The Cut That Always Bleeds | Cobra Kai

Chapter 17

"Does this make me look fat?" Isabelle asked as she twirled for Miguel.

He shook his head rapidly, not wanting to offend her, "Not at all, nope, not one bit. You actually look so much skinnier than anyone I've ever met. You're skinnier than—"

"Miguel!" Isabelle exclaimed, laughing. "I'm not asking 'cause I'm insecure. I'm asking because I genuinely need to know if the costume is too big. If it is, I must go to the seamstress today and tell her since today's costume rehearsal."

"Oh," Miguel approached her, glancing at the sparkling tutu she wore. "It looked really snug. Is it comfortable?"

Isabelle nodded, "The leotard is, the tutu not so much. The amount of glitter on it starts to chaff the skin after a while."

"You look like an angel," Miguel said softly, his voice barely more than a whisper as he watched Isabelle. Her calm and ethereal presence seemed to fill the space with a quiet beauty that mesmerized him.

Isabelle sighed, "Yeah, this is Odette's costume. Wait until you see Odile's." She motioned for him to turn around so she could change.

After a moment, Isabelle asked, "What do you think about this one?"

Miguel turned around to find Isabelle in a black leotard adorned with silver swirls. The dark fabric contrasted sharply with her silver-white hair, making it seem like she had a halo glowing around her head. The interplay of light and shadow highlighted the elegant curves of the leotard and accentuated the ethereal quality of her appearance. In that moment, she looked almost otherworldly, her presence radiating a serene, captivating beauty that left Miguel breathless.

"You... look absolutely...," Miguel struggled to find the words to describe her. Isabelle giggled, flattered by Miguel's reaction. She kissed his cheek in thanks before looking at the time on her phone.

"I have to go, but I will see you tonight!" Isabelle called out as she left Miguel in a trance.

~

"So your grand plan is what? A candlelit dinner at the snack bar of the roller rink?" Tory asked, baffled by Miguel's plan to romance Isabelle. They were stretching before training started, and Miguel asked her for advice.

Miguel shrugged, "Look, there's nothing more romantic than free hot dogs and chicken nugs."

"Free? Not for you. You gotta pay up," Tory teased. "It's 80s night, so make sure you dress up."

"Oh, I'm planning to," Miguel said smugly, a confident grin spreading across his face. "Isabelle said she's going as Annie Savoy from Bull Durham, so I'm going to go as her love interest." He nodded in approval of his own plan. Tory laughed, amused by Miguel's behavior.

The door to the dojo opened, and Hawk walked in. Miguel quickly wiped his smile off his face. He wanted to clear the air from the previous day. Tensions ran high yesterday, but he didn't want that to affect their friendship.

"One second," he murmured to Tory. Taking a deep breath, Miguel stepped forward, determined to bridge the gap between him and Hawk.

Hawk nodded at Miguel in greeting, "Hey, what's up."

"About Coyote Creek... we cool?" Miguel asked hesitantly.

There was a slight pause before Hawk smirked,"We were enemies for a day, we're Cobra Kai for life." Miguel smiled, relieved they were still friends. They bumped their fists together before getting ready for training, the tension from the yesterday dissolving.

Johny walked out of the office and announced, "Everybody, fall in. Today, we'll be learning one of the most important lessons a Cobra Kai could ever know."