Chapter Eight
THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

There is smut this chapter so I'll tell you all when it starts and when it ends so you can skip over it if you'd like.

     Mara was walking down the school halls the next day when she was approached by Dylan. She rolled her eyes and tried to walk around the girl, but Dylan held her wrist. "Wait. I just want to talk."

     Mara stepped back and crossed her arms. "Then talk."

     "Listen. I thought you were some spoiled princess who liked to make others feel miserable, but hearing what you went through I realize that's not true. Kyler was my first friend here so I guess that's part of the reason I believed him so quickly. I just...I looked at you and all I saw was me getting bullied a week after I moved here and you doing nothing to stop it and it lined up with what Kyler said about you and your friends. But I know now that you were going through things yourself and you used to be bullied too and Kyler lied to me. I let my anger cloud my judgment and I was so hell-bent on ruining your life like I thought you ruined mine. I was stupid and for that, I'm so sorry."

"Well I appreciate the apology, but I've learned from past experiences to not forgive so easily. We're not friends. Maybe in the future, we might be, but right now we're not. How do you know about what I went through anyway?"

"Your friend told me everything." Dylan pointed down the hallway and Mara turned to where she was pointing. "I think he said his name was Max."

Max waved at them from down the hall and Mara gave him the finger. He just smirked and blew her a kiss. Turning back to Dylan she rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot."

Dylan nodded. "I also want to say I'm really sorry for kissing Hawk. You seem to hate everyone else and he was the only way I could think of to hurt you. I barely even like boys anyway. I promise you it won't happen again."

"You're damn right it won't. No one likes a home-wrecker, Dylan. You're gonna need to gain my respect and if you ever cross me again your life will be the one that gets ruined."Dylan nodded quickly. "And I can find way more creative ways to do it than you can."

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       "Hey there, Voldy." Mara tapped the side of the snake's case. She had been considering getting a snake as a pet. Maybe it could eat her dad before she snapped and stabbed him herself.

"Man, it was so sick! Tory and Mara were kickin' ass. I took care of Chris. Oh, and Hawk got that beta Demetri in an armbar like Chris Jericho and just..." Assface mimicked the sound of Demetri's arm breaking and Mara rolled her eyes and stepped away from Voldy. "Cold-blooded. No mercy!"

     "When you brag about showing no mercy to your enemies it doesn't make you badass. You do what you need to do and move on."

     Mara walked over to her boyfriend who was talking to Tory. "Hey. You alright?"

     Hawk nodded and turned to the door as he heard the bell ring. His eyes widened as he watched Kyler, Brucks, and Dylan walk in with other recruits.

     "Class. Welcome our new students." Mara glared at them and shook her head before walking over to her grandfather. "Those guys were the same ones who bullied me and half the kids in this dojo."

"That's why they're the perfect competition for you. That girl right there." Mara turned and saw Dylan looking around nervously. "She wasn't born a natural talent like you Mara. She had to teach her body to fight that way. It comes naturally to you. You know you're better so show her you're the boss and you're number one. You're my blood after all."

Mara nodded and Kreese smiled. "Everyone, fall in." Mara walked to her spot in the front and stood confidently. "Joining Cobra Kai is a privilege. It's not a gift. Which is why our recruits must earn their position in this dojo. Prepare yourselves for combat. Only the strong will survive."

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"Are you ready or what?" Ryan watched as Johnny had Miguel connected to a pulley on the ceiling.

"I hate this. This is ridiculous."

"If it makes you feel any better you just look like you're going bungee jumping at the mall."

Miguel stared at him for a few seconds. "No Ryan. That does not make me feel better. I look like a giant baby!"

     "The way you're whining and not walking, you might as well be a baby."

     Miguel looked at Ryan for help but he just shrugged. "I mean he's not wrong."

     Miguel sighed and looked at his Sensei. "Isn't there a more badass way we can do this?"

     "You think tapping your foot at a concert makes you ready for badass training?"

     Ryan looked at them in disbelief. "You went to a concert without me?"

     Johnny ignored him. "Your legs are still pussies! Now, you ready to stand?"

    "Yes."

