If there was one thing Flynn had learned about herself early on in her teenage years, it's that her closet was a disaster.

Even with her high school career almost halfway done, the brunette still had not settled on a proper style. Her clothing racks brimmed with outfits ranging from oversized graphic T-shirts, to colorfully striped turtlenecks, to lacy blouses and dresses.

Flynn found herself getting used to it. Maybe there wasn't any shame in being interested in multiple looks. Still, that made dressing herself that much harder.

She eventually settled on an army green romper paired with her worn black Converse for the All Valley. She might as well look nice if she can't fight with her team today, even if she didn't feel nice.

Between the crazed events during her suspension, Flynn was wrought with a turmoil of conflicting emotions. Rage and shame, for being booted from the tournament lineup. A strange mix of pride and guilt, following what she did to Jamie.

But nothing could mask the gray cloud of depression beginning to unfurl inside her. These next few days would be rough, but she was trying her best today to focus on supporting her friends that were competing.

"Yo, Miguel, calm down man," Hawk's blue eyes glanced over at the Diaz boy. "Save some for the tournament."

Miguel's breaths came out in controlled spats as he practiced blows to the empty air. His dark eyes were coated with concentration and anger lying underneath. He lifted his gaze to Hawk briefly, unmoved as he went back to punching.

"Hey, don't even bother," Aisha prodded the Moskowitz in the ribcage. "He's been super aggro' since the breakup."

"Yeah, no sense in stopping him," Flynn mumbled her agreement from below. The Wilder had taken to sitting cross-legged on the grass, picking at the blades surrounding her. "Bro has like fifty pounds of rage built up inside him. He'll have plenty of energy today."

"I'm surprised you're not over there doing it with him," Aisha raised her brow. "How are you not more pissed about Sensei refusing to sign you up? I'm pissed!"

Flynn crushed a torn grass blade between two nails, keeping her eyes low. "I dealt with it in my own way."

"Let me guess," Hawk started. "You broke some shit and then got high?"

Flynn's head shot up at him, mouth puckering into a grimace upon seeing the triumphant gleam in his eye. "No," she lied.

"Where is Sensei by the way?" Hawk changed the subject, scanning the crowd that had doubled since they arrived at the school doors. "The tournament's gonna start soon."

"He'll be here," Aisha mumbled.

"I don't know about that," Bert, one of the younger Cobras, spoke up in a small voice. His narrow eyes peered up at them through his square lenses. Flynn peeled herself off the ground, finding the grass too itchy as she dusted her exposed thighs.

"What are you talking about?" Aisha questioned.

"I saw him at the mini mall last night," the short blond began. "I was buying...a carton of milk," he shied away from Flynn's arching eyebrows, "when I heard him in the parking lot yelling."

The three teens listened with growing eyes as the younger boy explained that Sensei had been severely drunk, pissing on his own car and shouting about everyone's imminent death. At first, they were speechless. Aisha recovered first as Flynn settled into a tickled laugh under her breath.

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" The Robinson demanded.

"I don't know! I guess I'm just so used to seeing him drunk, it didn't seem like that big of a deal," he defended with taut shoulders.

"Well, we're here and he's not," Hawk spat in an annoyance that mirrored Aisha's. "So it's officially a big deal. What if something happened to him?"

"Like what?" Bert wondered.

"I don't know. Like he drove his car off a cliff, or bought a gun and blew his brains out."

"No, Sensei would never kill himself," Aisha answered quickly. "That's too pussy a move."

Flynn snorted, reining in her friends' attention. "You guys are so dramatic. That honestly just sounds like a normal Tuesday for him. Well, if that Tuesday was a slightly bad Tuesday..."

"Whatever. Looks like we're gonna have to do this without him," Hawk snapped.

"Do what without me?"

Flynn rolled her eyes, not even bothering to whirl around and catch a glimpse of the man before stalking away. Even though it had been a few days and she was starting to understand where Lawrence was coming from, that didn't mean she couldn't still be pissed at him.

"Oh, looks like somebody's still on her period," Johnny cackled at the Wilder's retreating figure.

"You did kick her out of the tournament," Miguel huffed, arms folding over his torso. "She has a right to be upset."

