queen cobra | eli moskowitz

chapter five.

Isabella stood in the dojo, her eyes fixed on Johnny as he demonstrated the cobra strike. She watched his every move, determined to learn. "You can't strike first if you don't know how to strike," Johnny said. "The cobra strike consists of two things, the lunge, which requires the whole body, and the bite, which is everything that happens after you make contact. All right?" He punched the dummy with precision and power. "But you don't stop here when your knuckle hits the bone. You want to punch through the bone like the guy you really want to punch is standing behind this asshole. All right?"

Isabella nodded, absorbing the instructions.

"You strike here," Johnny hit the dummy in its face, "you bloody his nose. You strike here," he hit the dummy's jaw, "you break his teeth. You strike here," he went for its neck, "you could severely damage his trachea. Obviously, that's only for extreme situations."

"Alright, line up. Focus. I want you guys to practice." Johnny's phone rang, and he went to answer it.

Miguel tried to mimic the punch but struggled.

When it was Isabella's turn, she punched the dummy hard but felt a sharp pain in her fist.

Johnny walked over to correct them. "Picture your enemy," Johnny instructed Miguel.

"Got a picture in your mind?" Miguel nodded again, this time hitting harder, anger flashing across his face.

During Isabella's turn, she took a deep breath, picturing the girls from the cafeteria. She lunged at the dummy, putting her whole body into the punch. To her surprise, she felt a satisfying impact as her fist connected solidly with the dummy, except the punch hurt, and Johnny could tell.

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Nice punch if you want to break your hand," he commented. He instructed her on how to correctly make a fist, and when she hit the dummy again, it was a hard strike, and her hand felt fine.

"Atta girl," Johnny encouraged.

The day was drawing to an end, and Isabella was sweeping the floor while Miguel cleaned the windows. "Any specific way you want me to clean the windows?" Miguel asked.

Johnny shook his head. "No, I don't give a shit. Actually, go clean the toilet, and we'll call it a night."

Miguel sighed. "Okay." He put down the cloth and headed toward the bathroom.

The bell jingled, and Johnny walked out of the office. "Welcome to Cobra Kai," he said before seeing a man walk in.

Isabella paused in her sweeping, her curiosity piqued as she watched the interaction. "Some things never change," the man said, looking around.

"Yeah, and what's that supposed to mean?" Johnny asked, eyes narrowing.

"That you beat up some teenagers in that parking lot," the man pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Oh, that. I didn't beat up teenagers. I kicked the shit out of a couple of assholes who deserved it." Johnny moved forward, and Isabella could feel the tension rising.

The man laughed dryly. "Wow, Johnny Lawrence calling someone else an asshole, that's rich, man."

"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?" Johnny's eyes were narrowed.

"I'm not here to rehash the past. Just stay away from my daughter's friends."

Isabella spoke up, realizing the man was speaking about Kyler and his friends. "With all due respect, sir, your daughter's friends are assholes. They were literally kicking my brother's ass."

The man turned to her, surprised. "Who are you?"

"Don't talk to my student that way," Johnny cut in.

"Student?" The man questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Anything else you want me to do, Sensei?" Miguel interrupted them.

The man looked at them in disbelief. "Sensei? Really? Listen, kids, I don't know what he told you guys, but don't listen, or you'll become just like him. You and me... this... we aren't done." He started to walk out.

"I'm right here, man," Johnny called, arms spread to his side. The man looked over at him and huffed a laugh before walking out.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything, Sensei. Should I do 20 push-ups on my knuckles?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah, like you could," Johnny said with a chuckle. The headlights of the man's car illuminated his face. Johnny gave a closed-lip smile.

Isabella stepped forward, looking at Johnny. "What was that all about?"

"Old history," Johnny muttered. "Nothing you need to worry about. Now, both of you, back to work."

As Isabella resumed her sweeping, she couldn't help but replay the scene in her mind. There was a lot more to this dojo and to Johnny than she had initially thought. She glanced at Miguel, who seemed equally lost in thought. The strange encounter had only deepened her resolve to learn and grow stronger. She wanted to impress Johnny further and prove she had what it took to be a part of Cobra Kai.

Over the next few weeks, training at Cobra Kai was rocky. With only Isabella and Miguel in the dojo, and Johnny having to take on freelance work to pay the bills, their training sessions were often interrupted or postponed. Despite the challenges, Isabella and Miguel tried to train together whenever Johnny wasn't available. They practiced their strikes and forms, helping each other improve.

One evening, after a particularly tough session, Isabella and Miguel sat at the dinner table with their grandmother. Their mom, a nurse who often worked long shifts at the hospital, walked in, looking exhausted. She kissed Miguel on the cheek and merely smiled at Isabella, she tried not to take it to heart.

"Hey, Miguel," their mom said, sitting down at the table. "Have you decided what costume you're going to wear to the Halloween dance?"

Miguel grinned. "I want to be Deadpool, but the costume is a little pricey."

His mom shook her head. "If you want a Deadpool costume, we'll make you a Deadpool costume," she said, glancing at Yaya, who nodded in agreement. They both started discussing how they could create the costume together, gushing over the details.

Isabella sat quietly, pushing her food around on her plate. She felt a pang of jealousy and sadness at being left out of the conversation. Miguel noticed and felt a twinge of guilt.

"Hey, Isabella," Miguel said, turning the attention to her. "What are you going to be for the dance?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a nurse," she said, glancing at her mom.

Her mom smiled briefly at her. "That's a good idea, sweetie," she said, but then quickly turned back to Yaya. "So, for the Deadpool mask, we can use that old red fabric..."

Isabella's heart sank further as the conversation shifted back to Miguel. She excused herself from the table, her voice barely above a whisper. "Excuse me, I'm not feeling too hungry," she said, pushing her chair back and heading to her room.

In the solitude of her room, Isabella let the tears she had been holding back flow freely. She felt invisible, overshadowed by her brother. She didn't want to resent him, but it was hard not to feel hurt by the lack of attention.

A while later, there was a knock on her door, and Miguel entered. "Hey, Isabella," he said softly. "I know it seems like they don't notice you, but they don't do it on purpose."

Isabella rolled her eyes, wiping away her tears. "I didn't even notice," she lied. "Just get out, Miguel."

Miguel sighed, knowing she was hurting but unsure of how to make it better. He left her room, closing the door gently behind him. Isabella lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling a mixture of anger and sadness. She decided to pour all her energy into her training at Cobra Kai. If she couldn't get the recognition she craved at home, she would earn it at the dojo.