"And when we put this to bed, the internet will go crazy. I'm glad I know how you feel 'cause I ride for you."

~Girl, so confusing by Charli XCX feat. Lorde~

⭒⭒⭒

A/N: Yay an update! I changed the way the baby shower went down slightly because I firmly believe Carmen should have been surprised and pampered instead of in the kitchen while things are getting set up. 

Anyway, this is a nice chapter featuring Sam and Tory. Enjoy!

Warnings: abuse, addiction, anxiety, homophobia, depression, domestic violence, grief, gun violence, language, panic attacks, sexual harassment/assault, violence, weapons, and other mature themes

⭒⭒⭒

Zion's POV

"Okay, she's coming in! Hide," Amanda tells us as we all duck behind the living room furniture.

I hear the door open. "Hello? Why is the door unlocked-"

"Surprise!" We all jump out from our spots.

Carmen gasps in surprise as she takes in the baby shower decorations. "Ohhh, you shouldn't have!"

"But we did because we really wanted to," Sam argues as her mom goes to hug Carmen.

"This is so nice of you," Carmen admires the decorations. "I see you even roped the men into it."

"I couldn't miss this or the gender reveal," Johnny wraps her in his arms.

Daniel steps up with a smile, "And it's my house so I have to be here." They laugh. "Seriously, we are so happy for you both."

The grownups continue to talk, and I walk with Robby, Sam, and Miguel to the kitchen where the snacks are.

"I'm hoping they have a boy," Miguel says.

"I think Carmen would be such the perfect mom for a little girl, though," Sam states.

"Me too," I agree. I turn to Robby, "What do you think?"

"I'd like a girl, too."

"Okay, fine, gang up on me," Miguel says dramatically. 

"Sorry your opinion is wrong," I turn to him.

He mocks me in a high pitched tone for literally no reason, "'Sorry your opinion is wrong.'"

"Quit it," I say.

"'Quit it,'" he replies.

I mock him with jibberish that sounds like, "Quit it."

He just begins making high-pitched noises back at me.

"Stop it," Sam scolds us both with a slight amusement in her voice.

I stick my tongue out at Miguel, and he does the same in response. I hear Robby laugh behind me.

"Well," Sam shifts her attention to the kitchen table and vase of flowers, "these are in the wrong place."

She begins to lift the flowers on her own, and I decide to be mature again and step in, "Hold on."

"Thanks," she says as I give her a hand.

"Anthony, get down here!" I hear Amanda yell in her mom voice.

"Ooh," she grins, "someone is in trouble, and thank god it's not me."

I smile as we bring the assortment out to Carmen. She sits with two baby dolls in gis; one has a baby pink belt and the other has a baby blue one. 

"Aren't they adorable?" Carmen smiles.

"They are," I say. "They were Johnny's idea, actually."

"I think they're perfect," Carmen says, "though I'd prefer this one to not be in karate brawls." She sighs to herself. Then I see her begin to tear up, "Oh no, do you think my baby is going to be in a karate brawl?"

"No, no," I sit with her as Sam stands near supportively, "they won't be."

Carmen's demeanor suddenly shifts again, this time to relief, "Good. I just know this baby will be happy and healthy. And happy. And loved."

I turn back to Sam for help. She just shrugs and mouths, "Hormones."

"Can I help in the kitchen somehow?" Carmen stands up. 

"No, I think we have it all covered," Sam says.

Carmen nods, "Okay. Well, maybe I'll grab a snack."

I hesitate, "Do you want us to bring you something?"

"I'm just carrying a baby; I'm sure I can walk to the kitchen," Carmen assures us.

I nod, knowing full well that Carmen can take care of herself. I don't know why a woman being pregnant immediately makes everyone treat her differently. 

"I can't wait to play these shower games," Sam says as she looks at the table with everything prepped. 

"Me neither," I say. 

Amanda, Sam, and I planned this whole thing together. 

Carmen knew she wanted a gender reveal of some kind, so Amanda insisted she'd help. Amanda sent the note from Carmen's doctor to a local company that makes gender reveal smoke boxes. 

I'm actually not big into gender reveals, but I have to admit I'm excited. 

Then Amanda helped Sam and I plan the rest of the party. We have games planned like guessing the flavor of baby food, a race to change the diaper on a stuffed animal, and trivia of who knows Carmen best. It's a nice change of pace from everyday life for sure.

Sam and I walk back into the kitchen where everyone seems to be congregating.

"I guess Chozen ate all the mini cannolis," Miguel fills us in.

I glance at Amanda as she talks with Carmen and glares at Chozen from afar. 

Chozen and Anthony are pigging out on the mini cupcakes.

"That makes sense," Sam nods. 

"And I just heard Mrs. LaRusso tell Carmen that the gender reveal thing is coming in, like, an hour, so we have some time to kill," Robby speaks up. "Maybe with those games you planned?"

Suddenly, a loud boom comes from the front door; it almost sounds like a gunshot. I jump in a panic, and I notice that Miguel does, too.

"It's okay," Sam assures us.

Then we all see Johnny walking into the kitchen with pink powder all over him, and Carmen gasps. I sigh in relief.

"The package came early," Carmen says, sounding sad again.

"Guess it's a girl," Johnny says.