"She knows why I did it. Now it's just up to her if she doesn't want me to do it again," he declared, both hands squeezed into his pockets as he continued to watch the girl veer away.

"Whatever. You're here now. Let's sign up," Miguel muttered.

"Not yet. There's one more lesson I have to teach you. I guess Flynn's gonna miss it since she wants to have an attitude."

Flynn, blissfully ignorant, had found her way to Demetri and Dakota instead. "What's up, non-karate losers? Joining y'all's club for today," she chuckled as she joined them on the brick fountain.

"See, Flynn? I was right," Demetri lifted his chin into the air. "That guy's a prick. We should make Yelp accounts and give him bad reviews after this."

"Now how did I know I was gonna come over here and you were gonna immediately start acting all proud and righteous?" Flynn brought her knees to her chest, shooting the boy a smirk.

"For real," Dakota agreed with a short laugh. "Lifting that nose in the air. What're you smelling up there?"

"I'm just saying!" The boy flailed his palms up. "You guys were giving me too much shit for hating on him."

"Whatever, I'm done talking about it," Flynn rolled in her spot restlessly. "Please tell me one of you brought some entertainment. I forgot how long this thing is gonna be and I honestly only care about Miguel, Aisha, and Hawk's fights."

"I meannn," Demetri drawled, fingers dragging a deck of cards from his flannel pocket.

"Oh my God, fucking thank you!" Flynn pried the deck from his hands, a grin cracking her face as she began to shuffle the cards. "It's not your Switch, but we can work with this."

"Hey guys," a new voice piped up. Moon approached them with her usual glistening smile. After dropping Yasmine at Aisha's party, the girl had been hanging with them instead.

"Hey girl," Flynn offered casually, despite the twinge of heat rising to her cheekbones.

Moon was one of the only other girls in their grade open about her bisexuality. She couldn't help but feel a profound sense of admiration and connection with her. "You want in on this?" She asked, waving a card wedged between her fingertips.

"I'm good," she declined. "Are y'all excited?"

"Not as excited as I am to beat Demetri's ass in Egyptian," she chortled, focusing back on shuffling the deck.

"Please, Flynn. It's beneath you to lie like that."

"Hey," Miguel dissolved in front of Flynn and the others, Aisha and Hawk flanking him. "We're about to go get changed into our gis."

"Oh shit," Flynn cast a wary look behind her, noting the school doors had opened and people filtered inside. She managed a lopsided smile at her friends, swallowing the shards of bile in her drying throat. "Good luck you guys. I mean it."

"Thanks," Aisha smiled, the movement making her doughy cheeks crease with dimples.

"Don't need it," Hawk's grin blinded her. "I'll kick ass for the both of us, Flynn."

Miguel had a more mellow look about him. His brown eyes that had carried so much rage earlier were now soft with regret. "I wish you were fighting with us today."

The genuine look of pain on the boy's face sent something foreign skyrocketing up her spine. She shrugged feebly, squashing that feeling back down below her stomach. "Eh, it's not my time I guess. I'll be beating ass on the mat soon enough. Just fight well today, yeah? I know you got a lot of nasty shit you need to let out today. Let it out on the mat."

His sad eyes flared with a little more light at her words, his downturned mouth raising into a smile. "Okay."

"Good," she smiled back, finding it easier this time to do so. She turned her attention back to the triad. "And by the way, if y'all hear any obnoxious, guttural screams coming from the stands while y'all fight, that is definitely not me."

"Noted," Aisha said as they all broke out into laughs.

Of course Cobra Kai had to enter the way they did.

Miguel led the group in a tight line, all of them chanting 'Cobra Kai' in perfect, unrelenting unison. They all donned their black and yellow-trimmed gis, looking mechanical and deadly. Flynn couldn't stop the overpowering wave of jealousy and hurt crashing over her.

Dakota must've noticed, as the curly-headed girl breathed into her ear. "We can always kill Lawrence in a dark alleyway, if you want."

Flynn blinked, watching the Cobras with a hardened stare. "You free this Friday?" She forced her gaze to soften into a humorous glow as she peered over at her friend.

"Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo! Let's hear it for Cobra Kai!" The announcer screamed.

The crowd roared, including Moon beaming as she cheered for Hawk. Flynn cupped her hands and hollered as well, trying her best to swallow the nasty feelings.

"And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills, we have Mr. Robby Keene!"

"What?" Flynn's response shot out of her mouth right as her palm slammed down on top of Demetri's with a menacing crack.

"Ow, Flynn!" Demetri winced as he swiped the cards into his personal deck. "You could try to be lighter with your slaps! This isn't the All Valley of card games!"

"I'm trying to beat your ass," she glared at him before tearing her gaze away to look at the mat. Robby jogged to the edge of it with a blank white gi on, his sandy hair brushed back into a tight ponytail. "Damn. I wasn't sure if he was gonna do that."

"You know him?" Dakota pressed. Flynn realized her mistake.

Her face burned as she met the bewilderment in her friend's gaze. She hadn't told anyone about her required training sessions with Daniel, mostly because she was scared. She didn't think a bunch of Cobras would take it well that she was training with Johnny's nemesis. Especially Miguel, since that nemesis was Sam's dad.

"I met him when I brought my car in to LaRusso Auto. He works there, he's cool," she managed to brush the lie off, relieved when Dakota nodded.

Flynn's eyes managed to find Daniel in the chaotic mess of a crowd, sitting on the front row with his family. To her surprise, Sam sat amongst them.

She didn't need to see Daniel's face, only his stiffened shoulders, to know he wasn't aware of Robby's choice either.

"Flynn, can you play your card already?"

"You're annoying," she huffed as she placed down a four, making it a double. Both of their hands shot out like vipers.

"Damn it," Demetri growled as his palm met the top of Flynn's hand. The brunette gleefully slid the cards into her deck.

The first fight was Miguel's. Flynn let out a scream that came straight from her gut as he assumed his place on the mat.

"Let's go, Diaz!" She heard a familiar pair of shouting and discovered Miguel's mom and yaya sitting a few rows behind them. A smile tethered her face as she shot both of the ladies a small wave.

The two boys bowed and readied themselves to fight. Flynn realized what was happening when Miguel rested himself on one foot, the other leg arching in the air.  She had been smart enough to do her research, and seeing Miguel do Daniel LaRusso's signature flying crane kick solidified her feelings on the Lawrence and LaRusso rivalry.

It was as strong as ever.

Miguel won the fight without much difficulty, Flynn's group erupting into cries of victory. She balanced playing cards with Demetri and watching the different matches, the strongest fighters grabbing her attention.

"It's gonna be Miguel and Robby in the end," she muttered to Dakota.

"Who do you think's gonna win?"

"Miguel," Flynn answered immediately, eyes not peeling away from the current match.

The shorter girl's mouth curled into a small smile. "You sure you're not being biased?"

Flynn paused, taking in both boys in their karate gis. She had seen both of their fighting styles. Hell, she'd trained in both of them. "No. It's gonna be Miguel. But you wanna know why I really think so?"

Dakota's gaze darkened with the mischief of being included in a secret. "Why?"

"Cause he's pissed. Look at the way he's fighting. People that incorporate their anger into a fight usually lose because they're too messy, but Miguel's a trained fighter."

She cast a rueful look down at the mat again. Somewhere within the small amount of days she'd started training at Daniel's, Robby had become something of a friend. "I just hope he doesn't kick Keene's ass too much."

"You seem so certain. Have you seen Robby fight before?"

Flynn's cheeks grew aflame. "No," she lied. "But I know he probably wasn't trained with 'no mercy' being pounded into his head over and over. That kind of mindset is hard to beat."

Dakota shook her head with a knowing glint.

"What?" Flynn demanded with a teeming smile.

"Nothing. You're just talking the same way you do when you watch skate competitions."

The comparison made something inside her curl up and sting. She looked down at her hands, wishing the burning in her face would go away. "I guess."

The matches presumed, Hawk and Aisha taking down formidable opponents without breaking a sweat. Poor Bert was defeated by a kid twice his size who spidered through the air, flipping and twisting in a way that made Flynn's stomach coil with desire. With enough training, she could probably do tricks like that. After all, spinning while suspended in the air wasn't foreign to her.

