chapter five,
counterbalance

The next day, the brunette girl hoped and prayed for it to be better than the last few. It may had been going good for her but not for Samantha Larusso.

She sat at the back of her history classroom, writing down the notes that her teacher had instructed them to do.

"Okay class! Now I want to see you applying your knowledge! Miss Alexopoulos, why don't you start us off!"

The history professor announced to the tired teens. The brunette girl let out a deep sigh, usually Mackenzie was the first person to speak or present — but today she felt off.

She stood up from her seat and took a deep breath to compose herself. She then began to take out her notes from her notebook and prepared to present her information.

She began to recite the information that she had written down, and although she was confident about the material she presented, even though she wasn't in the right mindset.

After a few minutes, she finished and took a deep breath. The class gave her a round of applause for her presentation and the professor walked up to her.

As she sat down back in her seat, from the corner of her eye she saw two girl whispering to each other.

Both of them looking at the phone sat was held in-front of them.

The curiosity got the best of her, and she leaned over to her left to get a better view at what the girls were looking at. She read the text message that said Samatha had sex with Kyler in a movie theatre.

"What?" Mackenzie accidentally outbursts. The whole class turns their attention to her, "Sorry." She apologised as she sinks back into her chair, hiding her embarrassment.

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The class finally finished and Mackenzie was already on her way through the school looking for Sam.

Once she eventually found her she pulled the clueless girl into the bathroom. "What the fuck is everyone talking about?" She questions.

"It's none of your business." Sam scrunches her face up and crossed her arms. "Look Sam, we may not be friends anymore but this can ruin your reputation." Kenzie advises.

"Get out of my way." Sam hisses, pushing past the girl to exit the bathrooms, leaving Mackenzie with a frown. Kenzie decided to take it into her own hands, for once.

She makes her way over to Kyler. Once at Kyler's locker, Kenzie begins to glare angrily. "Hey, are the rumors true?"

"What?" He laughs looking behind his back at Brucks, both laughing along with each other. "God, Kyler." She rolls her eyes, "you might have to get your ears checked. I asked if the rumours were true."

"Why the hell do you care." Kyler says as he stuffs his textbook into his locker. Kenzie takes a few steps forwards, getting extremely close to him. Kenzie stares him down.

"I do care, and I think deep down, you know how wrong this is." Kenzie argues. "I have no remorse, Sam's a bitch." Kyler replies with a smirk.

"I'm going to warn you, if you hurt her again, and this is a big if, I will make you regret it." Kenzie warns. "Yeah right."

He snorts as he and Brucks laugh. "You're right, I am," Kenzie taunts in a voice. She takes a deep breath, "But I know she's better than that and I'm not going to stand here and let you drag her through the mud."

"She deserved it." Kyler replies confidently.

Kenzie clenches her fists together then makes an unexpected movement. She swings her fist into his face — thankfully not missing him. Kyler lets out a yell as he backs into the lockers behind him. He looks up at Kenzie with a mixture of shock and anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asks. "Don't act like you're the victim," Kenzie snaps as she steps closer to him.

"That was probably a lot more action than you got from Sam," Kenzie taunts, before adding some more, "Actually, I bet that punch was more exciting than your whole relationship."

Kyler feels the rage boiling inside him. He hates how Kenzie is getting the best of him. "You're only defending Sam because you want her back!" He retorts.

Kenzie smiles and replies, "and you don't?"

"You're a fucking psycho."

"You think I'm a psycho?" Kenzie questions with a smirk

"Why, is it because I'm standing up to you?" She gets right in his face, just inches away from him, "Or is it because I'm not one of the girls you could easily manipulate."

Kyler stares back at her, not backing away, not speaking. "That's right, I see right through your bullshit," Kenzie says as she gives his shoulder a shove, "You and I both know you're insecure, and using these girls to fill that void."

Miguel rushes over to the pair of feuding teenagers, "Hey! What's going on?"

"This is none of your business 'Rhea," Kyler snaps immediately, still clutching his nose as blood ran down his hand and dripped onto the tiled floor.

"It actually is my business," Miguel replies. He stares at Kyler threateningly, ready to fight him.

"You know what Kyler, you're not even worth fighting." Mackenzie says turning around the walk away.

Kyler glares at her for a moment. "Look at the bitch, probably just mad she didn't get a chance to sleep with me."

Without any hesitation, Kenzie charges towards Kyler and goes for another punch. "You know what?" She taunts, "I'd like to see you try getting anyone to sleep with you after I'm done with you!"

The words send Kenzie into a rage — but she's held back by Miguel's firm grip around her smaller frame. Kenzie tries to pull herself away from Miguel's grip, but he doesn't budge.

"Let me go!"

She glares at Miguel with a furrowed brow, frustrated that he was holding her back. "Stay out of this," Miguel firmly replies.

"No, let me go! I can handle this!" She screams, as she wields her free arm, ready to throw another punch.

Miguel doesn't budge, determined to prevent any conflict from occurring. He continues to plead, "You don't want to do this!"

He warns Mackenzie as she desperately tries to escape his grasp, "Get off me!" Kenzie yells fiercely, she ultimately fails to wriggle free from Miguel's strong hold and stops trying.

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    Throughout the rest of the day, Mackenzie found it hard to concentrate. The words that came out of Kyler's mouth were indelibly imprinted on her. She slouched over on the cafeteria table with a blunt look on her face.

    Mackenzie sat at the empty table with her legs curled up to her chest. Stabbing her fork into the weird goop on her red lunch tray.

