Flynn found Tory straggling the outskirts of the bar, expression painted with fake casualty. The Wilder girl approached her with a growing smirk, hands shoved into the pockets of her light bomber jacket. "And what the hell are you up to?"

"Got a surprise for you and Aisha," Tory's eyes lit up. Her fingers slunk into her bag, popping up to reveal a stashed Vodka bottle.

Flynn couldn't help the excitement that unfurled in her stomach, palm clapping Tory's in a high five. "Score! Let's go find Aisha so we can take advantage of this now."

Unsurprisingly, Aisha had found her way to Sam and looked relaxed in conversation. These two made up quickly.

"Hey!" Tory cooed as she sandwiched herself between the two girls, donning a proud expression. "Look what I got!"

"Where did you get that?" Aisha questioned with astonishment.

"I swiped it from the bar," Tory beamed, her smile only lessening when she noticed Sam exchange a glance with the Robinson girl. "Oh, relax. All the adults are getting wasted. No one's gonna notice if we have a little fun."

"True that. Plus, all the haughty rich parents that fund this place won't notice one bottle go missing from a fully loaded bar," Flynn inputted.

"That too," Tory chirped, happy that someone was on her side.

Sam regarded the Nichols girl with an apprehensive look. "You should put that back. You'll get into big trouble."

Tory chuckled in disbelief. "And you are?"

"Oh, Sam this is Tory. Tory, Sam." Aisha motioned at the two.

"Oh, the Sam," the blonde acknowledged. "Come on. Like Flynn said, no one's gonna miss one bottle of vodka. I could swipe half the silverware in this place before anyone would notice."

"You shouldn't steal anything," Sam shook her head at her with a judgmental face.

"What are you, a nun?" Tory snapped.

"For real, Sam. Lighten up girl!" Flynn raised a brow at the other brunette.

For personal reasons, some more shameful than others, Flynn never liked Sam. Even after growing up around her because of their dads' friendship, the LaRusso girl never really grew on her. She always carried a sort of righteous, rule-stickler aura to her that turned Flynn off. It was something Sam had learned from her father, always thinking her way was the only right and good way.

Only a certain species of people can afford that way of thinking. And for a long time, Flynn wasn't that kind of person. She still wasn't.

Tory glanced at the other girls. "Come on, are we gonna drink or not?"

"You know I'm down," Flynn spoke into the silence as Aisha gazed reluctantly at Sam. "At least for a shot. I am still driving us home, so."

"Okay, one drink," Aisha relented, earning back a delighted grin from Tory as she snaked an arm around her and Flynn.

"That's my girls!" She exclaimed, guiding them away from Sam and to a more discrete place to guzzle a few shots worth of Vodka.

Flynn couldn't help but steal a look over Tory's shoulder back at Sam, noting the way her face had become crestfallen. Damn if it didn't please her just a little to see the LaRusso look so defeated.

They snuck a few shots—Flynn only downing one—before taking back to a light stroll around the clubhouse. Tory hung all over Flynn as she listened to Aisha relay her front wedgie story about Yasmine, their arms interlocked.

"Damn, Tory!" Flynn bellowed out a laugh as the blonde flushed further against her side, head lolling into the curve of her shoulder. "Either you're a lightweight or you lied to me about not being into girls!"

"Shut it, Flynn! I'm just having fun. And, wait, I'm sorry, you gave her a front wedgie?" She focused back on Aisha.

"I split that bitch in two!" Aisha sang in triumph, causing more laughter out of all of them.

"Hey!" Sam careened towards them, brandishing an accusatory look that sobered Flynn. "My mom's missing her wallet."

"Sucks for her," Tory offered, speaking through her laugh.

"You wouldn't know anything about?"

All three girls fell into horrified silence. Flynn gained her voice back first, eyes slicing over Sam as she shot her a poisonous glare. "Are you serious, Sam?"

Aisha stepped in, looking more confused. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"She thinks Tory fucking took it," Flynn gestured a hand at the LaRusso, her frustrated palm slapping her thigh.

Sam ignored her, leveling her gaze with Tory. "Just give me the wallet, and I won't tell security."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Tory huffed, inching closer to the suspicious brunette.

"Sam, she didn't steal your mom's wallet," Aisha exclaimed, wearing a baffled expression.

"Right. And she didn't steal a bottle of Vodka. And you wouldn't steal half the silverware in here."

"That was a fucking joke, Sam!" Flynn reeled, unable to contain the anger rising up to her throat. "Of course, you wouldn't recognize a joke when it's right in front of your face."

