A few minutes later, we left the mall, the adrenaline from the chaos still coursing through our veins as we walked through the parking lot.
"Thanks for helping me, Clark," Demitri said, laughing. "You beat the crap out of all those idiots!"
I laughed. "No need to thank me, brother. It was fine."
Samantha gave me a sweet smile. "What are you talking about, honey? You practically saved us from those brutes!" But then her eyes narrowed, full of curiosity. "Hmm, okay. If you say so, I believe you. But now tell me: where do you know that bitch from?"
"Who, Tory?" I asked.
"Who else would I be talking about?" she retorted, crossing her arms impatiently.
"Actually, I've known Tory since I was in school with you guys," I explained.
Demitri frowned. "But it seemed like more than just acquaintances. What happened there? Did you ever date her?"
Samantha stared at me suspiciously, as if trying to figure out my thoughts.
"No, I never dated her," I replied, holding her gaze. "But something happened between us, Sam. It's in the past."
"Hmm… From what I saw from her side, it wasn't just 'something that happened'," Samantha said thoughtfully. "No girl gets like that for nothing. That was pure jealousy."
Demitri's eyes widened. "What? Is this like a 'You 2'? Are you guys really hooking up?"
"Yes, we are," Samantha confirmed, looking at me. "Right, Clark?"
"Yes, we are," I stated.
She gripped my arm tightly, a smile lighting up her face as she leaned against me.
"Sam, do you want to come with me on my bike?" I asked.
"Sorry, honey, I have to go home to my dad," she replied. "He wants to go out with me tonight."
"No problem, I understand," I said. "Anything, you have my number." She leaned over, gave me a quick kiss on the lips, and walked to her car, waving before getting in.
I grabbed my bike and set off. The wind blew in my face as I accelerated. "Ahh, man, riding a motorcycle in the afternoon is one of the best feelings in the world, without a doubt." I had no destination in mind, I just wanted to ride around. After everything that had happened, I had no energy left for anything else.
Four hours later, I stopped at a restaurant. "Ahhh, nothing beats a cold strawberry milkshake with warm fries," I thought, savoring every sip and bite. I finished, got up, paid the bill, and left. "Okay, time to go home. It's already past 9 p.m.."
On Saturday morning at 9 a.m., the roar of the motorcycle echoed as I pulled up. Vroom, vroom, vroom. "So this is Cobra Kai… The place where it all began."
I entered the dojo. The air was tense, with shouts and the dry sound of blows. Soon I saw Tory facing a girl—a pretty one, by the way—in an intense fight. Tory easily dominated and finished with a strong kick to the mouth, knocking out her opponent's tooth.
"You broke my tooth?!" the girl screamed in disbelief.
"You needed braces," Tory scoffed, chuckling sarcastically as he walked away, wiping the sweat from his face.
As she walked off the mat, I said, "Don't mind them. You were amazing. No untrained girl would have a chance against Tory that easily." She turned to me in surprise, mumbled a shy "Thank you," and walked on.
In the corner, Eli was punching one of the guys who used to make fun of him at school. The guy was getting beaten up badly—and, to be honest, he deserved every hit.
"Okay, that's it for today," Kreese said, his voice firm. "Somebody get this kid."
"NOT YET!" I yelled. "MY TEST HASN'T ARRIVED YET, RIGHT?"
The entire dojo stopped. Eyes turned to me. "This guy!!!" someone exclaimed, pointing.
Kreese stared at me. "Hello, kid. Is that you?"
"My name is Clark," I replied. "Are you the sensei here?"
"That's right, boy," he confirmed. "What brings you here?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, CLARK?" Tory yelled, taking a step toward me, his eyes flashing with anger.
"Do you know this young man, Miss Nichols?" Kreese asked.
"I know that idiot who ruined our plan yesterday…" she replied, her voice full of venom.
"You've only known him since yesterday?" Kreese insisted.
Tory was silent, not knowing how to respond.
"Don't you know, old man?" I interjected. "This girl and I have a history."
"I see," Kreese said thoughtfully. "So, kid, you want to join the dojo too?"
