Third person pov
The first thoughts going through Amelia Jones' head were "holy shit, I'm being kissed."
However, as she instinctively clenched a fist and prepared to enter fight or flight, she allowed her mind to process who exactly was kissing her. Blake fucking Murphy.
For so long, it was all she had ever wanted. The boy she'd seen on the first day of school tell off Kyler Park of all people. However, she'd never gotten the courage to talk to him after.
She'd tried on that same day.
Flashback
Amelia had never known this feeling. Sure she'd had small crushes on celebrities and random guys she'd seen in passing, but every single one of them that actually paid her any mind ended up hurting or being too afraid of her in some way.
There he was, walking with who Ames had grown to call "sweater boy" as he was too quiet to say his name and would spend his days with a hand over his lip scar and sure loved his baggy sweaters. They seemed to be chatting amicably about something.
She took 3 deep breaths and said a silent prayer. She fixed her hair as best she could without a mirror. Finally, she'd taken one step closer, then two as this new kid was digging through his locker with a stoic expression.
Ames', heart was shattered upon seeing none other than Samantha LaRusso saunter up to the boy and say something. What really got her to turn around and forget she ever thought she had a chance was the way the scarred teen turned with a teasing smile to glance at LaRusso.
Ames simply sighed and pulled her hood over her face. Of course. It always ended like this. How could she compete with the likes of the rich, popular, and beautiful Samantha LaRusso?
Amelia had given up hope entirely until Halloween. She'd heard all about what went down at the dance and how the boy who'd she'd come to know as Blake Murphy hurt one of the bullies badly.
Amelia wanted to stand up in the cafeteria the next Monday and scream about how Rory deserved it and how that whole group had earned a beating. Even Melody agreed that Rory was a piece of shit who needed some humbling. She held her tongue though. Who would listen?
Then she met him for the first time and everything changed. She'd come to know that Murphy wasn't a menace at all. He was the only boy she'd ever met that she truly wanted something with.
The look on his face as he leaped down from that tree line in the woods bruised and battered but determined at the same time.
End of flashback
In reality, no more than a second had gone by as the fireworks began. Amelia's clenched fist moved to the back of Blake's neck as she pulled him closer and closed her eyes before sighing in relief and relaxation. Her other arm had been tugging at his shirt, but then lazily went to rest around his neck.
Blake wrapped his arms around her midsection and deepened the kiss. For a moment, everything was right.
Blake couldn't believe that Amelia Jones hadn't punched him yet. He'd finally done it and scored the game winning touchdown.
No Championship dog pile or trophy could beat this though. Blake felt as if there was a crowd lifting him on their shoulders and cheering his name as he crowd surfed with his arms in the air. He'd done it, Blake Murphy had won big.
However, despite this feeling of bliss, reality soon set in. The fact that he'd had Tory's tongue in his mouth instead of Amelia's roughly three hours prior or the fear that he was moving too fast.
He wanted to do this right. If he moved too fast or screwed up, he'd lose her forever and he knew it. Blake's anxiety took over everything and he immediately broke the kiss.
Amelia's eyes remained closed for a split second after.
"O-oh my God. I-I'm sorry. I shou-I shouldn't have. We shouldn't have," Blake stammered getting up.
Amelia's face fell for a second.
"I'm not sorry," she remarked sounding a bit nervous, but confident in her words.
"No Ames. Look, I wanna do this right," Blake remarks.
"So you ask me out, flirt with me, invite me to hang out late at night just the two of us TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! Then you realize you don't want this?!" Amelia shouts sounding borderline heartbroken and confused.
"NO! I do want this. More than you could ever know," Blake retorts genuinely.
"So you just don't wanna kiss me then?" Amelia asks.
Blake sighs and sits down next to her. He gently takes her hand in his.
"Amelia… this has nothing to do with you. All we have is time. Your not just some girl. I don't know what you want, but I just… I need to do this right. You're someone I… actually wanna be with. You're hot, but that's not all. I'm just too much of a pussy to face this head on because I'm too scared to fuck it up. Dating you would be something out of a dream. I just," Blake rambles.
Ames had let her insecurities win for a second, but in a way, she understood. She was terrified as well. She'd always considered herself below his league and now that he kissed her, but apologized. She was confused at first.