"Listen, I didn't rob your mom, bitch," Tory veered forward, her face only a foot away from Sam's as she shot daggers at her. "You know what? Let's get out of here," Tory mumbled, turning to leave.

Flynn could hardly react as Sam lashed out, gripping Tory's wrist. The taller girl reacted with impressive speed, whipping around with a hideous growl. "Get off of me!" Her hands rocketed forward and slammed into Sam's chest, shoving her right into the dessert table.

A chorus of gasps echoed from their surroundings as Sam landed in a pile of chocolate and dough. The LaRusso stared in open-mouthed horror at her body and hair now covered in sugary goodness.

Tory rushed away with a seething red face, Aisha and Flynn lagging behind. Aisha donned a concerned look for Sam, while Flynn was just looking for more fight to satisfy her agitation.

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked.

"Real nice friend you've made," Sam growled, now propped up on her dessert-stained elbows.

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Samantha," Flynn snarled. "I forgot how much of a rich kid bitch you are. You should be ashamed of having that kind of blatant prejudice. I'll remember to be more careful around you next time, in case you wanna start targeting foster kids next!"

Each syllable felt coated in acidic hatred as she spat them at her, watching the girl's face fall beneath her. She hurried away with a spin on her heel, listening to Aisha shame her with a similar comment before scurrying away to follow.

"God, I cannot believe Miguel even dated that bitch," Flynn snapped through gritted teeth, surprised at such a raw comment spilling out of her. Her wild eyes flew to Aisha, hoping the Robinson didn't take anything out of that.

"Relax, Flynn. It's over," Aisha murmured. "But I agree, that was messed up."

The two girls caught up to Tory, assuring her that she was okay before Flynn took them all home, guzzling a half full bottle of water to make up for the shot of Vodka she had. Way to let Sam LaRusso ruin a perfectly good afternoon.

When her car slid back into her driveway early evening, she was surprised to see Demetri just arriving at her house . "Sup, meaty?" She called out with a beaming smile, circling past the front of her car to reach the passenger door.

"Ugh, why do you have to call me that?" He groaned.

She offered him a light, comical shrug. "It's in your name. Why not? I like making you miserable," she explained as she reached into the passenger seat for the box of pizza and slightly smaller box atop it. "You wanna stay for pizza? I got cheesy bread too. Can't promise Jaden's gonna let you have any, though."

"Maybe," Demetri mumbled, taking the warm boxes from her hands without complaint as she led them to the front door. "I'm here because I think you're the only one left I can talk some sense to."

"Uh oh," Flynn looked back at him after her shoving her key into the lock, eyes wide.

"I know, it says a lot," he scoffed as they barreled inside. "But it's true. You're my last hope."

"Well, that doesn't sound promising," she said to him before careening her head back and yelling towards the stairs. "JADEN! PIZZA!"

"Jesus," Demetri half-muttered under his breath, cradling his ears.

"I gotta do that cause he's probably got his headset on. He's such a nerd," she laughed, though her tone brimmed with affection. "So what's up? What sort of dilemma are you facing now?"

"It's about Cobra Kai," he started, telling her this just as she noticed the bandage wrapped over the bridge of his nose.

"The fuck happened to your nose?" She gaped.

"That's what I need to tell you about," he declared just as Jaden trailed into the kitchen, headset still crowned on his head.

"Hey bud," she greeted him with a one-armed side hug. "Judging by that serious look you got, I'm guessing you wanna take this up to your room tonight?"

"Please," his eyes glistened in desperation. "Connor and I are getting really good at the bus level on COD zombies."

Her eyes took him in, sliding over his disheveled clothes. Finally, she caved with a small chuckle. "You are so lucky I'm not Mom. Fine. But don't come crying when your controller stops working from those greasy fingers."

"I'm not an animal, Flynn! I'll take a napkin," he commented, tearing away a few sheets of paper towels. The brunette couldn't help but bark out a laugh at his remark.

"You are definitely my brother," she nodded after him as he began to peel away with two slices of pizza and three pieces of cheesy bread. "How was hanging with Nick today?"

"Good!" He yelled back as he disappeared out of the room. "Thanks!"

"I'm so glad that kid is such a gamer nerd," Flynn sighed at Demetri. She tore off her own piece of cheesy bread, too impatient to grab a plate before taking a massive bite with her front teeth. She swallowed before explaining. "That way I ain't gotta worry about him getting involved in any karate nonsense."