"I can't wait to meet her," Carmen gives Johnny a big hug. "And for her to meet her dad."

I turn to Robby excitedly and try to suppress the lingering panic from the noise, "It's a girl." He smiles, too.

"I'm a girl dad. You're girl brothers," Johnny points to Miguel and Robby.

Miguel goes to hug Carmen first.

Yaya comes up behind me and hugs me tightly. I smile then try to guide her off because it begins to hurt; she's surprisingly strong.

Next, I go over to hug Carmen as Amanda asks, "Where's Daniel?" 

My jaw drops and I try to contain a smile as Daniel also comes into the kitchen holding the empty box. Pink paint is all over his shirt and face. Like, all over. 

Sam laughs first, and then I break, too. Soon we're all laughing.

"I told him not to move," Johnny says behind a laugh.

Daniel tries not to laugh, "I'm too old for this shit."  

"You look great, Dad," Sam says as she takes a picture on her phone.

He sighs, "Sam, no, give me the phone."

Anthony then takes a picture on his. 

"Anthony, come on."

"Oh, me too, me too," Johnny tries to open his phone.

Daniel just shakes his head and turns away, "I'm going to shower."

"Will you send that to me?" I ask Sam.

⭒⭒⭒

The next day at the dojo, I hold up pads for Robby as he practices his kicks. 

"Higher," he tells me. I bring them higher.

"Good work," Johnny walks by us. Robby smiles.

Today is just a day to work on our technique. I guess Johnny got lazy with his lesson plan with the chaos of preparing for the baby.

A few minutes later, Robby stops. "Water break?"

"Yeah, then it's my turn," I challenge.

On the way to our stuff, we see Johnny walk over to Sam and Tory as they do kata together.

"All right, all right, you got the kata down," we hear Johnny say as we walk to our stuff. "Let's see you use it."

I stop for a moment to watch from afar. I notice Devon and Miguel joining us, too. This should be... interesting. They haven't sparred together once since Tory joined Miyagi-Do. 

"Fighting positions." They bow to each other. "Ready? Fight!"

And they... just stare at each other? Neither of them make a move.

Then Tory does. She kicks near Sam - not at her - and Sam dodges easily. They circle each other and make no other moves.

"Come on, fight," Johnny tells them once more. 

I look at Robby; this is... something for sure.

Sam tries a roundhouse that misses by far. Tory doesn't even bother defending. 

"What is this, Ice Capades? That's enough, that's enough. Fighting stance," Johnny tells them. "Twenty-five reverse punches. Ready?"

"Yes, Sensei," Tory responds immediately.

"Begin!"

Devon smiles in amusement, "They're broken. What the hell did you guys do?"

I look at her in confusion, "What?"

"I heard about your triple date thing at Golf 'N Stuff or whatever. What went on there, and why do they suck now?" she reiterates.

"We didn't do anything. They're just friends now," Robby says.

"Kind of," I say. "And it wasn't me. Miguel was the one who tried to make it a triple date," I throw him under the bus.

"Hey, that's... okay, that's true," Miguel admits. "But like Robby said, we didn't do anything. They went from war to Cold War to peace."

"Yeah, piece of crap fighting," Devon says. 

"We can't force them to be friends," I tell Devon like I've told everyone else. Then I add, "Or even to fight well again." I say it though her comment was true.

Devon shakes her head and walks over to Johnny.

"I thought things were better now that they're on the same side," Miguel says.

"Even though they avoid each other in school?" Robby points out.

"I guess I've just been hoping for peace," Miguel admits.

"Have you not noticed any apprehension from Sam about Tory?" I ask, remembering the times Tory has confided in me.

He sighs, "I guess you're right."

"There's so much damage that's been done," I frown.

"You and Sam became friends pretty quickly, though," Miguel points out.

"Because we had an honest conversation with each other," I recall that one day in the bathroom. "And even then it took a while for me to really trust her. Tory isn't going to open up to Sam, and I doubt Sam will open up to Tory."

"And I don't think it's a good idea for them to fight it out like we did," Robby acknowledges.

Miguel nods his head, "Agree."

I frown as I look back over at the duo, "I have no idea how to fix it, but we aren't going to win the Sekai Taikai like this."

And with that, we leave Miguel and go to grab our water bottles. 

"Z, where are you hoping it'll be?" Chris calls out to me.

I turn around in confusion, "Where what will be?"

"The Sekai Taikai," Kenny explains.

I notice Eli turn away from the group as I join the conversation; what an asshole.

I try to pretend I don't notice. "I don't know. I guess Greece would be nice since my great-great-grandparents immigrated from there. I've always wanted to see it in person."

"Nice," Chris nods in approval.

"I'm hoping for somewhere bright and innovative and cool, like Tokyo," Nate speaks up.

"Where do you want to go, Kenny?" I turn to the boy.

"I was just telling them that I'm hoping for Germany. It's where my dad's going to be stationed next month," he replies.

"That's cool," Robby joins the conversation with Miguel behind him.

"What about you guys?" Nate asks the boys.

"I mean, I've never been on a different continent, so it'd be cool to do that," Robby says. "But anywhere is good."

"Anywhere that's not Mexico," I hear Miguel mutter under his breath.

