Chapter Eight: Fear Does Not Exist

…

Aisha Robinson hated Yasmine on a daily basis, and it was hard not to.

Every day at school she had to be reminded of why she was called 'cheeto pig.'

One day she walked up to her at her lunch table and spoke to her.

"I know this is you." Aisha showed the video making fun of her on her phone.

Mackenzie, Sam, Moon, and the other cheerleaders stopped chatting.

Yasmine shrugged. "You got any proof?"

"Don't need any. I just want to say you're disgusting."

"At least I'm not fugly."

Mackenzie chuckled with a few of the others, Sam and Moon looked uncomfortable.

Miguel turned around in his chair sitting at a table nearby with the rest of Cobra Kai. "Why don't you go fuck yourself?"

A few people laughed and 'Ooh'd"

Lucas smirked from nearby, munching on a french fry while watching everything with Demetri, Robby, and Eli.

Yasmine barely glanced at Miguel. "I'm not scared of you just cause you have a little karate gang now." she turned to Aisha with a smirk. "You can try to scare me all you want and it won't change anything. None of the guys you hang out or any others would want to touch you with a ten foot pole."

Aisha was chuckled at and embarrassed, before quickly returning to her table with Miguel.

Robby muttered to Lucas. "Think we should do something?"

"Nah man, this'll be interesting." Lucas kept snacking as if the entire thing was his favorite film.

…

"Ais!"

Kreese watched his best students spar on his mat with crossed arms.

Despite being his friend a girl, Miguel had to try harder than he did with anyone else when he was sparring with Aisha. Aisha was faster and stronger than everyone else in Cobra Kai, as well as the most skilled.

Aisha and Miguel circled each other, and Aisha struck first, baiting a counter with a jab and then catching Miguel on the temple with her heel with perfect timing but extra aggression almost knocking Miguel down.

Wearing white GIs, Dieter and Edwin raised red flags.

Miguel was reeling, huffing quietly.

"Point, hook kick." Kreese muttered calmly as Aisha bowed to accept the score. "Two one. Continue."

Miguel was the one to apply pressure now, trying a spinning back kick that nearly caught Aisha but missed by two inches.

Aisha circled Miguel, then spun underneath a round kick to the temple Miguel sent to her head to clinch hard, break while still grabbing Miguel by the lapel of his GI, and then try to punch him quite hard in the jaw.

Miguel quickly dodged, clinching hard again.

"Break."

Aisha and Miguel refused to listen, still at close range.

"Break!" Kreese said louder seeing the teens were ignoring him. "Stop."

Miguel and Aisha returned to their lines.

He spun a finger in the air and tapped his lips to indicate a penalty, Dieter and Edwin agreed by raising a flag upwards in front of them.

"Warning to both of you." Kreese said quietly. "Gotta listen to my orders. Ready!? Ais!"

Miguel faked, dodged, countered, and was first on the next score.

He timed a round kick to Aisha's back as soon as he made her own round kick miss and countered.

"Stop!" barked Kreese.

Aisha clenched her jaw, silently furious, but fuming.

"Two two. Ready!? Fight!"

Aisha made it too obvious when she was trying to score and what she was trying to do, despite her skill, Miguel was able to time her as well as bait her into situations she had to fail in.

Aisha roared as she missed her jabs, Miguel circled her around the ring before calmly countering with his rear hand with ease.

"And stop!"

Aisha was fuming again.

"Three two. Winner, Diaz."

Miguel was barely finished bowing to Kreese before Aisha shoulder tackled him to the ground.

Kreese merely watched the ensuing struggle with crossed hands without a word.

Aisha tried pummeling Miguel and he managed to pull her off him.

When Miguel was able to stand back up without sustaining any serious damage and Aisha tried to continue to engage, then Kreese spoke.

"Enough!"

That was enough to get Aisha to freeze.

"Robinson, my office."

"Yes Sensei!" Aisha panted, rubbing her rib cage.

Kreese waited until she was out of earshot to speak to the boys.

"This is very important."

Mitch, Bert, and the other Cobra Kais all listened.

"Diaz won his sparring match, but it was clear Robinson was out for blood. This doesn't often happen at tournaments, but a very important aspect of karate is awareness. Never take your eyes off your opponent, whether bowing or anything. Until you leave the ring or a confrontation, do not leave your guard down. Understood?"

"Yes Sensei!"

"Dismissed."

Miguel was still woozy from the spar. "It's not fair, if I don't hold back, I look bad since she's a girl."

Kreese barely smirked. "It's funny."

"What?"

"You weren't holding back." Kreese turned to walk to his office.

…

"Sensei, I was-"

"Save it." Kreese sat down at his office.

He crossed his hands on his desk. "Diaz beating you isn't enough to set you off like that. What's going on with you today?"

"I'm supposed to leave everything going on with me at the door when we practice." Kreese raised an eyebrow as Aisha sat in front of him.

"But you didn't. Now tell me, is something going on with your parents? Something at school?"

Aisha shook her head. "I um. Someone's been harassing me online, calling me fat and ugly. But I know who it is."

