ミ☆ chapter five; a taste of the past
[ season 1, episode 5]
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Cobra Kai had only been shut down for a few days before Miguel had gone back to nagging the girl to visit the place. So, after school, she went with Miguel to the dojo, convinced that she was prepared for anything he could've thrown at her.
She had finally given in. A promise was a promise, and Nadia would be lying if she had said that she didn't want to finally humble the Diaz boy.
"Sensei Lawrence is a little rough, but he's actually good, I promise," Miguel informed, kicking a rock on the sidewalk.
"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Johnny is helping someone other than himself," Nadia replied, partially joking. "This is the same guy I used to see randomly outside at 3am, drunkenly cursing out plants."
"He somehow convinced my mom to let me take lessons again, so maybe just give him a chance?"
The brunette pursed her lips. "Fine."
The two stayed in silence for a while after that, both conjuring up ways in their head to make up new conversations. Miguel beat her to it. "I never got to thank you for the dance, by the way."
"It wasn't a big deal, really," She spoke humbly. "Sam wasn't even there for most of it, so..."
Miguel shook his head. "No, not that. I mean, thank you for that, but I'm talking about when Kyler and his friends beat me up."
"Oh!" Nadia's lips curled into an 'O' shape. "Don't mention it. Us new kids gotta stick together, right?"
A smile appeared on the Diaz's face. "Right."
The conversation felt short, although it actually was pretty long, seeing as they were now standing in front of Cobra Kai. Miguel placed his hand on the metal handle, holding the door for the girl behind him.
With a nod, she entered, and seconds later she was met by the familiar blue orbs of Johnny Lawrence. He barely glanced at her before shaking his head. "No yoga till five."
"It wouldn't kill you to remember me, Johnny," She spat, crossing her arms once she was on the mat. Miguel entered as well, making Johnny raise his eyebrows.
"Of course I remember you," He scoffed. "And no shoes on the mat, Nadine."
"It's Nadia." The Hayworthe girl rolled her eyes as she pulled off her sneakers. "And I'm not here for yoga. I'm here for karate.
She took in the dojo, realizing that it looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Granted, it technically hadn't, but you'd think it would've looked somewhat more modern because of its reopening.
Johnny stared at his student with an incredulous look, then at Nadia. "Girls can't do karate."
Her face dropped into a scowl immediately, unable to process the misogynistic trash that had come from his mouth. "Why not?"
"Their bones are fragile, and-"
"Sensei, I invited her," Miguel shouted, eager to get his words out before Johnny could make the situation worse. "Can we talk for a second?"
Without saying anything else, the Diaz boy practically dragged his sensei to his office, shutting the door louder than intended.
Nadia began to walk around the dojo, scanning the area for any idea of what the place possibly could've been like. She noticed the words painted in black in the back of the dojo, reading them aloud. "Strike first, Strike hard. No mercy."
Yikes.
Those words alone were enough to rise an uneasy feeling in her chest. The entire vibe of Johnny's dojo was the complete opposite of the way that Daniel described the one he was taught in. Maybe that was the reason he had beat Johnny. After reading the sign, she had finally made up her mind on whether or not to accept Daniel's offer. If a place like Cobra Kai would be opening up again, it'd be wise to spread the more peaceful version of it. Even if it meant going against Miguel's wishes.
Just seconds later, Miguel and Johnny exited the office, the younger boy with an excited expression, and the older one with an unhappy one.
"I'm not going easy on you, all right? On the mat. You too, Diaz. Use all your strength."
The boy gawked at him. "Are you sure, sensei? That's kind of brutal."
"What, you think I can't handle your full strength?" Nadia raised an eyebrow at him, already pulling off her jacket. She had a blue tank top on, as well as black leggings to go with it.
"Well...yeah."
The two teenagers stared at each other in silence, as if some sort of staring contest, and at the moment, Nadia was winning. Miguel looked like he was on the verge of breaking eye contact.
Johnny scowled at them. "Well, what are you two just standing there for? One of you gonna hit each other or what?"
"I can't hit a girl."
"Don't be a pussy," Johnny shot back, trying to light a fire in the boy. "Fight!"
"Yeah, Diaz. Don't be a pussy," Nadia repeated, using the very same method Johnny was. It did the trick too, because only seconds later the boy had given her a kick straight to the stomach, making her double over in pain and dramatically fall.
Miguel's competitive glare immediately became apologetic as he raced over to the girl, extending a hand. "I'm so sorry!"
Instead of grabbing it, she used her leg that was closest to him and slid it right under him, sweeping him off his feet within seconds and sending him straight to the floor with a grunt. Nadia pushed herself up from her previous position using just her arms, moving quickly to the Diaz to ensure that he wouldn't try anything again. She bent down, sending one final punch to his gut, earning a loud groan from him.
