Chapter Thirty-Seven: Apex Predator

"Stop making a fool out of me. Why don't you come on over, Valerie?"

~Valerie by Amy Winehouse~

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Revised: July 25, 2022

A/N: ^so, who else here listens to girl in red?

P.S. Happy Valentines Day!

Warnings: abuse, anxiety, biphobia/homophobia, depression, domestic violence, slight eating disorder, language, panic attacks, sexual harassment/assault, violence, and other mature themes

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Zion's POV

"Life isn't always fair. Sometimes the world can be cruel and that's why you have to learn to be cruel yourselves," Sensei Kreese stands in front of the class today with an important lesson. "The fight at the school was an embarrassment." That's an understatement. "You lost soldiers and you lost the battle. But you will not lose again."

I will not lose again.

"Diaz was one of our own. What they did to him, they did to all of us," Sensei Kreese says.

I tense at the mention of Miguel. He never seems to let us forget what we've lost. Not that we should, but some distance from it might be good; I feel it gnawing away at me everyday and this isn't helping.

"And it will not go unanswered."

One way or another I'm getting back at the LaRussos and Demetri and Miyagi-Do. Samantha is back in school and we've been sharing nasty looks in our English class we have together. While I'm still trying to figure out why she slammed my head into the lockers, I know I need to focus on revenge. Tory lost to her, too, and in her absence is my opportunity to step up for both of us.

"We will show no mercy. We will show no weakness. We will strike back and we will strike hard," he continues and I have to say I'm glad he's consistent with his teachings. I'm genuinely excited to be here and get revenge. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sensei!" we all yell together and I can't help smiling as I do.

"I can't hear you!" he yells back at us.

"YES, SENSEI!"

⭒⭒⭒

A little bit later into the class, Sensei Kreese has left us alone and I move to the side to do some pushups to keep my heart rate up. These guys haven't stopped training, but I took about three weeks off due to my ankle. I need to get back on their level.

"You just don't stop, do you?" a voice asks and I look up to see Rickenberger.

"You always have to stay one step ahead of your enemy," I smirk and stand up. He looks like he may say something more, but he's interrupted.

"Class," Sensei Kreese walks out of his office with something behind his back. "You worked hard today. So before you're dismissed, I have a little treat for ya. I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine." He brings a hamster or some kind of rodent out from behind his back and I have to admit it's kind of cute.

"Aw," somebody says, but I have a feeling it's not meant to be a pet. Sensei Kreese doesn't seem like the warm, cuddly type.

"Cool. What's it's name?" Bert asks.

"I don't know. What should it be?" Sensei asks with a happy tone of voice, but I can read him well and I know there's some kind of lesson pertaining to this white creature.

"Hawk Junior," the boy with the mohawk says with confidence.

I can't help snickering a little at how stupid it sounds. He sends a glare in my direction, his smile falling, and I look down, trying to contain my laughter. Then, Rickenberger laughs beside me, too and I have to try even harder not to crack up.

"Bert, what do you think?" Sensei turns to the small, blond boy and he stares at the rodent in question.

"Um... Clarence?" he suggests. What kind of a name is that?

"Clarence. Good," Sensei Kreese seemingly approves. "Here, take him."

"He's so cute, guys," Bert holds the tiny animal in his hands up to his face and I smile a little.

"You know, it's almost lunch time," my sensei says in amusement.

"Ooh, can I feed him?" Bert asks with excitement.

"No," Sensei walks towards the box with a black covering on it and I realize I was right about there being another motive behind bringing Clarence in. "But you can feed him." He pulls the black cloth off and reveals a snake in a cage underneath.

"What does he like to eat?" Bert asks and I realize very quickly what's going to happen.

"He likes to eat..." Sensei turns to the boy, "Clarence."

A silence falls over the dojo as we all look at the little guy and then he lets out a little squeak, making me uneasy. Is Sensei Kreese actually going to kill this hamster?

"It's okay. Come on," he waves Bert over. He doesn't move. "Come on," he says, still with a soft voice. Bert walks over. "There you go."

Sensei opens a little door at the top of the snake's container and Bert steps forward. It'll be okay, right? It's just a hamster. Sure, he's innocent and small and helpless, but it's only a hamster; who's to say he's any different than a fly a frog would eat? Nobody likes flies... right?

Bert hesitates and I watch, waiting for the moment the snake will eat the smaller animal.

"I can't," Bert says and I see Sensei smirk. Uh oh.

