season one, episode six
( quiver )

Maggie, Miguel, and Aisha stand all next to each other while they wait for Johnny to start class. They all had their gi's on. The two girls finally earned their spots at Cobra Kai.

Johnny tried to speak up, but everyone had been so excited to learn karate they couldn't even hear him. "Quiet!" He shouts out. The chattering stops and they all turn their heads to him.

"Face front," Johnny asked. "You three, up with me." He motioned to the three. They all stood beside him as they watched all the other students face Johnny. Johnny soon makes his way among them walking his way toward every row.

He examines every single one of the students making comments to them leaving them with failed confidence that they didn't walk in with.

"When I look around this dojo, I don't see Cobra Kai material," Johnny announces. "I see losers, I see nerds. I see a fat kid with a funny hair with his tits popping out." Johnny added, Maggie, snorting at the last part.

All eyes go to her, including Johnny's. "Sorry, Sensei... continue." She looked down and licked her lips. Johnny kept looking at Maggie before he turned his head back to the new students.

"But in my short time as a sensei, I've seen some miracles." He pointed to the three students behind him, them showing small smiles to everyone. "So, maybe there's some hope for you yet." His hands go to his back. Maggie looks to Eli who seems to be staring at her. She gives a small smile.

The look between them is long, their eyes never leaving each other as Johnny talked. "Line up!" Johnny announced, making their eyes shift to Johnny or other people. The new students line up in two single-file lines, clearly not knowing what Johnny meant.

"No, not... not line up in a line." Johnny groans, "Lines!" People all look back at each other, there confused murmurs as Maggie decided to pitch in, "He means rows guys. Line up in rows." Everyone just stood there in blankness while Johnny rolled his eyes and placed his hands to his face.

"Alright, just get in rows," Johnny spoke up from under his hands. Everyone did as he said, Maggie, Aisha, and Miguel in the front of the whole class.

Maggie closed her eyes and prayed to the gods again today. She wanted everything to go well, but it was all just a bunch of scared people just wanting to learn.

"Fighting positions!" Johnny shouted out. The three students placed their hands to a fist, their elbows in, waiting for Johnny to tell them to start. "Nope, wait till I say go," Johnny announced, Maggie looking back at the students who'd already started. "Hiya!"

All the students start to practice their punches. He walks among them and he repeats his words as they keep doing them after each hiyah. He notices a student who seems to be struggling and he helps the kid fix his position and watches the kid do it correctly.

He soon turns to Eli. "Hey, Lip." Maggie stops what she's doing instantly and turns her attention over to Eli. "Yeah, you. The one with the freaky lip. Who do you think I'm talking to?" He asked. Demetri pitches in, "Excuse me, uh, Mr. Lawrence."

"Sensei Lawerence." Aisha seemed to correct him as Demetri raised his brows and continued what he said, "Okay... You really shouldn't make fun of someone's physical appearance." He started. Maggie's eyebrows furrowed looking over to Miguel who only seemed to shrug.

"Oh, is that so?" asked Johnny. He smirks at Demetri before pointing to Eli. "So, I'm not supposed to mention his lip at all?" Johnny tilts his head slightly before Eli looks down at the floor, feeling embarrassed. "Well, yeah," Demetri spoke up.

"Maybe that's what they teach in school, but in the real world, you can't expect people to do what they're supposed to do." He looks away for a second then back to Demetri. He only nods, "Right, you hear that, Lip? If you can't handle someone making fun of you, how are you gonna handle an elbow to the teeth?" Johnny asked.

Eli's mouth turned to a frown and he kept looking down to the floor. "By calling the police?!" Demetri stated, moving his hands to show expression. "Dude," Miguel chipped in, "Knock it off," added Miguel.

"Demetri that's enough." Maggie also added in. "What?" Demetri asked. "He does realize the Nazis lost the war, right?" He asked Miguel. "Why should I be scared of him? Because he's got a snake on his wall?" Demetri seemed to be going off, "It's not like a teacher who can give us a bad grade. We're paying him. He works for us."

"We're paying him to teach us to defend ourselves. You seem to have no interest in doing any of his Demetri." Maggie snapped back. "But, it's not like he can actually hurt us." Demetri finishes, as Johnny glares at him and steps closer.

"Oh, shit." Miguel rolls his eyes. "What a dumbass," Maggie muttered to herself. The other students back away as Johnny steps closer to Demetri. "Are you done?" he asked him.

