Chapter Five: Esqueletos

…

"Como va el karate?"

Miguel Diaz was eating dinner with his grandmother Rosa, and his mother Carmen.

Miguel nodded, swallowing after chewing. "Good, overall pretty good."

"I'm still not approving of any violence, but if it's safe, then it's fine." Carmen muttered.

Miguel smiled. "Well, no one ever really gets injured."

"Digame cuando conseguis una novia con el karate."

Miguel chuckled at his Yaya's question about girlfriends.

"What Halloween costume do you want?" asked Carmen.

"Uh, Sensei Kreese already chose one for all of us."

"Ooh, a group costume?"

"Sort of, we'll all be wearing the same thing and he said it might've been a tradition. He knew his old students used to wear it, so he suggested it."

Carmen smiled. "Well tell him we appreciate it."

After dinner, Carmen muttered under her breath.

"Coño." She realized she forgot how overflowing her trash can was. "Miggy, sacas la basura?"

He nodded, exiting his room, with his headphones in. "Uhh, yes ma."

…

Outside, Miguel was throwing away the garbage when he found Johnny doing the same.

Before they walked past each other, Johnny spoke. "Wait. Hey kid."

He took his headphones out. "Yeah?"

"I saw you walking off with an old guy a few months back. Short hair, sorta tall."

"What about him?"

"You still keep in touch with him?"

Miguel nodded. "Yeah. He's my karate Sensei."

Johnny looked around the apartment complex. "We need to talk."

…

Since it was dark out, cars with their headlights on drove past the street nearby.

"Wait, you're Johnny Lawrence?"

"Yup." Johnny sipped his Coors Banquet as Miguel drank soda. "Guess we're neighbors."

"So, you used to be Sensei's student."

Johnny sighed. "Wish I wasn't. I gotta tell you something about your Sensei."

"I'm getting the feeling I'm not going to want to hear this."

"Well, you need to. I was part of the team in the 80s, and got into all sorts of trouble back in the day with my buds. They were good times."

Miguel was now happier to listen.

"One night out with them, I met this girl, her name was Ali Mills, we went out for a bit, madly in love. Later, we broke up, and this kid from Jersey popped up."

Miguel kept listening.

"To make a long story short, I end up fighting this kid at the All Valley karate tournament."

"Cause of the girl?"

"Cause we hated each other." Johnny shrugged and wiped the beer off his lip. "Tons of other reasons too."

"Like?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, I lost, Cobra Kai held the All Valley title for two years, and I lost my final match. Now, John Kreese never liked losing of course. But he always was hard on me for losing matches in general. Very hard."

Miguel watched him calmly.

"After I lost that title bout, he damn near killed me."

Johnny's eyes were almost bulging out of his head as John Kreese choked him.

Johnny pointed slightly. "If it wasn't for that Jersey kid's Sensei."

Miyagi freed Johnny from Kreese's grasp, pushing him aside.

"I might've died."

Miguel finished his soda quietly.

"Look, guys like that don't change. He was a dirtbag then, and he probably is one now. People like him, aren't worth the risk of trusting."

"You really think Cobra Kai can't change?"

Johnny shrugged. "It was a shit idea to begin with. That's why I run my own karate dojo with Robby called Steel Eagle."

"Robby Keene?"

"He's my son."

Miguel's eyes widened.

"We train on our own mostly, don't have enough money to open up our own place. But Robby made it to the semis at the last All Valley. We get to enjoy the karate without any of the nasty history, and I get to train my kid."

Miguel nodded. "Why would you get back into karate in the first place then?"

Johnny explained. "Ali's kid got me back into it after he moved here from Denver last year."

Miguel threw away the soda can in the nearby garbage dumpster. "Thanks. For, everything."

Johnny merely nodded in response.

…

A new student, with braided corn rows and long hair, was slammed onto the mat at the Cobra Kai dojo.

Miguel had hit him with a round kick and a back fist.

"Fine work Mr. Diaz."

"I appreciate it Sensei, thanks."

Kreese could tell Miguel was off but had no idea why.

Aisha patted the new student's shoulder when he sat down next to her, everyone sitting cross legged around the mat. "Good hustle Edwin."

"Thanks." he muttered grumpily.