I think back to our trip. It's almost as if it never happened because Miguel never wants to talk about it again. But he saw his dad get shot and probably left for dead, though he is/was a bad person. Sometimes I forget just how much Miguel has been through because of how happy he is all the time.

"Wherever you end up going," Aisha pulls the conversation back to a happier place, "I will be insanely jealous."

"Yeah, you should be for choosing school over this epic world tournament," Mitch grins proudly.

Aisha narrows her eyes at him, "Just for that, you're on my list."

Mitch's eyes widen as he genuinely apologizes, "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

She laughs, "You guys are so easy; I don't even have a list." Mitch visibly relaxes, and I look at my friend in amusement. "You're lucky I won't be at that tournament because I'd be dominating."

"You would be," I assure her. 

"And speaking of, I will kick all of your asses if you don't vote Eva Drake and I for student body president and vice president," Aisha shamelessly plugs her campaign. 

I just see the guys nod in agreement - whether sincerely or in fear, I don't know. 

"Lee!" Johnny's voice calls to us from across the dojo. "Call your dad. Tell him you're having people over tonight."

We all stare at Johnny in confusion. 

"Okay, everyone, why are we standing around and just talking?" Johnny changes his tone. "Let's get to work!"

Robby grabs the pads for me now, and we move away from the group.

"Very good, Zion-san," Chozen comes over to us later as I continue working on my kicks.

I smile, "Thank you, Sensei."

He greets Robby with a smile before turning back to me. "How is the new apartment?"

"It's really great," I tell him. "I actually just got everything back from my mom, so. Yeah, it's nice."

"From mom?" Chozen recalls what he was told about me when I moved into the LaRusso's momentarily and what I opened up to him a bit about during my apartment searching. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"Thank you," I say. 

"May I?" Chozen turns to Robby and holds out his hands for the pads.

Robby nods and hands them to our sensei. "Maybe I'll switch out and go work on bo staffs with Sam?"

"Okay," I say.

"Ready?" Chozen holds them up for me. 

"Ready," I get into a fighting stance.

⭒⭒⭒

"Z," Johnny calls to me after training. "Devon is going to text you her address. Be there at 7 tonight for extra training."

"Um, okay?" I reply, wondering why this is so sudden. I'm glad I didn't have plans.

"What kind of training?" Robby asks from beside me. We were just about to leave together to go to my place.

"Girls only," Johnny says. 

"Oh," Robby replies, more confused than before.

I think I've put the pieces together. "Is this about-"

"No questions. 7pm. Be there or you're off the team," Johnny says before walking away.

I turn to Robby sarcastically, "Sure. Because he'd definitely kick me off the team."

"Definitely," he wraps his arm around my waist as we walk out. 

I wonder what Johnny could have in store for tonight.

⭒⭒⭒

The text I got said to bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush to a random address not far from my apartment.

When I arrive at a house with "Lee" on the mailbox, I realize that I'm at Devon's. And based on the supply list, I'm going to be spending the night. 

I get out of my car and see Tory and Sam walking to the front door together.

"Hey," I walk faster to catch up with them.

"Hey," Tory looks relieved when she sees me. 

"Hi," Sam gives me a smile. 

"You made it," Devon opens the door with a big smile before we even fully step on the porch. "We're in the basement."

Tory turns back to me in confusion. I pretend not to know anything. I think this is Johnny's way of getting Tory and Sam to fight well. The only questions are how exactly and how will he do it without making them try to maim each other again?

I follow them down the stairs to a room filled with pink balloons, streamers, board games, and more. 

At the center of it all is Johnny smiling proudly, "Welcome to Miyagi-Do: After Dark!"

I stare at him in disbelief as Sam says what I'm thinking, "I don't think you should call it that."

"Miyagi-Do Nights?" Johnny tries to fix it.

"No," Sam says in slight terror. I just look at Johnny and try to figure out how his brain works.

"Dark Nights?" 

"That's worse," I speak up.

"Wait. Is this a slumber party?" Tory finally puts it together.

Devon comes in with a case full of nail polish, "I've never had one before. I didn't know what color nail polish you guys like, so I just got them all."

"I figure since you two are friends now, we can have a girls' night," Johnny adds.

"With you?" Tory wonders. 

"Hell yeah, I'm a girl dad now," he says excitedly. I guess that's sweet... in a slightly creepy way?

Of course I know Johnny, but Tory really doesn't and Sam seems weirded out, too.

"I brought cookies and tampons and everything," he continues.

I glance to the table where a 50 pack of super tampons sit. I stare at it in confusion.

Then the doorbell rings. Devon cheers, "That must be Aisha. I'll get it." She rushes upstairs.

"Come on inside," Johnny says. "Grab a sleeping bag. The Mr. T one's mine, and the Care Bear one is Lee's." We all hesitate. "Go on."

Tory and Sam step forward first as I walk over to Johnny.

"So what's your plan?" I ask him. "Because this is a weird way to get them to... bond?"

"Bond? Hell no," he whispers. "Shit goes down at these teenage girl sleepovers. I've prepared a night that's sure to get them fighting like normal again in no time."

"By having them hate each other again?" I ask.

"Well," he hesitates, "maybe. I guess we'll just see how it turns out, huh?"

This feels like a really bad idea. 

"'Sup," Aisha comes down the stairs. She assesses the situation, "A sleepover... with our... sensei."

