A/N: This chapter and the next chapter are going to cover the rest of Jason's suspension. I've got a few things planned for after Jason's suspension including the cafeteria fight happening earlier.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai or anything else that I might reference.

Building Bridges

Jason's suspension had been pretty uneventful so far.

Miguel, Claire and Aisha sent him notes and he relied on Demetri and Eli for homework answers.

Demetri and Eli were more than happy to help.

The gossip was that some people thought that Jason should have gotten a harsher punishment than just being suspended.

Hopefully those people would move on to something else.

And then there was the extra training that he was doing with Sensei.

The first day of extra training was in the dojo, but Sensei had been picking different places to have extra training.

Sensei had chosen an abandoned warehouse for the second day of extra training.

The third day of extra training took place in an abattoir. Which was an interesting experience.

He wasn't quite sure where Sensei would decide to train for the rest of his suspension.

Jason got out of bed and got dressed before grabbing his wallet, phone and keys.

He walked downstairs and walked into the kitchen.

Jason cooked fried eggs, bacon, sausages and pancakes and put them on two separate plates.

He brought those plates into the dining room of the house and placed them on the table before walking to the kitchen and getting a knife, a fork and a bottle of maple syrup.

Jason places the knife and fork down in front of him and places the maple syrup bottle near the plate with the pancakes.

He finally sits down and starts eating.

There's time before Sensei picks him up.

Jason eats breakfast and goes to clean the plates and cutlery before putting them away.

He hears a knock on the door and goes to open it.

Sensei is standing on his doorstep.

Jason can see that his Pontiac Firebird is parked across the street.

"Good morning, Kreese! You ready to train hard?!" Sensei yells even though he's standing relatively close to where Jason is standing.

Jason nods. "Yes, Sensei."

"Good. Let's go." Sensei orders.

Jason steps outside and closes the door before locking it.

He follows Sensei to where his Pontiac Firebird is parked and gets in the front passenger seat.

Sensei gets into the driver's seat.

He starts the car and turns on the radio before driving off.

Jason almost wants to ask Sensei where today's extra training will take place but he thinks better of it.

….

Sensei had to get some things from the dojo, so they stopped there first.

They got a few bottles of water before they drove to their destination.

Which turned out to be a junkyard.

"We're here, Kreese." Sensei turns off the radio and parks the Pontiac Firebird.

Jason watches as Sensei gets out of the car and takes the things he brought with him out of the car.

He looks around. "What exactly should I do, Sensei? The only thing I see is a bunch of junk."

"The first thing you can do is run some laps, Kreese!" Sensei barks.

Jason nods. "Yes, Sensei!"

"Good. Now get to it." Sensei orders.

Jason starts running.

He isn't quite sure which direction he should go in, so he decides to run clockwise around the junkyard.

Jason almost wishes that he brought earbuds or headphones so that he could listen to music while he runs.

But he's grateful for the relative silence because it gives him time and space to think.

There was still a week or so of his suspension left.

Rory had said that Kyler and his friends would leave Miguel, Demetri and Eli alone. Which was a good thing because it gave Miguel time and space to train more.

Jason ran about ten to fifteen laps before jogging back to where Sensei was standing.

"Good work, Kreese. But that was just the warmup." Sensei hands Jason a bottle of water.

Jason takes a drink. "So, what's next, Sensei?"

"Wait here, Kreese. I'm going to go and get a kick pad from the car." Sensei instructs.

Jason watches as Sensei walks over to his Pontiac Firebird and unlocks it.

Sensei comes back with a kick pad.

Jason looks at the kick pad. "So, you want me to work on my punches and kicks, Sensei?"

"Your punches and kicks might be good but they can be better." Sensei replies.

Jason understands. "Cool."

Sensei picks up the kick pad and holds it.

Jason gets into a fighting stance.

He throws a punch just to test out the kick pad.

"Come on, Kreese! You can do better than that! Now throw a punch like you mean it!" Sensei shouts.

Jason throws a punch with more force behind it.

He cracks his knuckles. "Like that?"

