Cobra Kai the Snake in the Grass| ✔️

Chapter 7

After school, we were practicing at the dojo, "Okay, everybody fall in. Where is everybody?" sensei questioned. "Crater face? Nose ring? Slingshot?"

"They quit sensei," I let him know.

"Seriously? 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? You could be at home playing your iComputers, playing video games, eating candy. Instead, you are here doing pushups, learning how to fight. Lip. Look. Even lip's tougher than those guys. He's no quitter," He told us all.

"Could you please not call me that," he mumbled.

"Excuse me, What" I believed sensei really didn't hear him.

"Could you please not call me that." he raised his voice a bit.

"um, ill warm 'em up sensei," Miguel tried to save the tension.

"No, Lip has something he wants to say." Sensei was being a bit cruel. "Sorry speak up lip. Or is your tongue messed up too? are you one of those challenged kids?"

I was embarrassed by his next words. "The doctor said I could be On the spectrum."

"I don't know what that is but get off it pronto. all right? and if you don't want me to call you Lip don't have a weird lip. Can't you get surgery" he questioned.

"I was born with a cleft lip. This is the scar from the surgery," at this point, I felt like he was torturing him.

"You mean it was worse before that? Or did the doctor just screw up? because if this is the after photo, that sucks, man. you should sue," he went on.

He turned to me and then back to sensei, "Can we just please change the topic?"

"You don't think I want to? It's right in front of me. If you want to be something other than a nerd with a scar on his lip, you gotta flip the script ok? Get a face tattoo or gorge your eye out. we'll call you Patch, alright? No, don't do that one you'll still look like a freak." Eli walked towards the bathroom went to the bathroom and looked like tears were about to form. but as I was walking Johnny pulled my arm to which I pulled it off me and headed to the bathroom.

I knocked on the door, "Hey Eli, can you open the door I just want to talk,"

"No, can't you see I'm just a freak and you should leave me alone," I could feel the tears in his eyes.

"Look I just want to be there for you. will you just please open the door," As the words can out there was a crack in the door and I squeezed in closing it behind me. I sat down next to him and pulled the tears away from his face. I placed my arm around him into a hug.

"You know they are just words. They probably hurt and degrade you so bad but don't let them. Let them encourage you," I realized on the hug and sat back down pulling my hand on top of his shoulder.

----------------------------------------------

After class, I went to Miguel's house and we hung out. We talked with each other about the dojo today. He went on about how he told dad that he doesn't understand he told us word for word what he said to him. It made me happy that he stuck up for our friends.

The next day at the dojo more left three to be exact.

"Bunch of pussies," Aisha told him.

"No, it's my fault. Since you joined Cobra kai, I have been hard on you. I've called you names. I've humiliated you. Some of you I hit. And for that, I don't apologize. Cobra kai is about strength. " He walked around, "if you are not strong enough on the inside you can't be strong on the outside. And right now you are all weak. and I know that because I was you. I used to have no friends. I used to be the weirdo kid. not that weird. I hooked up with babes and all, but...the point is that I wasn't always the badass sensei I am today. Just like a cobra, I had to shed my loser skin, find my true power. and you guys will too."

All of a sudden the bell on the door ring and some dude with a blue mohawk walked in. "welcome to cobra kai," Sensei treated him but no, it couldn't be, that was Eli.

"Eli what happened," we questioned.

"I'm flipping the script." something was off this wasn't the Eli I knew.

"Wait are you the kid with the lip, nice cut bro," as sensei walked over to him. "You see that doesn't matter if loser a nerd or a freak. All that matters is that you become badass! Hawk fall in."

The blue-haired boy with a mohawk took off his shoes and took his place. "Fear does not exist in this dojo does it?" Eli or should I say Hawk responded, "No Sensei."

"Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it," he asked me now, "No Sensei."

Then on to Miguel "Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?" "No, Sensei."

"Class are you ready to learn the way of the fist." then he asked the whole class, "Yes Sensei!"

It was a new day same dojo, We practiced hard every day up until now. We didn't do anything school, Karate, and sleep and we would repeat. this was going on for months, every day harder and harder. Yet we were all still a bunch of flinchers. And the way sensei sought fit was getting a punch hard to the face. Sensei told Aisha to unflinching the students and then we all got in a line and one by one she punched them in the face. I didn't need a punch I've had my fair share. I saw Miguel walk into sensei's office and I could almost read his lips but not quite so I went a bit closer to hear him talking about a hot girl and as soon as I heard it I knew he was talking about sam.

"Boo!" I jumped up to see the blue-haired boy. "huh, eavesdropping I can see,"

"No it's not like that, but it does seem like Miguel is gonna ask sam on a date. Which I mean I don't mind but I don't..." Hawk cut me off.

"Well look how about when they go on a date we can tag along," he pushed some hair from my face behind my ear.

I smiled and looked down, " I mean I'd love to just don't really want to see them getting all lovey-dovey."

"well, then it can be just the two of us, a date. I'll talk to Miguel about it so he's not concerned." And with that hawk and I were going on a date which I was never expecting to happen ever so soon.

Another day at the dojo. Miguel, Aisha, Hawk, and I were all stretching.

"I need somewhere romantic but not too romantic," Miguel was informing us about date plans with sam.

"You could take her to get a tattoo, I know a guy. Just hooked me up with this bad boy." he took of his Gi and turned around to show us a tattoo of a hawk with a blue mohawk.

"uh, any other suggestions" Miguel still needed a date place.

"Don't look at me," Aisha turned to me.

"well hawk and I are going to golf and stuff on Saturday, my dad used to go there as a kid," I smiled, and hawked was a bit confused but did seem happy.

"Banned?!?" Johnnys' voice came from the office making us turn. Miguel and I ran into the office.