Chapter Twenty
MAKEUPS AND BREAKUPS

     Mara watched as Sensei Kreese and Sensei Lawrence sparred against each other. She was sitting next to Tory and Gia. Gia had been distant lately and Mara planned on asking her if she was ok, but for now, she was completely focused on the lesson.

     "Ok, pay attention." Sensei Kreese had Sensei Lawrence trapped in a chokehold. "He's got my neck, I've got his elbow. If I try to break out..." Sensei Lawrence demonstrated.

     "I dig in and I put him to sleep," Sensei Kreese explained.

     "If I go for his ribs..." Johnny elbowed Kreese in the gut.

     "He completely exposes his chest." Kreese demonstrated this by raising his knee to Johnny's chest. Both Sensei's got back into the chokehold position.

     "Two difficult choices. What do you do?"

     Mara looked at Gia who just shrugged. Mara turned back to Johnny and he kicked Kreese's foot and sent them both to the ground. "You damn the consequences and you power forward."

     They both stood up and Kreese addressed the class. "You may get hurt, but nobody wins by doing nothing."

     "You make a choice. You make a move. You go all in."

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"We're going to do something a little different for our lesson today." Mara and Kreese stood in the smaller dojo for her private lesson.

     "Like what," Mara asked him.

     "We're going to talk." He gestured for her to sit down and she did. He sat down across from her. "Now I want to know why you've come in here smelling like alcohol for the past few days." Mara looked down at that. She didn't realize he noticed. "Now you're not in trouble Ms. Abrams but I want you to realize the risks. You know my mother had an alcohol addiction."

      "She did?"

     "She did. She had trouble dealing with her emotions so she decided drinking was her solution. And do you want to know what happened to her?"

     Mara nodded.

     "She killed herself. Now I'm not saying that to scare you. I'm saying it because I don't want the same thing to happen to you. We're going to find a way to help you through this so you don't go down that path."

     Mara nodded and Kreese gestured to the punching bag in the corner of the room. "I want you to think of one memory that makes you sad or angry or both and punch this bag as hard as you can."

     Mara closed her eyes and the first thought that came to her head was her mother lying in her hospital bed the night before she died. Mara punched the bag with all her strength and Kreese nodded.

     "Find another memory."

     Mara thought of the moment Yasmine joined their class. That was the moment she started to lose Moon as a friend. She punched the bag again and this time harder. "Another memory."

     She thought of her dad abandoning her and neglecting her for six years.

     Punch.

     She thought of Yasmine and Kyler and everyone who bullied her, her whole life. She thought of Max, the bully that stuck gum in her hair every month.

     Punch. Punch.

     She thought of Hawk.

     Punch.

     And Moon.

     Punch. Punch.

     She thought of every bad memory she could and soon she was hitting the punching bag over and over again her face full of nothing but rage and anger. Kreese smirked as he watched the girl take out all of her frustrations on the bag in front of her.

"Ok." Mara stopped and took a deep breath. "How do you feel?"

Mara smiled. "Good. Really good."

"Channeling your emotions is better than suppressing them, Ms. Abrams. You will be unstoppable if you do that. Don't let people walk all over you anymore. Show them that you aren't one to be messed with. The world shows no mercy so you won't show it to them. You want people to respect you? You have to make them respect you."

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     Mara walked out of the dojo feeling less stressed than she had in awhile. She still felt the crave for alcohol but at least she was getting somewhere with dealing with her emotions.

     "Hey Mars. Can we talk?" Mara turned around to see Hawk standing behind her. She wanted to ignore him and leave, but she promised Sensei Kreese she wouldn't suppress her emotions and run away from them. So instead she turned around and nodded at the boy who now had a red mohawk.

He hesitantly walked over to her and she noticed the bags that were under his eyes. "Look I just want to say I'm sorry. I should never have believed that stupid rumor Yasmine spread. I should've asked you about it, but instead I was stupid and I made the wrong decision like I always do."