"Funny you should mention that," Demetri pointed his index finger at her, sliding onto a barstool with a slice of pizza balanced on a paper towel. "Cause it's karate nonsense that got me this nose in the first place."

Flynn blinked at him. "Shit."

She listened to her friend recall the events that led to him getting stitches and the nasty wound on his face. Flynn wanted to feel sympathy, but she couldn't help the waves of amusement rolling over her. "Well, shit, Demetri! I'm not surprised Kreese punched your ass. You touched his tattoos! You fucking squeezed them!" She shook her head at him with a grin before collapsing into a fit of wheezes.

"I was just trying to tell him that his snake tattoo is anatomically incorrect! How was I supposed to know that it would end with me going to UrgentCare?" He cried.

"Bro, listen to me. Dude is a fucking veteran. Hard ass military type. You really saw that scary ass man and decided to squeeze his biceps like that?"

His shoulders sunk a little. "Okay, yeah, it was probably a little dumb. But does that mean he's got a right to physically assault a minor? I don't think so!"

Flynn shook her head at him again, unable to wipe the astonished smile off her lips. "Dude, your whole friend group has been in Cobra Kai for months. I thought you would've learned by now that the dojo's teaching style is a little...unconventional."

Demetri's eyes grew to the size of two moons. "Oh, so punching a stranger in the face is just 'unconventional'?"

"No," Flynn huffed with a mouthful of cheese and dough, slamming her crumpled napkin down after wiping her fingertips. "Look, if I'm being honest...I'm not such a big fan of Kreese either. Dude feels like a bad omen to me."

The Alexopoulos nearly careened out of his chair. "Oh my God!"

"But don't you say a fucking word to Hawk or Miguel about that!" She held out an accusatory finger at him. "Seriously. They don't have the same suspicions that I have."

"God, I knew talking to you would be a good idea!" He paused, sobering. "We'll actually, I didn't. No, I actually thought this wasn't gonna work at all—but I'm happy to be proven wrong!"

"Alright," Flynn conceded with a light chuckle. "I get it. Me being the composed and reasonable one in the group is definitely a first. But why did you tell me all this? You wanna take down Kreese or something? Cause I am not gonna help you with that."

Demetri's mouth pulled into a tight line as he eased back into his chair, eyes unable to meet her pressing ones. "I mean...I was probably just gonna write a very wordy, honest Yelp review."

"You and Yelp," Flynn shook her head at the ceiling, guffawing. "Hawk is gonna beat your ass if you write that review."

"His name is Eli, and no he won't," Demetri took a quick sip of his soda. "He just talks a lot of crap."

"Look, he asked me to call him Hawk. I'm not gonna deny somebody their right to have a preferred name, even if it is a little crazy," Flynn started. "But I'm serious. I get that you're hurt and pissed off, but a Yelp review really isn't gonna do much. Cobra Kai is the All Valley champion right now. And we just performed a kickass routine at Valley Fest that's drawing in even more students. It'd take a lot more than a bad Yelp review from DMan2002 to put a dent in our reputation right now."

He shot up. "How do you know my username?"

She chuckled as she moved to the sink, rinsing out her cup. "Did you forget that we used to write fake Yelp reviews for fun?"

"Oh. Yeah." His eyes misted over in recollection before he shook the memory away. "But it's not just that, Flynn. I actually want to learn karate. I really do now. But...I just can't put up with that kind of teaching style. It's too violent."

"Karate is a sport about fighting."

"Yeah, but, remember the first time we showed up there? Johnny Lawrence insulted everyone in the room. He's the reason why Eli felt like he had to go and change everything about himself to be cool. Not to mention he flipped me over that time, too. I've now been physically assaulted by both of your teachers."

"Kreese is not our sensei," Flynn butted in with a stern brow. "He's just observing, or whatever."

"Whatever. My point is that Cobra Kai is just too violent and offensive for it to work."

Flynn stepped back, taking in Demetri and observing the covered gash on his nose. "Look. Cobra Kai is tough on its students, and I know it's not for everyone. That doesn't make it bad, or wrong. But you know, Demetri...there is more than one way to learn karate."

The brunet blinked in confusion. "What does that mean?"

She shrugged, taking his empty cup to the sink. "You can probably figure that out yourself. Now is there anything else you need to vent about? Otherwise I'm in desperate need of a shower and some alone time to binge YouTube right now."

Flynn watched as Johnny droned over the motions of a back thrust kick. Truthfully, she'd already been working on that move by herself at home, but no one needed to know.

"What about if your opponent attacks from behind?" Hawk inquired.

