Chapter 37: The Truth

James's POV:

I arrived home after walking back from the arcade. I don't regret what I did to the Cobras and Brian. That's when I notice a familiar police car parked in front of my house. Detective Alfonso was inside the house, talking to my parents. I run up to the front door and press my ear up to it to listen.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans, we have a lead that points to Matthew Turner causing the death of your eldest son." Detective Alfonso says.

"Oh, God." My mom says. I'm in complete shock. They found my brother's killer?

"However, that's not why I came here." Detective Alfonso says.

"Why did you then?" My dad asks.

"In order to get this information, I had to interrogate Steve. In exchange for the information, the court agreed to give Steve a shorter sentence." Detective Alfonso says.

"Wait…does that mean…" My mom begins to say.

"Yes, it means that Steve Turner is getting released soon." Detective Alfonso says. I begin breathing heavily. I immediately run away. I don't even know where I'm running to, I just don't look back. Two huge bombshells just got dropped onto me at once. Once I'm far away from my house, I take out my phone and call Chase.

"Hey man, what's up?" Chase asks.

"Chase, is there any way you can find Steve's address?" I ask.

"Um, why?" Chase asks.

"I think his brother Matthew might have killed my brother." I reveal. There is silence on the other end.

"Wow, I'm so sorry. I'll try my best to find it." Chase says.

"Thank you." I say.

Third Person POV:

"Hello, and welcome to Cobra Kai. What are your names?" Terry Silver asks.

"My name is Aaron Vasquez. I was recommended to come here by Steve Turner." Aaron says. This catches the attention of Tory, Kyler, Kenny, and the other Cobra Kai students.

"You were in juvie with Steve Turner?" Terry asks.

"Yeah. We actually fought. When he started busting out karate moves, I just had to know where he learned that from. He told me he learned it from you guys." Aaron says.

"And what about you?" Terry asks, turning his attention to Emma.

"I'm Emma Martin." Emma says.

"Wait, your Chase's bitch!" Kyler shouts.

"What do you mean Mr. Park?" Terry asks.

"You know Chase? He defected from Cobra Kai a while ago. That's his girlfriend." Kyler says.

"Why are you here, Ms. Martin?" Terry asks.

"I…I want to learn the way of he fist." Emma says.

"No way! I don't trust one bit of this." Kenny says.

"Chase and I broke up. I realized how pathetic he and the rest of Miyagi-Fang were." Emma says. Kyler and Kenny exchange a glance, unsure of Emma's true motive.

"Well, welcome to Cobra Kai." Terry says.

"Thanks, uh…" Aaron says, not knowing Terry's name.

"Sensei Silver." Terry says.

"Thanks, Sensei Silver." Aaron says.

"You and I need to chat about Steve Turner. Ms. Martin, why don't you find a spot with the other Cobras." Terry says. Emma nods and walks over to the other female students.

"Uh, hello." Emma says.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tory." Tory says.

"Emma." Emma responds as the two shake hands.

"I'm Violet." Violet says.

"Nice to meet you." Emma says while shaking her hand.

"So…how do things work around here?" Emma asks.

"It's a lot tougher than you think, but in a matter of time, you'll become stronger. You'll also get a gi." Violet says.

"That's cool." Emma says.

"Have you guys seen Brian at all?" Violet asks.

"No. Some of the other Cobras haven't shown up either." Tory points out.

"Didn't they all go to the arcade together? Why aren't they here for class?" Violet asks.

James's POV:

"Please don't do anything stupid." Chase says.

"I won't." I say before hanging up the phone. I'm standing in front of the Turner house. It's only a matter of time before Steve will continue to live here. But today, I'm not here for him. I'm here to confront Matthew. I walk up to the front door and knock loudly. I hear someone approach the door and open it slightly. I can see the person who opens it is a year older than me and Steve. This must be Matthew. When he sees me, he attempts to close the door, but I kick it open.

"Woah, woah! Easy!" Matthew says.

"I just want to know one thing." I say.

"Please, just get out." Matthew says.

"Did you kill my brother?" I ask. Matthew doesn't say anything.

"I…I…" Matthew stutters.

"Tell me!" I shout.

"I…I didn't mean for him to get killed." Matthew says. My eyes go wide and I can feel tears beginning to form.

"How? We didn't live in California when he died!" I shout.

"No, you lived in Nevada. My family was there as well." Matthew says.

"My god." I say.

"Your brother and I used to be friends. We hung out all the time." Matthew says.

"But…but I've never seen you until today." I point out.

"He didn't want me coming close to you guys. I wasn't the soberest person." Matthew says.

"Why…why did you kill my brother?" I ask as tears begin to fall.

"He…he began bullying me. One day, he confessed that he had a crush on me. I told him I didn't feel the same way, and he snapped. He did horrible things to me. He…he…did something to me that can never be undone." Matthew says before tears begin to form in his eyes as well.

"Did you mean to kill him?" I ask.

"No! I drugged his drink thinking that he would pass out during the party and get made fun of. I didn't know that he was gonna get in his car and drive home! I'm so sorry. I would take it all back if I could." Matthew says.

"Why the hell would you do something like that?" I ask.

"I'm so sorry. After what happened, we moved to the valley. When Steve heard that your family was gonna be moving here, he was terrified you were gonna bully him just like how your brother bullied me. He took karate lessons for a week before you moved here. The day you arrived, he saw an advertisement for Cobra Kai and decided to switch dojos." Matthew says. I don't say anything. I glare at Matthew as the tears keep falling from my face.

"You killed my brother! You murdered him!" I say while approaching Matthew.

"It was an accident!" Matthew shouts.