"Let's see some kicks, Kreese!" Sensei answers.

Jason throws a kick at the kick pad.

He throws another kick at the kick pad and follows that up with a punch.

Jason throws another punch and then a kick.

He gets back into a fighting stance. "Was that what you had in mind, Sensei?"

"Good work, Kreese! But keep going!" Sensei replies.

Jason nods and throws different combinations of punches and kicks.

He throws a front kick at the kick pad.

Jason backs away from Sensei and the kick pad so he can get a bit of a running start.

He does a short run and jumps up before landing a drop kick.

Jason falls to the ground, but puts his hands out to break the fall.

He slowly gets to his feet and brushes the dirt off of his clothes.

Jason smiles. "What do you think, Sensei?"

"Don't worry about looking cool, Kreese. Claire isn't around to fawn over you." Sensei responds.

Jason blushes a little at the mention of Claire's name. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry."

"You two are a good couple. But you can play "hide the banana" on your own time." Sensei remarks.

Jason buries his head in his hands to conceal his embarrassment. "Can we just get back to training please?"

"Fine." Sensei has a big smile on his face.

Jason gets back into a fighting stance. "How many more punches and kicks do I have to do?"

"Just a few more, Kreese." Sensei answers.

Jason throws more punches and kicks until Sensei tells him to stop.

He takes another drink of water. "So, what now, Sensei?"

"I'm going to get a couple things from my car, Kreese." Sensei replies.

Jason watches as Sensei walks over to his Pontiac Firebird and unlocks it before taking out a sledgehammer and safety goggles.

His eyes widen at the sight. "What am I supposed to do with those, Sensei?"

"Well, you can put the goggles on and hit stuff with the sledgehammer. It's a good way of working on your endurance. You can't fight without stamina." Sensei grins.

Jason shrugs. "Fair enough."

He puts the goggles on and takes the sledgehammer.

Jason walks up to a car and swings the sledgehammer at one of the windows.

He repeats the process until the windows are broken before moving on to the front and back windscreens.

"Come on! Keep going!" Sensei yells.

Jason walks up to another car and starts smashing the windows with the sledgehammer.

He smashes the front and back windscreens.

Jason looks at where Sensei is standing. "Is that it?"

"Go and look for a tire or something. Preferably one of those big ones. Just make sure there aren't nails in it!" Sensei instructs.

Jason puts the sledgehammer down.

He walks into the junkyard and looks around for a big tyre.

Jason manages to find a big tyre, or one that was larger than other tyres at least, eventually and drags it over to where he put the sledgehammer.

He puts the tyre down near the sledgehammer and stops.

Jason looks at the tyre. "Should I hit the tyre or try to lift it?"

"Lift it and get it over there. And then we're done." Sensei answers, pointing at a heap of junk.

Jason nods. "Yes, Sensei."

He lifts the tyre and pushes it over, repeating the process until he gets the tyre to the point in the junk yard that Sensei pointed out.

Jason walks back over to where Sensei is standing.

"Good work, Kreese! I think we should probably go." Sensei remarks.

Jason grabs a bottle of water and drinks it before answering. "That would be a good idea."

He picks up the sledgehammer and the remaining bottles of water before he follows Sensei to where he parked the Pontiac Firebird.

Sensei unlocks the car and Jason takes off the safety goggles he was wearing before putting the sledgehammer and the safety goggles in the trunk.

Jason gets in the passenger seat while Sensei gets in the driver's seat.

He drinks a bottle of water as Sensei starts the car.

Sensei turns on the radio as they drive off.

There's enough time for them to have lunch somewhere before Sensei drives Jason back to his house.

….

Sensei parked the Pontiac Firebird across from a diner.

They get out of the car and walk over to the diner.

Sensei walks into the diner first and Jason follows closely behind him.

They wait for a couple of minutes before a waitress guides them to a table.

Sensei sits down on one side of the table and Jason sits down on the other side.

A waiter comes by to take their order.

They both order cheeseburgers with fries and sodas.

"You did good today, Kreese." Sensei is quick to complement Jason.

