─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"class, prepare for combat." sensei kreese demanded. everyone obeyed, moving over to the egde of the mat and forming a square around it. tabitha took her pace beside hawk, attempting to take the point flag from him, but she failed and he just struck her with it.

kyler park and his friend, brucks, trekked over to them. "holy shit! you remember? look, it's the kid with the lip! yo, i thought he moved." he laughed right in hawk's face. tabitha raised her eyebrow, wondering how hawk was letting him speak to him that way.

"oh, shit. you're right!" his friend added, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"right. dude!"

"whoa! the hair kinda distracts you from it." brucks explained.

"get the hell out of his face." tabitha seethed. even though hawk chose not to defend himself, she wasn't going to allow him to be disrespected. kyler looked at her with surprise. "what, you're sticking up for this loser?"

tabitha rolled her eyes. "i'm sticking up for my friend, jackass. now move away or i'll mess up your lip. and then your eye, and then your nose." she threatened. he stared at her for a second before backing away slowly.

"all right, class. let the games begin." kreese stepped forward in the centre of the mat. his eyes landed on kyler, "you."

the boy grinned, his friend visibly excited for him too. "all right! you got this bro." he exclaimed.

kreese scanned the room, searching for kyler's opponent. when his gaze fell upon mitch, he chuckled to himself. "you."

the two boys stepped into the middle as kreese moved to the sidelines. "ai!" he yelled, ordering them to begin. mitch managed to strike first, but kyler quickly regathered himself. he dodged all of mitch's attacks and ended up putting mitch in a headlock on the ground. tabitha rolled her eyes as the boy tapped out, gasping for air.

"finish him." kreese's voice boomed. kyler didn't hesitate to pull mitch up by the hem of his uwagi and slam his fist onto his face.

"that's rough." someone cringed while kyler grinned, feeling victorious. mitch pulled himself to his feet, limping back to the edge of the mat.

"where you going?" kreese challenged. mitch glanced up, visibly confused. "to my spot."

kresse scoffed, his face filled with disgust. "you lost to an untrained fighter. he's going to take your spot on the team."

"all right!" kyler celebrated.

"sensei, assface has been loyal to the dojo." hawk spoke up in his defence. but kreese's decision was unchangeable, "i'm afraid he's not... cobra kai material. i told you, only the strong will survive."

once mitch took his leave, tory was next, up against the brunette girl kyler had entered the dojo with. their brawl was quick and straightforward, tory apparently managing to chip her opponent's tooth during her finishing move.

when it was over, she left in shame and kresse was excited for his next selection. "you." kreese pointed to a red-haired girl, who had her curly hair pulled back into a bun. "and you, brooks." he wanted to see her in action, fighting to win.

"yes, sensei." tabitha spoke. she bowed to the mat before stepping on it and bowing to her rival.

"ready? ai!"

tabitha pounced forward, striking the girl in her stomach. the redhead doubled over in agony but managed to recover quickly. swiftly, tabitha threw her leg up for a front kick, though her opponent succeeded in striking her foot away and elbowing her in the chin. tabitha huffed, she knew she couldn't let this girl humiliate her in her own dojo. she had years more of experience.

she ran forward and kicked the girl's hip before raising her leg higher and booting her in the neck. the redhead girl stumbled back, but she didn't fall. she pitched her fist forward, aiming for tabitha's face and tabitha smacked her arm away. shockingly, her nails were so long that she managed to scrape some of her skin off.

"holy shit!" the girl yelled out, holding her bleeding arm. "did you just scratch me?" tabitha didn't do that to the girl deliberately, but she didn't feel an ounce of remorse. as the girl attempted to tend to her wound, tabitha twisted her body around and kicked her right in the face. she tumbled back onto the mat, groaning in pain.

"finish-" kreese started. he wasn't even able to finish his sentence as tabitha had already stepped forward, lifted her foot and slammed it onto her face, cracking her nose to one side. tory momentarily glanced away, she didn't think tabitha had that in her.

"holy shit." tabitha heard kyler mumble under his breath.

the girl sat up, one hand cupping her bleeding nose and the other wrapped around her arm. "are you fucking crazy?!"

"get out." kreese ordered.

"but she cheated!" the girl exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

"you got distracted. but i'd gladly go for round two if you're that eager." tabitha suggested, bouncing on her feet. the girl just shook her head. "you're a psycho bitch." she quickly left the dojo, making tabby smile with triumph.

"fall in, brooks. good job." kreese complimented. tabitha bowed to him out of respect, taking her place back on the side of the mat. hawk gave her a discreet fist pump before they wiggled their fingers together - their little handshake of pride. "really living up to the 'tabby cat' nickname, aren't you?"

she shrugged before jokingly hissing in his face, clawing her hands in front of him. hawk rolled his eyes, pushing her hands away and facing the front.

"wait... that's kinda badass." tabitha spoke, really thinking about it. "should i change my name to claws and get a huge cat tattoo on my back? then we'd be twining."

"you already have a twin." hawk said.

"we can take a plus one." tabby joked.

"i mean, if you're really serious then i can hook you up with my guy rico. he'll do you so sweet." hawk told her.

