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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
"idiotic lone wolf"
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(now you're gonna pay)

JULES WAS PREPARED FOR many things, but seeing Eli Moskowitz in Miguel's hospital room was not one of them. 

 She walked in with Demetri, the two discussing possibilities for decorations for Jules's god-damn brace. Demetri was quite fond of the idea of stapling small stars to the black fabric, but Jules was about ninety percent sure that was some sort of medical violation. The girl felt as if she was positively floating on air again. She was with her best friend - she was going to see Miguel with her best friend. After two weeks of pure misery, what could be better?

 Still, as soon as her hand pushed open the door, she froze upon seeing a familiar red mohawk standing over Miguel's bed. She felt Demetri tense beside her, and felt her own hand subconsciously curl into a fist at her side.

 But what would she do? This was the middle of a hospital - and even the action of curling her fist made her brace shift on her shoulder. For one painfully vivid moment, she felt her eyes narrow; and she swore that she heard her father's voice speak directly in her ear.  

 "Why stop now, Julie?" It crowed, echoing around in her brain as if she was drawing strength from a memory. "I didn't raise you to walk away from fights. From winning no less."

 She shook her head, inhaling deeply and blinking to rid the thought from her mind. Her father wasn't here, but his influence sat on her chest and made her grimace. Why now? Why after all she went through - she remembered the man's values as if they were her own in the aftermath of a tragedy caused by her own aggression. 

 "It's a party in here." She drawled, trying to seem as uninterested as possible as she crossed her arms. The action was small - but the purpose was so that her arm brushed Demetri. To remind him that he wasn't alone. The two boys turned, Miguel's face lighting up and Hawk's darkening. The small shadow that passed over the boy's face was enough to make a small smile quirk at her lips, turning to share a look with Demetri. 

 "I wanted to check up on my friend," Hawk said back, his words far less hostile than his tone. Jules knew he was trying to keep up a nice facade for Miguel, but the act may as well be made of glass when it comes to Jules. She wasn't about to let some douchebag get in the way of her seeing Miguel. 

 "You look well rested," she grinned, a teasing edge to her voice as she completely ignored Hawk, kneeling down next to Miguel's bed and firmly grasping his hand. The boy grinned, shrugging. 

 "I'm famous again, haven't you heard? Some people I don't even know brought me flowers."

 Jules put a hand to her chest. "I'm jealous, Diaz, truly."  

"Hi, Miguel!" Demetri followed Jules' lead, pointedly ignoring Hawk as he shot Miguel a wide smile. "Did you get my comic books?" 

 "Yeah, I did-" Miguel glanced at the table beside his bed, where a haphazard stack of comic books sat. "Thanks, man." 

 Jules reached over to ruffle Demetri's hair, a teasing - albeit endearing - edge to her tone. "Aw, my nerds." 

 That seemed to be the sentence that triggered her nerves to set on edge, remembering just who else was in the room with them. She turned on her heel, pursing her lips at Hawk as the boy crossed his arms defiantly. They locked eyes, Jules narrowing hers as a strand of hair fell over her forehead. An edge on her brace was beginning to dig into the soft skin under her arm, but she didn't dare adjust it. Not while she was in a staring contest with a literal snake. 

  He turned away first, and a satisfied hum passed Jules' lips. "I'm on my way out, Miguel." He said, sending the boy a salute. "Keep fighting, el sierpente." His eyes drifted over Jules again, and he smirked; his eyes seeming to glitter with partially pent malice. "Keep nursing that shoulder, Monroe." 

Jules pursed her lips, turning to nudge Demetri's arm. "Hey, do you think they replaced that trophy case, yet?"

 Demetri chuckled, but it only seemed to make the tension in the room double. Hawk glowered at them, Jules making a point to mimic the action, even after the boy turned and stalked out of the room. She didn't realize that the expression was still pinned on her face until Demetri flicked her forehead. "You can relax now, Black Widow." 

 "Right-" she shook her head, unclenching her fists and slipping her thumb under the strap of her brace to adjust it. Still, she couldn't shake the burning anger that tied a knot in her stomach. It was as if she was still staring down Hawk in the middle of the school hallway - as if she was still fighting Tory on top of the stairwell. 

  It diminished slightly when she turned to look back at Miguel. The boy had a conflicted expression on his face, tilting his head. "Jules." 

 The girl exhaled sharply, ducking her head. His soft tone was enough to make her heart melt back into her shoes, and she turned to look back at Demetri. "Wanna go get some coffee from the cafeteria or something?" 

 "Actually, hospital food is-" Jules kicked him in the shin, so he pressed his lips shut. Flashing the girl a thumbs up, he nodded as he snapped his fingers and turned away. "Got it! One cream one sugar, coming right up." 