     "Ok. One, two, three. Go." Johnny let go of the rope and Miguel fell straight to the floor.

     "All right. Better fall that time."

     Ryan nodded. "Yes, very graceful."

     "Let's take five." Johnny walked over to the fridge to get a beer and Ryan helped Miguel up.

He sat the boy against the couch and sat down next to him. "You know, Mom's been talking about you a lot recently," Miguel called out to Johnny.

"Oh, yeah?"

"She says thank you for taking me to that concert."

Ryan crossed his arms. "I'm still mad you didn't invite me."

"She say anything else," Johnny asked as he walked over to the couch and sat down.

Miguel shook his head and looked at Johnny's computer. "Are you writing a novel?"

"Oh. No, it's a Facebook message."

"That? To who?"

     Ryan picked up one of the sodas Johnny sat down for them and took a sip. "Babe from high school. Ali."

     Ryan choked on his drink and looked up at Johnny. "Is this coke?"

Johnny nodded and Miguel looked at Ryan confused. "Embarrassing. Everyone knows Pepsi is superior."

     "Why did I ever agree to let you in my house," Johnny asked the boy.

     "Because I'm a persuasive person. Isn't that right, Diaz?"

     Miguel nodded quickly and Johnny rolled his eyes. "Anyway the message is to Ali."

     "This is huge! But you're not gonna send that, right?" Johnny nodded and Miguel's eyes widened. "You cannot send her that message."

     Johnny scoffed. "Why not?"

     "Because it's, like, 80 pages," Ryan told the man taking a sip of his drink. "In all caps."

     "I have 35 years' worth of stuff to say, all right? And I thought you didn't like coke?"

     Ryan, realizing Johnny was talking to him, looked over. "I don't waste perfectly good drinks. Just because it's gross doesn't mean it's ok to waste it."

     Miguel rolled his eyes. "Shorter messages are way cooler. Like, this just looks desperate. And a little creepy."

     Ryan looked at Miguel offended. "So my good morning and goodnight paragraphs were desperate and creepy?"

     Miguel shook his head rapidly. "No! I loved your good morning and goodnight paragraphs. When you did it it was cute, but I'm sorry Sensei yours is just way too long. Sending her this would be like if you...like if you liked all of her photos."

     Ryan watched as Johnny froze and he laughed. "He definitely liked all of her photos."

     "Oh no. Oh, no!"

     "What the hell, man? I enjoyed the photos! And there's a button for exactly that, why would I not click it?"

     "Because she can see that."

     "All right, I got amped-up, ok?"

     Ryan nodded. "That used to happen to me a lot. I found going to the pool helped."

     Johnny ignored the boy. "Look, she put a smiley face. It's even got little red cheeks."

    Ryan snorted. "I know someone who had little red cheeks. That was one fun day."

     Johnny not understanding what the boy was saying just kept talking. "Is she gettin' hot? Feelin' hot? What am I supposed to do with that?"

"I think it's just a smiley face. Let's see." Miguel turned the computer towards him and looked at the message. "Ok, she says she wants to know what you've been up to. Good. This is good. We can salvage this. Let's just make you a kick-ass profile. Then, you'll be sending a message from a position of strength. First, we need to get some pictures. Do you have any photos?"

Johnny nodded and went and got his pictures. When he came back both Ryan and Miguel's mouths dropped. "Those are the only photos I have. Don't have much after high school."

"Oh ok um. Do you have any where you're wearing a shirt maybe?"

Johnny handed Miguel another picture and Ryan snorted. "You know, we're probably just better off going with some new photos," Miguel told him.

"Yeah, like present day? Not sure I want you to grease me up right now. Baby oil gets over everything."

"I'm not gonna grease...I was just thinking we could go with something more contemporary. Yeah?"

Ryan sat his drink down and jumped off. "This seems like my job. I say lose the baby oil and just stick with water. I can show you a few pictures as an example. Miguel give me your phone."

"What? Why can't you use yours?"

"Because I delete all of my pictures after I take them. I'm humble," Ryan said like it was obvious.

