❝ you've got people on your side, eli. ❞
―
WHEN HE PUT THE FLYER IN HIS BACK POCKET, DECHA DIDN'T THINK HE'D ACTUALLY JOIN COBRA KAI.
Yet, there he stood in the middle of the dojo next to Demetri. Miguel's cafeteria brawl with Kyler had been posted and shared online hundreds of times. He'd made Cobra Kai go viral, causing it to gain the attention of some of the most unpopular students at West Valley to want to learn karate. Why wouldn't they if they could learn to fight the way Miguel did?
Decha wasn't interested in learning karate. Not really. He was mostly there for Achara's sake and the fact that she managed to convince their parents that he should join because it'd help with his anger management. She had a point, but Decha did not want to learn karate. That is, until he learned that Demetri would be there.
"Why'd I let you talk me into this?" Demetri asked Eli. "This goes against everything I stand for. It's like extra gym class for no reason."
"Let's just give it a chance," Eli tried to convince him. "You saw the fight. Miguel kicked ass."
Demetri sighed and then turned his attention to Decha. "And why are you here?"
"Because Achara convinced my parents that it'd be good for me to have a hobby," Decha told him. "Something about my teenage rage needing an outlet."
"Is that the only reason?" Demetri questioned.
Decha smiled at him. "Well, there's also you."
Demetri rolled his eyes. "You're like one of those people who work at the kiosks in the mall—annoyingly persistent, can't take no for an answer, and you make me want to go out of my way to avoid you."
Decha couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Weirdly enough, I think you're right."
"It's not a good thing," Demetri replied.
"Isn't it though?" Decha asked. "Once those annoying sales people get you to try what they're selling, you're always left impressed."
Demetri sighed. "Whatever."
"Quiet!"
Decha flinched and turned his head. Robby's dad—or should he call him sensei, Decha wasn't sure—stood in front of the crowd of teenagers hoping to become karate masters.
"Face front."
Decha turned his body to face him. Sensei started walking around the mat, looking at all of his potential new students.
"Nice shirt," he said to Demetri who thanked him. "I'm joking, it sucks."
He stopped in front of Decha and stared at him as if he was trying to think of something insulting to say, but couldn't. With his Metallica t-shirt and dark blue jeans with ripped holes at the knees, Johnny couldn't help but seem impressed.
He furrowed his eyebrows at him. "You look familiar."
"Achara's my twin sister," Decha told him, pointing to where she stood.
"Another Tiredsarat?" Sensei asked. "How are you supposed to know which one I'm talking to?"
Decha gave him a confused stare. "Our first names."
"Don't get smart with me, Boyband," he replied and then walked away, continuing to insult the other prospective students.
Boyband? Boyband? Where on earth did the nickname Boyband come from? Demetri chuckled to himself. Decha crossed his arms and glared at him.
"When I look around this dojo, I don't see Cobra Kai material," Sensei announced. "I see losers, I see nerds. I see a gay kid with a funny hat with his tits popping out. But in my short time as a sensei, I've also seen some miracles. So, maybe there's some hope for you yet. But first, I need to see where you're at. So everybody, fall in!"
The dojo erupted into a series of confused chatter, wondering what he meant.
"That means line up," he clarified.
Decha stood in place as he watched the group of students walk behind Miguel, Achara, and Aisha and form lines behind them.
"No, not...not line up in a line. Lines! Get in lines."
"You mean like rows?" Demetri asked.
Sensei sighed and covered his face with his hands. "Yes, fine. Rows. Get in rows."
They readjusted, organizing themselves into rows. Decha pushed his way through so that he could stand next to Demetri once again. Demetri just sighed.
"Fighting positions," Sensei said.
Decha looked at Achara to see what she did and copied her position. Even though he had spent the past twenty minutes going over it, he thought Sensei was awful at describing how to do things.
"Jab punch," Sensei instructed. "Nope, wait till I say go. Hiyah!"
Decha pushed his with shoulder, rotating it as he extended his lead fist forward and punched the air. His fists were firm, his elbows and shoulders rotated with ease. It was actually not as tough as he thought it would be. Even Sensei seemed to be amazed.
"Hey, Lip," Sensei spoke. "Yeah, you. The one with the freaky lip. Who do you think I'm talking to?"
Decha looked at Eli who stood on the other side of Demetri.
"Excuse me, uh, Mr. Lawrence," Demetri started to say.