"I've never stopped caring about you Mara and I'm so sorry if it felt like I did." He stepped closer to her and hesitantly grabbed her hands. She didn't pull away and he let out a breath of relief. "You're my best friend whether you still think that or not and I hate that I hurt you. I can't live knowing that I hurt you and didn't do everything in my power to make it right."

Mara looked up at him and he reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Now tell me why you've been drinking."

"How did you—"

"You think I wouldn't notice? I know you Mara and I know when something's wrong. Believe it or not I still tried to check on you. I just didn't realize you've been hurting this bad."

"I-I'm trying to stop. Sensei Kreese has been working with me."

"Well he won't be the only one. I'll be there ok? Even if you push me away and tell me you don't need me I'll be there. I'm done running away. I'm not abandoning you again Mara. Now tell me if there is anything else I've done because I'm tired of the miscommunication between us."

     "I-uh was going to ask Moon out that night and I saw you guys kissing. I guess that's why I was so upset with you."

     "Mara I swear to you if I would've known that Moon was the person you liked I would have never kissed her. I would never intentionally hurt you like that. I just wanted to make you jealous." Hawk looked down realizing how cowardly he was. Making someone jealous was the same thing as hurting them.

     "It was partly my fault too. For not telling you who it was. You couldn't have known."

     Mara pulled Hawk into a hug and he hesitantly hugged back in case she wanted to pull away. She squeezed him tighter and Hawk just rested his chin on top of her head. "Does this mean we're friends again?"

     He felt her nod and that brought a smile on his face. Mara nuzzled her face into his chest and breathed in. She missed him whether she liked it or not and just being able to hug him again made her feel happier. "I've missed you Eli."

He planted a kiss on her forehead and leaned his forehead on hers. "I've missed you too Mars."

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Mara sat next Gia and Aisha while Tory and Moon sat on the other side of their table. Mara was scrolling on her phone which she realized she hadn't been on in awhile.

"Oh, my God. Yasmine has the same bikini as me," Moon laughed. Everyone at the table looked at her.

"Tell her she can stay in France," Mara spat. Moon turned her phone off and awkwardly looked down. Tory reached into her glass and pulled out an ice cube and chucked it at Miguel.

Miguel looked up and when he realized it was her he just shook his head.

"Oops. Must've slipped out of my hand." Miguel ignored her and kept typing on his computer. "What are you even doing over there?"

Miguel kept typing. "Going all in."

     Tory didn't know what that meant so she just turned back to Mara. "So tell me about Riguel."

Mara looked up from her phone and raised her eyebrow. "Who the hell is Riguel?"

"You know Ryan and Miguel. Riguel."

Mara snorted and took a sip of her coke. "That's the worst ship name ever."

"Whatever. Just tell me about them. How long have they been dating?"

"About 2 months. They made it official in May."

"I haven't seen them together but I can already tell they're really cute. Plus Ryan never shuts up about him. You were right about him needing to socialize more."

Ryan and Tory have actually gotten pretty close since they met. Tory comes by multiple times a week just to gossip with her brother. "Well at least he has you now."

Tory smiled. "Yeah. He's honestly a really good friend. I love you and all but I think Ryan has claimed the title of best friend."

Mara chuckled. "Ouch. Don't worry though. I already have a best friend." She looked back at Hawk who was standing in front of another table talking to Assface.

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     Mara and Tory walked over to Miguel and sat down by him. The boy looked up from what he was doing to stare at the two. "Seriously, what are you working on?"

     Miguel looked at them and stuttered over his words.

     Mara snorted. "What? Is it something dirty?"

     "No it's nothing dirty!"

     "Show me. Come on!"

     Miguel sighed and looked at them both sternly. "Do you promise not to laugh?"

     Tory looked at him seriously. "I can't make that promise."

