Always ~Cobra Kai~

22 | Always

Miguel knew that the break up that occured nearly a week ago crushed both his sister and his best friend.

Neither spoke much, nor slept. Neither worked as hard with school or karate. They were falling apart, and it was all because of this Connor dude.

He stood beside his twin as he stared at sensei, who stood upon a pile of cars. He told them to meet him at the junkyard for karate that day, and Miguel was curious as to why.

"You've trained hard for the tournament," He yelled, chugging down his beer. "You've gotten stronger, tougher, faster! You're ready for this tournament, am I right?"

"Yes, sensei." Maria spoke along with the others, though her mind was in a completely different place and anyone could see it.

"Wrong!" Sensei corrected, throwing his now empty can on to the ground in front of his studnests, backwash spraying on to some of them. "Your best ain't shit! If you want to win the All Valley under 18 karate tournament you have to give me better than your best! Which is why from now on, you're going to get my worst! Do you understand?"

"Yes sensei!"

"Are you losers?"

"No sensei!"

"Are you nerds?"

"No sensei!"

"Are you sure?"

As always, the group answered honestly. "No sensei!"

Sensei had an entire list of things he wanted the group to do, and Maria was all in. First they were tasked to run through tires. Maria panted as Sensei encouraged them.

"Go! Move those feet! Go! Go! Go!" He yelled, clapping his hands.

The whole tire warm-up was going well until Aisha stripped, not lifting her leg high enough and getting her foot caught inside of the tire. Maria fell on top of her, Miguel fell on top of Maria, and Hawk fell on top of them all.

Maria groaned, rolling out of the tires. She half expected to see Hawks hand in front of her, helping her like he usually would. But he was already completing his run through the tires.

"Come on, Ms. Diaz, your enemies aren't going to help you up!"

Sensei didn't realize how that made her feel. Is that what Hawk was now? An enemy? Maria didn't like that at all.

Sensei then lined up his students, and handed them each a tool. Some got bats, others crowbars and hammers. Maria got the first.

"Your enemies are all around!" Sensei yelled. "Destroy them!"

Maria took out all of her emotions on everything in the junkyard, screaming as she did so.

She swung the bat around the wrong way, and it snagged on something. Maria felt her skin rip ever so slightly and she looked down, seeing her tank top immediately soak with blood where her bellybutton was. Caught on a jagged piece of the bat was her dangily belly button ring.

It was gold with a chain and a diamond on the end of it. It wasn't ripped out all the way, but it had torn the skin a little bit.

Maria slowly untangled the bat from her stomach and dropped it, cupping her hand around her wound. 

She hadn't even realized that she'd been all alone on the opposite side of the junkyard. "Shit," She muttered as her hands became soaked in blood. She didn't know why it was bleeding so much, it barely even hurt.

Someone ran from behind a car. "Jeez, Maria, what happened?"

Hawk ripped off his shirt, and Maria couldn't help herself. She stared at his chest as he handed her his Tshirt. She pressed the fabric against her wound.

"Here, you have to apply more pressure," He informed her, stepping closer and placing his hands on her stomach.

"O-Okay," She stuttered, tearing her eyes from Hawks. They weren't dating anymore, she had to remember that.

"I think you need stitches," He sighed, refolding the shirt because it was soaked in blood. "C'mon, I'll go get sensei."

Aisha drove Maria to the hospital, Miguel and Hawk accompanying them. "How'd that even happen?" Aisha asked from the driver's seat of her car.

"The bat caught on the chain, and, well, it ripped." Maria pressed down harder on the wound. "Sorry if I get blood all over your car."

Aisha just chuckled. "It's fine."

★★★

Maria got two stitches, because the wound was deep, but not very big. She sat in the hospital bed, waiting for her mother to show up. Miguel and Aisha stood on the left side of her bed, and Hawk sat in the chair to her right, wringing his hands nervously.

"I think that I'm going to go get snacks," Aisha said, noticing the tension. "Miguel, want to come?"

"Absolutely!" Miguel sucked at trying to be discreet as he left the room way to quickly.

Maria chuckled at her brother and turned to Hawk. He didn't speak, and neither did she. Their eyes met for a moment, but then he looked away.

"I am sorry, you know." Maria said to him. He looked back up at her eyes, and she took that as her cue to explain. "Three guys showed up in the bathroom. Drunk perverts. Who knows what they would've done . . . Connor stepped in, and they said they'd back off if he proved I was his girl. I'm so sorry Hawk."

He stared at her for a moment before shoving his face into his hands. "I'm such an idiot. I should've heard your side of the story before just assuming things by what I saw." He sniffles, and Maria knows he's crying. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Maria. It really wasn't your fault."

"Hawk . . ." Maria sat up, though it pained her. She grabbed his hands and pulled them away from his face. "I still love you. I never stopped loving you."

He stared at her before getting to his feet slowly. He took the two small steps over to her bed and leaned down. He kissed her.

Hawk leaned away after a moment, pressing his forehead to hers while cupping her cheeks in his hands. "I love you, Maria. I always have."

"Always?" She chuckles with tears in her eyes.

"Always," He confirms.

"Yes, that's ten bucks!" Someone yells from the doorway and Hawk and Maria pull apart.

Miguel rolls his eyes, giving Aisha a ten dollar bill. "Miggy, do you always bet on us?" Maria asked, laying back down in her bed.

"Yep," He nods, and the two renter the room without any snacks.

Maria was happy again. She had Hawk back. But somewhere deep inside her, she knew that things would be different. They wouldn't be the same.

★★★

God, I could have held that off longer, couldn't I? Whatever, I love it.
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