"Sensei Lawrence," Aisha corrected him.
"Okay," Demetri chuckled. "You really shouldn't make fun of someone's physical appearance."
"Oh, is that so?" Sensei Lawrence asked. "So, I'm not supposed to mention his lip at all?"
"Well, yeah," Demetri answered.
"Maybe that's what they teach you in school, but in the real world, you can't expect people to do what they're supposed to do," Sensei Lawrence responded. "You hear that Lip! If you can't handle someone making fun of you, how are you gonna handle an elbow to the teeth?"
"By calling the police," Demetri suggested as if that were the obvious answer.
"Dude..." Miguel shook his head. "Knock it off."
"What?" Demetri asked, continuing to ramble in Eli's defense. "He does realize the Nazis lost the war, right? Why should I be scared of him? Because he's got a snake on his wall? It's not like he's a teacher who can give us a bad grade. We're paying him. He works for us. It's not like he can actually hurt us."
Sensei Lawrence began to walk towards Demetri. Everyone who was standing in Demetri's vicinity stepped backwards out of the way, including Decha.
"Are you done?" Sensei spoke once he stood in front of Demetri.
"What?" Demetri questioned in confusion.
"Hit me," Sensei said. "Go ahead, hit me. Strike me right here."
Demetri sighed and assumed fighting position. He made an attempt to punch Sensei, but he smacked his hand away. "Harder."
Demetri tried again, this time with slightly more aggression than before, but Sensei smacked his hand even harder than he had the first time. Demetri winced. Decha wanted to defend him, but there was no way he was going to intervene in whatever sensei-student power struggle was going on.
"Is that all you got, princess?" Sensei Lawrence asked.
Demetri attempted a third time, fist raised and ready to punch. Sensei grabbed his wrist, stopping his fist mid-air and flipped him over on his back. Demetri hit the mat with a thud.
Sensei started pointing around the room. "Let that be a lesson to all of you."
Decha had a feeling that he wouldn't be seeing Demetri at Cobra Kai again.
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Decha walked to class with Miguel and Demetri. He was listening to Demetri ramble about quitting Cobra Kai.
"You can't quit," Miguel told him.
"I got yelled at, got my ass kicked, and then gave him my money," Demetri replied. "You know who lives like that? Hookers."
"Yeah, but he's not that bad of a guy. You gotta give him a chance," Miguel tried to change his mind. "You don't know him like I do."
Demetri scoffed. "That's hooker talk. Besides, I don't need to learn karate when I have you. Decha's still going to be in Cobra Kai too. Nobody's going to mess with me as long as you two are around."
"Sooo, what I'm hearing is you want me to stick around?" Decha asked.
"Please, we all know you're not going to leave me alone," Demetri replied. "You might as well be Miguel's backup while you're at it."
Decha smiled. "I can't believe you want to be around me."
"That's not what I said," Demetri protested.
"But it's what you implied," Decha responded.
Demetri rolled his eyes and then turned to see Kyler. He nodded his head at him. Kyler took one look at Miguel and walked the other way.
The three of them continued to walk to biology class. Decha and Demetri sat at their table while Miguel took his seat next to Achara. When Sam entered the room, people started to laugh. Achara noticed a Blow Pop stuck to Sam's back. Achara shook her head. She thought it was immature.
Sam took the Blow Pop off her jacket. "Thanks for the Blow Pop, guys. Really never gets old."
"So immature," Achara mumbled, loud enough for only Miguel to hear.
"Isn't it?" Miguel agreed. "It's such a stupid rumor."
"Hey, everybody," Mr. Palmer spoke. "Who let the pigs out? I did, because I ordered the fetal pigs. But seriously, get in your groups."
Achara leaned back as she waited for Mr. Palmer to distribute the pigs.
"Who wants to take Samantha in?" Mr. Palmer announced. "This little piggy needs a group."
No one seemed to want her in their group.
"Don't all volunteer at once."
Without even consulting Achara, Miguel raised his hand. "We'll take her."
Sam smiled as she approached the table. Achara gave Miguel the side eye.
"Thank you," Sam said as she placed her bag on the table. "I'm gonna go grab a chair."
"Yeah," Miguel replied. "No problem."
Achara had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Sam came back with a chair and placed it on the side of the table next to Miguel. Mr. Palmer walked around the classroom and passed out the pigs as they put on their plastic, disposable lab coats and gloves.