     Miguel sighed and turned his computer around to face them. He pressed play and Mara watched as a slideshow started with a bunch of pictures of Miguel and her brother. There was a song playing in the background and Mara couldn't help but smile at the amount of work the boy put into this.

     The video ended and Miguel looked at them nervously. "So, what do you think?"

     "It's great Miguel. You made it for Ryan?"

     "Yes but no. Technically it's a part of our anniversary gift but it's also for my mom. She approves of us dating but I don't think she's fully on board with the idea. I want to show this to her so she can see how happy we are together."

     Tory and Mara looked at each other. "Awwwww," they gushed simultaneously.

     "Ok ok." Miguel closed his computer and packed it into his bag. "He's actually picking me up soon so I have to go. See you guys later."

     Mara waved at him and turned back to Tory. "They're honestly my otp."

     Tory nodded. "Same. I can already hear Ryan ranting to me about it. Do you want to hang out later? I know this really cool spot."

     "Sure. Sounds like fun." Mara turned back to look at Gia who was sitting alone at their table. "I'll be right back."

     Mara sat in front of Gia and the girl looked up at her. "Hey, we haven't talked in awhile."

     Gia nodded and used her straw to mix her drink. "Yeah, well you've made new friends I guess."

     "Gia you're still my friend. You've just been a bit distant lately."

     "I guess so. I just don't like how things are changing at Cobra Kai."

     "What do you mean?"

     "I mean Sensei Kreese. There's something off about him and I feel like I'm the only one who sees it."

     "You're just being paranoid. Sensei Kreese knows what it takes to win and sometimes he has to be hard on us. There's nothing wrong with that."

     Gia sighed knowing she wouldn't be getting through to anyone any time soon.

     "Hey I'm sorry you feel like you've been excluded. How about I make it up to you? Tory and I are hanging out later if you want to join?"

     Gia looked over at Tory who was finishing her dessert. "I guess."

     "Great. You'll have fun, I promise."

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         "So are we just going to sit here?" Ryan was looking at Miguel who was still sitting in his car. They were in front of Miguel's house and the boy was making no move to get out.

     "Um I have to ask you something."

     "Ok?"

     "My mom wants you to come over for dinner. You know to meet you."

     "Doesn't your mom hate me?"

     "She doesn't hate you. She's just not used to our...relationship."

"I wish you told me earlier. I could use more time to prepare. Meeting the parents is a big deal Miguel."

"She just asked today! Look I promise it won't be that bad."

"Fine. You're lucky I dressed to impress today."

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"Ready?" Mara, Gia, and Tory were spinning on the merry-go-round. "Three, two, one, go!" They all jumped off and collapsed on the floor laughing.

Gia sat up and laughed. "You are insane."

"Yeah, heard that before."

Mara held her head. "I'm so dizzy." Gia just laughed at her.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Of course Gia."

Tory patted her back. "Yeah you're pretty cool Williams."

"You know when you said you had a place to go, I figured it's be some place where you needed a fake ID."

"Yeah no. We don't need to give you anymore temptations. It was bad enough I ruined your progress by stealing that bottle at the beach."

Mara laughed and nodded. "I kind of dig the abandoned playground vibes. What about you Gia?" She judged the girl's shoulder.

"I mean it looks like an awesome place to...fight off a zombie apocalypse."

The girls burst out laughing and Gia covered her face at whats she just said. Tory pulled out her phone and checked the time. "Shit." She pushed Mara and Gia back so they were laying flat on the ground. "Wait for it."

     A plane flew above then and Mara was surprised at how low it was. Gia laughed and sat up to look at them. "Holy shit! That was awesome. I've never seen a plane that close before!"

     Tory nodded. "Every night, 10:36 on the dot. It's the last flight out of Burbank."

     Gia's phone went off and she cursed before standing up. "My mom needs me at home. I totally forgot it was sushi night!" She waved at them and ran off.

     Tory and Mara watched as she hopped on her bike and rode off. "I kind of like her."

