Serendipity & the Sequel

Enemy Lines

A rush of silence rolled over the crowd.

With Hawk's disqualification, the finals would advance with Miguel and Robby going head to head.

You bit at your fingernails for quite some time. Amanda rubbed your shoulder as the two of you waited impatiently for Daniel's return. He had run to check on Robby in the locker room, and he had yet to come back with any news.

All of a sudden, a shadow loomed over you. Standing to your feet, you came face to face with your husband.

"Look, I didn't tell Hawk to do that."

This was all he said.

You nodded your head slowly, processing his words. You believed him wholeheartedly, but that was precisely the problem.

"Johnny, I know you didn't. But we have to face the facts here... Cobra Kai has the same mindset as it did back in the 80s. We have to do something about this."

He was taken aback by your statement. "What did you just say?"

"Oh come on," you scoffed at his sudden shift in tone, "this isn't the Cobra Kai we wanted to be. Admit it. What Hawk just did was pure boasting and arrogance. We didn't want our kids to be trained this way, but they were. We went wrong somewhere... we ended up right back where we started. Cobra Kai in 1984."

"Look, senseis make mistakes-"

"I never said they couldn't make any." You shook your head steadily, "all I'm saying is we need to be better. From now on, we have to tackle this differently."

"I'm sorry, we?" Johnny raised his voice just then, "since when was there a we in this? Look, if you really cared about this dojo, you would be out there by my side right now. Instead you've been going behind my back and for what, to help teach at a different dojo? My enemy's dojo might I add."

"Johnny!" You gasped, "you know the rules! Only one sensei allowed on the mat until finals! And as for Miyagi-Do, don't you dare drag Daniel into this mess. This is our issue, and we can solve it later."

"Can we? Because I don't think we have later. Our dojo is in the finals for the All Valley tournament. You're technically allowed to join me on the mat now, but I know you won't. I know where your priorities are. With Daniel. You were never for Cobra Kai. You just wanted to change it for your reputation's sake because you didn't want to be linked with your uncle. And now you've left me to pick up the pieces. I admit I'm not the best sensei, I'm still learning. Which is why I needed you. And now I don't even feel like you're here for me. For Cobra Kai."

"That's not true!" You stammered.

But in a certain sense, he was right.

You wanted Cobra Kai to change, and maybe your reasons were purely selfish, you weren't sure. You wanted the dojo legacy to be as far removed from your uncle as possible, but that's what every good hearted person would want, right? Why was he all of a sudden making this seem like a mistake?

"You're so full of it!" He scoffed before repeating himself in a much more exasperated manner, "alright? You're full of it."

You bit your tongue. "Johnny, I don't know why you're acting entitled right now of all times. Why all of a sudden you claim there's no us in Cobra Kai. You say that my priorities are elsewhere yet you're the one responsible for pushing me away. Just now, you said there was no we. I didn't make that decision, you did. I was going to teach next to you on that mat for the finals but you know what? I won't be anymore. You did that, Johnny. You made that choice, not me. You've made up your mind for me. Good luck on the rest of the tournament, I won't be here."

You had begun to pack up your things before he could even apologize. You heard his aggravated mumbles as he pinched the bridge of his nose and begged you to stay. In fact, he seemed more mad at himself for saying what he did, than towards you for wanting to leave.

But you didn't let him say a single word. Instead, you slung your purse over your shoulder and walked.

But the direction you took, was the complete opposite of the doors.

You knew you couldn't go into the locker rooms, but you found yourself gravitating toward the entrance. You wanted nothing more than to see Robby walk out, his arm completely fine. But you knew that he was injured. How severely, you weren't sure.

But when Daniel came running from the locker room doors, you found yourself grabbing onto his arm anxiously before he could pass.

"Daniel! Is he alright? Is he gonna fight?"

His face fell ever so slightly as Robby brushed passed him and took his place on the mat. "He's gonna be okay. His shoulder was popped out of place, but the nurse got it back in pretty quickly."

You noticed Daniel seemed to be rushing his words. You scrunched up your eyebrows in confusion as he tried to dart from your grip and follow after Keene.

"Woah, hey, slow down there man. What's going on? Is there something you're not telling me about Robby's condition?"

"No, I just..." he fumbled over his words, "I want to help him. He still wants to fight, so I have to tell the ref before it's too late."

Before you could say anything else, Daniel slipped out of your grip and ran for the mat.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Johnny where you left him. His head hung low in defeat as he thought over your previous conversation. And in all honesty, you were thinking about it as well. You hadn't taken into consideration how stressed Johnny may have been in that moment. There was a lot going on, including a disqualification for Cobra Kai. His chances of winning were slim. And on top of that, he had officially lost your help in the finals. All because he let his brain think for his heart.

But if there was one thing you knew about yourself, was that you always let your heart think first. And right now, despite the circumstances, your heart was screaming for Robby.

Suddenly, the lights went dark, and yellow spotlights merged onto the announcer who was striding radiantly into the center of the mat. The crowd began to whistle and applaud, but you stood there frozen with wide eyes and goosebumps covering your arms.

"This is it, folks. The moment we've all been waiting for. The final match to determine who will be victor and champion."

The world felt as if it were going in slow motion as you suddenly felt your legs beneath you, step out into a run. You caught up with Daniel just as the announcer began to announce the finalists.

"Will it be... Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai Karate?"

The shouting began to arise from the bleachers.

"Will it be Robby Keene? Unafilia-"

But your hand urgently grabbing the referee's arm was enough to make the entire audience go still.

With a shaky voice, you whispered in his ear.

Your own voice sounded like an echo in your mind.

Your heart began to pound.

Shaking hands reminded you that everyone was watching.

The ref's face melted into shock.

"Mrs. Lawrence is gonna coach?"

Multiple eyes widened across the crowd. Daniel squeezed your hand in support, giving you a smile that you could see out of the corner of your eyes that were locked in front of you. The referee's eyes lit up then, replacing the mask of a lost daze with something more thrilling.

"Mrs. Lawrence is gonna coach!"