"You also knew that Steve was bullying me!" I shout.

"I…I…" Matthew says.

"You expect me to feel sorry for you? After everything you put my parents though?! After everything you put me through?!" I scream.

"Please." Matthew begs.

"You know what? I think you need to be taught a lesson. Time for you to experience what real pain feels like." I say. I scream before I kick Matthew in the chest. "How does that feel, huh? How does that feel, you piece of shit?! I scream. I run up to Matthew and punch him in the face. I then deliver a spinning back kick into his chest, knocking him over.

"Please! Stop!" Matthew begs.

"You're begging for mercy? You think my brother got that chance?" I ask before stomping on Matthew's face. Matthew uses his arms to block my next stomp and manages to get up. However, I quickly sweep his legs. "I didn't say you could get up!" I scream. Matthew manages to get up once and again and tries to book it out of the house. I chase after him and pick up a vase. I chuck it at him and it hits the back of his head, causing him to collapse to the ground. Matthew is on the ground, moaning in pain. He tries to crawl away, but I stomp on his back, making him stay down. I turn him over and begin punching him in the face over and over again. Somehow, he manages to push me off of him and he gets up. He runs to the kitchen and I follow him. He goes for a kitchen knife, but I quickly kick it out of his hand. I then kick him in the crouch and knee him in the chest. I then deliver an elbow to his teeth and a punch to his throat. I then pick up a plate and smash it over his head, causing him to collapse to the ground. I get on top of him and begin punching him in the face. "How does it feel, huh? How does it feel!?" I scream as I repeatedly punch him in the face. I continue punching him until his face is completely unrecognizable. I'm pretty sure I broke his nose and gave him two black eyes. His cheeks are completely swollen and he's crying uncontrollably. That's when I finally get off of him. I notice the blood on my hand and run out of the house.

Third Person POV:

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Aaron asks.

"I need you to make me a promise. Never, ever talk about Steve Turner again." Terry says.

"What? Why?" Aaron asks.

"After he got arrested, the reputation of Cobra Kai was put into question. I had to make up a lot of lies and publicly denounce Steve in order to save face." Terry says.

"But…all he did was follow the Cobra Kai philosophy." Aaron points out.

"Steve told you about that too, huh? Listen, I want Steve back in Cobra Kai just as much as you do, but I can't. If anyone mentions Steve in the dojo, I have no choice but to kick them out. I can't risk ruining this dojo's reputation again." Terry says.

"Okay, I understand." Aaron says.

"Good. Go warm up with Mr. Park and Mr. Payne. I'm sure you three will get along nicely." Terry says.

"Yes, Sensei." Aaron says.

James's POV:

I run down the sidewalk, not paying attention to anything. I feel so angry. I just want everything to go back to the way it was. Hanging out with my brother, having dinner with him, just talking with him. I wish I could relieve all those days, the days before Karate consumed my life. As I'm thinking these thoughts, I bump into two kids.

"Woah! Sorry, man! Are you okay?" One of the kids asks. I look at his hoddie and realize it has the Cobra Kai logo on it.

"You alright?" The second Cobra asks. I respond by delivering a front kick into his face.

"What the hell?! We don't want to fight!" The first Cobra shouts. I quickly shut him up by punching him in the gut and then in the face. The second Cobra runs up to me but I quickly knock him down with a roundhouse kick to his face. I turn back to the first Cobra and sweep his legs, knocking him to the ground. I then step on his hand and use my other leg to step on his back.

"Wait! Wait! Don't do it!" He begs.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." I say.

"I won't tell anyone about this! I'll give you anything you want!" The Cobra begs.

"Wrong. The correct answer was 'I'll quit Cobra Kai'" I say before stomping on the Cobra's hand. I stomp on it until his hand is completely broken. He screams in agony as I step off of him. However, I don't feel any remorse. In fact, I begin laughing. "Wow, you're such a pussy." I say. It felt amazing calling someone else that for a change.

"Oh my god, what the hell?!" I hear a familiar voice say. I look up and see Miguel looking at me in complete fear.

"Oh, I just took care of some more Cobras." I say. Miguel looks at my right hand and sees it completely covered in blood.

"Why…why did you do this?" Miguel asks.

"I needed to. First, I took care of the person who killed my brother. Now, I've taken care of a few more bullies." I say.

"You…you broke that guy's hand!" Miguel shouts.

"Oh don't tell me you feel bad for them now." I say.

"You're a monster, James." Miguel says.

"What the hell did you just call me?" I ask.

"You're a monster!" Miguel repeats.

"Hey Miguel, what's going on?" Robby asks before seeing the carnage in front of him. "Holy shit!" Robby shouts.

"What the hell? Why is Robby with you?" I ask.

"Robby and I are cool now." Miguel says.

"What? What the hell? You're now friends with the person who trained my bully?!" I shout.

"James, calm down." Miguel says.

"Calm down? No. I'm not gonna 'calm down'. I'm so sick and tired of people trying to tell me what to do!" I say before getting into a fighting stance.

"You really wanna fight me?" Miguel asks.

"Yeah. Even with one arm, I still think I can put up a fight." I say.

"You want me to back you up?" Robby asks.

"No, I got this." Miguel says before getting into a fighting stance.

"Come on, it's time to see what you're made of." I say.

"You need to be humbled, James." Miguel says. I chuckle before charging at Miguel.

Author's Note: I can't wait to write the James V.S. Miguel fight. I've been wanting to write it for so long. I've been planting the seeds and now it's all coming to a head. At this time, James has completely gone off the deep end. Can Miguel save him? Also, what are your thoughts on Matthew? Did he deserve what James did to him?