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𝚂𝟸|𝙴𝟷| 𝙼𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚢, 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 II
Summertime. A break from the tortures place they call Highschool. Everyone loved summertime, it's a time to spend with your friends, stay up late, not worry about school, have fun enjoying life. Tessa LaRusso always loved summertime, but she knew this summer was going to be different from most. It all seemed off to her, and that could also just be from the fact she lost a whole bunch of her friends as well as her boyfriend.
She knew if she couldn't hang out with her old friends, she would need something else to do. So that's how she found herself applying to a job at a Chinese restaurant to make herself money. She filled everything out on the sheet of paper, handing it to the manager as she sat in his office. He quickly looked over it before writing some things down, looking at her with a smile.
"Well, Miss LaRusso, you have a lot of the things were looking for. Your defiantly one of our top choices for this position. I'll call you if you get the job, I'll have to talk to my superior beforehand." He spoke to her as he stood up. Tessa stood up as well, holding her hand out as he placed it in hers, both engaging in the handshake.
"Thank you so much. Have a good day." Tessa said with a fake smile, walking out of his office to her car.
She drove back to her house, blasting Taylor Swift while singing terribly to the lyrics. She would have done anything to get Miguel off of her head, but everything she did she couldn't get the conversation she had with him at the tournament and the look of rage and anger on his face as he would injure Robby more in the shoulder out of her mind. She didn't know what she hoped for when they had there talk but she didn't like how it ended. She defiantly didn't expect Miguel to walk away from her, that's what hurt her the most, he walked away. It made her realize there was little hope between the two.
She walked into her house, walking over to the kitchen as she grabbed a bottle of water before turning around. She watched Anthony sit at the table as he played on his Nintendo switch while Daniel tried to convince him to join Miyagi-Do, and Amanda stood and watched.
"I just applied for a job." Tessa spoke, walking over to her dad. "I'm also sorry about the Cobra Kai thing."
"It's okay. I'm proud of you." Daniel spoke, smiling at the girl.
"I'm gonna go up in my room." She finally said, pointing at her room. She started to walk away, stopping behind Anthony before ruffling up his hair.
"Hey!" He yelled, turning around, looking for Tessa only to see her already running up the stairs as she laughed.
She walked into her room, closing the door before taking her shoes off and plopping down on her bed with a sigh. She laid on her stomach in silence before groaning and sitting up. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, opening up Instagram.
Of course, the first picture that popped up on her feed was a picture of Miguel holding his trophy as he stood by Hawk and Bert. She clicked on his page, scrolling through his profile, smiling at the picture of him and herself. She sighed again before clicking the three dots in the corner and hit the block option. It showed an 'are you sure' menu, causing her to take a minute before hitting block.
It brought her back to the main page of Instagram as Tessa clicked on Aisha's story. "So, you might be wondering what a team does after they win the championship. The answer? Victory Nachos!" Tessa watched as all of her friends, maybe old friends, all sat around a table celebrating. She shut her phone off, laying on her back as she looked up at her ceiling.
The only thing Tessa didn't know was that Sam was doing the same thing Tessa was just doing, expect she didn't block Miguel, no she added Miguel on Instagram. She always did find an interest in the boy.
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Tessa parked her car out in front of the Cobra Kai dojo with two things on her mind, talking to Aisha and talking to Johnny. She watched as Aisha walked out of the dojo talking to Bert, Tessa took this as her time to get her attention as Bert walked away.
"Aisha!" Tessa exclaimed towards the girl, the girl in question quickly looked over at her with a guilty expression.
"Hey." Aisha started walking over to the girl. "We missed you at practice. I'm guessing you're not coming back from what happened at the tournament?"
"It's a long story. Look about the tournament—" Tessa started, getting cut off by Aisha.
"No, it's my fault. I was annoyed with myself for not winning and I took that out on you." Aisha spoke, leaning on Tessa's car. "I'm sorry."
"Your forgiven. I was getting really lonely without you."
"Without another girl at the dojo it's defiantly been different. We need you to come straighten up some of the guys that are full of themselves with their toxic masculinity." Aisha spoke as Tessa laughed. Miguel's head immediately turned towards the sound, feeling an all too familiar sound ring through his ears. He looked to his side; his eyes meeting with the girl he longed for. He ignored what Hawk was saying as he watched her unbuckle her seatbelt and quickly open up the door as she brought Aisha into a hug.