Demetri stood there confused, "What?" he asked. "Hit me." They stand before one another. Demetri steps back a little as Maggie walks over to Eli, pulling him over to Miguel and Aisha. "Go ahead, hit me. Strike me right here."

"He shouldn't have said that," Eli whispered to Maggie as she agreed. "He doesn't know what he's getting into." She grabbed onto his hand as he clenched it tighter. Johnny points at his face and swats away Demetri's low-energy punch. "Harder."

He swats aside another low-energy punch. Demetri groans as Johnny asks him, "Is that all you got, princess?" Demetri swings a third time, Johnny flips him on his back and fains a strike to his chest.

Demetri grunts and yells as other students gasp at Johnny's moves. Johnny turns to the other students and Demetri breathes heavily. He points to everyone. "Let that be a lesson to all of you."

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At school, Maggie and Eli had been off somewhere, while Demetri and Miguel had been talking about the dojo. The two had been making out in an empty computer lab. Maggie accidentally bumps into a computer before she breaks away from Eli.

"We have to stop this," Maggie confessed. "Like... making out?" Eli asked, Maggie chuckled. "No, I like doing this. I just don't like us skipping class to make out in an empty computer lab." Maggie added. Eli chuckled, "Oh, okay."

" I like doing this too," Eli chuckled. Maggie placed a peck on his lips. "I like your cleft lip," Maggie announced as she looked at his lip and then his eyes. "It shows who you really are, and you shouldn't have to become someone else just because someone made fun of you," Maggie explained to him as Eli pulled away and grabbed his things.

"Yeah, I guess." He placed his backpack on his shoulders. "But, hey, it's good that I joined karate with you. We can both do the things we love, plus we can see each other a lot more than just at school." Maggie smiled before she went up to him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"See you at the dojo," Maggie whispered to him before she left the computer lab.

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After school, Maggie had seemed to be the first one there. She quickly went into the bathroom and changed into her gi. She looked in the mirror and seemed to tie her hair into a low ponytail. The high ponytails had been seeming to give her headaches frequently.

She soon left the bathroom and waited for everyone else to come. Miguel was next then it was Aisha and everyone else. It had seemed to have gotten emptier, everyone was scared off by Johnny's words and how he treated Demetri.

"Okay, everyone. Fall in." Johnny announced from his office. It was 4:30 and it was time to start. He walked out of his office and saw everyone walking to line up. He looked around and saw half of the students from yesterday gone. "Where is everyone?" His arms shoot up out of curiosity.

"Crater face? Nose ring? Slingshot?" He asked. Miguel replied, "They quit, Sensei." Not looking up and making eye contact with Johnny. He licked his lips. "Are you serious?" asked Johnny.

"You must've scared them off," Maggie added before looking away. Johnny signed before looking around to see everyone looking around as well. "I mean, good." He smirked to himself, "That was a test. I wanted to see who the quitters are. Not you guys," He pointed around. "You're in it to win it, right?"

He continued rambling for a while. Maggie's eyes shifted around the room, Eli had been glancing at her and then glancing back to Johnny. She smiled to herself as she caught Eli staring at her which made him look away. He placed his hands tighter as he hoped Johnny wouldn't call him out again today, or ever.

How he was wrong, "Lip." Johnny points to Eli. "Even Lip's tougher than those guys," Everyone glances at Eli as his eyes look around the room. "He's no quitter." Eli stood silent for a few seconds, looking at Maggie before replying, "Could you please not call me that?"

"Excuse me, what? Speak up, Lip." Johnny asked, Maggie tucked an open strand of hair behind her ear before she replied for him, "He asked if you wouldn't call him that." Johnny looked to Maggie before Johnny shook his head, "No, no, no. Lip has something he wants to say." He turned his attention back to Eli before stepping closer.

Eli looks down at the floor. Him being called out again made his confidence boost go down. "Sorry, speak up, Lip. Or is your younger messed up too?" Johnny had stepped more and more closer. Eli's eye's watering up. His mouth hangs open.

"Are you one of those challenged kids?" Johnny asked, Eli shook his head slightly. "Um, the doctor said I could be on the spectrum," replied Eli, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what that is, but get off it pronto. All right?" Eli stood silent.

