us."

Yasmine smiled. "Lucas you are. Completely unlike any guy I've talked to. You're not as awkward or dorky as Demetris, or loud and. Frat-boyish? As jocks like Joshs. You're a really healthy mix of both."

Just like she was in a way between stereotypically popular and nerdy I found out today.

"You're not just. Famous, I don't care at all about that. You're awesome. And I really want to be with you more." Yasmine brushed my cheek and sighed, shaking her head. "The only way we'll work. Is if you commit completely to me, make up your mind and we date. And we have a real relationship. Call it dating, boyfriend girlfriend, or what you will. Got it?"

"I got it."

"And whatever you decide I'll understand." Yasmine patted my shoulder. "Take your time. This is really important."

Obviously.

I nodded slowly. "How much time will you give me?"

"Hm." Yasmine made a face quickly, fixing her bathrobe and drawing it up herself. "Um. I want to say. The homecoming dance? At the latest?"

"So about. A few weeks. Three weeks?"

"Two." Yasmine corrected.

That is actually plenty of time.

"Thank you."

I drew Yasmine in for another kiss and she happily accepted, but politely pushed me away after a bit with a small nod. She was just. Gorgeous. I had no idea how well she managed to maintain her hair, keeping the blonde color so well, all of it.

I definitely had a lot to consider. But I would need time to do it.

"See you at school." I began to leave.

Yasmine smiled. "See you!"

…

Moon knocked on the door to the LaRussos.

It was nearing sunset, and Moon checked her phone for a moment before the door was answered.

"Hi." Amanda smiled. "Moon right?"

"Uh yeah."

"I'll go get Sam. Come on in."

Moon nodded and smiled in return. "Thank you! But I'd really like to talk to her. In private."

"Alright. She's just upstairs."

After a few minutes, Moon entered Sam's room.

"Sorry. Miguel really wanted to Skype. I-"

Moon was already hugging Sam.

"I'm fine I just. Got. Really beat up."

Moon looked at Sam. "This got out of hand way too fast. What happened?"

"Honestly a lot. You wouldn't get most of it. It's all. Really karate. Type. Stuff. My parents are furious, think you could probably tell the tension." Sam said, shaking her head while sitting on her bed. "So. Wassup?"

Moon tried ignoring sneaking glances at the healed cuts and bruises on Sam's face.

"What if I told you. I. Knew. About the karate stuff in a way."

"Okay. How so?"

Moon inched closer to Sam on her bed. "Sam I. I have feelings for someone."

"Awesome!" Sam said with a sudden smile.

"Someone I can't tell you about."

"Less awesome but." Sam nodded. "I'll work with it."

"Someone involved in the karate fights."

Sam bit her lip. "Okay…" she said slowly.

"I promised myself to never speak about it again. So I'll keep his identity a secret. Something's come up though, something new. So I need your help. To decide."

"To decide what?"

"I told you to always follow your heart. If I do. I don't think Yas and I will be friends again for. A really long time probably ever. I need to decide between. Basically a guy, and my best friend."

Sam squinted in thought for a moment. "You and Yas like the same person."

"Yes."

"Huh. I have no earthly idea who that could be." Sam said with complete honesty.

"Really?" Moon was completely shocked.

"I haven't heard anything at all from Yasmine besides a few texts over the summer." admitted Sam. "Even barely saw her at school yesterday. And again. You have shown no interest in guys, or girls for that matter, in months."

"Sam I'm really worried for you seeing you like this," Moon muttered, as if the bandages and small stitches on Sam's face were really disturbing her.

"Can we please stay on topic here?" asked Sam politely.

Moon nodded. "What do you recommend?"

"I can't give you my full opinion until I know who he is."

"I'm not gonna do that."

Sam shrugged. "Then honestly say no to him. Guys say you know. Bros before hoes." Sam said in a much deeper voice making Moon laugh as if she was trying to sound stupid. "Dumb thing. But in reverse it works as well. How long have you and Yas known each other?"

"Like. Forever."

"No but really."

