XIII.                                         Heartbreak Weather

      Odessa grew up hearing her parents talk about karate when they were in school, especially about the All Valley Under 18 tournament. Her father was in Cobra Kai along with Johnny. Her mom wasn't a big fan of the dojo. There was times Christian questioned why he was a part of the dojo but he was there for Johnny. They were best friends. Practically brothers.

Thalia didn't know how she felt about her daughter being in Cobra Kai. But she was seeing a change in Odessa's attitude since staring karate and she didn't want to ruin it. She had been unhappy for so long. But she was also a mother and Thalia had seen the damage that Cobra Kai did to Johnny. She didn't want that for her daughter.

The day of the tournament had everyone on edge. Odessa sat cross crossed on the ground biting her nails. Miguel's aggressive punching wasn't making it better. "Yo, Miguel, calm down man. Save some for the tournament." Said Eli with a face full of concern.

Miguel just looked at him with narrow eyes and continued with the aggressive punching.

"Imagining anybody specifically?" Odessa asked and spit out one of her finger nails.

"Hey, don't even bother. He's been super agro ever since the break up." Aisha told them, referring to Miguel's break up with Sam.

Oliver joined in and patted the boy on the back. "Don't feel bad, Miguel. Break ups are inevitable. At least you're good looking."

He went to sit down with Odessa. Miguel narrowed his eyes. "Uh, thank you?"

Odessa pulled her nails away from her mouth and grabbed Eli's hand. He swung them back and forth slightly. "Where's sensei? The tournament gonna start soon?" He questioned.

"He'll be here. He wouldn't leave us hanging." Said Oliver.

"I don't know about that," Bert chimed in.

They all looked at him. "What do you mean, Bert?" Aisha asked him.

"I saw him last night at the Mini-Mall. I was buying a. . . carton of milk when I heard him in the parking lot, yelling." The young boy explained, skipping over some details.

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"I don't know. I guess i'm so used to seeing him drunk it didn't seem like it was a big deal."

"Well, we're here and he's not. So it's officially a big deal." Eli sighed in frustration.

Odessa stood up from the ground and nudged his side. "Hey, chill out. I'm sure he's probably on his way." She told them all.

Grayson, who stood quietly to the side with Hailey (The new couple couldn't keep their hands off of each other.) spoke up, "What if something happened to him?"

"Like what?" Asked Bert.

"I don't know. . . like he drove his car off a cliff, or bought a gun and blew his brains out."

Hailey pulled a face. "Jesus, that's dark."

Odessa hit her boyfriend's arm. "Eli, Don't say that!"

Aisha shot him down. "No, Sensei would never kill himself. That's too pussy a move."

"Maybe he's passed out somewhere like. . . I don't know. A park?"

"No, i'm going to go with the car thing." Oliver agreed with Eli.

"Whatever. We're here and he's not. We're going to have to do it without him."

"Do what without me?"

Odessa looked behind her and sighed with relief. "Oh, thank god."

Johnny came and joined the group, very clearly not dead. "We didn't think you were gonna show up," Eli told him.

"I may not always win but I never back out of a fight."

"Great. Let's sign in." Miguel proposed, his mood still tampered.

Johnny shook his head. "Not yet, there's one more lesson I have to teach you." He led the students into the arena that was filled with people. They stood in the corner of the room by the windows. "You've all learned to strike first, to be aggressive, and not be losers. I taught you to strike hard, put every ounce of your power behind everything you do. But I haven't taught you the third rule of Cobra Kai: No Mercy.

The older you get, the more you're gonna learn that life isn't fair. You wake up one morning feeling great, and then life throws a spinning heel kick to your balls, takes a big steamy shit in your mouth—"

Odessa gave him a weird look.

"You get an F on a test, you get suspended. you fall in love—"

Eli briefly glanced at the girl under his arm.

"—With a girl." Johnny continued. He glanced at Oliver. "Or a guy, which ever you prefer."

The red head nodded proudly.

"And some other person comes and steals them away. Car gets set on fire—"

"This is starting to sound really personal."  Hailey whispered to no one in particular.

"—Just when you think things are going good, everything falls apart. That's how it goes. Life shows no mercy, so neither do we. We do whatever it takes to keep our heads above water. We do whatever it takes to keep moving forward. We do whatever it takes to win! Remember who you are. You're a badass! You don't give a shit! You kick ass! You're Cobra Kai!" Johnny shouted.

"COBRA KAI!" Miguel shouted aggressively and everyone cheered with him. "Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!"