Miguel handed the boy his phone and Ryan opened it and showed Johnny some of his pictures. "You see. This one is modern and screams I'm hot. But this one." Ryan scrolled to the next picture and immediately brought the phone away. "Not that one!"

Ryan looked back at the picture and turned to Miguel. "You favorited it?

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     "Class, prepare for combat."

     Hawk walked over to his spot and looked up when he saw Kyler and Brucks approaching him. "Holy shit! You remember? Look, it's the kid with the lip! Yo, I thought he moved."

     "Oh, shit. You're right! The hair kinda distracts you from it."

     "Hey!" Mara got in front of Hawk and glared at the two boys. "Back up and back off."

     Kyler laughed at her. "What are you going to do about it, bones?"

     She grabbed his arm with both of her hands and twisted it, popping it out of socket. Kyler cried out in pain and Mara snapped his arm back into place. "What the hell," he yelled at her.

     "I'll do it again if you don't move." Kyler and Brucks both quickly moved away from her and got in their spots. Mara turned around to look at Hawk who was looking at her with wide eyes. "Don't let them get under your skin. Show them who's number one here."

     "All right, class." Mara stood next to him and looked at Sensei. "Let the games begin." He pointed to Kyler who walked onto the mat and then he pointed at Assface. The two boys got into position. Assface got the first hit, kicking Kyler in the face. The boy touched his nose and glared at Assface. He dodged all of the boy's advances and then tackled him, flipping him onto the ground. He trapped Assface in a chokehold and the boy was forced to tap out.

     "Finish him." Kyler didn't hesitate and he punched Assface in the nose. The boy groaned and slowly got up and started to walk back over to his spot.

"Where are you going," Kreese asked him.

"To my spot."

"You lost to an untrained fighter. He's going to take your spot on the team."

Hawk stepped forward. "Sensei, Assface has been loyal to the dojo."

"I'm afraid he's not Cobra Kai material. I told you, only the strong will survive." Assface frowned before grabbing his bag and walking out of the dojo. "Next. You." He pointed at a redhead girl. "And you." He pointed at Mara.

She nodded and stepped onto the mat. Mara got into a fighting position and the girl got into a stance of her own. "Combat!" Mara analyzed the girl's stance and noticed how her legs were wide. Mara smirked and ran at her. She slid under the girl's legs and stood up quickly and kicked her forward.

     The redhead stumbled slightly but was quickly able to regain balance. She turned to Mara angry. Mara put one foot in front of the other, prepared to try one of the moves Kreese had taught her. It was meant to be used against bigger and stronger opponents.

     The girl charged at Mara and Mara quickly did a forward roll and kicked the girl at the same time. The redhead felt the kick hit right under her jaw and she fell to the ground. Out cold.

     Mara stood up and Kreese smirked at her. "Good job, Mara."

     She nodded and took her place next to Hawk. Two of the redhead's friends picked her up and dragged her off the mat and Mara chuckled as she watched them try and wake her up.

     Dylan was next and she used her wrestling skills to beat another Cobra just like Kyler did. She earned her spot and Mara saw Kyler give her a thumbs up but the short-haired girl glared at him and took her spot.

     Tory was next and she easily beat her opponent, chipping the girl's tooth in the process. But of course, Tory being Tory didn't care.

Kreese called Brucks out next. Hawk handed Mara the flags and he walked out onto the mat. "He's mine."

     "Get him, Lip."

     Mara glared at Kyler and looked away quickly holding his arm.

     Hawk walked past Brucks and took his shirt off. "Ok, all right. Let's see if I can fix that lip of yours then." Hawk threw his shirt to the side and turned to Brucks with a menacing smirk on his face.

     Kreese gestured for Mara and another boy to put away the flags and Mara put hers behind her back. Hawk started by kicking Brucks in the face. Hawk then sent a bunch of punches to the bigger boy's face. Brucks was off balance and started to walk away from Hawk, but the boy pulled him back by his sweatshirt and punched him two more times. He then elbowed him and slipped behind Brucks to knee him in the chest twice.

     He spun the boy around and Brucks pleaded with him to stop. Hawk didn't care. A cobra didn't show mercy. He flipped Brucks to the mat and viciously punched him in the face over and over again. Everyone's eyes widened at the gruesome display. Except for Kreese, who was grinning, and Mara who was looking at her boyfriend with a smirk on his face. She had to admit he looked hot.