"Just go with it," I tell her. "Johnny has a plan."

Aisha admits, "That's ominous."

"Your turns to pick your sleeping bags. You lost first dibs," Johnny ushers us over.

I look at the selection in confusion. Tory has a tie-dye rainbow one, Sam grabbed the Sofia the First one, and now there is Lightning McQueen one and a cat one left.

I turn to Aisha for her opinion. 

She reaches down for the Cars one, "I was actually obsessed with Cars as a kid, so this one is good."

I grab the cat one, truly not caring which I have. 

"Good. Now, music aaand a pillow fight," Johnny throws a pillow at me, which I fail to catch with my sleeping bag in hand. 

I look at Johnny in confusion as Aisha laughs beside me.

I set down the sleeping bag and pick up the pillow again with a sly smile, "Fine." I hit Aisha.

Devon grins and goes to grab one, too. Eventually Sam and Tory join as Johnny conveniently steps to the side.

⭒⭒⭒

Not long after our pillow fight is over, Sam paints my nails a dark green color. We're taking turns painting each others' nails and getting some time to talk, which is nice. I've already done hers in a dark red.

From beside us, Devon laughs, "Sensei, you can't do that."

I glance over and see Johnny completely ignoring the "nail" part of "nail polish" and just spreading the red polish all over Devon's fingertips.

The rest of us laugh as Johnny defends himself, "The nails are getting painted, aren't they?"

"Sure, but I'd rather not look like I've killed someone after the fact," Devon giggles.

Tory interjects, "After I'm done with Aisha's I can do yours, Devon."

Devon grabs the nail polish remover in relief, "Thank you."

"And then we can do yours," Aisha turns to Johnny.

He raises his eyebrows, "Oh, no. You aren't doing my nails. Absolutely not."

⭒⭒⭒

About ten minutes later, Tory is doing Devon's nails and Aisha is doing Johnny's in a clear coat. He pretends to be grumpy as she does so.

As Sam works on designs for my nails, she pauses and grabs my wrist gently. "I can't help looking at your angel tattoo, Zion. It's so beautiful."

I smile, "Thank you."

"It is," Tory agrees. "You've always made me wish I had the money for tattoos and extra piercings."

"I don't know if I could ever get a tattoo," Devon admits. "It's, like, permenant, you know?"

"I know," I nod, slightly teasing Devon. 

"I don't know what I like enough to put on my skin forever," Aisha says. "I'm just glad you were able to cover that god-awful bird that was there before."

"Before?" Sam asks curiously.

I sigh, "Yeah, it... it was a tattoo for Hawk before."

Devon gasps, "No way." Sam is smiling at the revelation.

"I was young and dumb," I remind them.

"Been there," Johnny says.

"I was so, so, so happy when you got it covered," Tory tells me.

"So what's this angel for?" Sam asks curiously.

"It's a fallen angel. They're misunderstood, outcasts. It's less of a religious thing and more of a spiritual thing, you know?" I ask.

She nods, "Yeah, that's really nice."

"I have to ask about your new tattoo, too," Devon says. "What's that for?"

"Well, uh, it's a tattoo for survivors of abuse," I say.

I see Sam nodding, as if she knows. I never told her before.

When she sees my face, she explains, "I saw it on Pinterest a couple of times. For survivors."

It makes me think back to when I unknowingly told her about Adam. It makes me think about the harrassment and assault we both have gone through. A shiver runs up my spine at just the thought.

"And you have your tattoo for your dad," Tory slightly shifts the topic, thankfully.

"You do?" Devon asks, obviously very interested in my tattoos.

"Yeah," I nod, "it's on my hip."

"What is it?" Sam wonders, oblivious to the reassuring look Tory gives back to me.

"A star."

And a sadness washes over me for just a second. I think about the short period of time where Silver used that nickname as a weapon against me. 

"He..." I try to focus on my dad; Silver will not have that part of me. "He used to call me his Little Star, and he was my Big Star. And he said that if I look up at the night sky, he would be there for me to talk to in the stars."

"Aw," Devon says. "Sometimes I'm convinced my mom comes to visit me as frogs. I see them everywhere, and they were her favorite animal."

"That's really sweet," I tell her.

"Please, hold still," Sam whispers to me as she continues to draw beautiful leaf designs on my nails.

"Okay, no," Johnny suddenly stands up, "no glitter."

I laugh when I see Aisha holding up a holographic nail polish. 

"Just a little bit of sparkle," she teases him.

"No, no, no," Johnny steps away from the table.

"Well, good timing, I guess," Sam shrugs. "I'm done."

I look down at my nails excitedly. Tory leans over, "They're really pretty."

"Thanks," the LaRusso girl beams.

I look behind them to where Johnny is now blowing delicately on his nails to get them to dry. 

I have to admit, this night has been really nice so far.

⭒⭒⭒

After doing face masks, Johnny suggests we get out the oujia board. 

I'm not going to lie, these do freak me out. I hope we don't actually try to talk to a spirit with it.

My wish is granted when Devon asks her question.

"Will Mitch ever win the All Valley?" 

"Who the hell's Mitch?" Johnny asks. I just roll my eyes, not even surprised.

"Penis Breath," Aisha and Tory say at the same time.

Johnny immediately moves the planchette to "no."