"Excellent question," Johnny barked, his head pivoting to his left. "Sensei Kreese, you wanna take this one?"

Flynn felt her veins turn to ice. She should've known better than to think there was no reason why Kreese was suddenly wearing a black gi today. She should've known his frequent visits to "observe" would turn into something more. She remembered what she had told Demetri last night.

He's not our sensei.

"Certainly, Sensei Lawrence," the older man approved in his usual husky tone before slinking forward.

Johnny retreated to the sidelines, where Flynn could hear Miguel muttering to him. "Are you sure about this, Sensei?"

Her heart fluttered. She had to resist the urge to swivel her head towards the Diaz and somehow communicate with her eyes her vehement agreement.

So Miguel also felt uneasy about Kreese. This realization made her chest swim with an aching warmth. Of course it would be Miguel. She should've confided with him in the first place. Now, she felt a pang of regret that she hadn't.

"There's nothing to worry about," Johnny whispered back to his student. It felt like a cold lie pouring over them.

"The key to this move is making your enemy think you are retreating. But just as they let their guard down, that's when you strike the hardest."

Flynn wasn't looking at Kreese. She was looking at Miguel, who was looking at Hawk with worry. The blue-headed mohawk boy beamed with triumph as he absorbed this information, obvious admiration for Kreese burning in his eyes. Flynn noticed this too, and when she locked her gaze with Miguel's, they both saw it.

Fear. Fear that this decision would not just change Cobra Kai, but that it would ruin it too. Flynn's chest heaved with unsteady breaths as she explored the depths of Miguel's amber eyes, his shared anxiety making her simultaneously worried and comforted.

But it was clear now they both had the same feeling. John Kreese could be Cobra Kai's downfall.

They found each other when class ended, both sporting a pair of huge eyes. "So, we should definitely talk, huh?" A small nervous chuckle tripped out of her as she grimaced at Miguel.

"Yeah," he agreed, clutching his backpack with tense fingers.

"Sup guys. This new thing with Kreese is fucking cool, right?" Hawk sauntered over, resting his arm in the crook of Miguel's shoulder. His joyful expression only deepened the fear clutching inside Flynn. "Cobra Kai is about to be even more badass. Wanna hang at my place to celebrate?"

Flynn and Miguel shared an awkward look. "Actually," the brunette girl winced, "Miguel and I already made plans. But tomorrow though, yeah?"

The red-haired boy shrunk back, eyes flitting between the stiff pair. She couldn't blame him for his suspicions, but knowing what he was thinking made Flynn's cheeks burn red. It was true that her and Miguel had started hanging out separately a little more recently. Even if that wasn't the intention, it had to be coming off a certain way.

If only Hawk knew what they were really going to do.

"Okay," Hawk finally murmured with a tinge of uncertainty. "You two have fun," he settled one last sly glance on Miguel, the Diaz rolling his eyes.

"He's got no idea what he's talking about," Miguel snickered.

"Honestly," Flynn chuckled. Though if she was being honest, his reaction to Hawk's assumption stung a little. She already knew she'd tethered herself to the land of unrequited crushes, but it didn't make it hurt any less. 

"So, where are we going to have this super serious super secretive talk?" Miguel questioned as they peeled out of the dojo.

Flynn snorted. "In N' Out, duh. We can split an animal fry," she fished in her bag for her car keys. "I'll drop you off at home after, obviously."

"You should take the long way again," Miguel spoke up as he slid into the passenger seat. His brown eyes shone with a sheepish joy. "I liked getting to just enjoy the drive for a bit."

"Hell yeah. Whatever you want," Flynn smiled as she rummaged through her Spotify playlists. "I've got nowhere to be."

The duo ended up devouring two cheeseburgers in near silence before they even started to talk, both too hungry. It wasn't until they began picking at their shared bucket of animal fries did the conversation pick back up.

"So you've been suspicious of Kreese this whole time too?" Flynn asked, munching on a fry. They sat in the front of the car still, only now their bodies angled to face one another. She kept the music low enough to enjoy while also not overpowering their speech. 

"Well, yeah. It was kind of hard not to be. Especially when I called his ass out for those fake war stories."

"Yeah, that was super fucking weird," Flynn agreed.

"I mean, him staying on as Sensei can't be a good thing," Miguel shook his head, brow wrinkling as he took a sip of his drink. "He's definitely trying to take over Cobra Kai and get rid of Sensei Lawrence, don't you think? And Sensei's just letting it happen!"

