the queen cobra, cobra kai

𝟬𝟬𝟯

"HEY, YOU DON'T HAPPEN to have any friends who wanna take karate, do you?" Johnny asked. "Aw, what am I saying? You guys don't have any friends. Sorry."

"Hey, Sensei, when are we gonna learn to do some kicking?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah. I was watching a youtube video of this guy breaking boards, and it looked badass." Maria added.

"Yeah, no shit. Kicking is badass. But you're not ready. Besides, if I don't get anymore students in here, I'm not gonna be able to teach you two anything." Johnny replied.

"You've thought about advertising, right?" Miguel asked again.

Johnny hesitated. "Yeah, duh. Of course."

By the looks of it, he definitely hasn't thought of it.

THE NEXT DAY, MARIA and Miguel were at lunch with Demetri and Eli when the guidance counselor made an announcement.

"Cyberbullying is no laughing matter." Counselor Blatt said into the microphone. "Sending a cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their face. I'm not gonna name names, but the other day a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity."

Maria quietly scoffed. "Way to make it obvious." She muttered. Eli started to cover his lip, as people started to mutter and figure out it was him, but she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed it back with a small smile.

"But today, our goal here is to make this school a safe space for all students." Counselor Blatt finished.

"You know, if you're sick of getting bullied, our karate dojo's looking for recruits." Miguel offered.

"Yeah, right. you hear that, Eli? a little karate training, and you're gonna kick some major ass." Demetri mocked him, which was getting Maria annoyed.

"I'm serious, Demetri. Our sensei's the real deal, and i'm sure that we could get you both discounts."

"As enticing as that sounds, I think we'd rather spend our afternoons playing Crucible Control than getting hit in the face."

Maria rolled her eyes. "No, you would rather do that. I think Eli can speak for himself." She turned to Eli. "Think about it. Would you rather suffer from this for the rest of your life, or do something about it?"

Eli took Maria words into consideration. He could benefit from karate greatly. He would finally be able to stand up for himself.

"Oh, and one last thing. While we're all looking forward to the halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of 'Sexy Nurse', maybe try 'Gender-Neutral Hospital Employee'."

Maria rolled her eyes again. "Oh, darn, there goes my costume." She said sarcastically.

AFTER SCHOOL, WHEN MARIA and Miguel got to the dojo, Johnny wasn't there, and the door was locked. So, they waited outside until he showed up.

"Hey, Sensei, you told us to be here at five, right?" Miguel asked when Johnny walked up to them.

"Yeah, but today's training's canceled." Johnny answered as he unlocked the door.