Chapter Forty Two
Primadonna

MIGUEL WAS LUCKY that Sydney loved him because she had better things to with her free time then drive all the way across town to take pictures of Johnny for his high school girlfriend.  She was cringing through the whole thing.  From what she learned,  Ali loved creativity.  She liked art and books.  That was the furthest thing from Johnny Lawrence that she knew.

Johnny stabbed a chopstick into one of the sushi rolls.

"That's—Thats one way to do it."  said Miguel.

Johnny sniffed it in disgust.  "Ugh,  what the hell is this shit?"

"It's a dragon roll.  So basically,  you have some fresh avocado,  some chopped up cucumber,  some snow crab,  and unagi on the top,"  Miguel explained.

"It's absolutely delicious,"  Sydney hummed and picked up a roll with her chopsticks,  eating it.

"Un-what?  Unagi?"  Johnny questioned.

"Yeah,  it's freshwater eel."

"Eel?  People actually eat this crap?"

"Yes."  sydney said with a mouthful of sushi.

Miguel nodded.  "It's very popular.  Just have an open mind."

Johnny reluctantly agreed.  "All right. Just take the picture. Ready?"

Miguel held up the phone and johnny out the sushi in his mouth. Sydney cringed harshly.

When Miguel finished snapping the photos, Johnny immediately spit the sushi out.

The couple started at him in disbelief. "That's so disrespectful," Sydney mumbled.

"All right, I'm gonna go wash my mouth out. You want that?" Johnny asked.

"Uh no, not anymore." Miguel cringed.

Sydney shrugged. "Your loss." She scooted the plate of sushi close to her and dug in.

Miguel grinned.  "Enjoying yourself?"

"Very much so,"  Sydney nodded,  her words muffling.

"Shall we look through these pictures?"

"Please, save me the torture," she responded and stuffed another sushi roll in her mouth.

They started scrolling all the pictures of Johnny. She couldn't help but laugh. "You should consider being a photographer."

Miguel rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, thanks."

"Miguel? Sydney?"

Sydney immediately stopped laughing when she saw Tory standing in front of them. She felt angry.

"Tory?"  Miguel said in surprise.  "I thought you worked at the roller rink?"

"No,  that's at night.  I gotta work two jobs now.  Mom's not doing well,"  Tory explained.  Her eyes flickered to the brunette beside him who couldn't look her in the eye.

"I'm sorry,"  Miguel said.

"No,  I'm sorry,"  Tory said and sat down at their table.

Sydney dug her nails into Miguel's arm,  indicating that she was getting angry.

"I'm sorry that I didn't come and see you.  I just didn't know how to help."  Tory continued.

"So you did nothing."  Miguel said bitterly.

Tory looked at Sydney again.  She was looking to the side like she was trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with ber.  "Sydney?"

Sydney shook her head.  "I can't do this,"  she stood up from the table.  "I can't do this."

"Sydney,  hold on—"  Miguel started to say and he touched her arm.

"No,  stop."  She said and jerked her arm back.  She walked away from them and walked to the other side of the building out of view. 

She sucked in a deep and shaky breath.  She touched her hands to her forehead and told herself to calm down.  She felt herself start to tear up in anger. 

"Frenchy,  what are doing over here?"  Johnny asked when he saw her leaning against the wall.  He saw how bright red her face was and the tears.  "Hey,  are you okay?"

Sydney sniffled and quickly wiped her face.  "I'm fine."

"What happened?" 

She shook her head.  "Nothing,  I'm just being stupid."

Johnny went quiet and looked around them.  It was an awkward situation.  He didn't have a daughter and watching a girl cry that wasn't because of him was weird.  "Was it Miguel?"

Sydney shook her head.  "No.  Well,  not exactly."

He went quiet again and waited for her to continue.  She sighed heavily.  "I'm just angry with the world for doing this to him.  I'm so angry at the people that caused it to happen.  I makes me want to slit their throats."

Johnny cleared his throat.  "I get it.  I do.  You care about him.  When you care about someone then you want to do everything in your power to protect them."

She looked at him with teary eyes.  "How do you know that?"

He awkwardly shrugged.  "I do have a kid,  you know."

She chuckled slightly.  "Right,  yeah.  sorry,  I just. . . I'm emotional right now and it makes me sick."