"Let's go kick some ass!"

"YEAH!"

Johnny shook his head. "No, you're not wearing those." He opened his duffel bag he was carrying and pulled new black and yellow gi's with the Cobrs Kai logo on the back.

Oliver held his in his hands. "Oh, this is so badass!"

"Now we kick ass!" Johnny confirmed. "Alright, y'all head back to practice. I'll be right there."

He watched his team walk away with confidence and he had a proud smile on his face.

"Johnny Lawrence."

He turned around and saw that the voice came from a woman. Her hair was long and blonde and her eyes were brightly blue. He stared at her blankly for half a minute before the realization started to set in. "Thalia?"

Thalia smiled widely. "Hi."

"Wow,"  he said in shock. "It's been, what, fifteen years?"

"Almost. How have you been?" She asked and kept the smile on her face. She hadn't seen him in so long yet he looked the same as he did when they were in high school.

"Want me to lie?" He asked, making her laugh. "Life went to shit for a while. Finally got it picked back up,"

"The last time we saw each other way—"

"When Odessa was born." He interrupted with a small nod. "You know, when she came in for class and she said her last name, it hit me like a truck."

"Yeah, she said you were teaching the class. . . I almost didn't want her to do it," Thalia confessed, looking down slightly.

The man frowned ever so slightly. "She looks just like him."

She nodded. "Yes, she does. She acts just like him, too. Sometimes I feel like I can't get away with him around her."

Johnny watched her with sad eyes. This was a woman who was married to his best friend. He was around her for years. They were practically family until Christian fell off the deep end. She changed. He changed. Now, he was teaching her daughter. "I'm really sorry, Thalia."

She looked back up at him and smiled softly. "I hope you teach her well, Johnny." She passed by him and patted his arm.

Johnny tried not to think about his old best friend whenever he saw Odessa. They were practically the same person. Christian was always the soft hearted, kind kid at school. He wasn't an angry person even though Cobra Kai tried to make him one. He saw a lot of him in Odessa, who's heart was also kind.

But Cobra Kai wasn't about being soft or kind. It was about winning. Johnny wanted to turn her into a winner just like her dad.

Odessa stood in the hallways with her team as they waited anxiously for the announcer to call their name. She paced back and forth, a nervous pit forming in her stomach. But her pacing was starting to make Hailey sick. "Dess, you're going to make yourself throw up if you keep pacing and you know what happens when you throw up, I throw up too."

Before anyone could do anything, Odessa's eyes widened and she ran to the nearest trash can. She emptied everything in her stomach.

Immediately, Oliver and Grayson groaned. "Oh, no. Not now!"

Hailey made a retching sound and ran to the other trash can on the end of the hallway. Eli and Grayson cringed before each going to help their girlfriends.

Aisha observed with furrowed brows. "Does that happen a lot?"

Oliver nodded. "Every time. Sometimes Gray and I follow along with them and it becomes an assembly line."

Miguel cringed.

"Beaumont, Cooper, you can throw up after! We have a tournament to win!" Johnny shouted at the two girls when he stood in the hallway.

They lifted their heads and each glared at him. He quickly backed off. When they were done projectile vomiting, the girls rejoined their team. Oliver held his hand up. "Whatever you do, don't breath on me."

Hailey glared and blew in his face.

"Ew, you bitch!"

Miguel handed his bottle of water to Odessa. She smiled at him. "Thank you."

Everybody in the arena erupted in cheers when Cobra Kai came jogging in. "Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai! Cobra Kai!" The team chanted and formed a line.

"Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo! Let's hear it for cobra kai!" Daryl screamed into the microphone.

Thalia stood up and clapped for her daughter. Demetri and Asher were seen with her along with Moon, who Odessa still hadn't had a real conversation with since their fallout.

"And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills, we have Mr. Robby Keene!"

Odessa looked over her shoulder and saw a boy her age come jogging into the arena. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he wore a solid white gi.

Daryl looked to the crowd again. "Alright folks, get ready. It's karate time."

Miguel was up first for Cobra Kai. Odessa stood behind him and shook his shoulders encouragingly. "You got this, Miguel. You've trained harder than any of us. Don't lose focus."

"You got this!" Said Eli.Go Miguel!"

They watched intensely as the told them two boys to start and Miguel kicked the boy in the face, earning him a point. The crowd went crazy. Odessa and Hailey clapped like mad women.

"That's one point, Diaz!" The referee shouted.

