Chapter 36: Love and War
Brian was alone in the house. His dad said he was going to be doing important business, whatever that meant. Brian was on his phone when he receives a text from the Cobra Kai group chat.
"Hey, some of us are planning on going down to the arcade. If anyone wants to join us, you can." The text reads.
"Sure, I'm down." Brian text's back.
James's POV:
What the hell am I doing. I haven't done anything like this before. Why did I let Eli get in my head? I think these thoughts as I approach the girl.
"Uh, hello." I say.
"Oh, hi." The girl says. Shit, what do I do now?
"Uh, there's a game that I can't play unless there are two players." I say.
"Oh, I didn't know there was a game like that." The girl says.
"Yeah, um, do you wanna join me?" I ask.
"Sure." The girl says. I can't believe I just bullshited my way though that. Wait…now I actually have to find a two player game.
"Uh, okay. Follow me." I say. Shit, I need to find an arcade game now.
Third Person POV:
"Okay, she's going somewhere with him." Eli says.
"Wow, they're gonna go that far already?" Demetri asks.
"What? No, they just met." Eli says.
"I'm just saying." Demetri says. That's when four Cobras enter the arcade.
"Shit! Cobra Kai is here." Eli says.
"God Dammit. Let's keep an eye on them." Demetri says.
Later…
"You're joking right?" Chase asks.
"I'm not." Emma says. Chase goes wide eyed.
"Please don't. That place is dangerous. You could get hurt, or…I don't know. All I know is that you shouldn't go anywhere near those people." Chase says.
"But, if I'm on the inside, then maybe I can help by telling you guys what they're planning. Maybe I could prevent Cobra Kai from hurting other people." Emma says.
"But…but…what if they see right through your plan?" Chase asks.
"There's only one way to find out." Emma says.
James's POV:
"So, where is this game you were talking about?" The girl asks.
"It's uh…that one." I say. I point out a shooting game that two players can play.
"I don't think you need two people for that game." The girl says while smiling.
"Well, it just makes it easier." I say.
"Alright." She says. We sit down and each grab one of the guns. We shot though waves of zombies until we both were dead. Admittedly, I was the first to die.
"Damm." I say.
"You've never played this game before, have you?" The girl asks.
"Uh, well, maybe I just suck at it. That's why I needed your help." I say.
"Sure." The girl says.
"Anyway, I'm James." I say.
"Nice to meet you James, I'm Violet." Violet says.
"So, you come to the arcade often?" I ask.
"You could say that. I don't come here all the time, but every once in a while I like to have some fun here." Violet says.
"Cool. This is my first time here." I say.
"So, what do you do when you're not here?" Violet asks.
"Uh, It's kinda embarrassing to admit." I say.
"Oh, now I really want to know." Violet says.
"Well, don't laugh, I'm in a karate dojo." I say. Violet's eyes light up.
"No way, me too!" Violet says. My eyes go wide.
"Wait, which dojo are you in?" I ask.
"I'm sure you've heard of it, it's called Cobra Kai." Violet says. I try to hide my nervousness.
"Oh…that's cool." I say.
"Is something wrong?" Violet asks.
"Well, it's just that, I'm in Miyagi-Do." I say.
"Oh…this is awkward." Violet says.
"Well, that doesn't mean we have to be fighting every ten seconds." I say.
"I know. It's not like we have to beat each other up at just the sight of each other." Violet says.
"Yeah, right." I say.
"Well, I would love to talk again some time. Maybe show you some of my moves." Violet says.
"Yeah, likewise." I say.
"Here's my phone number." Violet says before taking out her phone.
"Thanks." I say.
"See ya around." Violet says before leaving. I watch her leave the arcade and I can't stop smiling. I had so many butterflies in my stomach. It just sucks that she was in Cobra Kai. I get up from the zombie shooter game and begin walking back towards Eli and Demetri. However, before I make it to them. I run into four Cobras.
"What were you doing with Violet?" One Cobra asks.
"Talking. Why were you guys watching?" I ask.
"Because you threatened us in our own dojo." The Cobra responds.
"Listen, if you want to fight, I'm ready to throw down." I say before getting in a fighting stance.
"Okay." The Cobra says. However, before he can punch me, Demetri runs up behind him and kicks him in the back. He falls over next to me as Eli arrives as well.