Miguel beat the air pretzel kid a few rounds later, making Flynn yell with pride and jump to her feet. Her heart sank when she noticed the Diaz didn't seem as happy as he should. She remembered Sam sitting in the front row and her heart sank further.

Aisha got booted from the semis, the Robinson storming off in a blubber of red anger and sweat. Flynn felt a tug of grief for her friend, and then a terrible thought drifted inside her.

She probably could've beat that Xander kid. She wasn't a winner, but she felt confident she would've stood up there in the semis with Miguel, Hawk, and Robby. 

Shut the fuck up, Flynn.

What kind of person was she to be comparing herself like this to Aisha? To think she was better? The brunette brushed her bangs behind her ears in frustration. The nature of competition could be vicious.

"I just wanted to say," Xander Stone, last year's champion, took the microphone hostage. "Even though I love to fight, we all need to fight together against hatred..."

"Oh my God," Flynn reeled, mouth gaping like a fish as she turned to Dakota and Demetri.

"Is he for real?" Dakota whirred.

"He's gonna make me turn homophobic," Flynn mumbled a little too loudly, face singing at the questionable glances from the couple sitting below her. "Kidding."

Flynn couldn't ignore the waves of satisfaction rolling over her when Miguel kicked Xander's ass after that speech, beating him with a 2-0 score.

"Hell yeah, Miguel!" She growled. "This damn tournament's gonna make me go feral," she commented to no one in particular.

Then it was Hawk and Robby. Hawk was quick to grab the first point, but Flynn couldn't ignore the conflicting emotions that tore inside her. On the one hand, Hawk was her best friend from childhood and on her team, but seeing Robby this unfocused and frazzled didn't feel any good.

"Remember what you learned, Robby!" A stray voice called out over the noise. Daniel LaRusso shot a pointed glance at his student, his first acknowledgement of the boy seeming to calm him.

The Keene boy shut his eyes before the next point began, straightening his hands in front of him. Flynn recognized what he was doing but said nothing as she watched, apprehension balling up inside her.

Balance was a major theme in Daniel's teaching. If Robby wanted a chance, he was going to have to find some.

Whatever he conjured must've worked. Robby's ankle careened into Hawk's face and earned him his first point of the match.

"Fuck," Flynn uttered under her breath. The card deck sat between her and Demetri, all distractions forgotten.

The two boys exchanged dirty looks, muttering something inaudible to one another. Whatever shot out of Robby must've hit Hawk where it hurts. Flynn knew what the Moskowitz was gonna do next.

"What the hell, Eli?" Flynn murmured with a scoff as the blue-haired boy jabbed a kick straight into the curve of Robby's shoulder blade. "Fucking idiot."

She couldn't help but notice how Johnny shot out from the edge of the ring, hovering over Robby with eyes blazing in concern. Interesting.

"And with that disqualification, Keene earns himself a spot in the finals."

Flynn side-eyed Dakota, her lips creeping into a dubious smirk.

"Oh shut up, I didn't disagree with you about that," the shorter girl rolled her eyes. "I'm still confused why you were betting against Hawk though."

"I just have an eye for winners, man."

"Yeah, that boy's definitely gonna win nothing when he can't control his temper," Dakota commented as they watched the mohawk boy saunter off the mat.

The semis rounded off with that, allowing for a short break before the finals. Flynn clambered to her feet, moving between crowd members as she aimed for the floor.

"You going to get more popcorn?" Dakota asked.

"Bitch, no! I'm too anxious to eat anything. I'm going to go wish Miguel luck."

And Robby, I guess.

Flynn marched onto the floor, ignoring the confused stares from admins and karate students as she weaved through them. Unlucky for her, Johnny caught sight of her first. "What are you doing down here? Fighters only."

"And whose fault is it that I'm not fighting tonight?" She turned on him, nostrils flaring.

"It's not mine, sweetheart. Remember what we talked about?"

"No. I was too busy watching some rando from Topanga beat one of your students. Maybe if you'd kept me in, it would've been three Cobras up there in the semis."