She stood up from the mat, flashing Miguel an innocent smile. "What was that about being the best?"
The brunette turned to Johnny, raising her eyebrows expectantly. He stared at his student groaning on the floor, then back to the one who had put him in that state. He looked somewhat proud. "You're in."
"That wasn't an audition. I just wanted to see how good your best...and only student is at karate."
"You came here just to beat Diaz's ass?"
"Absolutely. Bye now."
Nadia was eager to leave the place. It was everything she didn't want to be, and while handing Miguel his own ass was enjoyable, it was the only thing that she could say she had fun doing in that place. She grabbed her jacket and slipped her shoes on, sending a wave to the boys, and exiting.
"Oh. Nadia. I didn't know you did karate," Aisha spoke, making the Hayworthe girl jump in surprise. The Robinson had an unintentional habit of sneaking up on her.
"I don't. I didn't. It doesn't matter. Anyway, what are you doing here?"
"Miguel told me about Cobra Kai. And I think it'd help with the bullying. Maybe they'll leave me alone if I can defend myself," She answered, her eyes switching between Nadia and the concrete.
Nadia's head fell. She felt bad. When she had left Aisha alone at the table to go find Miguel, Yasmine used it as an opportunity to humiliate the girl more than she already does on a daily basis. As skeptical as she was about Cobra Kai, if she was in Aisha's place, she'd do the exact same thing.
Nadia let out a giggle to lighten the mood. Her hand found Aisha's shoulder. "Good luck. The sensei in there is a grade A asshole."
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"Can I eat in my room today?"
Layla Hayworthe narrowed her eyes at her daughter, momentarily placing down her fork. "Again?"
"She's always calling her friends," Kie snorted, sticking piece of food in her mouth. "You can tell. Her face is melting off slowly."
"You're a psycho," Nadia deadpanned, placing her food on the table. She didn't plan to stay there for long, but make an excuse and scurry off to her room.
"It feels like you talked to me more when you were living with your dad than here." Layla frowned, genuine sadness in her eyes. "And what's this about karate?"
Nadia's eyes practically bulged out of her head. "Who said anything about karate?"
"That boy who lives across from us. He came to the door when you weren't here, and told me something about you joining a dojo?"
"I thought you were done with karate," Kiara grumbled, midway through chewing. "I don't wanna have to move again because you land another girl in a hospital. I actually like it here."
The older sister's jaw slightly dropped. Layla scowled at Kie's harsh words. "Kiara!"
"It's true," The young girl mumbled.
Momentarily holding eye contact with Nadia, Layla turned back to the girl downing her food like it was nothing. "Kiara, go to your room and eat in there. I need to talk to your sister."
Nadia swallowed thickly as her little sister sent her a glare, picking up her food with attitude, and stomping over to their shared bedroom. Once she was out of sight, Layla turned her head back to the other girl who had been waiting patiently.
"This boy. He's your boyfriend?" Her mom inquired out without warning.
"Uh," A breathy chuckle left her lips as her mother's question registered in her mind. "Not my boyfriend. Sorry, is this what you wanted to talk about?"
"No, of course not. I'm just-" Layla paused, taking a strand of her daughter's hair and tucking it behind her ear, possibly as a way to comfort her. "I feel like we talked to each other more when you lived in LA with your dad. I don't even known how many friends you've made. And I just feel like you doing karate again is something I should know. Especially if it's from a dojo called Cobra Kai."
"I'm not joining Cobra Kai." Nadia shook her head, sending her mom a reassuring look. "But, I might be doing karate again. With Mr. LaRusso."
Layla's eyebrows raised. "He teaches?"
"He's starting, and it's probably gonna be better than Cobra Kai," She explained. "He doesn't teach with violence, so if you say yes, I can assure you that nobody will get hurt."
"At the end of the day, it's up to you," Her mom answered wholeheartedly. "I know your dad was hard on you, and if you think this dojo could help you remember the good side of karate, there's nothing that would make me happier."
Layla unexpectedly pulled her in for a warm embrace, one that Nadia didn't mind in the least, wrapping her arms around her mom within seconds. She realized it had been a while since she properly had a moment like this with her. Everything became hectic quicker than Nadia had initially thought it would, and she felt as if she didn't spend as much time with her mom and sister as she wanted to.
"I love you," Nadia whispered to her mom. "Thank you."
"I love you, too," Layla replied, pulling away from the hug. "So...tell me about this boy."
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AUTHORS NOTE
nadia bonding w miguel then punching him in the gut five minutes later is so funny to me 😭
ALSO nadia needs a minute to warm up to johnny but it'll happen eventually, trust 💪🏾