He had the same anxiety she did regarding this. Dating Blake would be the stereotype of literally dating your best friend.
"The thing is, you're not just someone I wanna fool around with or date simply to show off. Well, I would like to fool around at some point in the future once we're, you know, more official and I do plan to show you off a ton, but if we date, I don't want it to change anything we already have," Blake says.
"Yeah, me neither. Believe me, I'll still mess with you all the time and make jokes at your expense. We can still hang out like normal, but just with… extra steps," Amelia says.
Blake turns and smiles at her.
"Yeah, no need to rush into things, Princess," he says giving her a warm smile.
"I agree, captain. By the way, how are you acting like you've never done this before? You dated Moon for like a year," Ames remarks.
"I can't explain it. Maybe I'm gun shy after how things ended or it's the fact that it's just different with you. She kind of held my hand and lead the charge for the first chunk of our relationship," I admit.
Amelia snickers.
"Yeah, laugh it up princess," Blake remarks and pouts.
Amelia suddenly gets emotional as the reality of this sets in. She'd done it, she'd managed to bet the boy she'd been hopelessly crushing on forever. Some part of her never lost hope despite the voices in her head saying it was a lost cause.
"I never gave up on you, not really. I mean, I tried to talk to other guys or move on, but anytime I did, they were either afraid of me or I'd just think about you," Amelia confirms looking Blake in the eye.
Blake smiles at her.
"I wish I'd gone for it sooner. We could've had so much more time," Blake agrees.
"By the way, when did you actually start… you know, liking me?" Blake follows up causally.
"Oh dude, a while ago. At first, I saw you stand up to Kyler and dump pudding on his head on the first day of school last year which got my attention," Amelia confirms.
"No way, you saw that?" Blake asks in awe while laughing.
"Yup, saw you protect your friends and I hadn't really seen that until this point. Then of course that night in the woods when you saved us all from McCarthy and those football guys. I think when you jumped down from that clearing by the crappy bonfire they built was when I officially caught feelings," Amelia remarks blushing.
Blake snickers.
"I looked like shit that night. The most memorable part of that was Demetri slowly climbing down after I jumped. Also, you realize I had a lot of help with that whole ordeal, right? Miguel and Eli took some guys down as well. Demetri was the reason we were even able to find y'all in the first place. Cracked Kyler's stupid riddle," Blake remarks shrugging.
"What about you? When did you start liking me?" Ames asks flirtatiously.
Blake looks at the sky deep in thought.
"I don't know. I think a part of me always felt… something. Even when I was with Moon, I kept having to shake away thoughts or force myself NOT to check you out. If I had to pick a specific time, it was either when we first talked at that Applebee's while trying to out snark each other. What really hooked me in was that night when McCarthy and them left and we talked by that lake in the freezing cold air with a full moon out. Was the first time I saw a different side of you. When I couldn't deny it anymore was when you hugged me on the island and said I was important to you," Blake remarks with a warm smile.
Amelia snuggles close to him.
"Of course you couldn't help it. By the way, I totally caught you that day at the beach club, but I thought it was funny so I let you off easy," Amelia teases.
"Don't act like you weren't checking me out," Blake lightheartedly remarks leaning into her.
"Don't flatter yourself," Amelia remarks, but then gives him a smirk and a wink.
Blake snickers.
If this was how dating Amelia would be, he was absolutely down for it. While he enjoyed the kiss and looked forward to possibly doing it again, just joking around, talking to, and spending time with her was what he knew he would love the most out of this.
While the night ended well for these two, there was someone else who wasn't so lucky.
The next morning
A very groggy and pissed off Tory Nichols trudges through the slums of the valley. She was searching for someone. She'd been routinely visiting him ever since Sensei Lawrence kicked him out. While she respected Sensei Lawrence's teachings and enjoyed her time at the dojo, she didn't share the same connection she felt with Cobra Kai's original sensei.
After walking up several flights of stairs and tuning out the very loud arguments between the unfortunate individuals who'd managed to land in this shelter, she finally reached the room she was looking for. It looked cleaner than the last time she'd been here.