It was nasty and cold, and it felt like poison dripping from her tongue. Poison she knew she'd regret. But she couldn't hold back the wrath fueling her as Johnny stared at her with his uncaring eyes.

"Is that the way you wanna talk about your friend?"

"You say worse to your students everyday, Sensei," she snarled, shoving past him without a second glance. "Miguel!"

The distracted Diaz boy's gaze found hers, and whatever conflicted emotions tormenting him left his face when he saw her. "Hey! What are you doing down here?"

"Wishing you luck against Robby," she licked her chapped lips, hesitation swallowing her. She knew how Robby fought. She could hand him intel right now that could guarantee a Cobra Kai victory.

"Oh, thanks," he grinned.

Her chest was warm. She believed in Miguel either way. He wouldn't need it. "Yeah, man. You're doing fucking amazing out there, by the way. And that crane kick you did at the start? Shit! Also can I just say how fucking satisfying it was to see you put that Xander kid in his place? Not that his speech was wrong but, really? At a karate tournament? Time and place, dude," she felt her mouth curl into a sheepish grin as she caught herself rambling.

"Yeah, that was pretty cringe," Miguel agreed, beaming at her compliments. "And thanks. I wanna win for all of us."

"You've got this, Diaz," her hand reached out and curled over his shoulder. Something inside her buzzed at the contact, and Flynn tried to ignore the swirling sensation as he continued to shoot his doe eyes at her. "From what I'm seeing, Robby's good at defense. So just...keep that in mind. But I trust you. You know what to do. No mercy, right?"

"No mercy," he gave her a curt nod, his braces reaching either side of his face.

"Hell yeah. Good luck, even though you don't need it," she bumped his fist before whirling around and shooting straight for the hallway.

She couldn't miss it though. Sam LaRusso had been watching them.

No. She'd been watching him. Despite herself, the Wilder tossed a glance over her shoulder before she left the auditorium, catching Miguel and Sam in a passionate argument.

Flynn tried to dismiss how that made her feel, or how that feeling made her feel, or how she could still sense the ghost of Miguel's shoulder in her palm.

No fucking way, Wilder. No fucking way.

A short huff spilled out of Flynn as she nearly collided with Daniel LaRusso in the hallway. The older man had business printed on his face. His expression twisted into something worse as he pained a glance at her before rushing away. She froze, watching him shuttle down the corridor, away from her as fast as he could.

A nauseating sense of foreboding gripped her as she stared at the back of the man's head. She could feel the end of something approaching.

Flynn headed back for her seat, stopped by a voice shouting her name. Her muscles eased with relief when she saw it was Miguel's mom Carmen waving her over.

"Hi Miss Diaz," she greeted with a smile. "And Miss Diaz," she added as Miguel's abuela beamed up at her with relaxed eyes.

"Hola mija," Rosa drawled, her eyes squintier than normal. Flynn's head cocked back a little at the Spanish endearment, a word she'd never been called before by either of the women during her few times she'd seen them.

"Everything okay?" She asked as politely as she could.

"Sorry about her, Flynn. Apparently my mama thought it was a good idea to smoke a joint before coming here."

"Oh," Flynn nodded, fighting the urge to join in on Rosa's laughter. "I imagine that's probably helping with the stress."

"Yes, but it's not helping with mine," Carmen's shoulders bunched up. "Miguel told me about what happened with your sensei. I'm sorry Johnny isn't letting you fight today."

Flynn tried her best not to let her face fall. "Thanks, Miss Diaz," she replied. "I'm okay with it. Just cheering on Miguel now."

Reluctance tore at the mother's face. "You have a trained eye. Do you think my son has a chance?"

She believed her words. "The best chance."

After a quick and surprising hug from the pair of women, she reached her seat again. Dakota was already cackling at something.

"What?" Flynn pressed.

"Oh, I saw you over there snuggling up to the Diaz women," Dakota snickered.

"Hush. We bonded when I got my ass beat with Miguel on Halloween. And then a few times when I drove him home," she explained.

"Oh, yeah? Cause it was kinda giving 'girlfriend meets the parents' vibes."