Kreese stepped into the middle of the mat. "Does anyone else want to challenge Mr. Diaz? He only has a few more months of experience than the rest of you." Kreese sighed. "Fear does not exist here everyone." he added.

Bert looked at Mitch, Aisha was still sore after her last spar with Miguel minutes prior.

"Alright. I suppose a few dozen laps will clear your heads. Ais!"

…

After their runs, Miguel stayed after class.

Edwin, Bert, Aisha, and Mitch all left after practicing forward strikes, and Kreese spoke to Miguel.

"Everything alright Diaz?"

Miguel shrugged, stuffing his dirty clothes into his gym bag.

"Everything's fine."

"Doesn't sound like it."

He sighed.

"Turns out Johnny Lawrence lives in my building." he stood up and looked Kreese in the eye. "Told me what you did the night he lost the tournament."

Kreese was frozen for a moment.

"How could you do that to him?"

Kreese looked aside, and then back at Miguel. "I went overboard."

"You think?"

"But it's important to note." Kreese raised his voice slightly, standing on the mat in his instructor's GI. "That Cobra Kai was and still is all I'll ever have."

"What are you talking about?"

Kreese rubbed his face.

"Look after I got back home from 'Nam, I didn't find anything else for work but to teach karate. That still stands today. Miyagi and LaRusso, they shot down any hope I ever had to make Cobra Kai reach superstardom."

Miguel frowned, listening.

"The boys deserved it, they deserved that chance. They had, a very bright future ahead of them." Kreese shook his head a bit. "What does Miyagi deserve, for shooting that future down?"

"But Johnny Lawrence was only what. Seventeen, what did he deserve?"

"Son you have to understand. That night was the end of Cobra Kai for me, the end of my life it felt. Without the dojo, I had nothing."

Miguel glanced towards the backroom. "Is that why you live here?"

Kreese nodded slightly. "For now."

"Explain."

"That scuffle with Kyler Park set me back a lot of money, I also owe money to someone who helped open this place. Even if I teach two full classes full time, I'll have to work for the rest of my life to pay them back."

Miguel was surprised. "You think that's worth it?"

"No price is too small to pay for victory."

Miguel nodded slightly.

Kreese approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I've trained the best, watched the best win. And you're better than the best son, not just when it comes to karate. You'll go farther than Johnny Lawrence or I ever did."

"Cobra Kai changes your life. For the better, for the better." insisted Kreese. "Ask yourself kid, were you the same person you were when you first joined?"

Miguel knew the answer.

"No Sensei."

"Ask yourself who you want to be based on what you know. I know you'll make the right choice."

Miguel bowed slightly and Kreese bowed back, then, Miguel left.

…

At West Valley High School the next day, Counselor Blatt was holding a mandatory bullying PSA in the cafeteria that no one really cared about.

"Remember, it's important that all our costumes at the Halloween dance, and words to our classmates, are all politically and sensitively correct. A mountain lion is always wary of another's safe space."

Kyler smirked from his table, texting Sam at her table with Yasmine and Moon as well as other cheerleaders.

Sam checked her phone as Counselor Blatt continued speaking into her microphone.

You look so hot today! ;)

Sam frowned, texting without looking back at Kyler.

Please don't hit me up like that, it makes me uncomfortable.

Kyler was confused at the message, texting back quickly.

Gurl, what?

Sam then blocked his number immediately and Kyler could even see her use her phone from a distance to see her do it.

There was a reason for it, and the reason sat just a few tables away.

Lucas Schwarber was sitting bored wearing a black USA Karate sweatshirt chatting very quietly with a smiling Robby Keene. Eli Moskowitz and Demetri Alexopolous sat with them, all four boys chuckling as silently as they could at their table.

Sam caught herself looking in Lucas' direction more than once, and then Counselor Blatt spoke.

"It's important to be courteous and kind to each other, even online. A hurtful word can be just as bad through Instagram or Snapchat, as it might be in person."

Yasmine rolled her eyes, she and Moon were still on their phones, not listening at all.

Lucas got a text from Sam right then and there.

I like your sweatshirt :)

thanks sam

He smiled at her from afar with a thankful nod, returning to his muttered conversation with Robby without another text.

Sam squinted at him, was that it? Where was his compliment in return?

After the assembly, classes resumed.

Miguel and Demetri were lab partners for Biology, and sat with Samantha as they filled out a crossword puzzle to practice for a quiz for Mr. Palmer's class.

