The Cut That Always Bleeds | Cobra Kai

Chapter 8

"And you think this is the best way for me to master the Miyagi-do kick?" Robby said uncertainly, glancing at the drop into the bowl.

Isabelle scoffed, "Trust me. You wanted me to train you. Well, then, trust me. Let your instincts take over." With those final words, she shoved him into the bowl.

Robby kept dropping quickly into the habit and skated side to side, trying to catch the lip at the top of the drop every time to push himself up. He kept falling until one moment when he was fully holding himself up on one arm. He slowly lowered himself down as Isabelle crashed into him. She was jumping up and down, wrapping her arms around him.

"That was amazing!" Isabelle gushed as she let go of him to bounce around excitedly. "You were amazing! You did it! I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you!"

Robby smiled, "All thanks to you." He laughed as he watched her continue to dance around, celebrating his accomplishment. Her actions filled him with warmth. He hadn't felt this happy and complete in a while and had Isabelle to thank for all of it.

~

Isabelle waited outside Miguel's classroom; he had been ignoring her texts for the past day.

Seeing him walk out, she quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him into an empty classroom.

She closed the door and turned to face him, "Did I do something?"

Miguel was caught off guard by her question, "What?"

"I said, did I do something? Because you have been ignoring me at best, hating me secretly at worst." She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "I texted you all day yesterday, no response. I texted you this morning, no response. I'm worried. I have a lot to tell you. I just... you are one of my closest friends. And I can't lose you. So if it's something I did, please tell me so I can fix it." She practically begged, her voice cracking.

Miguel flinched; he hadn't realized his behavior hurt her. "I'm sorry. You're right. I just... I saw you having dinner at the LaRusso's house last night. And that Robby guy was obviously flirting, and I got jealous." He took a step towards her, bringing her into a hug.

"Jealous? There's no reason to be. Me and Robby are very close friends, like you and me," Isabelle mumbled into Miguel's chest, relieved that he wasn't truly mad at her.

Suddenly, the door to the classroom burst open. Hawk stalked towards the hugging pair and snatched Isabelle's arm, guiding her to sit in a chair as he stood over her.

Without pause, he launched multiple questions at her, "Who was that guy having dinner with you at the LaRusso house? Why does Sam not want to introduce me to her family? Is she ashamed of me? Is it because of my lip? I'm scared that what happened to sensei will happen to me—"

"Woah, wait!" Isabelle exclaimed, cutting off Eli's series of questions. "Um... that's a lot. Okay, let me try to answer to the best of my ability. First of all, the guy was Robby. He's a close friend with who I also agreed to train in karate. He was at the dinner because his official sensei is Sam's dad, Daniel LaRusso. Secondly, I don't know why Sam doesn't want to introduce you, but maybe you should ask instead of not communicating. That just leads to further conflict. Sam has given you no reason not to trust her. Now for the last and most important point. Sam is not ashamed of you! She really likes you. And I'm sure there's a good reason for her behavior." She let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what? Take today to cool off and think about what you'll say when you have a mature and calm conversation with her. You can text her tonight, spend time together, then talk."

Eli nodded, finally calming down due to Isabelle's advice. The door to the classroom opened again, and Aisha poked her head in.

"Are you guys coming? Because I can't wait to get out of this stupid school after that test," Aisha said tiredly.