The fights continued for a while longer until it was Odessa's turn. Her opponent was a boy in an all red gi who stood a good foot taller than her. "You got this, Dess!" Eli encouraged while rocking her back and forth by her shoulders.

The referee motioned her forwarded. The blonde walked up nervously, locking eyes with her opponent. He looked her up and down before smirking.

"Face me and bow," the referee said and they listened. "Face each other, bow."

When they bowed to each other, they got in their fighting positions. When the referee shouted to fight, the boy immediately lunged forward at her. Odessa blocked his fist with hers but he was able to swipe his leg and kick hers, knocking his fist against her cheek and sending her to the ground.

"Point, Michaels!" The referee shouted.

Her teammates groaned painfully as they watched her on the floor. "It's okay, Dess!" Hailey assured.

Johnny walked over and grabbed her by the hands, holding her up. "Hey," he said and grabbed her attention. "Do it for your mom."

She was confused on what he meant by it until her blue eyes scanned the bleaches. She spotted her mother sitting beside Asher looking beautiful as always. She looked back at her sensei and nodded her head. She then looked at Eli and he gave her a smile and wink.

"Fighting positions!" The referee called out again.

Odessa stared daggers at the taller boy and got in her stance. When the referee shouted fight, he came at her fast. She ducked as his fist came toward her and leg swiped him, sending him to the group and hit her fist against his chest.

"Winner, Beaumont!" The referee shouted and lifted her hand up.

She looked at her team in shock and they all cheered for her. She ran to them and they lifted her up happily. Johnny watched her with a proud smile.

Odessa waited patiently and nervously for her turn to fight. In the meantime she became everybody's cheerleader. It was funny considering she was once a cheerleader so she was good at pep talks. On the other hand she was observing all the other teams and fighters and she was on edge. She was a lover. Not a fighter. But she had to be a fighter today.

When it came to Eli's turn to fight, she held his face so that he was looking at her. "You're going to do great, baby. I believe in you."

He smiled at her and kissed her nose. "Thanks, babe. Don't worry. I got this."

"Kick some ass, Hawk." Oliver hollered. 

Grayson whooped.

Eli stepped confidently onto the mat and smirked at his opponent. The referee instructed them to bow.

"Let's go, Hawk!"

"You got this!"

"Go, Hawk!"

As she watched Eli fight, Odessa held onto Hailey's arm as she bounced on her toes. "Come on babe. You got this!" She shouted to her boyfriend.

Eli dodged the kick from his opponent that was headed for his chest and he ducked down. When he came back up, he successfully hit the boy in the face, declaring him the winner.

"YES!" Shouted Odessa.

"WHOO!" Eli shouted out in victory and the crowd cheered for him. He stepped forward while untying his gi. They watched him pull off the top and turn his back to the crowd, revealing his hawk tattoo.

Odessa scoffed a laugh and Oliver threw his hands up, hollering loudly. She watched her mom in audience out her hand over her face and shake her head, which made her laugh more. The winner came running back to his team and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close. She laughed again and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

The competition continued with high tension and before she knew it, it was just Odessa, Eli, and Miguel left for Cobra Kai. She felt proud of herself for making it this far but the competition was also getting harder. Anything could happen at this point. "Let's give it up for our competitors!" Daryl announced to everyone. "You're all winners! But there can be only one true winner and they are standing on this stage right now. Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai?"

The Cobra Kai team cheered and Odessa smiled at her friend. She patted him on the back.

"Will it be Hawk. . . Well, I guess it's just Hawk!"

Eli smirked confidently while receiving praise from the crowd.

"Will it be Odessa Beaumont from Cobra Kai?"

"That's my girl!" Thalia shouted from the stands.

Demetri clapped. "Let's go, Dess!"

Odessa bowed at the crowd and her friends screeched loudly for her from behind them. Eli sent her a sly wink.

"Will it be Robby Keene, unaffiliated?" Daryl announced and Robby took his bow. "And last but certainly not least, last years champion, fighting out of Topanga Karate, Xander Stone!"

Xander's mom went crazy and be bowed to everyone. When he showed off with a backflip, Odessa rolled her eyes. He took the microphone from Daryl. "I just wanted to say even though I love to fight,  we all need to fight together against hatred. And as I look around this arena, I pray for every race, religion, and gender that we can all live together in peace."

"What a pussy." Oliver whispered and Johnny had to agree.

"Please join me in a moment of silence as we strive to end intolerance in our time."

