sweep the heart | cobra kai

all valley

A few weeks later, another Cobra Kai training session. At this point, every student had earned their gi.

"Fighting positions!" Hallie's dad walked through the rows and kicked Hawk's leg forward. "Stabilize your base, Hawk. Keep your balance. Full rotation when you strike."

"Yes, Sensei!" Hawk exclaimed.

Hallie's dad turned to a younger boy, about middle school age. The boy flinched.

"Did you just flinch, Virgin?" He asked. He the. approached the next boy in line, who also flinched. "Holy shit. We got a room full of flinchers."

"Yes, Sensei!" The class replied.

"That was not a question!" He exclaimed. "Raise your hand if you've never been punched in the face."

The majority of the class lifted their hands, aside from Miguel, Aisha, and Hallie. She was starting to feel grateful thinking back to a few sessions ago when Miguel accidentally clocked her in the nose.

"Put your hands down," her dad demanded. "All your lives, you've been avoiding fights so you don't break your nose or lose a tooth... this 'concussion' nonsense... So there's only one solution. And that is before you leave this dojo, each and every one of you is gonna take a punch, very hard, to the face. Hallie, line 'em up! Unflinch this group."

Hallie nodded and gestured to Miguel and Aisha to join her. The students filed into three lines behind each of them. First up in Hallie's line - Virgin.

"Sorry," she grimaced, stepping into fighting position. The fear in Virgin's eyes was unmatched - he must've been, like, 13 years old.

But as her dad had so often said, she was to show no mercy. And so Hallie punched him straight in the nose. Virgin stumbled back, face in his hands, groaning as the guy behind him stepped up.

She, Aisha, and Miguel spent the rest of the lesson punching kids in the nose. It was one of the weirder sessions she'd been to, but entertaining nonetheless.

-

The next day, Miguel and Hallie chatted by Samantha's locker.

"I can't believe you're finally gonna ask her out," she said.

"Why?" Asked Miguel. "Do you think I shouldn't?"

"No, Miguel-" Hallie laughed. "I just didn't think you were gonna work up the courage to do it. But I'm glad you did. You guys would be cute together."

He breathed out. "Yeah, I'm just nervous about what she'll say. But Sensei Lawrence did tell me there is no 'no'."

"He said what?"

"Oh, no, no, no, like- just in terms of asking her out."

Hallie breathed out a little. "Okay. I still don't love that concept, but alright."

Miguel laughed a little, looking down.

"Look, just ask her. If she likes you, it'll make her happy to know you like her back. If she doesn't..." she shrugged. "At least you'll know."

"You're right," he nodded. He glanced to the side to see Samantha approaching. "Dude, she's coming!"

"Good luck, Miggy." Hallie walked a reasonable distance away, where she could still see him.

She couldn't hear what was being said, but Miguel seemed nervous as fuck. He was fidgeting and looked like he was rambling. But Samantha didn't seem to mind, at least not that Hallie could tell... until she frowned and started explaining something. Miguel nodded and started to walk off before he turned back to Samantha. After a minute of chatting, the two were smiling.