SEVENTEEN.
( they gon' put me in a madhouse. ) 

When Emmy woke up from her nap, the last thing she expected was her phone to be blown up with different notifications from basically everyone in her contact list.

From Miggg <3: hey is everything okay?? you just left really suddenly and im kinda worried.

From Loser (with love): I didn't think you guys could stoop so low. I thought we were best friends.

From Sam: i can't believe you guys. i thought you were better than this.

From Dad: I am incredibly disappointed. Demetri is your friend.

From omg it's a hawk!!: I did something and I don't know if you'll like it.

From moon to my sun: you're not gonna see me around much anymore. i'm sorry but this isn't okay.

From Unknown Number: i really thought we were about to be friends. you just proved that all you Cobra Kais are the exact same.

Emmy furrowed her eyebrows at the unknown number, but with context clue, she took a guess at who it was. Her fingers quickly clicked onto her best friend's contact, and put her phone to her ear.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

Click.

"Emmy?"

She clenched her jaw. "What the hell did you do?"

✸

"You what?"

Hawk winced. "Yeah."

Emmy's jaw was dropped, her eyes wide as she looked around in complete shock. "Are you fucking stupid? All of you?"

She turned to the other boys. "You can't just attack people in a public place!"

Hawk scoffed. "If you saw what he said, then you would be reacting very differently."

"Look, I'm not saying that what he wrote was right and that it doesn't give me irritation, but you don't go chasing him around in a mall," she scolded him.

"You should have heard what he said about you," Mitch butted in.

Emmy turned to him. "Excuse me?"

"Or what all of them said," he added on.

"What did they say?" she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hawk swallowed thickly, and this was the first time she had ever seen him hesitate. Like he was afraid of putting it out into the world. It made her fear what was said about her even more.

"Well?" she looked at him expectantly. "Speak!"

He glanced at Mitch, who gave him a definite nod. Hawk sighed, taking a step closer to her. "We know that you spoke with Robby earlier. That you went back to the house."

Emmy was a bit taken aback. "What? What ⎯ what does that have to do with anything?"

Hawk licked his lips. "He started saying that there was no way that you didn't know that this was going to happen. That you were the one who told us that they were at the mall so we could find Demetri."

"He ⎯ " she couldn't help but scoff in disbelief. "He thinks that I'm the one who sent you guys there? Did you tell him that I didn't?"

"I tried. But he thinks that I'm just protecting you. He's not budging."

"He's not the only one," Mitch interjected. "Demetri and Sam believed it too. She started saying how Cobra Kai turned you into a terrible person and that she couldn't recognize you anymore."

"And Demetri?"

Hawk gulped. "He said to let you know that he wants nothing to do with you anymore. Or anyone associated with Cobra Kai."

"So my own best friend and sister would rather believe some guy they've just met over me? They didn't even ask me if any of it was true! All they did was send me cryptic fucking texts that basically said that I screwed them over," Emmy ran a stressful hand through her hair. "Did you guys at least win the fight?"

There was silence and awkward glances between them.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you kidding? Only two of them actually know how to do karate, and you guys outnumbered them."

Emmy scoffed. "God. You all are just a bunch of dumbasses."

Hawk grimaced, knowing that when Emmy got angry, she could get mean.

"And they can not have the last laugh."

They all turned to her. "What do you mean?"

Emmy had a smirk on her face. "Hawk, do you remember when we were kids and we used those spray paints to paint the sidewalk for Christmas?"

"Yeah, why?" he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Do you still have them?"

"Yeah, why?" he repeated.

Her smirk grew into a smile, remembering the words Kreese had drilled into her head the day before.

"Take back what's yours. Show whoever that you're the one in control."

"Cause I have an idea."

✸

"Are you sure about this?" Hawk said as he and Emmy stood side by side in front of the Miyagi-Do sign.

"I have nothing more to lose," she sighed, moving her neck side to side to feel and hear the satisfying crack. And then she scoffed. "I was the one who sent you guys to the mall. What kind of bullshit is that? I cry to him about my life and then he accuses me of sending people to jump my best friend?"

Hawk placed a comforting hand on his back. "I'm surprised you and him were even civil in the first place."

"I thought he was different," she solemnly said. "I thought he was someone who would understand. But turns out, he's just another person who's against me."

Hawk smirked, handing her a can of black spray paint. "Wanna do the honors?"

She stared at it for a moment before taking it with a blank face and uncapped it. Giving it a good couple of shakes, she lazily drew an 'X' on the sign, humming in content. She then turned to the four boys. "Let's finish this fight, boys."