"If you don't want me to call you "Lip," don't have a weird lip. Can't you get surgery for that?" Johnny added. Maggie decided to speak up for Eli since he couldn't do it himself. "Sensei, he was born with a cleft lip. That's his scar from the surgery."

Johnny pulled his attention to Maggie before furrowing his brows. "You mean it was worse before that? Or did the doctor just screw up?" Maggie rolled her eyes. "Because if that's the after photo, that sucks for him, man. He should sue."

"Can we just please change the topic?" Eli asked. Maggie's mouth turned into a frown, if she kept speaking up for Eli, all Johnny would do is keep picking on Eli and he [Eli] would have to rely on Maggie. "You don't think I want to? It's right in front of me."

He kept going off on Eli, his eyes getting more and more watery. Eli just stood silent and listened to Johnny tell him about his most biggest insecurity. Eli lowers his head after Johnny is done talking to him.

He leaves. "Oh, great, really? Another quitter?" Maggie decides to go after him, "Ms. Park!" Johnny calls after Maggie. Maggie ignores him and continues to go after Eli.

"Eli! Please, come back," said Maggie. "No!" Eli snapped, "If I go back in there, Sensei will keep and keep picking on me and I'll never get over it. I'll have to rely on you, Demetri, and Miguel to stand for me." He places his shoes on his feet and grabs his backpack.

"Eli, relax. It's not that big of a dea-" Maggie stated but Eli interrupted her. "Yes! It is a big deal!" He shouted. His eyes were filled with more tears. "You shouldn't have to be doing all that for me."

Maggie shakes her head, "Eli, please don't quit," Maggie tries to grab his hand. He pulls away before he says, "Whatever, I'm done." He walks away and walks out the back door.

Maggie's eyes were now filled with tears. She wiped them away before she walked into the dojo and continued the karate lessons.

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The next day at school, she didn't see Eli anywhere or even at the dojo. Johnny walks out of his office to see three more students gone.

"Bunch of pussies." Aisha replied to Miguel's words. "No, it's my fault," confessed Johnny. He kept walking back and forth, talking to everyone. "Since you joined Cobra Kai, I have been hard on you." He added. "I've called you names. I've humiliated you." Maggie nodded to herself at the last par. "Some of you I've hit, and for that. I don't apologize."

She furrowed her brows at Johnny, "Cobra Kai is about strength. If you're not strong enough on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside." He stepped in front of Maggie. "And right now, you're all weak."

She looked up at him before looking away. Her embarrassment from what she did yesterday, walking out on Eli. And then walking back into the dojo crying, it made her look weak. Like she wasn't ready for any of this.

He walked away from her, "And I know that because I was you." He pointed to everyone. His lip quivers. "I used to have no friends. I used to be the weirdo kid." He pointed to Bert, a freshman that Maggie knew, "Not that weird. I hooked up with babes and all, but..." He trailed off.

"The point is, I wasn't always the badass sensei I am today. Just like a cobra, I had to shed my loser skin to find my true power." He looked around. "And you guys will too."

The doorbell jangles making everyone's attention move to the door. Maggie was the last to look, she noticed it was Eli. He had a new look.

A look that took away from his lip. He had a new hairstyle, a blue, thin mohawk. "Welcome to Cobra Kai," Johnny announced. Maggie's eyes widened and Eli was the first to look at her. "Eli? What did you do?" Maggie asked, stepping closer to him, he smirked at her before he said.

"I'm flipping the script, Mags." He replied and grabbed her body and placed his arm around her shoulders. Maggie couldn't help but smile to herself, Eli had a new look and already started to have something with Maggie. "Wait are you the kid with the lip?"

"Nice cut, bro." Johnny nodded his head and pointed to Eli. "You see that? Doesn't matter if you're a loser or a nerd or a freak." He jerked his head to Eli to step on the mat. Eli stood there.

"All that matters is that you become badass. Hawk, Maggie." Johnny told the two. "Fall in." Eli kicks off his shoes as he and Maggie step on the mat.

"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?" He asked Eli, or "Hawk." Eli places his arms around his back. "No, Sensei." Johnny turns to Maggie. "Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?" Maggie shakes her head, "No, Sensei."

He continues to ask the last two in the front as they both reply with, "No, Sensei." He soon turns his back to the other students. "Class, are you ready to learn the way of the fist?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

so excited! only four more episodes left until season two! i literally can't wait for the plans i have for eli and maggie!