Jason smiles. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. This extra training I've got you doing might seem tough, but it's for your own good. Besides, what else were you going to do all day? Watch TV? Play video games? Listen to music? Eat junk food? Or whatever else it is that teenagers do?" Sensei has a wry smile on his face.

Jason nods. "Yeah. I probably would have done all that stuff. But I'm glad that you gave me extra training instead."

"You've still got one more week of extra training left, Kreese. So, don't thank me yet." Sensei answers.

Jason raises an eyebrow at this statement. "So, what's the next week of extra training going to be like, Sensei?"

"It's going to be even tougher. But there is somewhere I'd like you to see before the week is over." Sensei says.

Jason looks confused. "What's that?"

"Coyote Creek." Sensei responds.

A waitress brings over Cokes and glasses with ice in them and puts them on the table.

They pour the sodas into the glasses themselves.

Jason looks at Sensei. "What's Coyote Creek?"

"It's up in the woods. Your grandfather used to bring us there to train. We'd split up into teams and try and take the other team's headbands. The last team with headbands would win." Sensei replies.

Jason nods. "Okay. And why would we go to Coyote Creek?"

"Because you're the leader of the next generation of Cobra Kai. And it would be good for you to get some perspective. Seeing as you'd be coming to the end of your suspension." Sensei answers.

Jason nods again. "Cool. I'm looking forward to it."

"Good." Sensei has a smile on his face.

They keep talking until a waitress brings them their food.

The lunch goes by normally.

Sensei pays for their meal and they leave the diner.

They walk back to the Pontiac Firebird.

Sensei unlocks the car and Jason gets in the passenger seat while Sensei gets in the driver's seat.

Jason watches as Sensei starts the car before turning on the radio.

They drive off back to Jason's house.

….

Jason has time to shower and get changed.

He brings his wallet, phone and keys downstairs with him.

Jason puts on his shoes and walks out the door.

He closes the door behind him and unlocks the Dodge Viper.

Jason gets in the driver's seat and turns on the radio after starting the car.

The journey from Encino to Reseda is short and quick.

He parks the Dodge Viper in a parking space near the dojo and gets out of the car. Claire's Volkswagen Beetle is parked nearby. But he doesn't see Claire. At least not yet.

"Jason!" Jason hears Claire's voice before he sees her.

He turns around. "Hey!"

"I've really missed you. I mean, we were talking and texting since Monday but it's just not the same. You know?" Claire starts.

Jason nods. "I know what you mean."

"Which is why we should have a movie night at my house." Claire continues.

Jason smiles. "That would be nice. I think I'll let you pick the movie we're going to watch, seeing as you're the one who suggested a movie night."

"Aren't you the gentleman?" Claire has a big smile on her face.

Jason scratches his head. "I try."

"I know. But you've got nothing to worry about." Claire says.

Jason agrees. "Yeah. So, have things been at school?"

"They've been good. Sam and Kyler broke up, or at least that's what Moon said." Claire replies.

Jason looks confused. "You talk to Moon? And Sam is still talking to Moon?"

"I wouldn't say that I talk to Moon. I just overhear stuff. Maybe Sam walked back on what she said at the Halloween dance, but I don't think she did. I don't know." Claire replies.

Jason thinks about it. "What about Aisha?"

"I almost forgot about Aisha. She's friends with Sam again. Or, more accurately, they're rebuilding their friendship." Claire answers.

Jason is about to say something when Miguel and Aisha arrive.

Miguel walks up to Jason and gives him a bro handshake, which Jason returns.

Aisha and Claire talk to each other away from Miguel and Jason.

Miguel looks at Jason. "How did your extra training with Sensei go?"

"It went pretty well. We went to a junkyard and I smashed some stuff as part of my training." Jason replies.

Miguel looks surprised. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Well, Sensei did give me safety goggles. So, has anything interesting happened during my suspension so far?" Jason replies.

Miguel shakes his head. "Not really."

"Oh. Well, you heard about Sam and Kyler breaking up? Right?" Jason asks.

Miguel nods. "Yeah."