"Hey."

"Hey you must be Sam, you just switched periods right?"

"Mhm."

Demetri was pathetically shy when talking to girls, he even rubbed the spot on his elbow when Sam brushed past his arm.

Sam flipped through her notes, filling out the puzzle quietly. "Soo…boring assembly right?"

"Nah. I think it's super important to know the safe spaces and trigger warnings for every single person in the entire school."

Sam laughed quietly at this. "And your name?"

"Miguel. It's nice to meet you."

Sam smiled looking back down at her paper, and she knew Yasmine and her friends were right.

Miguel had noticeably strong arms beneath his long sleeved shirt and looked better ever since starting karate. He just radiated genuine confidence, especially when sitting next to Demetri.

"Miguel, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"The usual. Anime, working out." Miguel shrugged. "Karate."

"I used to love doing karate with my dad. What moves do you know?"

"Just the basics, the roundhouse, the straight punch. My Sensei only likes teaching the fundamentals first."

Sam chuckled. "Mine was the exact same way."

Demetri let them chat for the entire class.

They walked out talking to each other.

"So, I got your Insta?"

Miguel nodded. "Yup, I'll see you around."

"See ya."

Sam smiled as Miguel walked off, and saw how he and Aisha nodded to each other when they crossed paths in the hallway.

"Hey. Haven't heard from you lately."

Aisha hid her disappointment in seeing Sam. "Hey." she faked a smile.

"So, you know Miguel."

"Yeah, we've been in the same karate dojo ever since the start of the semester. You know, we could always use another girl."

Sam nodded and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I think I'm well and truly done with karate."

"You'd rather spend your time with Yasmine?"

Nearby, her and Moon appeared to be exclusively taking selfies together by their lockers every given second.

Sam frowned looking back from them to Aisha. "Why are you saying that like it's a bad thing? It's probably a better idea than hanging out and being friends with only guys."

Aisha brushed right past Sam.

"Wait-"

Aisha was already well and truly gone and Sam sighed.

She was confused why Aisha had even nudged her out of the way a little. Being physically aggressive was something that really confused Sam.

…

The DJ for the night at West Valley High School's Halloween dance had been slipped a five dollar bill and stopped playing electronic samples.

He played 80s music ballads including Thriller by Michael Jackson, and the gym loved it.

Miguel, Bert, Aisha, Edwin, and Mitch all showed up wearing skeleton onesies through the smoke machine.

"Fuck yeah," Miguel muttered, Mitch chuckling and nodding to him with a fist bump.

Yasmine snickered when Aisha walked past out of earshot. "Isn't she a little too fat to be a skeleton?"

Moon laughed, she Yasmine, and Sam all wore skimpy Lakers girl's' uniforms with matching pom poms.

Lucas walked by with Robby, Lucas had dressed up looking like an actual doctor, and Robby wore Maverick from Top Gun's outfit with an authentic pilot's helmet hanging on his shoulder.

"Sup."

Sam smiled as she instantly stopped frowning from what Yasmine had said. "Hey! I like your costume."

"Thanks, authentic right?" asked Lucas.

"Very authentic," Moon said. "Is that a real stethoscope?"

"It is indeed. These used to be my Gramps' real scrubs too."

Eli, wearing a surgeon's outfit and Demetri a Necromancer's costume both listened shyly to the conversation.

"Feel free to read my heart rate anytime."

Yasmine screeched and laughed, practically tumbling over Moon as the two giggled shrilly at Moon's joke.

Sam's friends were making her frown more and more often it seemed to her.

"It was a joke it was a joke, I swear." Moon saw the wide eyed and surprised expression on Lucas' face.

"Um. Enjoy the dance ladies." Lucas nodded as Robby followed him away from the girls in Laker girls costumes.

"Thanks!" chirped Yasmine.

Sam held her arm shyly as Yasmine muttered lowly to Moon. "Man he is sooo yummy."

"Damn I know." Sam watched Moon say before they kept dancing.

Kyler shook his head, he and his friends all dressed up as pirates for the night. "This 'some bullshit man," he said after seeing all of this.

…

The night continued, and the songs turned from classic to modern pop.

Eventually, Lucas made his way over to Sam and the two began to dance together.

"Hey doc, wassup?"

