Eighty Eight
Primadonna

CHARLIE THANKED THE lord above when he saw Sydney and Miguel come back, a large coke in his hand and a large piece of pizza in hers. "There you guys are!" He exclaimed, hiding his relief. He sat between Tory and Sam at a large table, all three of them sitting in a complete awkward silence. "Where'd you guys go?"

"Tried getting away from the awkwardness," Sydney replied bluntly. Miguel quickly nudged her. She gave him a look. "What? Don't act like I'm lying."

"Just—" Charlie started to say and faked a smile. "Come sit down. Join the convo. . .the one that isn't happening."

The couple sat at the table with them. Sydney looked between the girls sitting opposite of each other, their arms crossed. "I'd say this is the best date I've ever been on," she said sarcastically and looked at her boyfriend. "What do you think, love?"

Miguel scratched his ear. "Oh yeah, the best." He nodded along, cringing.

Charlie gave both of them a look that read you're not helping. "So!" He said again and tried to start a conversation, but he had nothing.

"It's our senior year," Miguel helped him out. "College right around the corner. Kinda crazy." He nudged Sydney again with his elbow.

"Oh yeah, it's mad." She joined along, chewing on a piece of the pizza. "Can't believe we're old enough to even be thinking about it," she said truthfully.

"Yeah," Sam finally spoke, "I mean, it feels like yesterday I was watching you in the All Valley." She said to Charlie, hinting a smile.

"Yeah, and me having the courage to even start talking to you." He said with a light laugh, their smiles the same.

"Guess we can thank them for that," she directed at Miguel and Sydney.

The couple shared a fist bump.

"Now we're planning our figures between training every day. There's just so many good schools to choose from,"

Sydney watched Tory's face shift, her body language indicating that she was uncomfortable by the college talk.

"What about you, Tory?" Miguel asked her.

"It's kinda hard to get in anywhere when you spent almost a year on probation."

"Don't say that. You're crazy smart." Sydney said gently.

Tory shook her head. "Smart doesn't have anything to do with it, Syd." She dismissed.

"Of course it does."

There was a poignant pause. The group shared eye contact, not knowing where to go next. "Ça se passe bien." Sydney mumbled and sipped the coke through her straw. Then she passed it to Miguel. This is going well

After a while of sitting in silence, they left the table to go and find Robby. Sydney walked between the skee-ball and air hockey games and she found him standing with Kenny and another boy she didn't recognize. By the looks on all three of their faces, they weren't having a polite conversation. "Robby," she said his name, getting their attention.

"Sydney," said Robby, thinking she didn't show up at a good time.

"Kenny," Sydney said to the younger kid who avoided eye contact with her. She then looked at the other one who was in Robby's face. "Who the hell are you?"

"None of your concern." He snapped at her.

"It is my concern when you're in my friend's face—"

He took a step closer to her. "Why don't you stay out of it, bit—"

"Okay, okay," Robby quickly said and put his arm in front of her, stepping slightly in front of her frame. "Don't talk to her like that."

Sydney only assumed that he was Kenny's brother by how protective he was being. The younger kid put his hand on his arm, almost inaudibly saying, "Let's go." She watched both of them walk away and Robby dropped his arm. "Who the hell was that?"

"Shawn, Kenny's brother." He answered and faced her.

"Ohhh," she said, her mouth in an O shape. "You sure know how to pick em, Keene."

The friends came up and circled them. "Hey, is everything okay?" Miguel asked, sitting his hands on her shoulders.

"You know that guy?" Charlie questioned.

"It's Kenny's brother. Met in juvie," Robby explained, visibly upset by the interaction. "He told me to leave Kenny alone."

"You're not gonna listen to him though, right?" Tory voiced.

He didn't know how to answer.

"Do whatever you need to do. We'll have your back." Sam told him, looking at all of them.

"Didn't Carmen make us promise not to get into a fight tonight?" Sydney said with a groan.

"Yes, but, c'mon. It's us." Miguel excused, squeezing her shoulders.

Breaking promises to Carmen was something she hated, but Sydney also knew that whenever happened, she would have her friend's back. She sighed. "Okay, yeah. We got your back, Keene." She declared.

Robby smiled at them.

"Your mother is going to kill me," Sydney said to Miguel.

He shook his head. "Nah, she loves you more than me at this point."

Sydney remembered when Eli started to change. They were friends and he was always known as the dorky kid with a scar on his lip. She didn't know anything else about him. He always kept to himself, he and Demetri both. Sydney knew they weren't on her level of popularity so she never took the time to get to know them.

But he was always sweet. He didn't bother anybody. He was quiet. Sydney never expected that he'd become what he did and who he was now. Cobra Kai changed him for the worse and it took Miyagi Do and all of his friends to pull him back to who he needed to be. Cobra Kai ruined all of their lives at some point. It ruined Hawk. It ruined Robby. It ruined Tory. It ruined Charlie. Now it had ruined Kenny.

And as much as Sydney wanted to say that she hated him, Kenny was just a kid. He was bullied and was looking for a way out, a way to defend himself, just like Hawk. Sydney loved Hawk. Robby loved Kenny. She understood why he felt the need to get through Kenny's head. But at the end of the day, her friends came first.

When Kenny went to throw a punch at Sam, Sydney grabbed his fist, surprising him. She moved in front of Sam. "Think again, Shrimp."

Kenny jerked his hand back but stood there, his eyes shifting between all three of the girls.