"So, make your move!" Jason gives Miguel a little nudge.

Miguel looks a little embarrassed. "I don't know. It might be a little bit too soon. And she might say no."

"That's only if you want to get physical. Asking her out shouldn't be an issue." Jason retorts.

Miguel looks even more embarrassed. "What?"

"Don't worry about it. You'd just tie yourself in knots otherwise." Jason answers.

Miguel nods. "You're right. There's no point worrying about it."

"Exactly." Jason says.

They talk until Sensei arrives.

Sensei parks his Pontiac Firebird and gets out of the car.

They watch as he walks to the door of the dojo and unlocks it.

Jason is first through the door, followed by Miguel. Claire and Aisha walk in behind them.

Miguel, Claire and Aisha know about the extra training that Sensei is putting Jason through for the duration of his suspension.

Sensei looks at the quartet. "What are you waiting for? Start warming up!"

They nod and start doing warmups.

Jason is almost mentally counting down until the movie night with Claire, but he doesn't show it.

And Claire doesn't show it either.

Sensei doesn't say anything when he notices Jason and Claire exchanging glances at each other.

Training goes by pretty smoothly after the warmups.

They've been training for so long that they're used to how things go.

….

Jason arrived back at his house.

He was thinking about ordering takeout or just cooking something from scratch.

Eventually, Jason decides to just order takeout.

He calls up a pizza place that he knows delivers and makes an order.

Jason hears a knock on the door and hears the person knocking again.

He goes to open the door, thinking that it's a delivery.

Standing in front of him is Samantha LaRusso, of all people.

"Do you mind if we talked? I'll only be a few minutes." Sam asks.

Jason nods. "Okay. Sure. Just make it quick. I ordered takeout and it'll be here any minute."

He lets Sam walk in before he closes the door behind her.

"I'm sorry that you got suspended. And that Kyler and Yasmine, among others, are trying to get you expelled or worse. Because it's not fair." Sam says.

Jason agrees with her. "Yeah."

"I did end things with Kyler after the Halloween dance, though. And I'm repairing my friendship with Aisha. She seems pretty happy in your dojo, by the way. It almost makes me want to start doing karate again." Sam remarks.

Jason raises an eyebrow at this statement. "Oh, really? Didn't you say that you did karate when you were younger at the pool party before Brucks interrupted our conversation?"

"I did. I didn't think you'd remember." Sam replies.

Jason almost laughs. "But I did. I'm more than just muscle."

"You're a good person underneath everything. Your friends, and Claire, are lucky to have you in their lives." Sam replies.

Jason smiles. "Well, speaking of friends, Miguel wanted to talk to you at the Halloween dance but didn't get around to it. Because of Kyler and his merry band of assholes."

"What did he want to talk to me about?" Sam asks.

Jason lets out a breath. "Well, he was going to try and ask you out. And he's still considering it. Especially now that you and Kyler aren't a thing anymore."

"Oh. Well, he doesn't have to worry about Kyler anymore." Sam interjects.

Jason nods. "I know."

"I'd better go. It was nice catching up, though." Sam walks to the door and opens it.

Jason smiles. "Don't be a stranger."

He watches as Sam closes the door behind her.

A few minutes later, he hears a knock on the doorbell.

Jason goes to open the door.

He sees a pizza delivery guy standing in front of him holding a pizza box.

"I've got an order for Jason Kreese. I'm guessing that's you." The delivery guy says.

Jason nods. "That's me. Thanks."

He pays for the pizza and gives a tip.

Jason closes the door behind him as the delivery guy walks back to his car.

He walks over to the dining room table and puts the pizza box on it.

Jason sits down and opens the pizza box.

The pizza was a pepperoni pizza with extra pepperoni on it.

And it was already cut into eight equal slices, so he didn't have to worry about cutting it.

He picks up a slice of pizza and bites into it.

Jason continues eating the slice of pizza until it's gone.

He licks his fingers in order to get rid of any sauce or cheese on them.

Jason grabs another slice and starts eating it.

He repeats the process until the pizza box is empty.