"Not much, your costume is kinda." Lucas cleared his throat. "Revealing, in a good way."

Sam laughed behind her hand. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it."

"Are any of your parents chaperoning tonight?"

Sam shook her head. "No! Thank god, could you imagine."

Lucas chuckled. "Your dad's cool honestly."

"Not at something like tonight, I promise, he can be so embarrassing."

Sam could see here and there as they danced that he not only stole glances at her, but the bodies of her friends, Yasmine and Moon.

Between the dark lights and colors of the Halloween dance, it was hard to tell exactly, but she could see the feeling was reciprocated.

Sam was feeling a bit tired of the uncertainty, and before she knew it, she grabbed Lucas by the hand and was leading him away from the dance and toward Mr. Palmer's empty classroom for Biology.

"What are you doing?" asked Lucas.

"I want to show you something!"

Sam could feel her heart racing.

Was this what he wanted? Could her friends stop flirting with or looking at him for more than five seconds!?

Eventually, she led Lucas inside Mr. Palmer's classroom and opened a closet door.

"Wow."

"What do you think?"

"It's, amazing."

Sam had made a DNA helix out of Lego and had stored it for the weekend in Palmer's classroom.

"Easy A right?"

Sam chuckled at Lucas' response. "Definitely. I mean, you're talking to the biggest fan of Legos so."

Sam brushed her hair behind her ear shyly. "Thanks."

Lucas was curious. "Was this, really what you wanted to show me?"

"Yeah." Sam exhaled quickly. "I just, had to get away from the dance for a second. Aisha's sorta mad at me right now, and Yas and Moon make things even harder."

"I get the feeling."

They could hear the muted music of the Halloween dance behind them as they stood in silence alone together.

"Hey Sam."

"Yeah?" she turned to him.

"I'm gonna try something, if you don't like it. Tell me."

She nodded.

Lucas embraced Sam tightly and then kissed her.

They began to make out for a moment, and then leaned slightly against the open closet door.

…

In the hallway outside, Mitch was drinking from a water fountain as Miguel followed him. "Man, why is it so hard to pick up chicks in a skeleton costume?"

Miguel shrugged. "Guess you must be trying too hard."

Mitch began to go on and then Miguel could see Sam and Lucas together through the classroom door's window.

Mitch's voice brought him down to Earth again. "Miguel? Hey, you good man?"

"I'm, I'm fine."

He was not.

…

Sam began to breathe rapidly, feeling more nervous than she ever felt in her life when she felt the cold metal of Lucas' stethoscope brush the open patch on her chest through her Laker's girl uniform.

Lucas then rubbed the skin of Sam's bare legs and she almost gasped for a second. The feeling was almost too much, it woke her up completely.

Sam broke away and spoke. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you do this, like," she spoke shyly. "With anyone else?"

"No."

"Not Moon or Yas? Or anyone else on Cheer?"

"No one but you. I mean, you're the second person I've ever kissed."

Sam nodded.

"And you?"

Sam shrugged. "You're my first kiss," she said very shyly.

"Am I doing well?" Lucas smiled, playing with the yellow ribbon in Sam's curly hair.

Sam pushed his hand aside lightly deflecting it and the question. "Luke, you swear you don't make out with anyone else?"

"No. Why is that hard to believe?"

"It just is, sorry."

Lucas felt a bit insulted. "Hold on, you- You mean. You know what?"

He raised his hands and moved away turning around, then walking away out of the classroom and back towards the dance.

"Hey!" said Sam.

The door to Mr. Palmer's classroom closed.

Sam frowned, fixing her hair with a sad frown before she was left alone in the room.

…

Lucas returned to the dance to see Miguel flirting and dancing with Moon.

Lucas knew it was him, all the other people in skeleton costumes clearly looked different even with the onesie.

Moon was also giggling and speaking his name occasionally.

Lucas shook his head, and Sam was also not happy at the sight when she returned from the classroom.

"Where did you go man?" asked Robby wearing aviator shades

"None of your business. What have you been up to?"

"Currently failing to ask Daenerys Targaryen to dance," said Demetri quietly. "Three, times, over."

All three girls in dragon queen costumes were dancing by themselves nearby the snack table.

Lucas chuckled, turning to them.

"Hey ladies!" They listened to Lucas. "Respectfully speaking. My boys need dance partners, is that okay?"