"I DON'T ACCEPT IT!" Tory exclaimed. "DON'T LET HIM IN! HE'S NO GOOD, HE'S A LIAR!"
"What do you mean by that, Miss Nichols?" Kreese asked, frowning.
"He… He doesn't keep his promises!" she snapped.
"Tory, where do you know Clark from?" Eli asked curiously. "There was a rumor at school that he was making out with a girl on the rooftop. He was always there, and the girl was always fighting with everyone. Don't tell me it was you?"
I smiled at him. "You're smart, Eli. That nerd brain of yours is finally useful."
"Tsk…" he grumbled, irritated.
"He's right," I confirmed. "Tory and I would meet on that terrace. I have to admit, those were some of the best moments I had at that school."
Tory's eyes widened, her face flushed. I could see her heart racing, caught between anger and something deeper.
"But as you can see, that's over," I continued. "Today I came here to ask you to stop attacking Miyagi-Do students."
"!!!!!" Tory clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"I know you guys like to settle things with a fistfight," I continued, "but Miguel Dias is in the hospital because of this fight between you guys. What do you think life is? A game? What if this boy died? Could you go on with your lives as if nothing had happened?"
"What happened to Miguel Dias was a tragedy, a mistake," Kreese replied calmly. "Everyone agreed to fight, and then this happened…"
"Yeah, you're right," I agreed. "Everyone fought, but one more mistake and he could have been dead. And yesterday your students almost broke someone's arm. What the hell are you teaching here, man?"
"I teach these kids to be strong," Kreese replied, "to have no fear and to face anything."
"I get it," I said. "None of you here are kids. You know damn well what a mess you're getting yourself into. So listen up: if I see you being cowards to Miyagi-Do again, I'll kick your ass and get back at you in kind."
"You think you can beat everyone?" Tory challenged, his voice thick with contempt.
"You don't know me anymore, Tory," I said firmly. "That Clark who met you every day on the terrace is long gone. The power I have now is greater than you will ever imagine."
"Huh?" The entire dojo was confused, murmuring among themselves. But Kreese stared at me silently, as if he had grasped something the others had not.
The students started laughing, making fun of me.
"ENOUGH!" Kreese shouted, his voice sharp, silencing everyone. "I hereby declare that anyone who fights against Miyagi-Do outside the dojo will be expelled from Cobra Kai."
"WHAT?!" Shock took over the place.
"Wait, man," I interjected. "I think you misunderstood me…"
"!? What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.
"I didn't tell you to stop fighting forever," I explained. "What I meant was that I don't want any more cowardice—four against one, a bunch of fighters against a single person. One against one is fair. Now, three or four against one is cowardice."
"… Understood," Kreese said, after a pause. "Okay, kid, I get what you're saying."
"SENSEI, WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO EVERYTHING HE SAYS?" Tory exploded.
"YES, SENSEI!" shouted another student. "WHY ARE YOU KEEPING THIS SILENT? LET'S BLOW EVERYTHING UP!"
"ENOUGH!" Kreese interrupted, his voice like thunder. "I DON'T TRAIN YOU TO BE COWARDS. I TRAIN YOU TO BE BETTER. BEING STRONG IS NOT ABOUT ACCEPTING WEAKNESS. WHAT'S THE POINT OF BEING STRONG IF YOU'RE GOING TO COWARDLY TEAM UP AGAINST ONE PERSON?"
Silence fell like a heavy curtain over the dojo.
"VOICES UNDERSTANDING?" Kreese asked.
"YES, SENSEI!" they all replied together, almost as a reflex.
"Done," he decreed.
I smiled at Kreese. "Man, you're smart as hell. War really changes people. I'm glad it all worked out in the end." I walked over to him, held out my hand, and he shook it firmly.
"All right, kid," he said. "If you have nothing else to do here, I'll ask you to leave. You're disturbing the practice."
I nodded in agreement and turned to leave. I got on my bike, started the engine, and started to drive away.
"WAIT!" Tory shouted behind me, her voice cutting through the air like a sharp blade.