Sydney stood between Sam and Tory. She could hear the grunts of Robby, Miguel, and Charlie from behind her as they fought Shawn. Kenny tried running past them but each girl stepped in front of him, not letting him by. He let out a yell and charged between Sydney and Tory. She pushed him back and when he tried to hit her, Sydney grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, pushing him into the net.

Shawn stopped him before he could charge again. "That's it, little bro. Let's go." He told him, more calm that time.

"What? No, no, I'm not going anywhere." Kenny objected.

"Yes, you are. Security's coming." He glanced at the girls. "We're done."

Sydney watched them leave the batting cage, pushing her hair out of her face. She turned to Sam and Tory. "Are you guys okay?"

They nodded. "Nice entrance you made," Tory told her, half grinning.

She shrugged splendidly. "It's kind of my thing."

The boys walked over to them. "Well, that could've gone better."

"Could have gone worse," said Miguel, smirking slightly.

"A lot worse." Charlie agreed, out of breath, and he brushed his hair off his forehead.

"You picked up Miyagi Do pretty fast," Sam directed to Tory.

A smile hinted on her face. "Yeah, well, I fought you enough. I guess some of it must have rubbed off." She said playfully.

Sam laughed. Sydney smiled warmly at them. She looked at the guys, seeing their happy faces. "Now that we got that out of our systems," she started to say and walked forward, grabbing Miguel's arm. "Let's go back inside and have some real fun. Mig, air hockey?"

They started walking to the fence. "Why, so you can bruise my hand like you did Demetri's?"

"It was an accident!"

They found out very quickly that Sydney was indeed very competitive at air hockey. But so was Miguel. They played a total of six games, each one more intense than the other. At their final game, Sydney hit the puck swiftly and it went into the slot. "Yes!" She cheered and threw her hands up.

Miguel groaned and threw paddle on the table. "Dang it!"

"Sorry, love. But you should've known I'd win. . .again." She said with a devious smirk.

He walked around the table. "You only won cause I let you." He claimed.

"Ohhh, is that right?"

"Yep, because I love you." He said cutely and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Aww, I love you too," she pouted and kissed him on the cheek. "Not enough to let you beat me though."

His jaw dropped and she laughed loudly.

"Miguel, come play!" Charlie shouted at him from the basketball hoops.

Miguel quickly went to play with him. Sydney grinned. She looked over and saw Sam and Tory playing skee-ball. Robby stood by himself in front of the claw machine. She went and stood by his side. "Are you okay?" She asked gently, seeing his somber face.

"I just hate that every time I try to talk to him, it leads to a fight," Robby admitted, his green eyes looking at all the toys inside the machine. "And now with Shawn it's only worse."

Sydney leaned against the machine and titled her head. "I know you think that you have to protect Kenny, that what happened with him is your fault because you left, but Robby, it's not on you,"

He looked her way.

"You've done all you can do to try and convince him to forget about Cobra Kai. He's old enough to make his own choices. It's not on you." She repeated, firmer that time. "When the time is right, Kenny will see what you're trying to do for him and he'll come back. He'll join our dojo. He'll forgive you."

When she was done, Robby's eyes flickered to the floor for a second. "I just wish he could see it now." He said with a frown.

Sydney smiled softly and rubbed his arm. "I know, but he's a kid. He needs a push in the right direction you're doing that for him. Hopefully his brother will do the same."

He nodded softly. "Yeah. Thanks, Syd."

She smiled again. "Okay. Now cheer up and smile. Sam and Tory are getting along." She said with a quiet squeal and ran off to find them, hearing him laugh.

The next day training when Sydney stepped out of her car, she saw a car she didn't recognize. But then she saw Shawn behind the steering wheel and Kenny jump out of the passenger seat, then she understood. Seeing her standing there, Kenny slowly closed the passenger door. He had a duffle bug on his shoulder. "You came." She spoke first, shocked to see him there.

He looked nervous to talk. "Yeah, I guess so." Kenny answered her, the two of them now standing in front of each other.

Sydney nodded, bearing a smile. "What made you change your mind?"

The younger boy looked over his shoulder, his brother still there watching them talk. Kenny waved his hand, signaling that he was okay. Shawn backed his car up and drove off. "Shawn thought it was a good idea," he told her. "If he thinks I should give it a try then I guess I oughta."

Sydney nodded again, pursing her lips. "Robby will be happy to see you." She expressed kindly. He still appeared nervous. "What's that look for?"

Kenny shifted on his feet. "What if I don't fit in?" He voiced his concerns.

"Then go find another dojo," she answered but then laughed, making him crack a smile. "You'll be okay, kid. Everyone has a home at Miyagi Do. And we already know you can fight, so, you'll fit right in." She reached forward and patted him on the arm. "Come on."

They started walking to the backyard. "Sorry my brother almost called you a bitch yesterday." He admitted, looking slightly guilty.

Sydney just shrugged. "Ah, it's alright. I know I'm a bitch."

Kenny chuckled.

When they entered the backyard, most of the students were already there training. Robby and a bunch of the boys stood there practicing their kicks, and seeing the new kid walk in, they stopped. Sydney gave Kenny another encouraging pat on the back and walked off.

Sam and Tory were on the deck with each other. "I must be in a parallel universe," Sydney joked and stepped on the deck with them.

They dropped their arms. "Very fun, Syd." Sam said with a grin.

"Thank you," she responded with a bow. Raising up again, she smiled. "Why don't we show these people how real bonsai badasses fight?"

Tory smirked. "I like the sound of that."

All three of them stood in a circle. At Sam's command, they grunted and held up their fists. But then laughed, three real genuine laughs, and Sydney felt happy they were finally in a good place.