The crowd went silent and bowed their heads at his words.  His mother bowed her head in tears. Odessa glanced at Miguel and Eli, who looked back at her snd shook their heads.

Daryl quickly took back his microphone. "Alright! First up, Stone vs. Diaz!"

The couple backed up and Miguel took his spot on the mat with Xander. It wasn't shocking to them that Miguel was a great fighter. He was the first Cobra Kai student. He was their chance to win it all.

When Miguel got the final shot, the red declared him the winner. "Yes!" Odessa cheered and Cobra Kai hollered out in victory.

When it was time for Eli and Robby to fight, Odessa said encouraging words to her boyfriend before he went on the mat. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and did his handshake with Miguel. The pair stepped back and Odessa held his arm nervously. "You got this, E!"

"Go, Hawk!" Grayson shouted into his hands.

Eli and Robby bowed to the ref and then to each other. When the whistle was blown, Eli was quick to dodge his kicks that immediately came his way. Robby wasn't able to dodge the punch to his stomach.

Oliver clapped. "That's right!"

Eli was cocky and Robby was nervous. The pair didn't mix. All of a sudden Odessa saw Daniel, Sam's father, stand up from his seat in the crowd. "Remember what you've learned,  Robby!" He shouted at the boy.

Hearing his voice, Thalia's eyes widened.  "Daniel Larusso?"

The fight between the boys continued intensely. The Cobra Kai team watched as Robby was able to kick Dli in the Eli, earning a point. Odessa sighed and dropped her hand from Miguel's arm. "It's okay, Eli." She encouraged him.

"Keep going, Hawk!" Hailey told him.

"STAY FOCUSED!"

"LET'S GO, ELI!"  Thalia cheered for the boy.

When Eli and Robby got in each other's faces, the tension grew higher. Eli was pissed and Odessa's stomach turned at how angry he was. While she prayed in her head that nothing bad would happen, Robby turned his back to walk away and Eli marched up to him. He kicked Robby harshly in the shoulder and he fell to the floor in pain.

Odessa grabbed Hailey's arm, completely shocked.

"What the fuck!"  Oliver exclaimed.

At the illegal action, the crowd of people immediately started booing. The ref pushed Eli back. "That's enough! Illegal contact, you're disqualified!"

"Bullshit!"  The boy shouted back.

"What the hell were you thinking!"  Johnny yelled in his face. 

"What was I suppose to do? Be a pussy?"  He sneered and stormed away.

Miguel and Odessa pulled him off the mat. "What the hell was that?" She seethed.

Her angry tone startled him slightly. "You didn't hear what he said. He was being a smart ass—"

"So that's your solution? Fighting illegally? That's bullshit!"

Hailey pulled her away while Miguel did the same with Eli. She walked the girl to the other side of the team. "Hey, cool off, okay? You need to focus." She told her.

Feeling her internal temperature rise, Odessa covered her face. "What the hell was that? Why would he do that? That's not him."

"I know. I know, okay?" Hailey responded and put her hands on the her shoulders.  "You can yell at him when this is over but for now,  blow the steam off on your opponent. You're still in the right. Don't lose your focus now. You've worked too hard."

Odessa sucked in deep breaths to calm herself down. Once she was calm, she nodded her head. They went back to the team.

"With that disqualification, Keene earns a trip to the finals! We'll see him back after a short break for Beaumont vs. Keene!"  Announced Daryl.

Because of the disqualification, Odessa and Robby's fight moved up to the finals automatically. She felt happy that she was in the finals but also extremely nervous to be fighting someone her boyfriend just injured. "Alright, let's go warm up! Odessa, you go stretch and get focused." Johnny ordered his students.

Odessa nodded silently and started walking off. Eli tugged on her arm. "Odessa, wait,"

"What?" She said harshly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you seriously mad right now?"  He asked in disbelief.

She pointed between them. "The whole reason you and I joined this whole karate thing was for self defense. To stand up for ourselves if we were to get hurt.  Not to show off our pride and act like we're better than everyone else.  Talk to me when you get your ego in check,  Hawk." 

Odessa never called him Hawk. Eli watched her storm off with sad eyes but his face was red from anger. He cursed to himself.

Miguel watched the girl fall to the ground beside him. "Are you okay?" He carefully asked.

She huffed angrily and cracked her knuckles. "I will be.  We can't afford to lose cause i'm mad at my boyfriend."

He gave her a sympathetic smile and they continued stretching.  "If it makes you feel any better, you definitely scared him when you yelled at him."

Odessa chuckled slightly. "That does make me feel better, yes."