Moon sighed. "Since. I want to say, the beginning of second grade almost?"

"Do you really want to throw away a friendship you've built up over almost. Nine years. For a guy?"

"But he's really special."

"Moon. I don't know if I would be willing to throw away friendship like that. Over even Miguel."

Moon was shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah! I don't care who he is. Yas deserves better. As do you. Why should he have to be in between you two? You're both amazing. He's terrible by default if he has to do that."

Moon nodded quietly.

"How have you two even been friends for so long?"

"Well. My parents are sort of dietitians. Nutritionists, it's holistic. Not what you're used to. Yasmine's parents sought my parent's help. Went to their clinic. They've been friends of the family ever since. That was. Almost ten entire years ago." Moon muttered.

Sam quickly realized. "Oh my god. Yas doesn't know does she?"

Moon shook her head.

Sam sighed loudly. "I recommend you forget you ever liked this guy. And why is it new exactly?"

"We started talking. And I want to say. Shortly after my party last week. I just started thinking about him."

"Yas probably deserves the truth. And I know for a fact you can't lie. Which is. Why you both can't tell me who this guy is. And that you promised not to say who he is. Which was. A promise you made to yourself?"

Moon nodded repeatedly. "In a way. I'd say it is yeah."

"Then yeah. I'm really sorry to say this but you have to kick this guy to the curb." Sam shrugged. "But he has to be pretty dang special for you to finally talk to me about guys after an entire summer without a peep. And to consider really hurting Yasmine over it."

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

Sam realized Moon had gone to her for advice for the very first time. "Wait a minute. You don't. Trust your own judgment on this then. For, emotional matters." said Sam slowly.

Moon nodded sadly and quietly again.

"Wow. Are you. Moon are you alright?"

"I don't think so," Moon said quietly.

"This is the first real time I haven't seen you happy. Like at all. This is pretty serious isn't it?"

Moon eyed Sam quickly before standing up off Sam's bed. "Thank you for your advice."

"Moon wait. I'm worried."

"Worried. About me? Sam look at what our classmates have done to you. What you've done to them, violently just, tried to beat each other up over a stupid prank and a mean viral video. The only thing I care about here is less people getting hurt. Yas might be one less person if I make the right decision."

"If someone really wants a fight. No matter who it is, someone will get hurt."

Moon frowned, a very strange sight that Sam still couldn't hide her confusion to see. "I didn't break my promise to this person. To keep my feelings a secret. Technically haven't even told you everything at all. But. Please, don't tell anyone."

"Yeah. I won't."

Moon turned and left. "See you at school on Monday."

Sam gave a tiny nod.

…

I parked my car next to Hawk's house as the sun began to go down, then I walked towards his open garage speaking to him.

"Did you hear about Robinson and Nichols starting that all out slug fest? What were they even thinking right?"

"Wished I was there and could throw down with Robby. He's been needing it since the party at Moon's." Hawk grunted, continuing to push weights while on his back.

"I'm actually here to talk about something else though."

"One sec." Hawk grunted again.

Hawk had his garage open, pumping iron with a weight set.

"My boy," Hawk said simply with pride as we smacked the back of our fists together, slapped the tops and bottoms of our arms together and made a fist with our right hand. "How you doin' champ? Let me finish this set and we can hit tonight's Ride early."

"Um. I actually came to talk to you."

"Oh." Hawk put the barbell down on the metal hinges designed to support them. "You good?"

"I'm actually. Not." I admitted.

Hawk nodded, wiping his hands and face with a towel sitting down in his workout chair. "So. What's going on?"

"I need you to listen as Eli."

"That name means jackshit to me."

"Either you listen as Eli Moskowitz. Conveniently wearing a mohawk. Or I swear, I'm going to Rickenberger for advice."

That was a lie. I'd honestly rather never ask him for anything after the last time any advice he tried to give me on girls or anything was just 'bro you need to try this weed Shawn just brought.'

Hawk sighed loudly. "Fine. For right now. Eli. Is all ears. I guess."