"All right, all right, my turn. Does Tory want Sam to fall down a flight of stairs, breaking every single bone in her little body?" Johnny asks.

"What?" Tory asks in confusion and slight concern. I see Sam frown wearily.

"Well, let's see what it says," he insists.

We all seemingly try to fight him as he moves the piece to the "yes."

"There it is," Johnny declares. "That's ugly."

"I don't want that," Tory emphasizes.

"Can't ignore fate or whatever," Johnny argues.

Aisha and I share a skeptical look. I see Sam shifting uncomfortably.

I speak up, "My turn. Will we win the Sekai Taikai?"

Johnny once again yanks the planchette to "yes" then goes, "Hell yeah we will."

"Will I win vice president?" Aisha wonders.

Now Tory, Sam, Devon, and myself yank it over to "yes." Aisha smiles excitedly.

"My tur-"

"Back to me," Johnny interrupts Sam. "If Sam could describe Tory in one word, what would that word be?"

Once again, Johnny takes over and moves it. 

"B... I... T..."

I gasp as Sam and Tory pull away from the board angrily.

Johnny immediately defends himself, "What? It could've said 'bitchin'.'"

"Really?" I ask him in disapproval.

"What is this?" Aisha asks honestly.

"A sleepover," Johnny plays dumb.

"A super fun sleepover," Devon adds. She must be in on this plan, too.

I get up in frustration then walk over to check on Tory, "Are you all right?"

"I don't know what's going on tonight, but it's been weird," Tory says. 

"I think it's just Johnny being here that makes it weird," I half-life.

"Sure, I guess," she frowns.

I walk over to where Sam sits on the couch on her phone. All of the girls gather in the living room together.

It doesn't take long for all of us to sit on our phones and watch TikToks individually. 

Every now and then Sam speaks up and shares one with a funny animal on it, which I appreciate. My timeline is full of things like politics, tattoo art, and martial arts.

"Look at this," Aisha leans over. "It's about the Sekai Taikai."

"The official account?" Tory asks curiously.

"I don't think so. It's a competetor and influencer. She says she's a former champion," Aisha plays the video.

"Zara Malik," I read.

We watch as she does some insane tricks.

I type in her account on my phone. "Wow," I say, "she has 1.5 million followers."

Tory leans over my shoulder, "Yeah, and it looks like she has a lot of brand deals."

I click on a video.

"Welcome back, squad. It's your girl, the queen of karate."

Tory and I share a look.

"Today I am reviewing three types of hair masks, and I'll be breaking down which options are the best for which hair types," Zara holds them all up to the camera. "First we have..."

"She's annoying," Tory says immediately.

"That video along has 300,000 likes," Sam says in disbelief.

"I bet she's making a lot of money from it, though," Tory admits.

I pick another one.

"Welcome back, squad. It's your girl, the queen of karate."

"Oh my God," Devon says in response to the repetitive intro.

"I wanted to show you all what it takes to look this good and fight even better. So here's a day in the life with me, Zara Malik."

We watch as she walks us through her elaborate protein-rich breakfast and into her personal gym and through her long skin care routine.

"Wow," Sam states. 

"Rich people problems," I say as I look at the huge house she's filming in.

"And smash that follow button for more updates from your favorite karate queen," she finishes before blowing a kiss to the camera.

"That was hard to watch," Tory says.

"She has... quite the ego," Sam says. 

"She seems like a bitch," Tory grins, "but a rich bitch at that."

"And she can fight," I say as I scroll through videos where she shows off her skills.

"So can we," Aisha says defensively.

"Yeah, I have no doubt we're," Sam says.

We all go back to looking at our own devices, but I continue scrolling on Zara's page for a minute. We all need to up our game if we think we're going to win this. At least, I have to.

Then I notice that her bio says she's the female Sekai Taikai champion. I open Google and find that usually the Sekai Taikai is split by gender at the very end of the compeition to allow one female and one male international winner. I don't know how to feel about that.

"Devon, where's your bathroom?" Aisha wonders.

"I'll show you." Devon and Aisha get up.

"Look at this one," Tory leans over to Sam and I to share a funny video of a young boy screaming. It's nice to see her slowly becoming more comfortable.

Suddenly, Tory's phone starts ringing. I freeze when I see the caller ID: Miguel Diaz. 

Sam visibly tenses, "Why is Miguel calling you?"

"I don't know," Tory shrugs as she declines it. "Butt dial?"

Sam nods and turns back to her phone, not even bothering to finish watching the video. I can already feel the tension.

Tory's phone dings now. She says aloud, "What?"

"What?" Sam turns to her.

I glance at her phone in confusion. Then I see a text from Miguel. I'm so confused.

"It's a text from Miguel," Tory explains.

"What does it say?" Sam wonders.

"'Hola, mamacita. How about you drop the zero and get with the hero?'" Tory reads it awkwardly.

Sam and Tory just look at each other in a tense confusion.

I speak up from between them, "Obviously that's not Miguel."

Tory glances behind us then realizes, "I know what this is. Sensei Lawrence."

"Oh," Sam says.

Suddenly we're all standing up and walking over to him, and he's shoving his hand behind his back.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Johnny wonders.

"What's behind your back?" Sam asks.

Johnny's eyes widen, "My hands. Nothing. Just my hands." He is a horrible liar.

