Chapter Forty Four
Primadonna

MIGUEL BEING BACK in school made Sydney's day better. She was actually looking forward going to class knowing that he was with her. She no longer dreaded walking the halls because she had him by her side. Miguel made everything better.  The couple walked hand in hand down the hall towards the cafeteria. Miguel was greeted by more hugs and people saying hi to him along the way. It made Sydney roll her eyes. "How is it that you're more popular than me now?"

Miguel grinned playfully. "Cause I fell off a two story floor and didn't die."

Her eyes widened like saucers and she slapped his arm. "Don't say that!"

He laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. There's no way I'm more popular than you."

Sydney rolled her eyes again but cracked a grin. "Remember when you first moved here? You were that scrawny, brace face, awkward kid who say next to me in Spanish class."

"I remember it well," Miguel nodded. "You called me Michael."

Sydney snorted. "I'm sorry. I was such a bitch."

"Eh," he shrugged and looked down at her, smiling. "Look how far we've come."

She smiled back and squeezed his hand tightly.

When they walked into the cafeteria, Sydney watched Hawk tell Mitch that he couldn't sit with them. Mitch went and sat down with Bert and another boy.  Sydney grew angry again.

Miguel wasn't happy either.

"I'm gonna go find a seat," she said to him. "If you feel the need to punch him, what's our safe word?"

"Bagel."

"Bagel," she repeated with a nod. She patted his arm. "Good luck."

She went and sat down at a table where Moon was sitting. Moon smiled. "Hey Ocean,"

"Hey Luna," Sydney greeted and sat down.

"Are you happy Miguel's back?"

The British girl smiled. "Yeah, I don't want to punch everyone I see now. He calms me."

Moon smiled sweetly. "I can see that. You two are officially West Valley's IT couple."

Sydney smiled at the thought. "Never thought that would happen."

"I did," Moon chirped. "I always knew you would find the right guy for you."

"Thanks, Luna."

The hippy girl beamed.

"Hey, guys, check this guy out. Standing around with a dick in his hand!"

Everyone in the cafeteria turned to see Kyler holding up Demetri's cast with a drawing of a dick on it. They all bursted into laughter. Sydney immediately saw red.

Demetri turned somber and ripped his arm away before running out of the cafeteria.

Sydney found Miguel's eye from across the room. "Bagel!"

Miguel said something Hawk before motioning his head at her to follow him. She said bye to Moon and quickly got up from the chair, following him out of the cafeteria.

"Ugh, I'm going to murder." She snapped.

"You and me both." He agreed.

The bell rang for everyone to go to their next class and Sydney and Miguel exited the classroom. She followed him to his locker and leaned on the one beside his. She was still pissed off from earlier. "Being a good person is annoying. I hate feeling bad for people when I didn't do anything,"

Miguel chuckled. "That's a good thing, Syd. It's called empathy."

"It's called being nice. I'm not familiar with the term," she said in annoyance. "I had a girl that used to hate me come up and say hi to me the other day. Out of nowhere,"

He furrowed his brows at her. "Is that bad?"

She blinked at him like it was an obvious answer. "Yes, if I didn't like you then what makes you think I like you now?"

Before he could respond, Johnny knocked on one of the lockers and gained their attention. "Sensei? How did you get through security?" Miguel asked weirdly.

"I went to school here. Think I don't know all the secret ways in and out?" Johnny whispered.

"Ohh, can you show me? I don't want to be here half the time," Sydney asked with wide eyes.

Miguel nudged her arm.

"I got some good news," the man said. "Found us a pretty sweet spot for our new dojo."

"Yeah?" Miguel asked excitedly.

"Yeah, how'd the recruiting coming?"

Miguel glanced down at his girlfriend. "Not very good."

Sydney rolled her eyes.

Miguel shut his locker and they walked down the hallway with Johnny following them. "That bad? Or is Sydney the only person you've asked?"

"It's just that everything's changed, sensei," Miguel replied. "Cobra Kai, they. . . they all drank the kool aid."

Sydney cocked her head back. "Excuse me?"

"Kool Aid? What's wrong with kool aid?" Johnny asked, equally as confused.

"It's just. . ."  Sensei Kreese is turning them into an army of assholes," Miguel elaborated. "There's no convincing them to leave."

Sydney nodded quickly. "Yeah, and I'm about a this," she pinched her fingers together. "to pecking their eyes out with my shoes."

Johnny stared at her oddly. "Are your shoes your only source of weapon?"

She shrugged. "I scarred a guy's face with them by kicking him."

He looked over their heads and looked back at her quickly, pointing at her. "Hold that conversation."

He walked past them and they turned around to see him walking towards Hawk and the Cobra Kai's. The couple shared a wide eyed look before immediately following after him.

"Okay, listen up!" Johnny announced, gaining their attention. It went silent for a moment. "I screwed up and I'm sorry. I made it about me and that's not what a sensei does. I took the easy way out. I gave up. What happened here at this school. . ."

Sydney glanced up at Miguel for a second.

". . . It rocked me to my core. I couldn't look myself in the eye, let alone face all of you."

"Yeah, I guess it makes it easier to tell yourself that. But the truth is, you bailed on us long before that fight happened," Hawk said bitterly.

Sydney scoffed in disbelief. Miguel wrapped his arm around her.

"You got soft and we paid the price."

Johnny stepped forward till he was face to face with him. "Now you listen up. When you come into my dojo, you were softer than a baby's ass!  I made you what you are, not Kreese. He doesn't give a shit about you. About any of you! So if you wanna keep whining about the past like a bunch of pussies, fine. We can play that game. Wanna stick with Kreese? Go ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you when your life ends up in the shitter,"

Sydney looked at him weirdly.

"Or you can sack up and join my dojo. Havenhurst and magnolias, tomorrow at 4:00. If you wanna save yourselves, train the right way. . . You better be there."

Sydney hummed when he was finished. "That was amazing delivery."

"Thanks Frenchy," he nodded. He walked through two of the guys, bumping into their shoulders. "And don't be late!"

He knocked a kid's books out of his hand. "Sorry kid, old habit."

The couple grinned at him.

When the day was finally over, Sydney and Miguel walked out of school to her car. "What do you think? Are you gonna join us?" Miguel asked her.

Sydney sighed. "Mig, I've already told you. I have dance."

"I know but you only have it a few days throughout the week. You can come to the dojo with me on days you don't have dance," he bargained.

They got in her car and she sighed. She glanced at him. "Why do you want me to join so bad?"

Miguel stared her in the eye for a minute before signing. "Honestly? I think you're amazing. I've seen you fight. You can do things that none of us have been taught. I think you and I could be a really good team."

Sydney laid her head back on the headrest and thought to herself. She pursed her lips to the side. If there was one thing about Sydney and Miguel,  it was that they were the perfect team.  Whatever Miguel did,  Sydney was by his side.  Whatever Sydney did,  Miguel was by her side without judgment.  They were each other's ride or dies. 

After a minute or two, she brought her hands up and pressed them to his cheeks, bringing his head forward leaning her forehead on his. "I'll consider it, okay?"

Miguel smiled in response.

Sydney possibly in Eagle Fang?👀