"I have been." I sighed. "Moon and I made a promise to each other. Sort of."

Hawk's eyes lit up. "A promise. What kind?"

"The kind where. You know. You don't have strings attached to casual sex." I said with quietly.

"Holy shiiiiiit!"

I looked at him and Eli cleared his throat.

"Um. Yeah. Sure." Eli cleared his throat again. "I mean. You got like. The ultimate hookup. Like. The hookup deal of the century I bet. But sure. What happened?"

"It got complicated."

"Cause lemme guess. You're into Yas."

"How did you know?"

"If she's blonde, cute, and got curves. You're into her. It's that simple."

I sighed. "I'm not just into blondes for being blonde."

"Is that why you still keep pictures of your first date with Char hidden in your car? I saw them one day, just didn't say anything."

I looked down at the pavement of Hawk's driveway. "Gotta get rid of those," I muttered. "I mean come on. Yas is-"

"Blonde. And beautiful. That's all you need. Dude. The guys and I used to joke about this back when you went out with Char. You tend to only like girls that look like your mom."

I sighed. I called it at the beginning of the summer.

"Well the thing is I don't like just Yas. I also like. Moon."

Hawk scoffed. "Dude. She's pretty hot. Yeah. But you two hooked up like what. One time right?"

I sighed. "Wish that was the case."

"Hold up. More than once? Damn, I need to win an All Valley." Hawk seemed to mutter quietly and quickly, looking aside.

Funny thing is he might win the next one. I saw him do it once and he'd never understand why.

"No man. I mean. We spent the whole summer together."

Hawk's jaw seemed to drop for a second.

I nodded. "Yes the whole summer I mean-"

"You're joking right. The whole summer. You've been. How have. Like. I can't." Eli's brain seemed to stop functioning for a moment. "How have you been getting. Like. Enough poon to kill a man. And not told one of us."

"Maybe because I started to care about Moon? And the point of the relationship was so it could be a secret and we could walk away pretending the whole thing never happened."

"Well good job. Because guess what dude, you failed on both fronts like, massively. Now she probably cares about you too and it's not a secret anymore either." Hawk sighed. "You can trust me, I didn't tell anyone about your little double blonde-bone-barrage the night of the tournament. But Moon will not just. Forget you spent this much time together. And it sounds like she really liked it."

I scoffed. "Yeah right. Like she actually likes me."

"Think about it. This wasn't like you two spent a solid weekend practicing the horizontal hula. You don't repeat something unless you like it. And you don't repeat a fling. For an entire goddamn summer. Unless it is really really. Really fucking good."

I think it worked so well that it started to become a mistake almost. He was very right.

"What would you know about flings?" I tried playing defensively.

Hawk simply took a sip of his water bottle. He was right, he wasn't ridiculously popular with girls, but he did know. Hawk put his water bottle down and raised his eyebrows for a second. "You might need to hit up the boys. Because we aren't Riding tonight until you and I are done talking."

I agreed. "No sir. We are not. But wait they'll ask questions."

"We'll say my bike had problems." Hawk reached for his phone. "We are not letting them know about this either my dude."

"Really? Wait they'll just want to come fix it and work out. Also. Why do you get this?"

"Because you either walk away with the worst dry spell a guy of your status ever gets for the rest of highschool. Or a pretty rockin' babe."

I was nodding to Hawk slowly.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"I think you might just be one of the best friends a guy can ask for."

"That goes without saying. Now make some shit up and lie to the homies so we don't Ride tonight," suggested Hawk. "It's a big deal man. We never, never cancel these."

It was a Saturday night tradition yeah.

Hawk stopped tapping on his phone. "Wait." he pointed down the street. "You came from Birch Street."

"So?"

"Wait a minute. That's in the other direction from your house." I tried to explain and Hawk ignored me. "Who lives in that direction? Mikey I think, Dieter. Moon, remember her place from last Thursday. And. Holy shit. You just came back from seeing Yasmine didn't you?"

I hid my face in my hands. This was getting messed up fast.