"It's okay. I understand," he takes the creature out of Bert's hands. "Clarence is your friend. It's okay to object." I stare between the two, confused now. "Who else objects?"

Sensei Kreese looks out to us and I see some of the younger Cobras raise their hands. I stay silent with my hands down, knowing if I object that it won't end well. I hate to say it, but I'd rather it be Clarence than me. I don't want to question Sensei's methods; he knows what he's doing.

"You're off the team," he tells them and I tense. "GET OUT!" He raises his voice and everybody looks at each other in confusion while I stare straight ahead, not wanting to move and make a mistake.

"But..." Bert looks in fear and confusion at the man.

"I said OUT," Sensei Kreese says firmly and I watch as Bert still doesn't move. "Get!"

Everybody watches as Bert moves after a moment and walks out. He was too young and not strong enough yet, I suppose.

Sensei turns back to us with Clarence and I watch with wide eyes as he drops him into the cage. The snake hisses and Clarence is gone within a matter of seconds. I look over to see Sensei Kreese smirking at us. There's a lesson behind this. I just don't know what it is yet.

"It was a good class," Sensei Kreese walks back into his office and I relax from my stiff position.

"I thought I'd go talk to Sensei," Hawk walks over to me.

"Yeah, I don't know why he made cuts when we already are lacking in numbers," I say.

"I thought you'd come with me," he says.

"The last time I went with you to question one of our senseis we had to clean the mats for a week," I remind him.

"Then don't come," he turns to walk away.

I sigh, finding myself following him. Why? I don't know, but I'm curious as to why Sensei cut so many today.

I walk in behind Hawk to see our sensei sitting at the desk with a huge cigar in his hand.

"Are you sad to see your little friends go?" he looks up at us.

"Uh..." Hawk hesitates.

"No, Sensei" I speak up.

Hawk turns to me with a small smile when he sees I followed him. But it wasn't for him.

"Go on. You can speak freely, son," he says to Hawk, who is obviously intimidated.

Hawk takes a moment to say anything, searching for the right way of phrasing it. "Is this the right time to make cuts? We're already down students after the school fight."

"This is addition by subtraction," Sensei Kreese explains and I have to admit I'm as confused as ever when he says this. "A true cobra feels no sympathy for its meals." I think of Clarence and the snake. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Hawk hesitates and I speak up again on behalf of both of us, "No, Sensei."

"I asked Hawk," his attention turns back to the boy beside me and I tense at my mistake. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, Sensei," he responds.

"Good," he approves and I wait to be dismissed.

"I just don't understand the plan," Hawk speaks up and I look at him, wishing he would shut up. "With Miyagi-Do shutting down, we might be able to get some new recruits." He does have a point there.

"But we will," he plays with what I believe is a cigar cutter, "in due time. But first we're going to need to strengthen our core. With Diaz out, we need a new champion." I don't want Miguel to be replaced. "Someone with no fear..." But maybe I could be like a successor. "And no mercy."

I look over to see Hawk smirking at the idea and I realize it's going to be a battle for the top spot. It's on.

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I watch as the last customers for the night walk out and my boss rushes up behind them with the key. 10:02. We're closed.

"Good job tonight, Ambrose," my boss, Amy, says. She uses my last name despite my distaste for it. I've corrected her a few times, but it doesn't stick.

"Thank you," I sigh in relief that the day is over and I go to the back and grab my things. I see a news notification on my phone:

Keene In Custody

I gasp when I realize they have Robby. I feel a weight lift off my chest. He's okay. I open the article and a video pops up.

"Police caught up with Robby Keene, who kicked fellow student, Miguel Diaz, off a second story balcony at West Valley High about two weeks ago. He has since been expelled and is now going to juvie. Police say he turned himself in and the sentence will be shorter than expected, but Miguel Diaz is still fighting for his life in the hospital..."

The lady continues and I close the video tab, not wanting her to recap the story anymore. I lived it, after all.

"Have a good night," Amy calls to me.

"Same to you," I try to be cordial even though I hardly know the woman. She's nice and talkative, I guess, but I'm not working to make friends.

I go out to my car and drive towards Walmart, thinking about Robby: the look of terror on his face when he realized what he had done, the way he must have been scared on the run, the bravery he had to turn himself in. I don't think I could have turned myself in if it were me.

Deep down I know I still blame myself for what happened. I can't imagine how badly Robby must feel... if he feels guilt.

What am I thinking? This is Robby. Of course he feels bad about what happened... but I'd still like to hear him say it at some point.

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I wake up the next morning and drive over to the gym.