 Jules counted to three, before turning back to Miguel. "I know you want us to all get along, but-" 

 "I don't expect you all to get along at all." He cut in, holding his hands out as Jules sat on the edge of the bed. "Not after Coyote Creek, and Kreese, and Miyagi-Do-" his words trailed off at the way Jules scrunched up her nose, and he rested a hand on her knee. "I know it's hard for you. I just want you to - I dunno - be safe?" 

 Jules snorted, brushing some hair from her face. "If you're talking about Cobra Kai, I'm not going to pick a fight with any of those assholes." 

 He shot her a look, "you know I'm technically still one of those assholes, right?" 

 She cocked an eyebrow, "legally?" 

 Miguel gazed at her for a second, before a small smile crept onto his face and he ducked his head. "Fine, you're right. I guess it's hard to officially quit when you're in a coma." 

 "Well good thing that's over now," Jules cut in before the boy could say anything else. She didn't want him thinking about his current... medical situation. Not if she could help it. His surgery was coming up, and stressing about it wouldn't affect the outcome in the slightest. "We don't need Cobra Kai to be the best. We're already the best."

 "You are." 

 Jules felt her muscles stiffen. She stared at Miguel, her icy blue eyes meeting his soft brown ones, and she felt her entire face heat up. For once, it wasn't from the never-ending anger in the pit of her stomach, or the sadness from the prospect of losing the person she loved... it was deeper. As if her chest was physically trying to rip itself in two. Looking at Miguel - the boy who had always been the strongest person she had ever known - and seeing him so... shattered, made her own broken form seem to scatter to the winds even more. She leaned over and grabbed onto his face, her thumbs tracing the shape of his jaw, her fingers brushing the softness of his hair. She leaned over and kissed him, trying to convey all that she couldn't say as their lips together and his hand reached up to trace her ribs. 

 She pulled away, their faces still so close together that she could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks against her own. She spoke softly, a whisper that caressed his lips and made his shoulders rise in a sharp intake of air. 

 "We are." 

 And then she kissed him again, praying that he could hear all of her unsaid words. How there couldn't be a champion in Jules without Miguel. How, even now, she couldn't diminish the burning ache in her stomach. The ache that was trying to eat away at her muscles and take control of her bones. An ache that only came alight hearing what Miguel had to say. You are. As if he wouldn't get better. As if she was a solo act. 

 As if they didn't accomplish everything they were together. 

 So Jules felt her heart set. And she just hoped that Miguel wouldn't hate her for it. It was as if she was ostracizing herself further; stepping away from a world of dojos and order, and into a whirlwind of uncertainties and fire. 

 The world she had grown up in. The one that had taught her to get revenge. 

 And that was exactly what she was going to do.

 ***

SHE DIDN'T TAKE HER shoes off as she stormed into the unlocked doors of the Cobra Kai dojo.

The familiarity of the room was like a punch to the stomach, and it almost caught Jules off guard. Key word: almost. In reality, her senses were all blurring together at the sight of the mat that she had once trained on. She had tunnel vision, and by this point her blood was pumping from the sheer force of her anger alone. 

 The dojo was dark, but Jules knew it wasn't empty. She hit her fist against the glass of the door as she walked in, her sneakers digging into the soft mat and her eyes raking over the wall. 

 Strike first, strike hard, no mercy.

 She remembered how Johnny looked when he was painting that sign. How he didn't know how easily subsequent events could get out of hand. 

 She only had the chance to take a breath of air before Kreese walked out from behind the door of his office. He chuckled when he saw her, spreading his arms out and approaching the girl as if they were old friends. "Monroe! I knew I would be seeing you again soon." 

 "Go fuck yourself," Jules spat, her lips twisting into a sneer. Kreese laughed again, crossing his arms nonchalantly from his spot across the mat. The two were at opposite ends - standing as if they were about to spar. Jules knew it would bring her great satisfaction to kick this old man's teeth in, but she wasn't there to fight. Not yet. "Where's Tory and Robby?" 

 "Well," Kreese hummed, turning and walking a few steps away, before turning around and retracing his steps. "I believe that Mister Keene had gotten himself into some trouble, no? I don't know why you think I would know where he is - I've never had the chance to train the boy." 

 "Then Tory," Jules took a step forward, pressing her fingers against her thighs when she realized that they were shaking. "Is she hiding now? Another show-stopping lesson from Sensei Kreese, I bet. One for the books." 

 "Now, why are you interested in finding Tory?" Kreese's beady eyes focused on hers. "Here to re-start an already finished fight." 