"You fucking legend." Hawk managed to say shaking his head. "Four chicks, two of them multiple times. One year. Unreal."

"You need to take this seriously. We don't figure this out. No one will ever trust me again. And everyone gets hurt."

"Someone's getting hurt even if you choose to go out with no one," Eli said. "I'm really sorry to admit that."

I needed to talk to Eli more often because he was so right sometimes it was impressive.

"First thing we gotta do is this shit." Hawk swiped my keys hanging off my jacket. "Yoink!"

"Hey dude what the hell?"

Hawk walked back with the picture of Charlotte and I at Golf 'N Stuff over a year ago. He had a lighter out I saw him fish out of his pocket.

"Burn it. Now." he said.

"This was literally the first date I've ever been on in my life."

"I don't care. You need to stop trying to rail people who look like your mom. It's creepy at this point."

"Not all blondes look the same!" I said. "God!"

Hawk shrugged. "Dude. Whatever. You need to let go of Charlotte, and all the past and like. Anything holding you back from making a proper decision about what to do next."

"What I had with Char isn't holding me back at all. That's just a memory thing dude, not about Char. A life thing, a rite of passage like for anyone's first real date."

"Oh really. So you wouldn't mind if I just." Hawk activated the lighter with his thumb and the pictures of Char and I at Golf 'N Stuff hovered over the flame. "Took care of this?"

I said the truth. "No." I said instantly.

"Good."

Hawk lit the picture on fire and within about three seconds the picture was vaporized.

"We need to talk about your Oedipus Complex dude. Now."

I sighed. "Can we stop trying to talk about my mom!"

"We got plenty of stuff to talk about." Hawk leaned back in his garage and pulled a cooler from beneath his workbench. He cracked open a beer and tossed me one.

I caught it and nodded. "We certainly do."

…

…

…

Author's Note:

Okay. About a chapter around half the size of this one will probably be up tomorrow. Actually far less than half this chapter.

There are only two major scenes. One where Hawk and Lucas unpack basically the events of the last two books and determine which person he will want to end up with.

And the Homecoming dance, which more or less would explain the two week time jump and what's going to start happening more or less in canonical Season 3 and Book IV of this series.

The romance really made, the karate, take a backseat to it here at the end. The next chapter will set up the basis of the plot and more importantly the rivalries and reasons everything is happening for book 4 at this point yeah.

Also Jack, thanks for the reviews, honestly thank you so much they mean a lot. But Lucas Schwarber, even if he was a self insert and sort of still is. Is not me. Not me me, so I feel weird every time I hear "you" in reference to Lucas and you say me me in the reviews.

(Luke) He's basically a completely fictional character with barely any attachment from me me, so I just feel a little odd sorta weirded out when you say "you" in reference to him. He is him. He is Lucas, like Kreese or whoever he is fictional and shares little more than the tiniest particles of my personality and opinions and all of my knowledge of canon S1-4 and the Karate Kid trilogy. As the author, I only chose a fictional version of myself, so not me, not my actual personality or ideas, and put it into a fictional character.

If I myself was in Cobra Kai the series, I wouldn't have gone near John Kreese himself realistically if I was being perfectly honest based on the fact that the chain of events spawned from him happening to seek Johnny again in S2 nearly killed Miguel Diaz and got countless others hospitalized, expelled, incarcerated, or socially outcasted.

Lucas, is a completely alien version of me. He's more of an SI/OC which is not a pure self insert from me personally. A self insert original character if you will. So a slight version of the author, me, mostly an original character but with some of the author's opinions, and all of their knowledge of the canon series.

I really appreciate your comments, the support is amazing and very consistent and thoughtful, and I could be missing what you mean like the "harem" misunderstanding last chapter.

That oughta do it though. Last chapter up soon.

In terms of canon or writing. By the time Season 5 airs, I would actually be done with the entire series and start writing the "epilogue" for where I want the fic to go.

So Book V is the final book. And Book VI would just be an epilogue, a canon continuation of the end of the series.