Living in Reseda

Chapter 10: Kicking

Miguel's POV

It was late afternoon and I was standing outside the dojo on my phone waiting for Sensei. He had told me today's training was at 5:00 but he still wasn't here and it was already getting late. I glanced up and saw his car pulling into the parking lot so I tucked my phone into my pocket.

"Hey, Sensei, you told me to be here at five right?" I asked as he walked up to the doors.

"Yeah, but today's training' s cancelled," He said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket to unlock the doors to the dojo.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Cause I said so," He said, pulling the doors open. He let the door close behind him but I caught them before they could shut all the way. I slipped inside the dojo following Sensei. He walked into his office and I followed, slipping my backpack off my shoulders and tugging at the zippers.

"Sensei, there's something that I want to show you," I said, pulling my computer out of my backpack.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood," Sensei says while opening his mini-fridge drawer and taking out a beer.

"But I think you'll like it," I said sitting down at his desk and opening my computer. "It's a Cobra Kai web page, right? I made it in study hall. Click on the snake," I said referring to the Cobra Kai logo on my screen. Sensei slowly walked forwards and harshly pushed down on the mouse pad.

"Ok, this is the sign-in page," I said as a read login page popped up, "I was thinking, we can maybe make an app where you track your progress, get a social media campaign going, get it out to the whole school. The possibilities are endless!" I said excitedly. My phone started ringing with my new ringtone "Round and Round" by Ratt and I pulled it out of my pocket. "That was my mom, I'll, uh, call her back later," I said, putting my phone away.

"Hey, was that just..." Sensei started.

"Ratt? Awesome, right?" I said. Sensei looked down at me as he started to smile. "I went online and looked up Guns 'N Roses and ended up going on this whole '80s-rock rabbit hole. That shit is dope," I said returning to my computer screen. (Author's note: This whole part about Guns 'N Roses was something Miguel and Johnny talked about in the show. I haven't added it in but I might go back and add it. That's what it's referring to!) Sensei smiled down at me as I continued to edit the web page.

"All right," He said, "Meet me at the high school at midnight. Don't be late."

"W-what for?" I asked, standing up.

"You wanna learn how to kick ass? First, you gotta learn how to kick."

The big metal door clicked behind me as I walked into the school. Sensei walking into the pool room. It was 12:05 and the school was dark and empty.

"Sensei, what are we doing here at midnight?" I asked following Johnny into the room, "You sure we're supposed to be here?"

"Yeah don't worry. My buddy's the night janitor.," He replied walking up to the edge of the pool. He pulled a white rope out from his pocket. "All right, let me see your hands," He said. I held up my hands and he started to tie them together with the rope.

"Hey wh... what are you doing?" I asked.

"When you're in a fight, your first instinct is to use your hands, right?" Sensei asked as he continued to tie my hands. "You gotta unlearn that... and think with your legs."

"Uh... how do I think with my legs?" I asked looking down at my tied hands.

"Well, you just, uh..." Sensei started. I leaned a bit closer eager to learn what he was talking about but before he finished he shoved me hard into the pool.

"Woah!" I shouted as my body touched the cold water. My body sunk towards the bottom of the pool. I couldn't breathe. I was stuck. My hands were tied together so I couldn't use them to get out.

"Use those legs. Kick your way out!" Sensei's voice was faint and I tried kicking as hard as I could but I wasn't moving. I opened my mouth trying to get some air but instead, gallons of water flowed down my throat. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was gonna drown. Just when I thought I couldn't get through it, a hand reached into the water and pulled me out by my hair. I was still under the water but my head was out and I gulped big breaths of air.

"I'm drowning!" I said through breaths.

"Drowning is for pussies, all right? Don't be a pussy! Use your legs!" He said before dropping my hair so I sunk back under the water. My body hurt, I had taken in a lot of water, and I couldn't breathe yet again. I kicked as hard as I could but I still wasn't moving towards the surface. Sensei reached back into the water and pulled me out by my hair.

"Please, not again. I'll die!" I yelled, gasping in more breaths.

"Cobra Kai never dies.' say it!" Sensei shouted.

"Cobra kai never dies," I said quickly.

"Like your life depends on it!"

"Cobra Kai never dies!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Now, I'm not gonna help you this time. You have all the power in your legs you need." Sensei said. I shook my head saying no quickly. "Use it to kick your way up. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sensei!" I said as he let go of my hair. I slowly started sinking back down to the bottom. All the muscles in my body hurt but I still started kicking. Kicking as hard as I could I feel my body start to rise closer to the top. I picked up the pace kicking hard then I thought possible and suddenly my head broke through the surface of the water and I gulped in big breaths of air.

"Yes, that's it! Keep kicking!" Sensei said as my head popped above the water. Kicking as hard as I could more of my body started to come out of the pool. I kept kicking, taking deep breaths of air as I did so as Sensei yelled his encouragement at me.

"Three minutes!" he shouted. And then an eternity later, "Ten minutes!"

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" A man's voice said.

"Oh shit. We gotta go, we gotta go," Sensei said, pulling me out of the water.

"You're not allowed in here!" The voice shouted.

"I thought you knew this guy!" I yelled out of breath.

"Of course not. I lied!" Johnny shouted back.

"Awww," I groaned.

"Run!" Johnny said as the man started walking towards us. Sensei and I made a run for it and even though my legs were killing me, I was smiling because I had just kicked for 10 minutes straight.

"I wish I could show my mom what I did to those boards, but if she knew where I was right now, she would kill me," I said. I was putting my socks on after karate. I had just kicked three wood boards in half in a row and I was so proud of myself. It was a few days after Johnny pushed me in the pool and we had been practising kicking non-stop. Sensei came out of his office holding a piece of paper and looking at it like it was trouble.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked looking up at him.

"Nothing," He said, flooding the paper up and putting it away. "Put your costume on. I'm driving you to that dance. We're gonna pick up some more students," He said, referring to the Halloween dance. I pulled my costume out of my backpack and started to put it on.

"What the hell is that?" Johnny asked.

"It's my Halloween costume," I replied. "My Yaya made it. It started off as Deadpool. Then I think it was Spiderman, and then it kind of became some generic superhero," I finished as I slipped my arms into the costume.

"Yeah, a poor one at that," Johnny said. "You're poor man," Sensei said chuckling and looking me up and down. "Well, I can't let you go out like that. We have a reputation to uphold."

"Well, what do you suggest?"

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Author's Note

The next chapter is going to be the Halloween dance!! I can't wait to write it. I think it will be really fun! Anyways, I hope you have been enjoying the story! Make sure to vote and comment!