Tessa backed away from the hug, a smile on her face as she looked behind Aisha, finally meeting the ones that were already on her, her smile faltering.
"Dude, just go over and talk to her. It's not that hard." Hawk spoke as he noticed Miguel's stare, smacking Miguel on the back.
"Tessa, you should go talk to him. He really misses you." Aisha nodded her head to the boy behind them, like Hawk, noticing her friends stare. Miguel was met with an eyeroll from Tessa as he started walking towards the two girls, not looking at Aisha once.
"Hey can we talk?" Miguel questioned as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, coming up from behind Aisha.
"I'll talk to you later." Aisha chuckled as she walked up to Hawk. "There so in love with each other." She whispered to Hawk as he nodded his head in agreement, chuckling as he watched the pair before walking off with Aisha.
"What do you wanna talk about, Miguel? Because last time I checked you're the one who walked away." She annoyingly spoke, crossing her arms above her chest.
"And you blocked me." He returned, using the same tone she had.
"Because you walked away from me in that hallway leaving me crying!" She raised her voice, flaring her arms up as Miguel sighed.
"Look, I didn't come over here to fight." He spoke.
"Well, what did you come over here for? Because if you don't have anything to say I need to talk to Johnny."
"Why do you need to talk to Sensei?" Miguel questioned, giving the girl a confused look.
"That's none of your business." She turned around, leaning down to grab her cobra kai Gi to turn in. Miguel stared down at her, not denying the fact he was staring right at her ass. He quickly looked away as she got back up. "Have a good day, Miguel." She mumbled, walking away from the boy she would have done anything for a month ago.
She walked through the doors of Cobra Kai, looking over at the mirror that had now had no glass, as well as in the corner where a trash can stood with the wall covered in burn marks. "Johnny? I'm gone for how many days, and it looks like this." She yelled throughout the dojo as Johnny walked out of his office.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" He questioned, walking closer to the girl as she took her shoes off, being respectful.
"Returning this. Please do tell how this happened though." She spoke, looking at the wall. Johnny sighed as he grabbed the Cobra Kai Gi from her.
"That story is way too long." Johnny spoke as he looked over at the mirror.
"I got all day." She shrugged.
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"So, you're telling me you were thrown into that mirror by your former sensei?" Tessa questioned as her and Johnny walked around the hardware store. Johnny held a list in front of him as they searched for supplies to fix the mirror.
"Yeah." Johnny spoke through a laugh. "So, you're not coming back?" He asked, stopping to look at his former student.
"You know I can't." She spoke, a sigh escaping her lips. They continued to walk until they approached a worker.
"Hey man." Johnny greeted, getting the attention of the worker.
"Hey." The worker replied as Johnny and Tessa stopped in front of him, Tessa putting her hands in her back pockets of her jeans.
"I'm looking to replace a 4-by-8 piece of mirror." Johnny spoke. The man looked at Johnny, a smirk being placed on his lips as he held up his hands.
"Metallica! Noice!" The man excitingly spoke to Johnny.
"Rock on, man." Johnny smiled slightly as he held up his fist.
"Rock on indeed, man. The 80s were the best era ever. The best era ever. Right?" The worker dramatically spoke. "I mean, I was only, like, five years old when it happened, but still. But like, kids nowadays, I mean look at this one." He pointed to Tessa who stepped forward with a glare.
"Excuse me?" She asked with a glare as Johnny put a hand on her, telling her to back up as the man awkwardly laughed.
"You remember Caddyshack?" The man continued, trying to ignore the threating girl in front of him.
"Huh. Yeah, sure." Johnny spoke through a laugh, Tessa backing up from the two men.
"Yeah, you remember the gopher who used to dance. The..." He stopped as he started to do a dance, getting a look from Tessa as she crossed her arms and held an amused smile. "Or whatever the noise was." He continued talking, stopping the dance as he laughed. "Hey, my question, is that a real gopher that they got to do that or is that something they did—"
"Listen, guy, I don't know. I was partying with babes back then. Do you have the glass mirror or not?" Johnny questioned, getting annoyed by the man in front of him.