The second Cobra delivers a front and side kick to Demetri, who is able to block both. Demetri punches the Cobra in the chest and then sweeps his legs to make him fall over. By now, a crowd has gathered to watch the fight. The third Cobra runs at Eli. Eli kicks him in the chest and then delivers an elbow to his face. I was fighting with the fourth Cobra. I block all of his punches with one hand using the 'paint the fence' hand motion. I then deliver a side kick right into his chest. After he falls on the ground, I stomp on his throat. Demetri notices what I just did.
"James…" He says before I run over to help Eli. Eli punches the third Cobra in the chest and knees him there as well. Eli then pushes the Cobra into me. I grab his head and knee him in the face. He collapses to the ground, knocked unconscious.
"That was fun." I say. That's when I notice that the original Cobra who had challenged me was trying to get back up. I walk over to him and grab his head.
"Wait…don't!" He says before I bash his head into an arcade machine. The crowd gasps in shock.
"Woah! What are you doing?!" Eli shouts.
"You don't come near me or any of my friends again. Do you understand?" I ask.
"Screw you! You're a monster!" The Cobra shouts. I bash his head into the arcade machine again and his nose begins to bleed.
"James! Stop!" Demetri shouts. I don't listen and punch the Cobra in the face.
"Do you understand?!" I shout.
"That's enough." Eli says before grabbing my arm. I pull out of his grasp and attempt to punch the Cobra again. Eli grabs my arm again and I lose control. I get up and kick Eli in the chest.
"Don't touch me!" I shout.
"James, what the hell are you doing?!" Demetri shouts. I snap out of it and realize that I just attacked my friend.
"Eli, I'm sorry." I say.
"I thought you were changing, but you're still getting aggressive." Demetri says.
"I didn't mean to…" I try to explain.
"Maybe you just need some space." Eli says. He and Demetri begin walking out of the arcade. I'm both sad and furious. It seems like I'm losing all my friends.
"Show's over." I say to the crowd before leaving the arcade. As I exit. I see Eli and Demetri drive away. This was all Cobra Kai's fault. If they hadn't attacked me, none of this would have happened. That's when I see him. Brian walks over to the arcade entrance.
"Hey!" I shout. Brian notices me and immediately runs away. I chase after him and tackle him to the ground.
"Please, let me go!" Brian shouts. That's when I noticed a dumpster close to the Arcade. I drag Brian over to the dumpster and slam him against it. I punch him in the face and knee him in the chest.
"Are you gonna quit Cobra Kai?!" I shout.
"I…I…" Brian shouts.
"Are you gonna quit Cobra Kai?!" I shout more aggressively.
"Let me go!" Brian shouts.
"Okay." I say before tossing Brian into the dumpster. I notice two heavy boxes on the ground and put them on top of the dumpster, preventing Brian from being able to open it.
"You covered Chase in trash, now you get to see how it feels." I say.
"Let me out!" Brian begs.
"Have fun." I say before walking away.
Third Person POV:
A garbage worker was coming to collect the trash at the arcade. That's when he notices someone banging from the inside of the dumpster. The man walks over and takes off the boxes. Brian bursts out and collapses on the ground. He immediately vomits everywhere.
"Kid! How long were you trapped in there?" The guy asks.
"Two…hours!" Brian shouts.
Later…
Emma arrived at the flagship Cobra Kai dojo. She was nervous as hell, but was still committed to her plan. As Emma began walking towards the entrance, she noticed a familiar face.
"Aaron?" Emma asks.
"Emma? What are you doing here?" Aaron asks.
"I…I've come to join Cobra Kai." Emma asks.
"Are you still with Chase?" Aaron asks with venom in his voice.
"No…we broke up." Emma lies.
"Why?" Aaron asks. Emma had to think of a lie on the spot.
"I realized what a piece of shit he really was." Emma says. Aaron smiles.
"Good. He is a piece of shit. I came to join Cobra Kai as well. Here's hoping that I can kick his ass one day." Aaron says.
"Yeah." Emma says while faking a laugh. She and Aaron then proceed to the entrance of the dojo. She had to warn Chase about Aaron, fast.
Authors's Note: That's three fight scenes in three consecutive chapters. I hope you've enjoyed the action. James continues his downward spiral by once again being aggressive to the Cobras. He also continues to harass Brian. How will Kenny and Tory respond to James's aggression to the other Cobras? With James's friends being horrified by his actions, will James be able to lean on anyone for support? Finally, will Emma be able to keep her cool while joining Cobra Kai, especially now with Aaron joining? The next chapter will continue to focus on James and Emma.