 "You of all people should know that this fight is long from finished." Jules glanced around her, the walls of her old dojo staring at her as if they were trying to vaporize her on the spot. It was a weird feeling - but Jules felt as if she was an anomaly in space and time. As if it shouldn't be allowed for a person to stare so much of their past in the face. She scoffed, shaking her head. "Fine, tell your star student that I have something to say to her." 

 She took a step forward, her fingers fumbling with the straps of her brace. "You tell Tory that she can fuck with my life all she wants, I'll just beat her over and over again. And you tell her that she crossed a line the second she brought Miguel into this. And I don't let people cross lines more than once." She ripped her brace off, holding it tightly in one hand as she glowered at Kreese. Her words were shaking from the weight of her fury, but she wasn't finished. "Tell that bitch that I'm not finished with her." She threw her brace at Kreese, the fabric hitting his chest, before his fist instinctively curled around it to keep it from hitting the ground. Jules smirked ruefully, unaware of how similar her expression looked to the ones that she had seen staring at her over and over again. 

 "And next time, I won't be so nice." 

 ***

WHEN JULES ANSWERED her door, Sam could tell that something was wrong. 

 For one, her knuckles were taped. She only taped her knuckles when she hit a punching bag, and as far as Sam knew, she didn't have one in her bedroom. Second, her entire face was bright red, and her eyes were narrowed as her shoulders heaved for heavy breaths. 

 Sam withheld a grimace. "You were training."

 Jules didn't smile, she just leaned against her doorframe with a sigh. "Hey there, LaRusso." 

 The next thing Sam took a note of was that Jules wasn't wearing her brace. She had about a million things to say to the girl, all at the edge of her tongue, but she bit her lip and got straight to the point. "I'm reopening Miyagi-Do." 

 Now that seemed to catch Jules' attention. The dark-haired girl's eyebrows shot up on her face, her eyes seeming to search Sam's face for any sign that she wasn't telling the truth. It made Sam shift on her feet, not liking the fact that she couldn't tell whether or not Jules was about to praise her or punch her in the face. 

 She seemed to land somewhere in between, as she just sighed. "And your dad was cool with that?" 

 "Well-" Sam pulled a face. "I didn't exactly tell him. He's away - on business, I think. I figured that with Cobra Kai still at large, we need to stay at the top of our game." She smiled at her friend, "I came to get you, I'm heading over to the dojo now." 

 Jules hesitated, which should have been Sam's first implication that something was wrong. She sighed deeply, brushing some hair away from her face. "Look, Sam, I don't think that's the best idea." 

 Sam could feel her face fall. "What?"

 "Cobra Kai isn't your fight," Jules crossed her arms, tapping a finger against her bicep as if she was filled with energy. "It's mine, okay? Nobody else has to get hurt."

 Sam felt her jaw clench, "it's not just your fight, Lia, we have to work together to take down Cobra Kai. Everyone in Miyagi-Do, not just you." 

 A shadow passed over Jules's eyes. "About that..." she sighed deeply, dipping her head for a moment, before looking at Sam with those unsettling blue eyes. "About Miyagi-Do, um... I think I'm gonna step back."

 Sam felt annoyance flood her chest. She wasn't stupid - she knew Jules. But if there was one thing that pissed Sam off, it was that the girl just couldn't let joint credit be taken. She was either winning by herself or taking the fall by herself. "That's ridiculous." 

 "It's not, Sam." The raven-haired girl cut in, a sharp edge to her tone. "It's not ridiculous. And even if it is, then I guess I don't care. I'm not about to ruin anyone else's life because of a stupid rivalry." 

 "It's not just a-" 

 "You should step down, Sammy." Jules took a step back, Sam feeling as if she couldn't even force a sentence passed her throat. She knew exactly what she had to say - she just didn't have any of the time for it. Jules was cutting her off - and Sam had seen it happened before. 

 She wouldn't let it happen again. 

 But Jules seemed to have other ideas. "-I don't want you to get hurt," she said, offering the girl a tight-lipped smile. 

 Sam opened her mouth to retort, but the door was shut before she could. And then, once again, she was standing alone. 

 And so was Jules. 

 And that never ended well for anyone.

A/N:

I FINISHED SEASON FIVE OMGGGGGG

imagining jules in so many scenarios rn!! you guys better tell me all your ideas for season five jules euhewudghei it's gonna be INSANE!

as for this season, jules may be having her dumbass arc. she is going through a lot - thinking miguel getting hurt was her fault, blah blah blah. she's gonna go through some shit, but that's okay! i'm honestly really excited, and i hope you guys are too!

tysm for reading, ily all!!