Kreese nodded. "And what have you done about it?"

"Everything." Aisha said exasperated. "Talked to teachers, her friends. But it changes nothing, why is nothing working?"

Kreese squinted at Aisha. "Let me tell you a little story."

"Okay."

"When I was young, my mother was ill."

"How sick?"

"Gravely."

Aisha fixed her glasses quietly.

"She refused help, denied what everyone knew. Her condition got worse and worse, until one day. It took her life."

Kreese sighed. "I always wondered what I could've done differently, and the answer is simple. Act. Life will always present challenges to you, the consequences may be severe if you don't act sometimes. But never as bad as if you do. Is that understood?"

"You're telling me to kick her ass."

Kreese scoffed. "I'm telling you to make it clear to this person either she will stop. Or you will stop her. Is that understood?"

Aisha nodded. "Yes Sensei."

Aisha was dismissed with a wave of Kreese's hand and she paused in his doorway of the Reseda strip mall dojo office.

"Sensei Kreese?"

He turned with a nod from filing a few papers.

"I think I might hurt her pretty badly. And a friend of mine will never forgive me for it."

Kreese looked at Aisha calmly. "And I will never forgive you if you let someone hurt you and get away with it. You're a champion Ms. Robinson, show your strength. Accept the consequences, and learn that they may fear you today. But never make fun of you tomorrow."

Aisha nodded.

…

The next day at school, Lucas Schwarber was uneasy.

He kept his eye on Aisha Robinson all day during a few of their classes together, and then before lunch in the hallway, it happened.

"Hey Yasmine!"

Everyone chatting in the hall stopped.

Yasmine stopped applying makeup using her locker mirror, Mackenzie, Sam, and Moon froze.

"Stop cyberbullying me, or I'm gonna stop you." Aisha said plainly, looking right at Yasmine's eyes.

Yasmine froze too. "Uh. I already said I don't know what you're talking about."

"You heard me."

Lucas was chuckling at a joke Eli told him shyly before exiting his class, seeing the scene.

The girls were about to start arguing before Lucas walked up inbetween them. "Yas, we all know it's you, cut the shit. Stop, it's messed up."

"It is her." someone else in the hall said as a few muttered in agreement.

Miguel piped up, a few Cobra Kais were watching. "Stay out of this man."

Yasmine laughed. "Now he's right. It was me, I'm sorry, and I'm done."

She turned away, closed her locker and began to leave before muttering under her breath.

"Done with Fuglisha that is."

The hallway laughed for a second and that was it for Aisha.

In half a second, she turned her around and broke Yasmine's nose with one solid straight punch.

She screamed, bleeding, and holding her nose.

"Aisha what the hell!?" shrieked Sam.

Lucas was shocked and surprised, a few others were as well.

Demetri had only seen that and spoke. "I'm gonna go get a teacher." he patted Lucas' shoulder and ran.

Miguel had an eyebrow raised in Lucas' direction, disturbing him a little bit.

…

Following Aisha's subsequent suspension for three days, West Valley High School never said the words 'Cheeto Pig' or 'Fuglisha' again.

However, everyone looked at both Aisha and Cobra Kai with both fear and respect. Since it was known that Yasmine was a bully.

Lucas found Yasmine sitting quietly on her phone near the gym where she was sitting out from cheer practice.

"Doesn't look too bad."

Yasmine sniffled, wiping her eyes still. "Liar."

Lucas chuckled. "I'm sorry about the spaghetti thing last year and tossing it over you, I-"

"No no. I was totally messed up for-"

"Look. Everyone's still a little shaken up over what happened. The important thing is that I don't think anyone will be cyberbullying anyone ever again." Yasmine smiled as Lucas sat down next to her. "But, why did you do that?"

"I don't know, because I thought it'd be funny?"

"You don't seem like the kind of person to fuck with someone that much just for kicks."

"Are you saying I'm messed up?"

Lucas nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Yasmine scoffed. "Well, I'm not."

Lucas nodded again quietly.

"I'm not!"

Lucas sighed. "I'm sure it's pretty personal."

Yasmine took a deep breath. "Yeah."

"You look like you could use some cheering up."

"Maybe I could."

"What say you to mini golf?" asked Lucas.

Yasmine scoffed. "I thought you were into Moon."

"Nah we're just friends."

"And Sam?"

"We're just neighbors."

"Awfully flirtatious neighbors."

The two chuckled together.

"Yas I genuinely just want to hang out as friends, not a date. It'd be good for us."

Yasmine nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Your nose doesn't look that great by the way."

"Thanks." Yasmine said dryly as Lucas nodded to her and walked off.

…

…

…

A/N:

Hey guys, month long hiatus but I'm back. Not to spoil anything, but next chapter will include a fight at Golf 'N Stuff's arcade. Besides that, I'm hoping to see some more reviews if you can spare the time to give me your guys' thoughts? I'd really appreciate it, positive or negative, I want to hear honest feedback for how I'm doing and where the fic's going.

Anyway, stay safe out there guys and see you soon.