Cora tried her hardest to stand out and look as strong as the rest of Cobra Kai as Robby spoke. "These blocks are incredibly precise. Each one is designed to overcome a specific attack."

She looked down the line to see Robby standing infront of Tory. "Show me wax on, wax off."

Tory took her stance, practicing with Robby as she showed what he taught, blocking him with the wax on movement. Cora started to wonder what was the purpose of Cobra Kai if they were only learning Miyagi-Do. "The more you learn Miyagi-Do, the tougher you are to defeat."

"Except for one tiny flaw." Kreese spoke up, making them look his way. "Their entire style is reactive, which means all their moves are counter moves. That means that we are in control. And we can use that to set traps."

Robby turned to Tory again. "Show me paint the fence."

Tory did so, Robby knocking her feet out from under her soon after. "Sorry. Just part of the lesson."

Tory grasped his arm, throwing him over her shoulder before holding her fist above his face. Cora winced, crossing her arms over her gi.

"Enough!" Kreese called to stop her. "Nichols, my office. Continue the lesson."

Cora's phone went off again.

"Cora, you gonna get that? Third time." Robby spoke up, clearly hearing it too.

"Sorry, I just- I'll turn it off." she shook her head quickly, hurrying toward her back. She fell onto her knees, grasping her phone and going to turn it off before it buzzed again.

Four missed text for Hawk. Cora stared curiously, wanting to look, but realizing how bad it would be to do so right in the middle of practice. Especially Cobra Kai.

Hawk: What are you doing?
Hawk: I miss you.
Hawk: And Thor.
Hawk: I know I really messed it up, and i'm sorry.

Cora sighed, staring at the four messages. She looked up from her bed, staring at Kyler as he pulled the shirt over his head. "You leaving?"

"Oh, yeah. Traffic, you know?" he shrugged her way. Cora nodded, pulling the blanket around her better. There is was again. The feeling right after. The guilt, the sadness, the want to be held and loved. "So, see you at practice?"

"Yeah, see you." Cora forced a smile, and Kyler left. Though, it was different. This was the part when she was suppose to fall in love, when she was suppose to do anything and everything to get his attention, when she was suppose to cry when he'd walk away. And, she did cry, sure, but not because she wanted him to stay.

Because for the first time, she didn't fall in love with a guy that gave her the slightest bit of attention. Not when she'd experienced a new type of affection from someone who would have never up and left her like all the guys before did.

"Mr.Keene." Kreese spoke up the next day, breaking Robby away from training with Tory. "You have a visitor."

Cora looked over to see a smaller boy standing infront of Kreese. Tory looked at Robby. "You know this kid?"

"I-I-I'm Kenny." he stumbled over his words, Cora gave a gentle smile. "My brother, Shawn Payne, said you could help me."

"I didn't know Shawn had a brother." Robby walked forward with curious eyes. "Is he out?"

"No. That's why i'm here." Kenny said back, one of his shoulders slummed to the side from how he was holding his bag. "These a-holes keep hassling me. One of them knows karate, so-"

"This is a dojo." Kreese cut him off, catching his attention again. "You are interrupting my class."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Kenny looked in a minor panic.

"Sensei." Robby spoke up to have Kreese look over. "Shawn Payne was one of the toughest guys in juvie. Kicked my ass a few times."

Cora eyed Kenny, looking to Tory. "Poor, kiddo."

"What? You have a soft spot for little kids?" Tory asked in disbelief.

"No." Cora said back quickly and defensively. "No, i'm just saying."

"You know, in the real world, we have to fight our own battles." Kreese looked to Kenny again. "Cobra Kai can teach you how. But you have to prove that you're worthy."

"How do I do that?" Kenny looked up at him gentle.

"Take your shoes off and get on the mat." Kreese encouraged quickly. Cora looked in worry, meeting Robbys eye.

"How-How am I suppose to fight if I haven't had any training yet?" Kenny looked in a panic as he stood on the mat, Kyler stretching infront of him. Cora felt eyes on her, looking over to see Kylers usual group of friends whispering, all looking toward Cora. She tightened her gi with an uncomfortable clear of her throat, trying not to look their way, but feeling the gawking stare.

"To be a Cobra Kai, you have to have a killer instinct." Kreese spoke his way with a minor nod. Kyler popped his neck. "Fighting position."

"Don't worry, man. I'll go easy on you." Kyler cracked a grin, holding his fist infront of him as Kenny mimicked his position.

"Ais!" Kreese yelled as Kyler went toward Kenny, the small boy giving a squeal as he back up. The dojo laughed at him.

"Come back on the mat. Grow some pubes. Let's go." Kyler laughed, encouraging him back on. The blonde winced as she watched.

"It's all right, Mr.Payne." Kreese spoke as Kenny got back on the mat. "Try again. Ais!"

Kyler went toward Kenny again, the small boy backing off the mat once again with a minor yell. Kreese nodded. "All right, i've seen enough."

"Yeah, me too." Kyler chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Kreese stopped the dojo from laugher at his sudden snap. "The All Valleys just a few short months away. We don't have time for losers or cowards."

Kenny took a sad breath, walking off the mat to leave. Cora frowned, meeting Kreeses eye, straightening up and pretending as if she hadn't showed a sign of weakness.

"Damn it!" a familiar voice rung. Cora was trying to enjoy her ceaser salad, a splash from the near by aquarium making it slightly impossible. She looked over, seeing a hand reach in. "Why are they so fast."

Before she even could stop herself, she spoke. "Hawk?"

Cora immediately mentally kicked herself for saying anything. His red hair poked up, looking over the side of the aquarium. His face lit up at the sight of her. "C."

"What the hell are you doing?" she looked oddly, standing up with a judging look. "Are you trying to kill fish now?"

"No, we're trying to catch them." he said back, getting hit in the arm by assface. "For fun."

Cora looked oddly, frowned her eyebrows with a minor hum. "Right."

He crawled off the chair quickly, walking over to her while the smaller kids tried to grab the fish. They were speaking softer now, keeping the conversation between just the two of them. "I texted you a few times."

Cora broke their eye contact. "I saw that."

He nodded, biting the skin around his lips. "I really miss you."

The look in his eye nearly killed her. So needy, so gently, so desperate. It was funny, if you really thought about it. Hawk was suddenly who Cora use to be, and she was who he once was. She needed to say something before giving in. "Didn't seem like you'd miss me that much after what you said."

"I promise I didn't mean it." Hawk promised in desperation, his hand reaching for her but pulling back. "I just felt like you were starting to like Robby more then me. And I wanted to hurt you, and that was wrong. I'm not gonna act like that ever again, it's not who I am anymore."

"Then who are you? Because if that's not who you are, who have I been getting to know these past four months?" Cora shook her head in minor disbelief. "That was just an act too?"

"No, no." Hawk repeated himself with a stern look. "When it was just me and you, that was me. I know I acted like an asshole to you that night, and i'm so sorry. I'll say sorry for as long as you want me to."

Cora inhaled as she looked away from him again. "Then what? I change my life to revolve around a guy? I leave my dojo because my boyfriend is my rival. Isn't that what i'm trying to stop doing? Trying to be myself and stop doing whatever a guy wants me to do just to get him to stay with me?"

"You are trying to be yourself." he nodded, and Cora didn't realize he'd trapped her with this new turn. "So, do you? Do you feel like who you are right now is truly who you are?"

Absolutely not.

Cora left without another word.

•

kylie speaks

when he knows her
better then she knows
herself >