Romeo and Juliet is a Toxic Love Story [Miguel Diaz x OC]

18 - Hell Raisers

My heart pounds. We go on soon. Robby and I are last because we're fighting unaffiliated. We've been hiding in corners and bathrooms so that nobody from Cobra Kai spots us. I had to modify my Cobra Kai gi to account for the fact that I'm no longer a Cobra Kai. Luckily, I still had fabric paint from a crafts project I did last summer and it dries fast. I picked up a black belt on the way here. Robby showed up with his own uniform.

I left Xalvador a note detailing where I am so he doesn't worry. He was asleep on the couch by the time I got home.

Every step up the stairs brings more weight on my shoulders. I'm practically crawling up the last few. After miraculously managing to drag myself to my apartment door and walk in, I find the lamp on and Xalvador slumped on the couch, dead asleep. He's a heavy sleeper, which is good for me, because he'd probably ask me about how my night went if he was awake and I really, really don't wanna talk about it. I turn the lamp off and throw a blanket on him, then head to my room, quietly shutting the door behind me. Ay bendito, the bed looks so appealing... I wish I could just go to sleep and wake up to find that everything that happened was just a bad dream... but I've got no such luxury. I've got work to do.

'Santiago'... that's what I used to cover the words 'Cobra Kai' on the back of my gi. A winding black snake and then my last name... maybe I am a traitor... but I suppose that also just pushes the narrative that I truly am a snake. Putting my own name on top of it was just something for me, something to make it truly my own. I'm not fighting for Cobra Kai. I never will. Sensei- Mr Lawrence... made that clear. But I can sure as hell fight for me, and that's exactly what I intend on doing.

"Renée," Robby says, snapping me back to reality. Dios mío, I need to get out of my head. I'm still fighting today to prove a point. I have to bring my best. He smiles a little at my uniform.

"Those sleeves gonna bother you?"

The sleeves on this gi are a little too long. The gi size I need for my legs is a little too long for my arms. I smack him gently in the arm.

"Your dad said I would grow into it," I mumble, rolling up the sleeves. They come unrolled fairly easily. It's a nuisance. I ought to just cut them and re-hem them so they're no longer a problem... but what if Mr Lawrence was right? What if I do grow into them eventually? I don't know if I can take that chance... I suppose I already altered the gi, as I painted over anything to do with Cobra Kai, but still... to cut it would feel like severing a tie that's helped hold my life together for so many months now. I know I'm just desperately trying to hold on to something that's already fallen apart. It doesn't matter. I need to focus on kicking ass, because I can't mess up today.

"And fighting unaffiliated from North Hills and Reseda respectively are Robby Keene and R. Santiago!" The announcer calls. 'R. Santiago'... just like what I went by when I filled out Mr Lawrence's 'electrical help needed' flyer and agreed to be there. That feels like forever ago...

"You ready?" Robby asks.

"Don't have the option not to be," I return, "vamos."

Robby takes the lead as we jog out, just like all the other dojos did. Except we're not a dojo. It's just me and him...