Flynn felt herself wilt a little. "That's what you're worried about?"

"I mean, yeah. He seems a little too eager, don't you think? And his teaching style is different. Too different. No way is he gonna like working alongside Sensei. And, Cobra Kai was once his dojo. Why wouldn't he be trying to get that back?"

Flynn swiped at the lower corner of her cheeks in thought. "I guess I didn't really think of that. It feels weird thinking of anyone but Johnny teaching at Cobra Kai."

Miguel's expression curdled further into confusion. "Wait, so why are you worried about Kreese, then?"

Flynn hesitated. She felt a little stupid now that she'd heard Miguel's concerns. He'd been training at Cobra Kai longer, he would know. How could she tell him she was worried Kreese would turn karate into a full on war waged between teenagers? One that would cause too much violence?

"Flynn," Miguel craned his head forward, amber eyes gleaming with care that made her stomach swirl. "What it is?"

"Well, it kind of sounds fucking dumb now," she admitted with a pathetic laugh.

"No," Miguel shook his head, glowing with defiance. "Please. Nothing you say is dumb."

"Miguel that sounded so sarcastic—"

"I'm serious," he interrupted her, chuckling with a thin pair of lips. "I'm not trying to be funny. You're really smart, especially when it comes to sports. You can tell me."

His sneaky compliment made her chest glow, and his words had done the trick. "I just feel like he's going to take Cobra Kai down the wrong path. Like, I know this dojo's always been more about the offense and has an aggressive fighting style. That's not what I'm saying is wrong. But Kreese...the way the man talks about karate—or anything for that matter—like it's a full blown war? It worries me. Especially because he's teaching that kind of rhetoric to a bunch of impressionable kids. Look at the way Hawk ate his shit up today."

Miguel sat in silence, staring at her but not in a way that discouraged her. "I just think he's going to make karate more violent than it ever needs to be, and he's going to turn Cobra Kai into a bunch of bullies that turn to fighting when it's not necessary. I've always liked being a Cobra, but I feel like we're one step away from going too far and doing the wrong thing. And Kreese is gonna take us there.

"Someone's gonna get hurt. Friends will probably turn on each other. I mean, Robby was about ready to whoop my ass just for being on a different dojo. You guys have been calling Miyagi-Do 'the enemy'. I feel like this kind of mindset is starting to go too far. And I'm just worried. I know it might not seem like it, given what you know about me and my past and what you've seen me do, but I don't like resorting to violence when it's not necessary.

"And I know this might all sound hypocritical, seeing how hard I've been going in on training at Cobra Kai. But it's because I like learning how to fight, how to build myself up and my confidence. Not because I actually want to kick somebody's ass. I don't know, I guess I'm just starting to change my mind with how I feel about all this. How this 'no mercy' stuff is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth, with Kreese changing shit up."

Miguel nodded, letting her finish as he finished off the last of his drink. "I get it, Flynn. I actually don't think you're wrong, either. I could totally see this going very south. But at least we're still here, yeah? If we see something, we can stop it. Together.

"We're not gonna let Cobra Kai become a bunch of bullies. Remember why I joined Cobra Kai in the first place? It was so that I could defend myself against assholes like that. Like Kyler. But you're right. There's definitely a possibility Kreese could be corrupting everyone. He already has Sensei all wrapped up in his plan. We gotta be careful."

Flynn hummed her approval, though she couldn't ignore his earlier comment. The one that was making her cheeks ache with a smile. "So we're gonna start policing the other Cobras, huh? Like if we see someone being too much of an asshole we kick their asses instead?"

Miguel laughed. "Hell yeah! Dream team, baby! And I bet you no one else is even thinking about this stuff, so it's definitely up to us to stand up to Kreese when he starts doing too much."

"Agreed," Flynn tipped her head with a quick nod. "Okay, I'm glad you didn't think my possible theory isn't completely stupid."

"One thing I have come to learn about you, Flynn," Miguel started as she drove up to an outdoor trash can, the boy chucking their garbage into it. "Is that you're almost always right. So until something happens that proves that statement wrong, I'm probably gonna agree with whatever you say."

Flynn bellowed put another laugh, cranking the music up now that their meal was over. "Hell yeah! That's what I like to hear, Diaz!" She veered out of the parking lot, opting for the scenic route so they could enjoy the ride longer before reaching Miguel's apartment.

If they were being honest, it didn't require an entire meal and hangout for them to talk things out like that. But Flynn was happy to use anything as an excuse to spend time with him alone.

She just wondered if Miguel felt the same way.