Tory rolls her eyes and calls Miguel's phone. Sure enough, the ringing comes from behind Johnny's back.

"Lee, your phone's ringing," Johnny insists.

I walk over and hold out my hand, "Johnny, come on."

"Just go with it," he whispers to me as if they can't hear.

"Johnny," Sam frowns.

He rolls his eyes and hands Miguel's phone to me. He's acting like a child.

"You're catfishing us," Tory says.

"I don't know what that is, but catfish is gross." I roll my eyes.

"You've been messing with us, and now you're trying to get us to start fighting," Sam states.

"We just wanted to help you get your edge back," Devon chimes in, "so things can go back to the way they used to be."

"You think things were better when we hated each others' guts?" Tory wonders, staring at Johnny with a mix of disbelief and anger.

"No, maybe just south of that, like a really strong dislike," Johnny argues.

"I thought you were Miyagi-Do now," Sam says.

"I am Miyagi-Do. Look, we're inside with pillows and chocolates and air conditioning. I want you to hate each other but in a friendly way."

"I'm calling an Uber," Sam decides.

"Same," Tory frowns. "I could have called Piper tonight instead of doing this."

I watch as they both turn to leave. 

"I can't believe that didn't work," Johnny says.

"Yeah," I roll my eyes, "who knew catfishing the lesbian with a boy wouldn't work?"

Johnny pauses and genuinely asks, "Wait, who's a lesbian?"

I don't even let that phase me as I go to grab my things, too. There's too much wrong with this event Johnny planned to even correct him on anything right now.

Devon also walks away from Johnny. The whole night is ruined now. And here I thought they were getting closer and closer to having a real conversation.

Aisha comes back from the bathroom, "Whoa, what did I miss?"

⭒⭒⭒

Third Person POV

Tory and Sam make it outside to wait on their Ubers. 

"My Uber's five minutes away," Sam breaks the silence. 

"Yeah, mine too," Tory says as she looks away.

"My guy's got, like, a 4.99 rating," Sam continues to awkwardly converse. "That's gotta be double Sensei Lawrence's."

"And three times his rating for hosting a slumber party," Tory adds.

Sam tries to keep it lighthearted, "Can't believe he stole Miguel's phone. He actually thought we would fall for that."

"I don't know. It's not like one of us," Tory looks at Sam in slight resentment, "hasn't tried to take the other's partner before. Though it's not like the other one of us ever would." 

Sam's eyebrows raise at the clear passive aggressiveness of Tory's words. "I was drinking. And I... regardless I know that was a huge mistake. But it was, like, over a year ago."

"So what? That makes it okay?"

"The shit you pulled after wasn't."

"Oh, yeah, here it comes. Little Miss Perfect LaRusso."

"You attacked me at school," Sam argues.

"You attacked me at prom."

"You broke into my house. You put me in the hospital."

"I tried to make things right, and you attacked me again," Tory frowns.

"No, you started this whole thing."

"I did? Because the first time we ever met you accused me of stealing your mom's wallet. I was already the new kid trying to find new friends. I finally found one in Aisha. As soon as I connected with someone, you had to come and ruin that."

"Hold on," Sam defends, "you were bragging you could steal anything from those people without them realizing. How was I supposed to know?"

"Well..." Tory hesitates at the point being made. "Even after you learned that it wasn't me, you never apologized."

"When would I have had time to? I saw you at the skating rink, and you purposely knocked me down," Sam says.

"Because I was mad. I was put in this shitty situation where I had to move and get a shit job at a roller rink to handle the bills my mom no longer could pay. I was in a new town where I'd finally made a connection with Aisha and Z, and you had to come and try to ruin that," Tory says, her voice breaking slightly.

It doesn't go unnoticed by Sam.

Tory continues, "I hate... I hate bringing up my mom. That's not... not what I wanted... I..."

"You're right," Sam softens her tone. "I'm sorry."

Tory's eyes snap up to look at Sam, shocked by the statement. 

"I was jealous and distrustful, and I made a really shitty call. I should have tried to apologize. I was... I was mad I was losing my best friend," Sam admits, "and I projected my anger onto you. I didn't know anything about you, really."

"I was the one who stole a bottle of vodka, so... I also made a shitty call. Young and dumb,"Tory calls back to what Z said earlier. "And then I just kept making shitty call after shitty call."

"I should have apologized long before now. If only I had apologized at the skating rink," Sam shrugs.

"If only I weren't so caught up in getting you back," Tory admits, "I could have apologized, too. Or at least been open to accepting an apology. I was just so..." She looks down in dismay. "Things went too far, and if I'm being honest it was my fault... I'm sorry. I can't believe what I did to your arm."

Tory wipes her tears, and Sam stares in shock.

She tries to comfort her, "It's not that bad, actually. It's pretty much faded. A lot like this thing between us, right?"

Tory nods, "Yeah. I really am sorry."

"Me too," Sam says, tears in her eyes, as well.

And then she hugs Tory. 

And after a moment, Tory hugs back.

When they pull away, Tory tries to make a joke, "All of this over a stupid boy."

"Well," Sam grins, "maybe to you."

\Tory just shakes her head with a small smile. They're going to be okay.

⭒⭒⭒

Zion's POV

"Don't leave," Devon follows us up the stairs.