He looked at her weirdly.  "You're a weird chick."

"Right back at you."

The whole way back to Receda,  Sydney was quiet. She was staring out of Johnny's window with her head in her hand. She had calmed down after what happened at the restaurant but she was still mad. She needed a minute to think and when that happened, she usually didn't speak.

Miguel was worried. He occasionally glanced at her in the mirror to see if she was okay. He knew seeing Tory affected her greatly. He didn't want to push her but he wouldn't lie that he felt hurt that she wouldn't talk to him. It affected him too, maybe just as much.

When they got back to Johnny's apartment, the two put Miguel back in the harness. He tried catching her eye but she wouldn't look at him and only focused on hooking the straps.

She sat down in the chair and let Johnny take over. She stayed quiet.

Miguel fell to the floor with a groan.

"Focus!" Johnny ordered and tugged on the rope, making Miguel stand up. "Come on, this is worse than yesterday. You aren't even trying. What's the problem?"

Miguel went silent and Sydney looked down at her hands in guilt.

"You saw Tory. Big deal," Johnny continued.

Miguel shook his head.  "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" He asked again. He looked over at Sydney who was still silently sitting in the chair. "Is it Frenchy? Is it cause she's pissed off?"

Sydney chewed on her tongue anxiously.

"It has nothing to do with her," Miguel hissed.

"Are you done with your little hissy fit or are you just giving up?"

"No, you are,"

"What'd you say?"

"You're the one giving up!" Miguel said loudly and glared at him.

"I don't know—"

"QUIET!" Miguel shouted,  making Johnny stop talking and Sydney widen her eyes. "You let Kreese take your dojo. You let Hawk, Tory, and everyone else think you're weak."

Sydney frowned deeply. Miguel had a lot of built up anger in him and this was his breaking point.

"Because it was a mistake to begin with," Johnny pointed at him. "I shoulda never brought back Cobra Kai.  Look what happened."

"What happened is you helped a bunch of people then walked away like a pussy," Miguel said darkly.

Sydney stood up. "Miguel, stop."

"Oh now you say something?"  Miguel said angrily and glared at her.

She gave him a look.  "Don't do that."

"Don't do what,  Sydney?  You haven't said a word to me since we left the restaurant,"  he snapped.  "What did I do?"

Sydney shook her head.  "Miguel,  you didn't do anything."

"Then why are mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you!"  Sydney raised her voice in annoyance that he was getting angry with her.

He glared again.  "Then what is your problem?"

"I'm mad at everyone else!"  She nearly shouted and they went quiet.  She glared at her boyfriend.  "You have no idea the amount in anger that went through me when I saw her,  okay?  You can talk to her like everything's okay but not me!"

"What do you mean like everything's okay?"  He questioned with squinted eyes.  "You don't think I'm angry too?  I'm the one that can't walk!"

"Exactly!"  She shouted and her face went red.  "I'm angry at everyone for doing this to you!  I'm angry at Tory for starting the whole fucking fight in the first place!"

"Miguel. . ."  Johnny started.

"What?"  The boy snapped and flashed his head towards him.

When he didn't say anything,  they both looked at him to see he was looking down.  Sydney gasped when she saw that Miguel was standing by himself without any help. 

"Am I doing it?"  Miguel breathed.

"You're doing it."  johnny answered.

Miguel gasped again.  "Holy shit!  I'm doing it."

"You're doing it!"  Both Sydney and Johnny said at the same time.

The blonde man embraced him tightly into a hug and Sydney started to tear up again. 

"Thank you."  Miguel said into his shoulder.

"Nah.  No,  thank you,"  Johnny responded sincerely.

Sydney accidentally sniffled and miguel pulled away to see that she was crying.  "Hey,  come here,"  he said softly and grabbed her arm to pull her into a hug.  He placed one of his hands on the back of her head.  "I'm sorry."

She cried into his shoulder.  "I'm sorry I snapped.  I'm really happy right now,  I promise."

"I know,  I know you are,"  he said and rubbed her back.  "Thank you for being by my side through all of this."

"Of course."  she muffled into his shoulder and turned her head so her face was in his neck.  She sniffled again.  "I love you."

"I love you more."

Yeah they're perfect.  Nobody comes close to them

Johnny's got a soft spot for her and it's so cute