They smiled and agreed and Eli stayed hidden behind his mask. "Wait, I don't-" he muttered shyly.

"Well there you guys, it's that easy." Lucas chuckled before pushing Eli in their direction.

Robby did not need any encouragement while Demetri winced and inched himself painfully in their direction.

Lucas sighed, turning around to shake his head while Moon appeared, serving herself some punch.

"Whoo! All that dancing sure breaks a sweat." she said.

"I see you've met Miguel Diaz."

"You know him?"

Lucas shrugged. "I know of him."

"How- What does that mean?" asked Moon blankly. "There's no need to be jealous, you could've just asked me to dance earlier."

Lucas scoffed. "Who says I'm jealous?"

"You clearly sound like it."

"That's not even." Lucas shook his head, turning around. "Like-"

A few Halloween dance members gasped, Lucas had accidentally bumped into and spilled punch right on Miguel.

"Crap," Lucas said genuinely. "Sorry man, didn't see you there."

"Miguel!"

The boy in the skeleton outfit and slightly ruined makeup walked off towards the bathroom.

"Luke." Moon said reproachfully.

"What, it was an accident."

A few of the Cobra Kais walked off in Miguel's direction after a short moment.

…

Miguel was trying to fix his makeup but it was looking completely ruined.

He sighed, his costume was finished, and he began to take it off.

Miguel heard Kyler's voice as he chatted with Brucks, Rory, and their other friend in the locker room nearby.

"Can't believe Sam ghosted you like that man. You were just days away from bone city." Brucks said stupidly.

Kyler sighed. "I know dog, all that hard work for nothing."

"What hard work? You were gonna pull that stupid grandmother's necklace bit that got you tons of tail over in East Valley."

"Whatever man."

Miguel could hear his knuckles crack beneath his costume.

Kyler heard someone walking towards them.

"Oh shit, hey Rhea."

"Still using that nickname huh?" he smiled. "Even though we all know what happened that night?"

Kyler's smirk turned to a frown.

"How's your wrist?"

"What, you want some payback fool?" asked Kyler dumbly.

Miguel mercilessly struck Kyler first and hard the moment he and his friends stood up from around the locker room.

Right in the jaw, he popped him with the same reverse punch Kreese taught him.

He was hit so hard he flew back and hit the metal red locker behind him with a BANG.

Miguel didn't stand there frozen afterward, he took advantage of Brucks, Rory and their pal's surprise and kept striking.

He hit Brucks with a fully powered round kick directly in his round belly, making him keel over.

It was at that point that Rory knew he'd either be next and have to save his friends or face the same fate, so he picked up a nearby lacrosse stick and swung it directly at Miguel's head.

It landed clean on his temple, bruising and disorienting him, knocking him against the wall.

"Nice man!" Brucks wheezed, trying to get his wind back after it was knocked clean out of him.

Before they could recover and gang up on Miguel, three other boys entered the bathroom.

"Yo man what the fuck!?" Mitch saw the scene.

Bert had no idea what he was going to do, but Edwin just had to crack his knuckles under his white gloves and skeleton onesie to announce his presence.

"Oh shit!"

A few seconds later, Kyler wisely decided it would be best to flee the scene, and he and his friends tussled with the Cobra Kais for a second before they ran.

"You alright dude?"

Miguel clapped Mitch's hand, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." he winced, rubbing the bruise on the side of his head. "That was close."

"Anytime, what the hell happened?"

"Just striking first."

Miguel then realized Kreese's lessons had saved both himself and his friends from humiliation.

"Niiice." Mitch nodded. "Why'd you run off in the first place? The dance was getting tight."

"Aw, some nonsense. Some guy knocked punch over me, ruined my costume."

"Well, we were only gonna wear it tonight anyways. Come on, the party's still going."

Miguel then joined his friends back at the Halloween dance, and he even forgot he was supposed to be dancing with Moon for a second.

He smiled and the Cobra Kais just had a good time together, as Bert realized Miguel was not in the best mood and they cheered him up.

"So who knocked that punch over you?" asked Mitch, awkwardly doing the robot.

Miguel shrugged. "We'll worry about it later."

"And I saw your roundhouse on Brucks man, it was brutal. No mercy, nice!"

"Yeah." Miguel smiled widely. "No mercy."

...

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