"I wasn't sure when I'd see you back here, Miss Nichols," A familiar raspy voice remarks from inside the room.
"Hey Sensei Kreese," she somberly remarks.
Kreese could still smell the booze she reeked of. He hadn't been fortunate enough to indulge in the partying life of high school kids. The closest he got was when they'd show up wasted in the diner he used to work at after a late night out on the town.
"Long night?" Kreese asks moving to a sitting position.
Tory hangs her head. Kreese couldn't help but notice a change in her demeanor. Something major. Not just a hang over or waking up on the wrong side of the bed.
Before he could push it to the depths of his mind, a small hint of sympathy flooded through his brain.
"Come, sit," Kreese rasps out motioning to the foot of his bed.
The agonizing creek of old rusty bedsprings as Tory sat down next to her teacher was a tune they were both used to. Growing up, both were lucky to lay their heads on a clean pillowcase at night. Or even one at all.
"Now, what's the matter?" Kreese asks looking Tory in the eye.
She glances at him surprised that he could tell so easily.
"It's… Miguel and Sam LaRusso. Last night at the party, they kissed behind my back. I should've known, he was still into her. I guess I was just the rebound. Why would he stick with someone like me when he could get back together with the princess?" Tory remarks.
"You're angry. You've had something precious taken from you. The question shouldn't be why, you should ask yourself what you plan to do about it," Kreese summarizes.
"It's not fair. LaRusso gets everything handed to her whenever she asks for it. I've had to work for every inch of whats mine. Then she swoops in and takes the one thing I have. Like she didn't already have enough," Tory rambles.
"People like LaRusso are a glutton to individuals like us. All they need to do is swipe a credit card and it's theirs. They look down their noses at those who scrap and work long hours for little. Force us to sniff their shifty cologne. Samantha LaRusso will never be reprimanded for her mistakes because daddy will come to her rescue or she'll make a puppy dog eyes and say please. She lives in a bubble and she probably will for most of her life. However, you have something she'll never be able to obtain," Kreese remarks in an eerily calm tone while pointing a finger at Tory during his last sentence.
"What's that?" Tory asks sounding defeated.
"Strength, willpower, the ability to put in the work and make your own rules. People like Samantha LaRusso will only ever do what mommy and daddy want. She'll never suffer any consequences for her actions because nobody will be there to make her pay for it. She'll be coddled like a spoiled child and told everything will be okay. She can commit any crime she wants and walk away with a slap on the wrist unless someone is there to hold her accountable. Do you understand me Miss Nichols?," Kreese remarks.
"Yes Sensei," Tory answers.
Tory's mind begins to wander. Kreese was right. Sam would never have to pay for what she did. No one will tell or show her that her actions have consequences. Maybe it was time to break the cycle. But how? How could she get the message across that Sam better back the fuck off and stay out of her life.
Deep down, Tory was angry and embarrassed. Miguel had seen Sam as more desirable, the first choice, BETTER.
Tory's fists clenched at the thought of someone, especially Miguel considering Sam LaRusso as better than her. Why should society decide that someone like her was "better?"
"What do I do?" Tory asks unsure.
"Follow your instincts. Let your heart guide you? Ask yourself if Diaz is really worth the chase or is he better being Johnny Lawrence's mini me while bringing flowers to little Danny LaRusso's daughter," Kreese spits.
Torys fists clench. She'd have to mull it over, but she had a plan. Not only would she send a message to Sam, but to anyone who ever thinks about trying to take what she fought for again.
"Thank you. I needed this," Tory remarks determined.
The inferno that burned in Tory had only intensified, but she knew how she'd let it out.
Kreese gives her a small smile.
"Stay out of trouble," he remarks with a smirk and gives her a small wave as she walks out of his room.
Now alone, John Kreese sat, biding his time. He'd be back in action in due time. He knew it. A small smile glides across his face as he dials the landlord of the Reseda strip mall that just so happens to have a certain karate dojo.
All of his brumating would finally pay off.
Authors note: alright guys, we're getting close to the endgame of season 2. How do you think this little "visit" with Kreese will effect the future? Also, Blake and Amelia will be a much different couple than Blake and Moon if you haven't already noticed. I'm VERY excited to bring them to life and it's been a long time coming obviously.