"Oh, yeah. Uh..." The man spoke, his mood faltering. "Defiantly, just... I'll be right back."
"All right, thank you." Johnny looked down at his list.
"That was interesting." Tessa looked towards Johnny as she chuckled. She felt her phone buzz through her pocket as she quickly got it out, looking at it. She quickly realized she was getting a call from Sam. She walked over to johnny, holding her phone up as he told her it was okay to answer it with a wave of his hand. She walked aways over and quickly answered the phone. "Hello." She spoke into the phone.
"Hey, where are you?" Sam asked through her phone, sitting in her room.
"I'm at the hardware store, why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the beach club with me. I asked Aisha but she said she couldn't."
"I can't. I'm helping someone with something." She mumbled hesitantly, not sure if she should tell her sister she was with their fathers enemy.
"Oh, okay. Have fun." Sam spoke, quickly hanging up on Tessa. Tessa shut her phone off, putting it back in her pocket. She turned around, whipping her head back and forth as she lost sight of Johnny. She quickly turned a corner as she watched him look at something as the worker was talking.
"Johnny." Tessa spoke loudly, getting his attention as she walked over to him. She had a smile on her face as she was walked, stopping in front of him as he turned his body, Tessa not noticing the two that stood next to them. "Sorry, it was my sister. She wanted me too—" She stopped as she saw the look on his face, giving him a confused look only then turning to see Robby and her father. She awkwardly chuckled as she gave them a smile. "Hi. I didn't know you two were here."
"Wait. Whoa. LaRusso Auto? Chopping prices! Pshh! Pshh!" The worker spoke as he looked at Daniel, making chopping movements and laughing. "I love that commercial. I love karate too. I mean, I never got to do it. My mom wouldn't let me so..." He trailed off as he began to ramble, starting to point at Robby. "Hey, you look just like him. Is this your son? What's going on? My names Raymond."
"Hey, man. Just put the glass on the loading dock. Give me a second." Johnny spoke, walking closer to the worker, Raymond.
"Oh, for sure." Raymond nodded, walking away as he left the four in an awkward silence while Tessa put her hands in her back pocket, rocking back and forth on her heals.
"What are you guys doing here?" Johnny finally asked, breaking the silence.
"Just working on a little project. That's all. You two?" Daniel questioned, Robby giving a glare to Johnny.
"Same." Johnny replied.
"Give me those. I'll, uh... I'll go pay." Daniel muttered after it got quiet. "Meet you by the car."
"I'll go with." Tessa pipped up after getting a look from Daniel, telling her to follow to let the two others talk. Daniel and Tessa walked in silence until they got to the car. "Look, I went to return my GI and he asked me—"
"It's fine. I also want to apologize for getting so mad at you that night." Daniel interrupted her.
"It's okay." Tessa spoke as she looked over from Daniel, watching Robby come out of the store. "Hey." Tessa smiled at the Keene boy, quickly becoming aware of his anger. "Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah." Robby spoke, trying to smile at the girl.
"How'd it go back there?" Daniel asked as he closed the trunk.
"Same way it always goes. Cares more about his rivalry with you than he does about me." Robby spoke with a shrug before turning to Tessa. "He said that he doesn't need your help anymore." He quickly walked into the car. Tessa turned to Daniel with a sigh before getting in the back of the car.
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Tessa worked on the new piece of art she had inspiration for, her brush skimming the canvas lightly as she smiled. She stopped at the knock she had heard on the door. "Come in." Tessa spoke as she turned around in her chair. She turned her head to the side, looking at the door as it slowly opened up, revealing the person behind it. "Hi dad." She spoke with a light smile.
Daniel walked through the room, taking a seat on her bed. Tessa quickly stood up as she took a seat next to him. "Listen, I've been so busy building this dojo, I know you and I haven't had a chance to talk about you and Miguel."
"I really don't want to talk about it." She honestly spoke, causing Daniel to sigh.
"I ever tell you about my first girlfriend? I was about your age. She was in another league." Daniel started to explain. "Beautiful eyes, amazing smile. I thought it would last forever. I did."
"What happened?" Tessa curiously asked.
"Grandma moved us out of New Jersey. Came to California. I met a new girl, Ali. This time, I was sure she was the one. I mean, Judy was great, but... this... this was true love."