Jason flattens out the empty pizza box and folds it in half before throwing it in the trash.

He washes his hands and dries them before leaving the house.

He gets in the Dodge Viper and starts the car.

Jason turns on the radio before driving over to Claire's house.

He was really looking forward to spending time with Claire watching a movie and eating junk food.

….

Jason parks the Dodge Viper near to Claire's house and gets out.

He walks up to the door and knocks on it a couple of times.

The door opens and Bobby is standing in front of him.

"Hi, Jason. Claire told me that you've been suspended for two weeks and that Johnny is giving you extra training. I got in my fair share of fights when I was your age but I was never suspended. It must have been a pretty bad fight." Bobby takes a step back to let Jason into the house.

Jason walks into the house. "Yeah. Sensei is giving me extra training and I think it's worked. He said that he'd take me somewhere called Coyote Creek next Saturday."

"Our Sensei used to take us to Coyote Creek as part of our training. So, I'm glad that Johnny is continuing one tradition we used to have." Bobby replies.

Jason nods. "Yeah. So, where's Claire?"

"She's up in her room. I know I shouldn't have to say it, but I'd prefer it if you left the door partly open. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just…." Bobby starts.

Jason has an idea what Bobby is trying to say. "That Claire and I are teenagers."

"More or less. Enjoy your movie night, by the way. You're welcome here any time." Bobby says.

Jason watches as Bobby walks away.

He walks up the stairs and finds Claire's room.

The door is open and he can see Claire sitting on the bed in her room. There are unopened bags of snacks and containers of candy on the bed along with cans of soda.

"Hey! It's so good to see you! I mean, I saw you earlier! But you know what I'm trying to say." Claire springs from her bed and goes to give him a big hug.

Jason returns the gesture and gives her a kiss, which Claire returns.

They kiss for a few minutes before they separate.

He looks at Claire. "Your dad said that we had to leave the door open."

"That's parents for you." Claire quips.

They sit down on Claire's bed.

Jason looks back at Claire. "So, what movie are we watching?"

"Attack The Block. You're going to really enjoy it." Claire replies.

Jason smiles. "It sounds good."

"Awesome." Claire has a smile on her face.

Jason watches as Claire turns on the TV in her room and puts a Blu-Ray disc into the Blu-Ray player.

Claire picks up a remote and presses play before sitting back on the bed next to Jason.

They eat snacks, drink soda and watch the movie.

Jason enjoyed it more than he thought that he would.

The fact that he was watching it with Claire certainly helped, but there was more to it than that.

He just couldn't explain it.

Jason turns to face Claire. "I'm picking the movie for the next movie night."

"I'm looking forward to it already. Would you mind helping me take out the trash?" Claire asks.

Jason nods. "Sure."

They both stand up and gather the trash on Claire's bed into their arms.

Then, they walk out of Claire's room and down the stairs.

They throw out the garbage and walk into the kitchen.

"My parents are out back. If you want to say goodbye to them before you leave." Claire suggests.

Jason shakes his head. "That's okay. I should probably get going. I've got another extra training session with Sensei tomorrow morning. We've already been in a warehouse, an abattoir and a junkyard already. He's holding off on taking me to this place called Coyote Creek until next week."

"Sensei really put you through it, huh?" Claire asks.

Jason nods. "Yeah. But it's fine. I'd just be hanging out at home if I wasn't training. And that would have gotten pretty boring after a while."

"That makes sense." Claire says.

Jason scratches his head. "I'm going to head home. I'll see you on Monday."

"Why don't we go on a date next week? How about next Saturday?" Claire suggests.

Jason thinks about it. "That would be a good idea. And I'm looking forward to it already."

"Good." Claire gives Jason a kiss.

Jason returns the kiss and they kiss for a couple of minutes.

They separate.

Jason smiles. "See you. And now I'd really better get going."

He turns around and walks towards the door of the house.

Jason opens the door and steps out.

He closes the door behind him.

Jason walks to the Dodge Viper and unlocks it before getting inside.

He starts the car and turns off the radio before driving off.