"Might as well," Johnny follows Devon who follows us to the door. "This sleepover really did suck, huh? I'm sorry."

I open the door and see Tory and Sam arguing outside.

"It's happening," Johnny says.

I brace myself for something bad to happen.

Then they become quiet. I think I hear an "I'm sorry."

I can't believe my eyes when I see them hugging. I smile happily.

"No," Johnny sighs, "could this night get any worse?"

"Cheer up, Sensei. Maybe tonight didn't go as planned, but that could be for the best," Devon grins. She's right about that.

"Okay, well, I'm going to head out," Johnny decides, seemingly bored with this ending.

He walks past the girls on the way to his car. Suddenly, Tory and Sam's Ubers pull up.

"Well, I'm really glad that didn't end in another brawl," Aisha admits. 

"Me too," I say in relief.

"Now we'll see if they actually fight better tomorrow," Devon says.

"They'd better if you guys want to be on the same level as some of those international teams," Aisha reminds us.

"Yeah," I say, slight anxiety creeping into my chest for no real reason.

I know I'm good, but am I the best in the world? I wasn't sold on the Sekai Taikai for so long because of how impossible it all feels. But if another girl my age can do it, then why not me? Shouldn't I be allowed to have fun and try for a better future if I have the opportunity?

⭒⭒⭒

"It was awful," I tell Robby as we sit on the edge of the sparring deck together the next day. "Your dad had no business planning a slumber party."

"Well, I didn't pick him," he jokes. "But I'm glad it all worked out for you, especially Sam and Tory."

Just then Johnny walks by us. 

Robby grins, "Hey, Dad, nice nails."

Johnny's face falls and he becomes defensive, "Hey, I'm pretty sure I got the results I wanted, so who cares about some painted nails?" And with that, he walks away in slight embarrassment.

I turn back to Robby with a smile; we both laugh. 

Then Chozen walks by us, and I stand up, "Sensei Toguchi?"

"Hai?" he turns to me in question.

"Would you train me a bit before we begin sparring later?" I ask.

I've noticed that Daniel has taken a step back for some reason and given Johnny and Chozen today to teach. We're mainly doing individual warmups and one-on-one sparring matches to prepare for the tournament.

"What did you have in mind?" he wonders.

⭒⭒⭒

Inside the dojo's house, Chozen calls out to me, "Try again."

I nod as I line up with the dummy and try again.

Step, rotate, knee, rotate, kick.

My foot misses the face of the dummy, and I catch myself before I hit the ground.

"You are not trusting self. Let yourself lean back while your legs go for the head," he advises.

I nod, "Yes, Sensei."

I'm trying to master a 540 kick for the first time. It's something a lot of past Sekai Taikai competitors seem to use; I did more research last night on Zara Malik, a girl named Maria Alvarez, and a guy named Axel Kovačević. Each of these fighters are really good at what they do while also leaning into the flashy aspect of martial arts. I have to keep up.

So while this move is not as tactically helpful as it is just visually appealing, maybe that's what this competition is looking for. And because of the trajectory, this is the hardest kick I have yet to try, though no move will ever be as difficult as the suffocation. I know I can handle this.

"Aitz," Chozen calls out.

Step, rotate, knee, rotate, kick.

My toe grazes the front of the dummy's face.

"Closer but not close enough," he tells me. Then he thinks for a moment. "Show me your 360 tornado kick."

I square up to the dummy and do so.

My foot successfully connects with the dummy's head. Hard.

Chozen encourages me, "Good, Zion-san. Now focus. Use that same height to soar. You can do this."

I repeat his words in my mind: I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Step, rotate, knee, rotate, kick.

And then I hit the dummy in the face. I smile excitedly.

I turn to Chozen and see him doing the same. He holds up his arm for a high five, and I rush over to give it to him. 

"Nice!" he cheers. "Now focus on perfecting form, not just landing the hit. Again."

"Yes, Sensei," I say happily as I step back into position.

⭒⭒⭒

"All right, okay, I'm here," Daniel walks into the dojo as we start a new kind of sparring lesson that Johnny was just about to explain to us.

"Good, LaRusso. You're just in time for the sensei versus sensei spar," Johnny grins.

"What?" Mitch smiles excitedly. "You're going to try to fight again? Chris, go get your camera."

"No, no," Daniel says as he steps onto the sparring deck. "This is an exercise to practice communication during a fight between you and your sensei. The Sekai Taikai will likely be fast-paced with little time for training during our time there. So we figured it'd be good to practice our communication and teaching skills."

"Right. Let's start off easy. Sam versus Robby with Sensei LaRusso and me," Johnny states.

I watch as their children get onto the sparring deck together. 

"Okay," Chozen stands on the deck as the referee, "fight!" 

Sam and Robby begin by circling each other, both on the defensive.

"Robby, do something!" Johnny yells impatiently.

So he does. Robby sends a combination of kicks Sam's way, but she blocks all of them before dodging and going in to punch him.

"Sam, speed," Daniel says.

And suddenly Sam is darting away from Robby and circling around him, faster this time.

Robby tries to keep up. I really don't know who will win this.

Then Sam closes the gap with a couple of punches. Robby counters; she blocks. And then she sneaks in one that lands on his chest successfully.

