Prom came around, and I almost decided not to go. When we all arrived, I decided to go smoke some dope with Dutch and Tommy on the soccer pitch. Bobby and Jimmy were with their dates, so I decided to let them be.
Before I headed outside, I ran into the last person I never thought I would see. Ali.
"Hey", I said.
"Hi, Johnny", she said.
I couldn't keep my eyes off her. The sky-blue dress, the glow of her eyes, her hair in a perm like Olivia Newton-John in Grease, and that sweet, strawberry mouth. I couldn't breathe. How could I have lost this amazing woman?
"You look beautiful", I said.
Ali smiled softly as I paid her the compliment.
"Thanks", she said.
Realising I will never have the chance to kiss or even dance with her again, I rolled my eyes and walked away. Ali followed me.
"Johnny, wait", I said.
"For what, Ali?" I asked.
"Daniel told me what Sensei Kreese did to you".
Looking back, I could understand why LaRusso would tell Ali that, but and blab on something that is none of his business.
"Yeah, well, it's none of his business, or yours", I said.
"Johnny, come on…"
"No, YOU, come on, what the hell do you care?"
"Of course I care!"
Ali tried to reach out to me and take my arms, but I pulled away.
"Don't touch me!" I screamed.
"Johnny, come on, I'm sorry, okay?" she apologised.
"You're sorry? Sorry for what? What the hell are you sorry for?"
Before Ali could answer, Dutch and Tommy approached us.
"What the hell do you want?" asked Dutch.
"Go away, pig", said Ali.
Dutch fired back with a snort at Ali's remark.
"Screw the bitch, Johnny, let's go light up somewhere".
I keep getting torn between my friends and
"Just give us a minute, man", I said to Dutch.
Dutch snorted again and ran off with Tommy, when I looked back at Ali, her arms were folded.
"Don't do this, Johnny" she asked.
Looking back, I knew I screwed up, I lost the one thing that made me whole. That made me want to be better. It was never Cobra Kai. It was Ali. But at the time, I wanted her to feel what I felt when I see her and LaRusso.
"Stop acting like you care what happens to me, okay?" I said.
"Just because I am not your girlfriend, that doesn't mean I don't care", she said.
"Dutch was right – you use people to make yourself feel better, just like you're doing to LaRusso, you'll dump him and wind up with some college quarterback".
"Johnny…"
"Just leave me alone!"
Not wanting to hear what she had to say, I walked off. Didn't look back. Didn't care.
Going around the corner of the auditorium, I found Dutch and Tommy had started without me. They lit up and had a bottle of Jim with them too.
"You guys know better than to start without me", I said.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of this to go around", said Dutch.
"Hell yeah!", said Tommy.
Dutch passed around the Jim Beam and we all took a gulp. Tommy took the first hit, then Dutch, then
"So what did the bitch have to say, Johnny?" asked Dutch.
"Don't call her that, man", I said.
"Come on, she IS a bitch, look what she did to you, she turned you into a pussy".
Hearing that, I hit Dutch really hard in the arm.
"You want to say that again?" I asked in a threatening manner.
"Pussy!" Dutch screamed.
Not wanting to take Dutch's crap anymore, I pounced on top of him and began to hit him, but Dutch is strong and was able to throw me off. I got up straight away and got into stance.
"Guys, knock it off, we need to party, not fight", said Tommy.
I may not be a Cobra Kai anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm going to show mercy. Before I could continue, suddenly everything became gray and that's all I remember.
Next thing I knew, I was in the back of a car. I could feel the breeze of the night sky on my face, and a palm on my face. I looked up and smiled at who it was.
"Ali?" I asked.
"Shh, just relax", she said.
"Where am I?"
"Bobby and I are taking you home".
"Why?"
"You passed out front of the auditorium, Tommy and Bobby got you in the car".
"Where's Dutch?"
"He's gone, man", said Bobby.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know where he is, Tommy went to get me, and then I found you passed out".
I was so mad at Dutch for leaving me there, so was Bobby and Tommy. But then I found out that seeing me like that reminded him of his old man, passing out – night after night from having too much Jack or Vodka. Still, he could have been better than him. Dutch was better at much, just fighting.
Before I could speak, I felt a jolt and screeching noise, like something had hit the car.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Nothing, don't worry about it", said Bobby.
I looked at Ali and smiled. She didn't exactly reciprocate, it was a half-smile, but her gentle, soft hands on my head was keeping me calm.
"I'm sorry, Ali", I said.
"Don't, okay, I'm taking you home, but that's it, okay, I'm with Daniel – accept it", she said.
Realising that I had lost Ali for good, I nodded gently. Ali then looked at Bobby and Tommy with that fiery look. I had seen that look before, it was that same I saw the first time I met her in '83.
"And as for you two – not a word to Daniel, understand?" asked Ali.
"Got it", said Bobby.
"Sure", said Tommy.
Arriving home at last, Bobby and Tommy helped me inside, while Ali drove off in her car. I didn't know it at the time, but Ali had borrowed LaRusso's car to drive me home. I'm surprised he let that happen. I guess he's ok after all. I would never admit this to anyone, but I get now why I lost Ali. I'm like Mom in a way – never satisfied with life at all.
By the time I reached my bed, I passed out. That was 34 years ago.
-/-