Miguel dissected the pig while Sam and Achara worked with him to answer the questions on their lab sheet. It was more like Miguel and Sam working together though. Almost everything Achara said either went unnoticed or started a disagreement because Sam didn't agree with her answer. Achara started to grip her pencil so tight that her knuckles started to turn white.
"What were you thinking for sex?" Sam asked.
"Uh...uh...I mean, I've, I've..." Miguel stammered.
"Because in the male, this tract opens up near the umbilical cord," Sam explained as Miguel exhaled a breath. "So, I think ours is female."
"Yeah, um..." Miguel spoke, his voice gravelly. "Yeah, I concur." He turned to Achara. "What do you think?"
Achara gave him a tight lipped smile, trying to make it seem like she wasn't just glaring into Sam's soul. "I agree."
"Great," Sam smiled as Miguel wrote down the answer. "Thanks for, um...helping me out, by the way."
"Oh yeah. I mean, I'm sure you would've found another group," Miguel responded.
"I meant with the fight," Sam replied.
"Oh," Miguel shrugged. "Yeah, someone had to take care of those assholes."
"But nobody else did," Sam said softly.
Achara started to grip her pencil even tighter.
"It was a pretty nice roundhouse," Sam added, breaking the pause in conversation.
"Thanks. I'm taking these super awesome karate lessons—"
Sam cut him off. "But you telegraphed the sweep. When you lift up your foot like that, it shifts the weight to your back leg. More windup, less power."
"Wow," Miguel replied. "You know your stuff. I guess I should be taking lessons from you."
"That was a freebie," Sam joked. "Next one, I'm gonna expect money up front."
Achara gripped her pencil even tighter, tighter than she even thought possible. It snapped in half with a faint cracking noise. A piece of the wood cut through her gloves, pricking her finger. Achara hissed at the pain and dropped the split in half pencil.
Miguel turned to face her. "Oh my god, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Achara answered.
"What happened? Are you hurt?" Miguel asked.
"Just broke my pencil. It's no big deal," Achara told him. "It's just a small prick."
"Are you sure? Do you need to go to the nurse?" Miguel questioned.
"It's fine, really," Achara replied.
"O-okay," Miguel stuttered.
He continued to answer the questions on his worksheet. Achara watched Sam closely, glaring at her as she pulled a banana out of her bag.
"Do you guys want a banana?" she asked. "People keep sneaking them in my bag. It's because of that stupid rumor that I'm sure you've heard about me."
Miguel shook his head. "Oh, no."
Achara might not be Sam's biggest fan, but she didn't believe the rumor. She could hate her all she wanted for trying to get closer to Miguel, but that didn't mean she would believe a stupid rumor that was spread by Kyler of all people.
"It's just a rumor, right?" Achara asked. "Just ignore it. What was it you said to Aisha? They have short memories. They'll forget."
"Yeah, you shouldn't worry about it," Miguel agreed. "Those guys are assholes to me too. I mean, they call me 'Rhea so..."
"Not anymore," Sam replied, an annoying sweetness to her voice that Achara didn't like.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Not anymore," Miguel responded.
They smiled at each other. Achara had to work extra hard to control the muscles in her face to stop them from making her frown.
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At karate practice later that day, Achara wasn't surprised that the number of students had dwindled. Some people just weren't equipped to handle Sensei Lawrence's intensity.
What surprised Achara even more was that Decha hadn't left. She figured that he would after what happened to Demetri. But there he stood, right next to her as they waited for practice to begin.
"Okay, everybody. Fall in."
Sensei Lawrence entered the room and paused when he saw how many students there were. "Where is everyone? Crater-face? Nose ring? Slingshot?"
"They quit, Sensei," Miguel told him.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
There was a brief silence before he spoke again. "I mean, good. That was a test. I wanted to see who the quitters are. Not you guys. You're in it to win it, right?"
Achara and Decha exchanged a look.
"You could be at home playing your iComputers, playing your video games, eating candy," he continued. "Instead, you're here, doing pushups, learning how to fight. Lip. Look. Even Lip's tougher than those guys. He's no quitter."
"Can you please not call me that?" Eli spoke up.
"Excuse me, what?" Sensei Lawrence asked.
"I said could you please not call me that," he repeated.
"Um, I'll warm 'em up, Sensei," Miguel attempted in order to avoid repeat of the previous practice.
"No, no, no, Lip has something he wants to say," Sensei said, walking towards him. "Sorry, speak up, Lip. Or is your tongue messed up too? Are you one of those challenged kids?"