"Point, LaRussos!" Chozen calls. 

Robby sighs, "Nice one."

"Thanks," Sam replies.

"Rob," Johnny calls him over before their next match for advice.

⭒⭒⭒

Kenny and Devon nod to each other in respect before coming off the deck. 

Kenny and Chozen just beat Devon and Johnny. Earlier Hawk and Johnny beat Daniel and Demetri, and Bert and Johnny beat Anthony and Daniel - though it was actually a pretty close fight.

"Next up... I choose Miguel," Johnny points to the boy. Miguel rushes up proudly.

"I choose Zion-san," Chozen says.

I smile excitedly and turn to Miguel with a competitive smile.

"What do you know about Miguel's fighting style? What can you learn?" Chozen asks me.

I try to think of something. "He's not afraid to take up space on the mat. He's good at offense, like me."

"What's his pattern?" Chozen asks.

I pause, "His pattern?"

"He has one. What can you learn from his fights?" 

"I'm not sure..." Then it clicks. "He uses his upper body, a lot, mainly for punches."

"Mm," Chozen nods in agreement. "So?"

"So if I stay low and fast I become a harder target to reach," I finish.

"Hai. Now go," Chozen says.

Miguel and I approach the center of the deck. Daniel stands between us.

"Ready? Set. Fight!"

I start off strong with a push kick, but Miguel immediately deflects it. I see him going to punch me, so I lean back and stay low. Once his fist is out of my space, I stand back up and sweep the leg. He jumps and keeps on his toes, moving from this position we've been in. 

"Aitz," he says as he advances closer with a combination of punches. 

I remember the pitching machine; don't get hit. Then I grab both of his hands and wrap them in my arms when he comes at me again. He looks at me in confusion.

I flip myself over to untangle us, and the momentum pushes him back slightly. I rush over quickly, sweep his leg, send him to the floor, and kick his torso gently for the point.

"Ambrose and Toguchi, point!" Daniel calls out.

Miguel looks up at me, "Holy shit."

I smile; Chozen has been great at pushing me out of my comfort zone to go higher and try more advanced moves.

I turn back to my sensei for another high five. 

"Okay, okay, don't get cocky. It's best out of three," Miguel calls after me.

"Bring it," I grin.

"Diaz," Johnny calls him over.

I turn back to Chozen, and he says, "Do that again."

Long story short, I lost... this time. But I'm still proud of myself.

Our fights took longer than the others because we're relatively evenly matched in skill. But I am proud of myself for utlizing some new techniques that put me over the edge.

"Good game" Miguel turns to me, "but I'm not letting you forget you lost."

"Until next time," I tell him.

"That was a really close fight, you two," Sam says. Then she turns to her boyfriend, "And I'm so proud of you."

Miguel just blushes, "Yeah, yeah." She reaches up and kisses him on the cheek.

"Great job," Robby comes to me.

"Thanks," I say softly.

"LaRusso and Nichols," Johnny calls out. "Your turn."

I look between the girls wearily. I think last night was helpful, but will it give them their edge back?

Daniel greets Sam once more, and Johnny ushers Tory to his side.

"The moment of truth," Devon walks over to me.

"Yeah," I say. Hopefully this fight won't get out of hand, but I also hope that they fight well.

They both step to the center of the deck and Chozen calls it. "Fight!"

Tory cross-punches, but Sam ducks low then does a spinning back kick that Tory narrowly avoids. Good; it looks like the tension is back.

Sam is very offensive this time, not giving Tory a second to think before leaning low and trying another kick. Tory executes a spin kick before Sam can get up and comes really close to scoring. Sam blocks.

Then they share a combination of punches before Sam snaps out of the pattern and uses a high side kick to almost get Tory in the face.

"Holy shit," I hear Aisha say from a few feet away. 

Tory blocks, but then Sam front kicks Tory's abdomen.

"Point, LaRussos," Chozen declares.

I wait for Tory's reaction nervously. Then she smiles at the LaRusso girl, and Sam smiles, too.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Johnny cheers.

"I can't believe it. The weird sleepover thing actually worked," Miguel says excitedly.

I smile as I look up at the duo that finally talked out their issues and became real friends.

"You know what this means, right?" Aisha wanders over to us.

"What?" Robby and I ask at the same time.

"Combined lunch tables," Aisha grins. "Finally."

Robby grabs my hand, and I squeeze it in excitement. I find myself unable to stop smiling.

⭒⭒⭒

A/N: They worked it out on the remix:)

SamTory is so important to me that I had to revise the canon apology scene to give them a bit more vulnerability and reason to say they're sorry.

This next chapter(s) will be more focused on the feminicons, Walker, and Simon - get ready.

I can't wait to get to part 2 because GOD I have some great moments planned out.

I will say, though, that my grandma is about to pass away, likely this week. I'm not sure how I'll handle it, but it will either be with a surge of writing to temporarily remove myself from reality or I'll feel no motivation to write at all. So just. Keep that in mind if it takes a while for my next update. I intend to be there for my family as much as possible, too. So. Anyway, I appreciate everyone's kind words over the past year or so dealing with not knowing if she would pass. I know it's her time to go to a place without pain, and she's touched so many amazing people in her time here. So I'm good, though expectedly sad. And I appreciate all of you for being understanding and sweet. Thank you.