"What?" Flynn spewed out with a crack, wincing at her overzealous volume. "C'mon, D. You know I'm not interested and Miguel's too caught up in Sam's web for that," she fumbled out, praying she had somehow saved herself and kept her cool. Since when did she get flustered like this?

"Girl, relax. I'm messing with you," she prodded the taller girl in the stomach, making her shift uncomfortably but say nothing.

Finally, the break ended and the finals were on.

The room boomed with praise and support for Miguel when the announcer called his name. It was when Robby's name was called that Flynn was able to pinpoint the bad feeling that had settled in her.

"Daniel LaRusso's gonna coach? Daniel LaRusso is gonna coach!"

The room thundered. All of the blood had drained from Flynn's face and left her in a ghostly white array.

"I'm sorry, folks, there's been a change! Robby Keene will now be fighting for Miyagi-Do Karate with former champion Daniel LaRusso as his sensei!"

The crowd surged as voices boomed, many standing to applaud the new duo. Flynn felt her heart fall into her stomach and shrivel.

Miyagi-Do was officially a competitive team now. And Flynn was still a Cobra. There was no way Daniel would let a Cobra learn the tricks of the enemy. Her days with Daniel and Robby would have to end.

It was probably for the best, and inevitable, since her loyalties remained with Cobra Kai. But she would miss it. Even the painstaking hours she spent a few days ago, sparring with Robby on a horizontal tree trunk.

The fight was on.

Miguel and Robby tussled for a bit, the latter landing a good kick to Miguel's stomach and sending him sliding to the ground. Flynn was shocked. And yet she also wasn't. She could feel the thrilling confidence guiding Robby after Daniel stepped up as his coach. 

"You got this Miguel! Focus!" Flynn yelled through cupped hands, though it was useless with the mass of noise.

Miguel earned the second point after he managed a blow to Robby's stomach that sent him crumbling. The crowd sang with energy as the ref tossed a hand in the Diaz boy's direction. It was 1-1 now.

"Did you expect this?" Dakota called over the sea of screams to her friend.

"Hell no! But it's fine!" Flynn replied with a shout, clapping her palms together. Everyone in the stands was on their feet now. The auditorium hummed with excitement. Even Demetri had forgotten his cards.

Miguel grasped his second point after landing a crushing hit to Robby's shoulder. Flynn screamed out in joy at first, though her voice tapered when she noticed Robby on the ground cradling his shoulder with a grimace. Daniel called a timeout before racing to his student. "Oh, fuck. He's hurt."

"Think that's where Hawk got him," Dakota murmured.

"Shit. I wonder if he dislocated it."

Something must've shifted in Robby when they called the next round. His defenses were more focused and pointed, managing to send Miguel hurdling out of bounds. Flynn couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration at the Miyagi-Do style. Despite his injury, Robby looked like an impenetrable fortress. 

Miguel responded with more aggression, pushing Robby the ground by his waist before landing a devastating crush to his injured shoulder. Flynn realized what her friend was doing. Using his injury against him.

Some would call it a dirty move, and yet Flynn couldn't ignore the ache shuttling through her as she watched Miguel fight.

Her craving to be on the mat, fighting just like him, had spiraled to all corners of her. There was a flame dancing in her gut that only grew with every blow taken and every hit blocked.

She wanted to do this. She wanted the chance to use someone's injury against them in a match, watching their eyes glow in awe at her skill. She wanted to feel that kind of power.

Robby rolled out of the way before Miguel could manage another kick to his shoulder. And then, he flew.

Precisely, he kicked Miguel with both feet as one single hand grappled him to the earth, his body upright with his head by the mat. Flynn couldn't ignore the astonishment coursing through her at such an impressive move. She wondered if—had she'd still been able to train with LaRusso—she could do that too.

"How bout that! A two-legged kick!"

Robby's kick sent the building into a flurry of screams and roars. As the Keene boy drew towards Miguel limping on the floor, whatever awe that had been left in Flynn curdled into something nasty. Especially when Robby tried to demonstrate grace and extend a hand to help the Diaz up.

Miguel pushed himself to one knee, eyeing the hand with deliberation. He struck, sending Robby to the ground in a blur. The crowd molded into a mix of cheers and boos as people responded poorly to Miguel's action.

