Chapter 32: Powerless
James's POV:
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Chase asks.
"Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm sure the Cobras won't attack us at the water park." I say.
"What's the point of even going? We're not allowed in the water due to our injuries." Chase points out.
"Come on, It'll be relaxing." Emma says.
"Easy for you to say. I have a feeling something bad is gonna happen." Chase says.
"It'll be fine. Consider this a date." Emma says.
"Oh, in that case…" Chase says.
"Okay, I'll leave you two alone to have fun. I'm not gonna be the third wheel." I say before waving goodbye. I eventually see where Eli, Sam, Moon, and Yasmine are sitting. Miguel is there as well.
"James! What's up man?" Eli says, getting up to give me a fist bump.
"I'm just hoping today will be a normal day." I say.
"James, can we talk?" Miguel asks.
"Not now." I say aggressively before sitting down.
"Okay, what is going on between you two?" Eli asks.
"We had a fight." Miguel says.
"Why? What's wrong?" Eli asks.
"Oh I don't know, maybe it's the fact that Miguel left the country and abandoned everyone." I say.
"James, I-" Miguel says before I cut him off.
"Or maybe it's the fact that he didn't show up to the hospital when Chase got discharged." I say.
"I was trying to focus on myself!" Miguel shouts back.
"Guys, enough. We're not here to fight, we're here to relax." Moon says.
"Screw this, I'm out of here." I say while standing up.
"Oh, walking away like a pussy huh?" Miguel says. I tense up after hearing that word.
—
"I can see why you call him a pussy. He can't even get one hit in." Steve says while smirking.
"You got lucky and knocked me into a pool. Then, you walked away. You walked away from the fight like a pussy!" Steve says.
"No, for some reason, I think the reason you're a pussy is because I can kick your ass. No matter how hard you train, I'll always be one step ahead of you. You know it, I know it, I bet the whole world knows it. You will always be a pussy." Steve says.
—
"What did you just call me?" I ask.
"James, I'm sorry." Miguel says.
"Screw you." I say while walking away.
Third Person POV:
"Chase, the water feels so good." Emma says.
"I know you're just teasing me." Chase says.
"You're missing out on a whole lot." Emma says. Chase rolls his eyes and begins to move away from the pool.
"I'm gonna go get some snacks from the concession stand." Chase says.
"Wait, shouldn't I be the one doing stuff like that? You shouldn't be moving around that much." Emma says.
"I need the exercise. Besides, I need to prove to myself that I'm not useless." Chase says.
"I need to come with you, otherwise who will carry everything?" Emma points out.
"Shoot, I didn't even think about that." Chase says. Emma gets out of the water and begins walking with Chase. He was getting used to his crutches more and more each day. After paying for their snacks, Chase was behind Emma. That's when Kyler sticks out his leg and trips Chase. Chase falls on top of Emma, causing her to drop the snacks. Kyler, the basketball teammates, and a few Cobras begin laughing.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Kyler says before continuing to laugh.
"What the hell is your problem?" Emma says while getting up.
"You think you can send James to threaten us, and then act shocked when we do something about it?" Kenny asks.
"We didn't 'send' James." Emma says.
"You guys must be really pathetic if you have to send a pussy like James to fight your battles for you." Kenny says.
"Come on, let's go." Emma says while helping Chase up. Emma and Chase walk away as the Cobras continue laughing.
"We're not done, right?" One basketball teammate asks.
"No. We'll wait and strike once Chase is separated from his bitch." Kenny says.
James's POV:
I was walking aimlessly around the pool until I bumped into someone familiar.
"Anthony?" I ask.
"Oh, you remember my name?" Anthony asks, surprised.
"Yeah, you visited me in the hospital with Sam." I say.
"So…uh, how's the arm?" Anthony asks while motioning to my cast.
"Still a while until it heals completely." I say. That's when I notice Cobra Kai on the opposite side of the water park.
"Are you okay?" Anthony asks after noticing I was looking somewhere else.
"No, Cobra Kai is here." I say.
"Crap. Is Kenny with them?" Anthony asks.
"Kenny's the smaller kid, right?" I ask.
"Yeah." Anthony responds.
"He's with them. Is something wrong between you and him?" I ask.
"Kenny…he…we haven't exactly gotten along." Anthony says.
"What's that mean?" I ask.
"He beat me up in the locker room during the All Valley." Anthony says. I scowl.
"Don't worry, I won't let him do anything to you." I say.
Third Person POV:
"I'm running to the bathroom. I'll be back soon." Emma says before leaving Chase. After she leaves, Cobra Kai approaches him.
"Why can't you guys just leave me alone?" Chase asks.
"Maybe you shouldn't have betrayed Cobra Kai then." Kenny says. Suddenly, two of the basketball teammates grab Chase's arms and begin dragging him to a secluded area of the water park. Chase is forced to drop his crutches.
"Hey! Let me go!" Chase shouts. However, his shouts are covered up by the sounds of everyone else. Once Chase is in the area, the teammates drop him onto the ground. Kyler approaches with a huge trash can and dumps all of the contents onto him. He is covered in all the leftover food and sludge that people had been throwing away for the whole day. "What the hell is wrong with you people?!" Chase screams.
"You hear that? I think he wants to wash up!" Kenny says.
"Yeah, I think he does." Kyler says. The basketball teammates pick Chase up and begin dragging him again.
"Where the hell are you taking me?! Let go!" Chase shouts. The teammates drag Chase closer and closer to the pool. That's when Chase realizes what they're going to do.
"No! You can't throw me in the pool! I can't swim with my leg injury! I can't swim!" Chase shouts. However, his pleas are ignored.
"Throw him in!" Kenny shouts. The basketball teammates nod and toss Chase into the pool.
"Go! Run!" Kyler shouts as the Cobras escape. Chase begins flailing in the water, his leg injury preventing him from swimming properly.
James's POV:
"James! Have you seen Chase?" Emma asks.
"No, I've been by myself most of the time." I say.
"I think Cobra Kai might have gotten him." Emma says.
Author's Note: Things escalated pretty quickly at the water park. How will James react to what Cobra Kai just did to Chase?