"i'll hold you up on that offer." she nodded to him, making him slightly smile. but his attention was quickly stolen by kreese's next words:

"you, big boy." kreese gestured to brucks. he just beamed as he made his way onto the mat, "oh, yeah! all right, who's going down next? come on."

hawk forced the flags into tabitha's hands and ambled forward. "he's mine." he demanded.

"get him, lip!" kyler taunted. brucks also seemed to be enjoying this "okay, all right. let's see if i can fix that lip of yours then." he joked as hawk strolled past him.

hawk peeled his uwagi off, displaying his back tattoo. tabitha cupped her hands over her lips and excitedly let out a bird call to bring more attention to the marking. this fight was going to be entertaining.

bruck's confidence stance faltered when hawk pivoted to face him, his grim reaper tattoo on exhibit. "dude!" he muttered.

tabitha smirked at his realisation and her smirk grew bigger when sensei kreese waved his hands at her, ordering her to put the point flags down.

hawk glanced at his sensei for approval and when he nodded, the boy spun around into a roundhouse kick. tabitha had to bite down her smile as she watched her friend battle his bully. brucks didn't even get a hit in as hawk attacked him from every corner. it was a hard watch for almost everyone else, but tabitha thought it was thrilling, she couldn't pull her eyes away.

"finish him." kreese instructed once hawk had flipped brucks onto his back and was kneeling above him. but it didn't seem like the boy was aware of everyone else, as he didn't pause when punching brucks in the face. and again. and again. and again. and again.

hawk was grunting and yelling out as he landed multiple blows onto brucks' face. he looked terrible, bloodied and bruised... tabitha didn't know if hawk would ever stop.

but he did, getting to his feet and spitting on the boy before stepping awy. tabitha held up the red flag, "point, moskowitz!" she announced, disrupting the painful silence that lingered in the room.

hawk stepped back over to his place on the side of the mat. he moved close to kyler's face with a fearsome expression and the boy refused to peek up and make eye contact. she pulled him into their quick handshake just as big red gave him a nod of approval.

"all right, class. i think we can call it a day." kreese ordered, his eyes skimming on the injured boy on the ground. "somebody pick him up."

"not it!" tabitha raised her hand.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"i feel like we haven't spent much one-on-one time together." tory said to her friend as the two walked to the strip mall. after their intense practice at the dojo, tabitha offered to drop tory at her place of work since she had nothing else better to do.

miguel had called her up and invited her to help him impress johnny's high school girlfriend. initially, tabitha thought he was talking about her mom and got pretty weirded out but then she found out it was for an ali mills. either way, tabitha didn't want to help the man who had bailed on his students.

"yeah." tabitha nodded. "i feel that too. i've been swamped with my classes, community service, work, karate-"

"and then school next week." tory added. the girl leaned her head back and dramatically groaned. "don't even remind me. honestly, i wish i didn't have to go back."

"and miss out on joining the track team?" tory reminded her. "that's not what you want."

"i doubt i'll even have time for the track team with everything i've got going on." she sighed. "i just can't wait until i'm free from this stupid monitor and get my 6 month chip in therapy."

"see i don't understand how that works." tory said, "with alcoholics, they don't drink and they get their six month chip. but how does it work with you? you don't get angry for six months?"

"i don't have any violent outbursts for six months." tabitha explained.

"and you after seeing sam at the hospital wasn't a violent outburst?" tory challenged. "or you scratching the shit out of that girl?"

"firstly, i told them about what happened at the hospital. and it doesn't matter anymore because miguel and i worked it out." tabitha informed her. "and they don't know i do karate so it doesn't count."

"oh, you and miguel made up?" tory raised her eyebrow. "so, does he know you're still in cobra kai?"

the girl paused before she spoke. "i mean... he doesn't- i think it's none of his business what i do in my free time. he knows that."

"right." tory chuckled. "how is it going to work if you're in cobra kai and he's not? i don't think he'd be too happy."

tabby playfully nudged her side. "you trying to get rid of me?"

"i'm trying to look out you." tory shook her head. "i just don't want to see you heartbroken again."

"you're always looking out for me, tory. that's why i actually like you." tabby said. the blonde girl looked over to her with utter surprise, a spark of hope igniting in her eyes. "but trust me, miguel is not going to break my heart."

tory shrugged. "if you say so." she sighed, realising tabitha meant she liked her as a good friend. "thanks again for the grocerries, by the way. brandon really enjoyed the dino chicken nuggests."

"of course." tabitha nodded. "they're my brother's favourite."

"of course they are." tory shook her head with a smile.

tabby was about to crack a joke about him but then she remembered how moody he got with her last night for something she didn't even do. as she turned a corner, she spotted miguel sitting alone at a table with sushi. tabitha quickly walked back, preventing tory from seeing him.

she swiftly pulled her into a goodbye embrace to distract her. tabitha knew how much the situation and not seeing miguel affected tory, so an idea formed in her mind. she was going to leave in hopes the two find one another and sort out their differences.

"i'll see you soon! later." tabby quickly spoke as she rushed away, leaving tory to be extremely confused.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
tabitha is slowly becoming desensitised from violence and that is not gonna be good for her...

hawk&claws best duo ever☺️☺️☺️