"Um, the doctor said I could be on the spectrum," Eli responded, avoiding eye contact.
"I don't know what that is, but get off it pronto. All right?" Sensei Lawrence replied. "And if you don't want me to call you Lip, then don't have a weird lip. Can't you get surgery for that?"
"I was born with a cleft lip," Eli informed him. "This is the scar from the surgery."
"You mean it was worse before that? Or did the doctor just screw up?" Sensei questioned. "Because if this is the after photo, then that sucks, man. You should sue."
"Can we just please change the topic?" Eli attempted to advocate for himself.
"You don't think I want to?" Sensei asked. "It's tough when it's right in front of me. You wanna be something other than a nerd with a scar on his lip, then you gotta flip the script. Okay? Get a face tattoo or gouge your eye out. We'll call you Patch, alright? No, don't do that one. You'll still look like a freak."
Eli started to cry, but before the tears came from his eyes, he walked off the mat.
"Oh, great, really? Another quitter?" Sensei asked.
Decha sighed and started to go after him. Achara reached out and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Going after him," Decha responded, yanking his arm out of his sister's grip.
Decha found him crying in the back room of the dojo. He slowly walked up to him, careful not to startle him.
"Hey," Decha said softly. "Are you okay?"
Eli sniffed. "I'm fine. Why are you here?"
"To check up on you," Decha told him. "Sensei Lawrence was out of line."
Eli sniffled again and wiped tears from his cheeks. "Do you think I look like a freak?"
"Not at all," Decha told him and it was the truth. "If anything, I think the scar adds character. It's actually really cool."
Eli's face lit up. "You think so?"
Decha nodded. "Definitely."
"You're the only one who seems to think so," Eli replied.
Decha shook his head. "That's not true."
"Yes it is," Eli said. "Everyone else just makes fun of me."
"Demetri doesn't. Miguel doesn't. Achara doesn't," Decha told him. "You've got people on your side, Eli. People who would protect you."
"But I don't want to be protected," Eli looked down at the ground and then back up at Decha. "Do you think I should do what Sensei said? Should I flip the script?"
"If that's what you want I won't stop you," Decha replied. "What do you have in mind?"
A smile appeared on Eli's face. "I think I might have an idea."
────────────
Eli refused to tell Decha what his plans for flipping the script were. It didn't seem to matter how much Decha asked, Eli didn't say a word. He just told him he'd have to wait until practice. Decha had been impatiently waiting all night and all day. When karate practice finally arrived, Decha was overflowing with wonder.
He stood on the mat in the dojo wedged between Achara and Aisha, waiting for Eli's arrival as he listened to Sensei Lawrence speak.
"Since you joined Cobra Kai, I have been hard on you," he began. "I've called you names. I've humiliated you. Some of you I've hit. And for that, I don't apologize. Cobra Kai is about strength. If you're not strong on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside. And right now, you're all weak. And I know that because I was you."
Decha and Achara exchanged looks of disbelief.
"I used to have no friends," Sensei continued. "Used to be the weirdo kid. Not that weird. I still hooked up with babes and all, but...The point is I wasn't always the badass sensei I am today. Just like a cobra, I had to shed my loser skin to find my true power and you guys will too."
The bell above the door jingled as the door opened.
"Welcome to Cobra Kai," Sensei greeted the person who walked in.
All eyes turned to see who it was. Decha couldn't believe what he was seeing. Achara's jaw dropped and her eyes went as wide as saucers.
It was Eli sporting a bright blue mohawk.
"Eli, what happened?" Miguel asked.
"I'm flipping the script," he responded.
"Wait, are you the kid with the lip?" Sensei asked. "Nice cut, bro. You see that? Doesn't matter if you're a loser or a nerd or a freak. All that matters is that you become badass."
He turned to Eli. "Hawk. Fall in."
Decha watched him intensely as he kicked off his shoes and stepped on the mat. He didn't know what he was expecting to see when Eli walked into the dojo, but a blue mohawk was not on the list.
Decha smiled in Eli's direction and gave him a thumbs up. Eli—Hawk—smiled back.
— EMILIA'S NOTES
ooooh jealous achara.
also decha/eli friendship blooming??
when i tell writing this fic and making tiktok edits for it is the only thing keeping me sane right now...
alternative chapter title: to hate samantha or not to hate samantha by achara thirasawat.
anyways until next time...