queen cobra | eli moskowitz

chapter sixteen.

Isabella stormed back into the dojo, her cheeks still wet from the tears she had hastily wiped away. Her face was set in a hard expression, her jaw clenched tightly. As she re-entered the studio, everyone fell silent. A few students exchanged nervous glances, sensing the stormy tension radiating from her. Isabella's eyes were fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet anyone's gaze, not even Miguel's.

Johnny's voice boomed over the murmurs, "Alright, everyone, focus! We're here to train, not gossip. Now, let's see what you're all made of." He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention back on him. "Miguel, Isabella, up front! Let's show these new recruits what Cobra Kai is all about."

Isabella nodded stiffly and walked over to the center of the mat, taking her position opposite Miguel. She could feel the eyes of all the new students on her, but she blocked it out, her focus narrowing to the fight at hand.

Miguel glanced at her, his eyes filled with concern. "You good, Isa?" he whispered, but she didn't respond. Instead, she just gave a short nod.

Johnny didn't waste any time. "Ready... fight!"

The moment the word left Johnny's mouth, Isabella launched herself at Miguel, her strikes fast and furious. She moved with a relentless aggression, every punch and kick landing with a force that took Miguel by surprise. He barely had time to react.

"Whoa, Isa, take it easy!" Miguel called out, trying to block her rapid punches, but she didn't relent. Her emotions fueled her movements, each strike harder than the last. She pushed him back across the mat, her eyes blazing with anger.

The other students watched in awe and shock, whispering amongst themselves. This was not the controlled sparring they were expecting.

Isabella didn't even notice Miguel's pleas, all she could see was red. All she could feel was the ache in her chest, the sting of Eli's words, and the frustration of feeling helpless. She kicked Miguel's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the mat. Without missing a beat, she moved to continue her assault, her fist ready to strike again.

"Isabella, that's enough!" Johnny shouted, rushing forward and grabbing her arm to pull her away from Miguel.

She struggled against Johnny's grip for a moment, her breath coming in heavy pants, before she finally stopped, her chest heaving with exertion. The dojo was silent, everyone staring at her with wide eyes.

Johnny's voice cut through the tension. "Alright, everyone, get out! Show's over!" He barked the order, and the students quickly scrambled to gather their things and leave, shooting nervous glances back at Isabella as they hurried out.

Once the dojo was empty, Johnny turned to her. "What the hell was that, Diaz?"

Isabella yanked her arm free from Johnny's grip, her eyes blazing with anger. "What was that? That was me snowing them what Cobra Kai is all about! I did that because of you!" She shouted, her voice cracking with emotion.

Johnny looked taken aback. "Because of me? What the hell did I do?"

Isabella glared at him, tears welling up in her eyes again. "You don't get it, do you? You don't understand what it's like to be bullied, to be made fun of for something you can't control! You don't know what it's like to feel like you're never enough, like nothing you do will ever be good enough!"

Johnny opened his mouth to respond, but Isabella cut him off, her voice rising. "And you know what? Even I don't know what it's like to have a scar like Eli's or to be called names every single day or be bullied constantly! But at least I have some empathy! At least I can see when someone's hurting and try to help them instead of tearing them down!"