ANTI-KARATE 《cobra kai 》

-3.8 picking sides

chapter thirty eight!

"HAWK DID WHAT?!" asked Alex, her voice full of exasperation. After Johnny took Miguel and Alex home, the pair listened to Ms. Diaz rant on and on about how great it was that Miguel could move his foot. After a while, though, she finally let the pair go to sleep. The next morning, however, Alex— who was freshly reenergized from the much needed rest— went back to work at the dealership.

Currently, she was sitting in the break room with Noah, as he recalled the events of the brawl at the arcade the night before.

"He broke Demetri arm," said Noah, sounding frustrated just to mention it. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leaned back in his seat with an expression on his face that would be accurately described as a pout. "Straight-up. All the Cobra Kai's eggin' him on too."

"He... broke his arm?" Alex look confused, "Like, they were fighting and Demetri fell and it broke?"

"No," Noah shook his head, his expression growing darker, "Hawk purposely snapped it. Like, yanked it back, type of deal."

Alex was silent for a long moment, staring down at her lunch. She took a few seconds just to remember— to grieve— the sweet boy she used to call her best friend. Eli Moskowitz, the kid who threw her a surprise birthday party when she turned fourteen because her mom didn't remember. The kid who binged the Harry Potter movies with her countless times, the one who saw Captain America: Civil War with her in theaters when Casey and Sam thought it was lame. The boy who let her cry in his arms on the one-year anniversary of her brother's death, then again on the two-year anniversary.

Even more recently, there was the boy who held her when her boyfriend almost died, the one who stuck by her side and protected her. The one who hugged her not long ago on her first day back to school. It was hard to believe this is the same person.

A few tears welled in her eyes. "I don't understand why he would do that."

"It's fucking Cobra Kai," said Noah, in exasperation. Alex looked at him, and realized that he, too, had changed. When she first met Noah, he was a shy kid who was afraid to raise his voice or swear. Now he's loud and outspoken, and got into fights and sweared regularly. How did everything, everyone change so fast?

"Kreese is brainwashing all of them," continued Noah, "He's making all of them psycho— Tory, Hawk, all of them. They're going to end up killing someone."

"Psycho," Alex repeated, a frown on her face. It was a word she was familiar with— too familiar.

Noah seemed to realize his mistake, "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," Alex forced a smile, "Maybe... don't call them that, though."

Noah nodded, looking away.

"I'm going to call Demetri," said Alex, closing the lid of her untouched food and putting it back in the fridge. She stepped out of the break room.

Noah sat there for a moment, staring at the girl he was certain he would never get over as she walked away. He remembered when they were together like it was yesterday. But it had been over six months now since they'd broke up— and it felt like they hardly knew each other anymore. He couldn't help but be a little resentful— of course she picked Miguel. He's the one she loved. He couldn't help but wish it had been him, instead.