I finish working out and make my way to the showers when suddenly a little girl runs into me with a shriek and I'm almost knocked off-balance by the unexpected contact. It's apparent she was running around to play and got carried away.

"I'm so sorry!" the little girl says and I look down at her with a tiny smile. She's cute with long, brown hair and big eyes. She reminds me of a young me, honestly.

"That's all right," I nod with a slight smile. The few people that were looking have turned away now.

"Ella!" a male voice yells and I look over to see a man running towards us. "What did I say about running around in here?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she frowns.

He scoops her up into his arms, a smile now on his face. He puts her on his shoulders and turns his attention to me. He's very attractive. "I apologize for that."

"It's not a problem, really," I assure him and I move to walk by him.

"I'm Ella," the girl says and I turn back to her with a small smile.

"I'm Z," I introduce myself back with a small wave. I see her smiling brightly.

"Let's go, sugar plum," her dad waves to me and she waves and they turn away and let me go about my day. I move to the exit, not wanting to be late for school.

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"Hey, do you know what trophic level I'm missing on my pyramid?" Jenna turns to me in biology and I look down at her paper.

"Um," I compare our drawings, "the tertiary consumer?"

"You are so right," she says. "I'm dumb. Thank you." She turns back to look back down her work. I actually feel smart because I knew that answer.

"You're not dumb," I argue.

"Yeah, I guess it was just a dumb moment," she corrects herself and goes back to coloring the lion. She's a really good artist.

A moment later, she turns to me again, "You don't happen to want to join cheerleading, do you?"

I look at her in question, "Um, not really." I try to be polite about it and she nods.

"That's okay. I didn't think you would, but I figured I'd ask," she blushes in embarrassment and looks down.

"So... you're a cheerleader?" I ask her.

"Sure am," she smiles and I have to say I'm happy with her answer. "Moon suggested we ask around for new recruits, but I figured karate is more your thing."

"Moon is a cheerleader?" I ask.

"Yeah, of course," she says like it's obvious.

I nod awkwardly. I didn't know that. "Oh, well, yeah, I guess karate is more my thing," I agree.

"It's what makes you happy, you know?" she smiles. "For me, that's cheer." She gets so excited when she talks about it; it's adorable. "Oh! You should come to a football game once the season starts."

"And what? Cheer on the cheerleader?" I tease and she blushes.

"I mean, you don't have to-"

"I'm there," I interrupt her with a smile.

"Yay," she cheers softly and our eyes connect a moment, a nice silence between us.

"Hey, do you have a red colored pencil?" a voice asks behind me: Hawk.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Asking for a red colored pencil to use for my food pyramid," he says like it's obvious and I stare at him in confusion. "Do you have one?"

"No-"

"Sure. Here," Jenna interrupts me and hands my ex boyfriend the colored pencil.

"Thanks," he winks at her and I realize what this is. He's jealous.

"Okay. Off you go now. Bye," I say.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Hawk," he holds out his hand to Jenna to shake and she nods.

"I know. You're her ex boyfriend, right?" she says and I sit back, watching this interaction in amusement. He doesn't know she isn't into guys. This is too good.

"I'm more than just her ex boyfriend," Hawk scoffs. "I'm the guy-"

"Who was just leaving," I interrupt him and he glares at me.

"All right. Let's all have a seat," the teacher says and I realize during our free time to work, a bunch of people have gotten up to socialize.

I smirk at Hawk as he is forced to go back to his seat and I turn to Jenna, "I'm so sorry for that."

"It's okay," she says. "I know exes can be hard to deal with."

"Yeah. Still, I'm sorry," I say.

"Don't be," she shakes her head.

"Okay, who would like to come up and share their pyramid on the projector of what you drew and labeled for each level?" the teacher continues with her lesson.

Jenna's hand shoots up into the air eagerly. I wish I had that kind of confidence in school.

"Yes, Jenna. Come on up," Ms. Bass says and Jenna stands up and walks to the front.

"So, for my apex predator, I chose the lion. They eat antelope and they eat..." she begins explaining her assignment in detail and I find myself mesmerized by how effortlessly beautiful she is. She pushes her red hair behind her ear as she looks down at the diagram to point to the producer level.

Suddenly, I'm no longer bored in science class.

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"We are only as strong as our weakest links. When we remove these links, this is what's left," Sensei Kreese evaluates on his lesson with Clarence from the day before. The snake is still in our dojo, but Bert and the others aren't. "We are one unit. With one united purpose."