"What happened with Ali?"
"That's a story for another time. Then there's a story after that one. And that one. And then your mom. My point is, Tessa, you think the world revolves around one person, but then, you meet someone new." Daniel spoke as Tessa looked down. "I... I know it's hard. It hurts, but everyone goes through this."
"Yeah, but not everyone has a karate war going on that manipulates good kids." Tessa pointed out, starting to think of how Miguel used to be.
"Well, that's why I'm opening up Miyagi-Do. So, we can fight back, take down Cobra Kai." Daniel spoke as he began to try and reassure his daughter.
"I don't want to fight them. I got out of Cobra Kai so I wouldn't have to deal with this. They're not my enemies. They're my friends. Thanks for trying to help. I'm gonna head out, love you." Tessa grabbed her phone and left her room, getting into her car.
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Tessa had made it to the Cobra Kai dojo, going to check up on Johnny. She walked in, looking at her former Sensei that had just finished the mirror. "The dojo's closed—" He started after hearing the bell ring, stopping as he looked over, quickly realizing who had walked in. "Hey. I already finished. I thought it would be a good idea to let you go with your dad." He spoke to the teen.
"Robby didn't seem so happy after your guys' talk. Still not doing well?" She concerningly questioned, walking closer to the man.
"No, not really." He sighed, putting the drill down.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You just got to keep trying. Though, you can't be mad at him for holding a grudge."
"I'm not." He spoke, looking at the floor.
"Good. Now what else is there to do?" She asked with a smile.
The two repainted a few things and once they were finally done, Johnny started to seal up the white paint while Tessa washed her hands off in the bathroom. Johnny stopped what he was doing, standing up from the ground as he noticed a familiar person walking through his dojo. The door opened up as John Kreese walked in, holding his bag as he walked over to Johnny.
"I just wanna say one thing... and then I'll leave." Kreese spoke to Johnny, coming to a stop.
"Yeah, what is it?" Johnny asked, rubbing his hands with a red rag. Kreese took a big sigh before looking at the ground. He was going to apologize but stopped when he watched a brunette girl walk out of the dojo's bathroom. Tessa walked out, putting her phone in her back pocket while she looked at the ground, not noticing the two men.
"I should probably head back, my dad—" She stopped as she looked up, noticing two pairs of eyes on her.
"This one of your students, Johnny?" The man asked, pointing to the girl who raised her eyebrows confusingly at the old man.
"Actually, I'm Te—" She started but got cut off by Johnny.
"Don't answer his question. You should head back home." Johnny spoke as he put his hand out in front of the girl.
"Okayyy." She dragged out. She grabbed her bag that was in the corner of the room before looking back at Johnny. "See you later, Johnny." She waved goodbye, walking out the dojo as she hopped in her car.
Tessa walked through the doors of Miyagi-Do dojo, looking for her dad and Robby. She was about to open the door, stopping as she listened to her father's speech.
"The goal of Miyagi-Do karate isn't to fight them. It's to show them a different way. Right? A better way. For them and everyone in the Valley." Tessa felt proud that her father actually took her advice. She opened up the sliding doors, taking a step forward causing the two boys to look at her.
"That sounds like a pretty good plan. Got room for one more?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"Yeah?" Daniel questioned his daughter. Tessa nodded her head as she continued to walk over to them.
"The place looks great. Defiantly better than the last time I saw it. I mean, the house has been painted and the decks been sanded. Did you make Robby do all of this? And does that mean I'm off the hook?" Tessa asked with a laugh.
"Uh no. We're gonna find something for you to do. Get on over here." Daniel quickly motioned for the LaRusso girl to come towards the two, Robby stared in amazement at the girl in front of him. Tessa quickly walked down the stairs, engulfing her dad into a hug as Daniel laughed. "All right." Daniel spoke, letting go of his daughter as she stood at the side of Robby. "Not even open 24 hours and I've doubled my roster." The two teens smile widened. "I've got a good feeling about this. All right, you guys should both get some rest. Because this summer, you're gonna be spending a lot of time back here together." He spoke as Tessa and Robby looked directly at each other and then looked back at Daniel. Tessa knew that this was the beginning of something great, but she still felt like it could go all wrong.