     "Yeah, Gia's cool. She just moved here this summer so."

     Tory nodded and took a deep breath. "Hey, what do you think Sensei meant about going all in?"

Mara looked at her. "I think he just means to go for what you want and put your all into it."

Tory started to lean in and Mara backed up. "Woah. What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry. I just thought—shit."

"You're a great friend Tory but I just don't see you that way. I'm sorry. I'm just not over my last—almost-relationship."

"Yeah, just friends. Right."

"I don't mean that in a bad way at all. It's just how I feel. I don't want you to think I'm upset or anything because I'm not. We can't control our feelings."

"It's ok Mara. I get it. I'm fine with being friends. I just thought I would give being more a shot. It didn't work and that's ok."

"So we're still good?"

Tory nodded and smiled at her. "We're good."

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     "So Ryan do you play any sports?"

     Ryan finished chewing his food and looked up at Ms. Diaz. "Oh I play football."

     "That's nice. So you don't do karate?"

     He chuckled. "Oh no. That type of violence is not for me."

     "I agree. Karate can be overly violent can't it?" Carmen looked at Miguel. He just rolled his eyes and went back to eating.

     Ryan nodded. "I mean I'll support Miguel in anything he wants to do, but I can't help but get worried that he'll come back seriously injured."

     Miguel gave Ryan and unimpressed look but Ryan just smiled at him and turned back to Carmen. "I completely agree. Just last year Miggy came home bloody and beaten because of it."

     "I can't believe that happened. I hope whoever did it got punished for what they did. Whoever helped your son must have been in the right place at the right time or who know what would've happened."

     "Yes. His Sensei said a kind boy found him. I wish I knew who so I could thank him myself."

     "Well actually—"

     "You know Mom. Maybe you should ask Ryan about his plans for after senior year." Ryan froze and slowly turned towards Miguel.

     "What do you plan on doing after school Ryan?"

      "I uh. I'm hoping to get a scholarship. I'm not the best at retaining information so my grades aren't as good as they can be. A scholarship is probably my only chance at college."

Miguel looked at him confused. Ryan had never told him about that. If he knew the boy was struggling he would've offered to help him. Ryan looked down and played with his food and Miguel felt bad for bringing the subject up.

     "Miggy can you help me get the dessert?"

     Miguel nodded and followed his mother into the kitchen. "I really like him Miggy. I'm sorry for everything I said to you before. I can tell you make each other happy and I fully support your relationship. You better not break that boys heart."

Miguel shook his head and smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

    
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Mara got home a little later still confused on the whole Tory situation. She didn't think she gave off signs to having romantic feelings for the girl so why would she try and kiss her? They've only known each other for two weeks.

She placed her keys down on the table and looked on the couch to see if her dad sitting there. She saw his car in the driveway and was surprised he was home this early.

     Her phone lit up and she saw it was a text from Ryan saying he was sleeping over at Miguel's after dinner. I guess it went well.

Her dad came down the hall with a bottle in his hand and she could tell just from his appearance that he was drunk. He held up the half empty bottle of vodka and pointed at her. "Are you the one how been stealing my bottles of vodka?" His words were slurred and his face was full of rage.

Mara stumbled over her words. She didn't want to tell him about her problem. She was planning on getting better anyway.

"Answer me! Is this who you want to be huh? A no good drunk!"

"No it's not like that."

"Then what is it like? You want to drink all your problems away? Here. You can drink them away."

"Dad, you're drunk. Just hand me the bottle."

"You want the bottle? Take it!" He brought his arm back and launched the bottle at her head and she ducked just in time so the bottle hit the wall behind her. It shattered into pieces and Mara winced as she felt something hit her forehead. She reached up and touched the spot and looked at her fingers which were now covered in blood.

"You're worthless! You need to drink to make yourself feel better? Pathetic!" He walked past her trembling figure and went to the kitchen and