Emmy let them all run loose, spray painting what they wanted, throwing toilet paper at what they wanted, kicking over whatever they wanted. But, she made sure that they stayed outside while she went into the dojo.

She looked around the clean and neat space. There was not a speck of dirt or dust in sight. She then walked over to the pictures of Mr. Myagi on the wall, and she held a sad smile on her face as she stared at them.

"I just know you're shaking your head at me," she whispered with tearful chuckle. "But, I hope you can understand."

She sucked in a sharp breath, wiping away a tear that had began to slide down her face. And then, she lunged forward, kicking in a painting on the wall. She knocked over shelves, kicked in the walls, punch the walls, she was surprised no once had woken up from the ruckus.

"What about that thing?" a voice behind her said, she turned to see Hawk pointing to something on a wall, she turned back

He was pointing at Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor.

There was a small pit in her stomach when she realized that he wanted to take it. She knew just how precious this medal was to her dad, knowing he would protect that thing with his life.

She would gladly do it to hurt him, but wouldn't it also hurt Mr. Miyagi?

The realization of her situation hit her like a truck, and more tears sprang in her eyes as she stared at the medal.

"Emmy?"

But then the devil on her left shoulder whispered into her ear, and her face hardened, and her tears went away. "Take it. Don't let the others know you have it."

Hawk smirked, walking up to the glass box. He slammed his foot into it, glass falling to the floor. Then, he grasped the medal, and placed it around his neck. The red haired boy then offered a red can of spray paint. "Go on. Leave the last word, then we'll split."

She took it without hesitation, walking up to the wall she had put holes in.

The next morning, Daniel LaRusso would find the word "liar" spray painted on his dojo walls.

✸

"So, you and Miguel are together?"

Emmy tried not to let it show on her face, but Tory could see right through her. Her face show an emotion of guilt and pleading. "Yes, but Emmy, I really wasn't trying. I know that you like him and I'm so sorry. If you don't want to be friends with me anymore I'll understand. But, I really like him."

"Tory..." Emmy mustered up her best smile. "It's okay. I kinda figured that something was going on, but I'm not mad. I realized awhile ago that Miguel and I is something that can't and won't happen. And the best thing for both of us is to move on. And I'm happy that he's moving on with you. You're a great person, Tory."

Tory chuckled, giving her a discreet hug so that they didn't take any attention away from the two boys who were fighting against each other in the middle of the mat.

The sound of the bell ringing made the two girls pull away, seeing Daniel LaRusso storm in. Emmy immediately felt her mouth go dry.

She would be lying if she said that the events of last night haven't been eating her alive.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Johnny asked in disbelief.

"Like you don't know," Daniel responded back.

Johnny slowly stalked towards him. "Take your shoes off my mat. You're disrespecting my dojo."

Daniel scoffed. "You're seriously gonna talk to me about disrespecting dojos after what you just did to mine?" He walked further onto the mat. Emmy and the four boys she was with last night glanced at one another, knowing what he was talking about.

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do anything to your dojo."

"Just like you didn't slug one of my employees, huh? You know, part of me actually felt bad for you at one point, but you make it so easy to remember who the bad guy is in all of this. You call yourself a sensei? You don't even know what a sensei is. A sensei mentors. A sensei elevates. He doesn't teach destruction and disrespect!"

Emmy felt like she was going to puke. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a step forward, but Hawk grabbed her by the arm, shaking his head. She looked at him defeated, taking a step back.

"I already said I don't know what you're talking about, LaRusso. And you don't know what you're talking about either."

"Yeah, well, I know you don't... You don't earn the Medal of Honor by stealing it. Let me tell you something about your sensei. He might teach you how to fight, but he doesn't know a thing about what it takes to truly win at life. If you want to help yourselves before it's too late, the doors of Miyagi-Do are wide open."

"You think you can come in here and poach my students?" Johnny cut in.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" Daniel opened his arms as if he was challenging the blonde. "You know I'm not gonna strike first."

Johnny stared him down and took a step back. "I'm gonna be a bigger man."

"Yeah," Daniel breathed out. "We'll see about that." He went to storm off, before he stopped by Emmy.

She looked sadly up at him, only to be met with a cold pair of eyes. "You were right. You are my greatest burden. You being here just proves that." And then he walked out the door.

Emmy felt like something had punched her in the gut, and felt bile rise up in her throat.

"Emmy..." Hawk whispered, but she slapped a hand over her mouth, and ran off to the bathroom.

"I got her," Tory quietly told him, hurrying after her.

AUTHOR'S NOTE !

damn daniel