     Hawk stood up, his hands covered in Brucks' blood. He spit on the boy before stepping over him and walking up to Kyler. Hawk glared at him and Kyler lowered his eyes. Brucks could still be heard groaning on the floor, but Hawk didn't care. He looked at Mara whose eyes were focused on his hands.

     He thought she was disgusted and went to put his hands behind his back but she grabbed his arm and held his hand. Leaning in she whispered in his ear. "You're hot when you're mad. You'll show me some of that anger tonight won't you?"

     He looked her in the eye and nodded with a smirk on his face. "All right, class. I think we can call it a day. Somebody pick him up."

Mara patted Hawk's chest. "I'll meet you at my house ok?"

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her before heading for the door. She walked up to her grandfather and he smiled at her. "You did good today. You already have the talent and now we just need to perfect your killer instinct. You know how to make an impression, but now you need to know who to put your trust in and who to call your friend."

Mara nodded. "Miyagi-Do aren't our friends. They're the enemy. Anyone who sides with them is also my enemy."

"Exactly and the people I bring into the dojo are here to back you up and help fight. We all have a common enemy here. Those kids who bullied you, they know you're not one to mess with and they won't challenge you. You know what I always say."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

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     "When you get out you can always stay at my house." Gia looked at Robby from across the table.

     "I'll keep that in mind. I appreciate you coming here so often. Barely anyone has come to visit me."

     "I'm sorry Robby. I can try and talk to Mr. LaRusso."

     Robby shook his head. "He's the one who put me in here. Plus he promised to visit every day and it's been 2 months."

"Robby I'm sure there was a reason he told the police where you were. He wouldn't turn you in for no reason. He cares about you."

"Yeah well, he has a funny way of showing it. He broke his promise and my dad abandoned me too." He looked behind him and noticed the security guard looking somewhere else. He quickly reached under the table and grabbed Gia's hand. "You're the only one who's been here for me Gia. You're the only one who hasn't abandoned me."

     Gia squeezed his hand and smiled sadly at him. "I won't abandon you, Robby. Not now or ever."

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       Ryan sat at a table with Miguel and Johnny as the older man speared one of the sushi rolls with his chopstick. "You know that's not how you use those right?"

     Johnny sniffed the roll and recoiled in disgust. "What the hell is this shit?"

     "It's a dragon roll. So basically, you have some fresh avocado, some chopped-up cucumber, some snow crab, and unagi on top," Miguel explained.

     Ryan looked at Miguel confused. "What's an unagi?"

"It's freshwater eel."

"Eel," Johnny asked. "People actually eat that crap?"

"It's very popular. Just have an open mind."

     "All right. Just take the picture. Ready?"

     Johnny ate the sushi as Miguel snapped a bunch of pictures. Ryan held a cloth napkin under the older man so the excess food would fall onto that.

     "Ok got it."

     "Got it?" Ryan quickly covered Johnny's mouth with the napkin and shook his head.

     "Spit in there. Manners are important you know." Johnny stared at Ryan weirdly but grabbed the napkin and spit the chewed-up sushi into it.

     "All right, I'm gonna go wash my mouth out." Johnny got up to go inside and Ryan pulled the plate of sushi in front of him and began to eat it. He didn't care about manners he just didn't want Johnny to waste perfectly good food.

     "Really Ryan?"

     Ryan looked up at Miguel and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not letting good food go to waste. You want some?"

     Miguel sighed but couldn't help his hunger. He nodded and Ryan picked up one of the rolls with his chopsticks and held it up to the boy. "Open up. Here comes the airplane." Miguel looked at him weirdly but opened his mouth and allowed the boy to feed him. Ryan ruffled Miguel's hair. "You're so adorable." He then stuffed another roll into his mouth and chewed with next to no manners.

     Miguel just shook his head at his ex and wiped some of the rice off the table before looking through some of the pictures they had taken that day.

     "Miguel? Ryan?"

     Both boys looked up and their eyes widened.