Flynn stood soundlessly, eyes gleaming as she felt her body grow warm. She realized with only a slight pang of dread that she approved of what Miguel had done.

Maybe Cobra Kai had fed into her anger more than she thought. Because now, under the annex of the school gym, Flynn felt those past negative emotions lifting as she watched the fight progress. Her resentment towards Johnny, her guilt and shame for what she did to Jamie. Even for what she'd done to Kyler.

She could feel it peeling away. She didn't have to be guilty for anything. Those bitches deserved it.

"Whoever wins the next point will be our new champion!"

The final point took only about three seconds, and Flynn devoured each one with watchful eyes. Miguel struck. Robby blocked. The two spun around as Robby countered with a kick Miguel almost dodged but stumbled into instead. Robby went for the kick and Flynn felt her heart plummet.

And then Miguel caught the boy's leg and drove his own foot into the center of Robby's injured shoulder. Flynn could've swore she heard the crack from all the way up here. Miguel ended it with a spinning kick straight to Robby's middle.

It was over. Miguel got the final point.

Cobra Kai wins.

Flynn was filled with so much light seeing Miguel take the trophy, she couldn't even spot the ounce of sadness she felt underneath it all for Robby. For the way he limped away cradling his bad shoulder.

Her eyes trained on Miguel instead, the boy lifted up in a sea of black and yellow.

When the music and lights finally died and the crowd was released, Flynn almost tripped making her way to the circle of Cobras. She shoved through the curtain of black gis until she saw Miguel, his amber eyes landing on hers.

"Yeah!" They yelled at each other in a chorus of triumph, and Flynn didn't hesitate as she barreled into him.

"You did fucking awesome!" She cried into his shoulder, arms snaking around his back as she continued to gawk.

"Thanks! I couldn't have done it without you," his arms wrapped around her waist with the same tightness. She couldn't suppress the stab of heat shaking through her, trying to conceal any signs of a reaction when she pulled away. "Couldn't have done it without all of us," he added, which made more sense.

"Yeah," she agreed, drinking him in. "Dude, you're practically glowing. All Valley Champion has a nice ring to it, huh?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, though she didn't miss the ways his gaze had begun to shutter around the room.

Flynn licked her lips, inhaling sharply. "Looking for Sam?"

Miguel eyes were on her again in an instant. "What?"

"I think she left. I saw her walking out to the parking lot with her mom and brother," she informed him, studying his expression.

"Oh," he replied with a drooping head, only for it to shoot up again in a snap. "Well, that's fine. It doesn't matter. The people that matter are right here."

She beamed at him. "Yeah," was all she could manage before the champion was whisked away on a sea of praise. She could spot his mom and abuela heading towards him as well with bright faces.

"Congrats," Dakota chuckled, wedging herself through the mass of people. "You were right about the winner. Should've made some bets."

Flynn's eyes remained glued to Miguel, watching as he embraced his mother and grandmother with a giant grin. Her chest glowed harder with that strange warmth.

"Yeah, I probably could've scored big. Finally would've been able to buy that old Gameboy I wanted," she mumbled half-heartedly as she turned back to her friend. "Listen, Dakota. I gotta tell you something."

The space between her eyebrows crumpled with confusion. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about this for a while, but, after that, I know what I have to do. It all makes sense suddenly."

"What is it?" Dakota's voice grew edgy with impatience and a hint of apprehension.

Flynn blinked at her beloved friend, eyes moving up and down as she regarded her. She was somehow still panting from the excitement of it all.

"I've decided I'm gonna quit skating and do karate full time."

Dakota's eyes widened to the size of full moons. Her mouth latched open, stints of broken air falling out. "What?" She managed, her tone scratchy and dry.

Flynn smiled at her. She felt a little crazy, but she liked it. "It's gonna be good. This is what I want."

And then, without waiting to hear more, Flynn tore away from the remaining Cobras and disappeared into the crowd. Dakota frantically searched the bobbing of heads for her friend's brown locks, only to come up short. "What the fuck, Flynn?" She grumbled to herself, face still blanched with shock.

If there was one thing Flynn Wilder knew pretty well, it was dramatic exits.

end of part one