The door to Cobra Kai opens and the dinging sound follows it. I see Sensei Kreese look over and I follow his gaze: Tory. She's here.

"Nichols. Welcome back," Sensei Kreese says.

She looks good. I don't know what I was expecting from her if I ever saw her again, but I thought after being expelled it would take a toll on her. No, she looks gorgeous and as determined as ever. I wish I could be more like her. I'm glad she's back.

"Thanks," she says. Her hair looks mainly brown now, I notice. "That issue I was having... got worked out."

"That right?" Sensei Kreese asks and she nods. I wonder what part of the story I'm missing, but figure it isn't any of my business. "Fall in. We've got work to do."

She takes off her shoes and I face forward again. The dojo is beginning to feel full once more... but it's not normal, not without Miguel. I have to accept it may never be normal again.

"Forward strike. Ready?" Sensei instructs and I take my position. "Ai!"

"Kyo!" "Ai!" "Kyo!" "Ai!" "Kyo!"

Today I imagine Samantha LaRusso is my opponent. She caused the fight at the school and her family indirectly convinced Robby to kick Miguel off the balcony, ruining both of their lives while she stays unharmed in her luxury home. I have to go to soup kitchens for food.

"Ai!" "Kyo!" "Ai!" "Kyo!" "Ai!" "Kyo!"

Life isn't always fair, but I can strike back. I will be strong and fearless and get back on top with the rest of Cobra Kai - where we belong.

"Your whole life you've been told to be good, but good is only a matter of perspective," Sensei Kreese continues.

I wonder if he's going to change his mind and say that we need to show mercy like Sensei Lawrence told us.

"Always remember that your enemies think that they're doing what's right. They think they're the hero and you're the villain."

I think about how Demetri and Hawk blamed me for the black eye when they only know part of the story. They're both convinced I'm the bad guy in that situation, but I'm not. I'm not a slut. I didn't pressure Hawk into doing anything. I even told him to only change himself if that's what he wants. But Demetri jumped to assume things about me and it pisses me off.

"But now you know the truth. There is no good. There is no bad," he says and I tense, wondering what he means by that. I thought I was doing the right thing. "Only weak or strong."

I realize the whole school doesn't see me as the good guy and it really is a matter of perspective. Jenna does, but some others don't. Jess told me we all share the blame for the fight a little over two weeks ago. The truth is, none of us are all good or all bad; that day, Miyagi-Do seemed stronger and that's all.

"And now that we've shed our weakness, it's time to show our strength. If you do that, I promise you you will be unstoppable."

I plan for the day I can show my strength and get my revenge. I'm going to show the world that Zion Ambrose cannot be pushed around and they'd better watch out.

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"You're back," I smile as I walk over to Tory.

She returns the smile and pulls me in for a quick side hug, "And your hair is short. I almost didn't know it was you. It looks good, though."

"Thanks," I blush. "I needed a change."

"Don't we all? What have I missed?"

"So much. It'll take a while to catch you up," I say.

"Okay, then we'll make time for that, but right now I need to get to work and then get home to my mom," she grabs her things with a frown. 

"That's okay. I do, too," I say in understanding.

"You're working now?" she asks in surprise.

"Subway," I nod.

"Hm, interesting. Are they as fresh as they say?" she asks me.

"Not even close to what they advertise."

"Bummer," she says.

"Hey," Hawk walks over to us and I look down and away from him. "Tory, you heard about Miguel, right?" Tory and I both tense at the mention, I notice.

"What? Like, an update?" Tory asks and I can almost swear I hear sadness in her voice. She must blame herself, too.

"Yeah," Hawk says and my breathing hitches. I was finally at peace with him being gone. "He woke up yesterday."

"Yesterday?" I ask, wondering why nobody bothered telling me sooner. Hawk acts like I should've known, but nobody told me.

"That's great, right?" he asks and I nod. Tory and I both stay silent, though. I wonder what she's thinking. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing," I mutter and grab my bag. "I am also going to be late."

"For what?" Hawk asks. I ignore him and Hawk speaks up again, "Z, wait, did you not know?"

"It's fine," is all I can say and walk out with Tory right behind me. It's not fine, but I don't want to open up to him anymore. Or, to anyone.

"I wasn't expecting that on my first day back," she says.

"Me, neither," I agree and unlock my car. "I'll see you later."

"See ya," she says.

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A/N: I'm living for writing the scenes with Jenna, if you can't tell.

R.I.P. Clarence :(

Also, if you didn't notice, I updated the book cover and I'm actually really proud of it! I made it myself hehe