GOOD HEART, BAD TEMPER - keene, robby

eight

"Three more absences, Sensei." Miguel tells Johnny as he walks around the dojo.

"Bunch of pussies." Aisha says.

Johnny walks past Rory, expecting a comment from her, but she just stayed quiet. She would've said something if one of those three absences weren't Eli.

"No. It's my fault." Johnny says, causing Rory's eyes to go wide. "Since you joined Cobra Kai, I have been hard on you. 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 enough on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside."

Rory listened as the words sunk in. Slowly, she was understanding Cobra Kai. Feelings only make you weak. If you let your feelings get in the way, you're already dead.

"And right now, you're all weak." Johnny says. "And I know that... because I was you. I used to have no friends. Used to be the weirdo kid. Not that weird. I 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."

Everyone's attention went to the sound of bell ringing. Rory's mouth immediately fell open as her best friend walked in with a blue mohawk, which definitely took the attention away from his lip. Not only did he change his appearance, but Rory could feel the confidence radiating off of him.

"Welcome to Cobra Kai." Johnny says.

"Eli?" Rory questions. "What the hell... happened?"

"I'm flipping the script." he says.

"Wait. Are you the kid with the lip?" Johnny walks over to him. "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. Hawk. Fall in."

A smile spread across Rory's face as he stood beside her. She couldn't help but continuously glance over at him.

"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?" Johnny asks Hawk.

"No, Sensei!" he says confidently.

"Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?" he asks Rory.

"No, Sensei!" she answers.

"Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?" he walks down to Miguel.

"No, Sensei." Miguel tells him.

"Pussies do not exist in this dojo, do they?" he stands in front of Aisha.

"No, Sensei!" Aisha yells.

"Class, are you ready to learn the way of the fist?" Johnny asks.

"Yes, Sensei!" they all shout.

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"I have to say," Rory smiled as she looked up at her friend. "You definitely flipped the script."

"You like it?" he asked.

"It's very hot." Rory tells him. "And still... very different. Which is a bonus in my book."

Hawk stepped in front of her, stopping her from walking. "What are you doing?" Rory asked. "You're not going to ask me to dye my hair blue, are you? Because ginger and blue don't really go together."

"No." he laughed. "I just—"

He stops talking before bringing his hand up to the girls cheek and slowly leaning down. Their lips slowly close together, making their access to oxygen cut off. Rory's left hand lied on the back of Hawk's neck as they continued to kiss.