    "Hey, can I sit here?" Aisha asked, dropping her tray onto the table.

    "Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable. " Mackenzie replied sourly.

    As the girl sighed and began to walk away, Mackenzie spoke softly. "Wait." She said, "Sit."

    "Thanks." Aisha quietly nodded, pulling up a chair across from Kenzie. Seconds had passed and the boys didn't show up, the only person to come across the lonely table was Samantha.

    "Can I-" Before she could even ask the simple question, Kenzie finished it for her, "No way." She immediately responded.

    Demetri and Eli eventually showed up to the cafeteria a little later than expected, both chatting to each other.

    As Eli takes a seat next to the brunette girl, Sam approaches Kyler. "Think it's funny to spread lies about me?" She asks, folding her arms.

    "What are you talking about?" Kyler plays dumb, "We saw a movie, and that's it."

    "Well, maybe I saw a little bit more than you." He says, making the student around him laugh. "Yeah, we heard you got pretty choked up." Brucks adds, pointing at Sam.

    While Kyler and his group chuckled at their antics, Sam hits the boy's tray onto the floor, grabbing everyone's attention.

    Holding a tray, Miguel enters the cafeteria. "Hey guys!" Kyler announces,  "You know that billboard with a big-ass dick on it?"

    "I guess Sam takes after her dad."

    The students around them grin, all laughing at his joke. Kenzie so badly wanted to hit Kyler again, but she knew if she did — something bad would happen.

"What an asshole." Demetri mutters and Eli nods.

    "Hey Kyler!" Miguel yells slamming his tray aside, Kyler and Sam quickly turn their heads to him. The boy makes his way to the two, fists clenched.

    "Why don't you shut the hell up and stop being such an asshole." Miguel screeches. "Want another beatdown 'Rhea?" Kyler intimidates, coming up to Miguel's face.

    Kyler shoves Miguel, "I'm ready for your lame-ass karate this time." He shoves him again, Miguel falling against a table.

    "It's not lame-ass karate." Miguel gets back up. Kyler throws a punch but Miguel blocks him.

    "It's Cobra Kai." Miguel says straining Kyler's arm, then punches his nose.

    The two begin to brawl. Kyler grabbing hold of Miguel and throwing him onto a table — the students sitting there immediately move.

    "I'm gonna go get a teacher!" Demetri insists, running off to go find an adult.

    Kyler clamps a choke hold on Miguel, but then he elbows him and twists his arm, sending him crashing down into a table with his fist.

    Aisha pumps her fists, "No mercy!" She exclaims, encouraging Miguel.

    Brucks tries to lunge at Miguel, Mackenzie's eyes widen as Miguel ducks and sweeps his legs out from under him.

    Two other boys attack Miguel, he drops with fury kicks. Grinning students film the fight as they stand around in a big circle.

    "Should we help him?" Eli asks Kenzie. "I don't think we can." She replied with amazement.

    As Kyler and his other friends rush at Miguel, he quickly picks up a tray, then kicks a chair towards the first boy causing him to trip. Then, on his left, another boy swings a punch his way — but Miguel hits him with the lunch tray.

    Miguel then knees Brucks, falling face first onto the cafeteria ground, then clubs him with the tray.

    Kyler lunges at Miguel to which he sprints towards the nearest table, using Brucks at a lift up onto the table.

    Mackenzie sits and stares as she's filled with excitement to see how this fight would end. She had hope for Miguel but when Kyler was mad, he was mad.

    As Kyler tries to hit Miguel, he swats the boy with the tray. Making him knock to the ground floor. Declaring him the winner of this fight.

    All the students who watched the fight occur were now clapping and cheering for Miguel, who rises up on the table with out of breath.

    He looks down at Mackenzie who gives him a smile and thumbs up. From the corner of her eye, she saw Eli glancing at her with an expression that had jealousy written all over it.

    The thoughts were quickly turned away when Counselor Blatt entered the cafeteria. "Hey! Get down from there right now."

    She grabs Miguel by the hand and pulls him away as all the students cheer for him.

    "That was pretty badass." Mackenzie sighs, turning towards Eli. "It wasn't that badass." He shrugs.

    "Fine. Let's see you take down all four of those guys. Then we'll see who's right." She smirks, taking a carrot from his plate then chucking it into her mouth.

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     That afternoon, Mackenzie had overheard that a bunch of kids were suddenly interested in joining Cobra Kai after watching the fight.

    Kenzie really didn't want to give in but it couldn't hurt to go see what the big deal was about karate.

As the brunette girl showed up at the strip mall, she knew she was at the right place when she saw the huge line outside the dojo. Most of them rewatching the video of Miguel's fight.

"Kenzie?" Demetri called out to his sister. "Metri?" She scrunched her face up with confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He replies. "I'm here to check out.." She pauses, "Cobra Kai."

"Why?" Demetri's furrows his brows, "Last time I recall, you were a lover. Not a fight." He emphasises on the word lover.

"I never said I was going to sign up nerd, just was sight seeing." She shakes her head at him, "Plus I thought you against this crap."

"I am. Eli over here dragged me into this." Demetri rats his best friend out who's standing beside him, looking down at the video on his phone.

"If you say so." Mackenzie shrugs her shoulders, not believing anything her brother had to say.

— leila's notes !

i want to start off by saying sorry for being so inactive recently. exam season started and i was only my grind so let's hope all my late night studying pays off :))

this chapter was heavily influenced by brutal, misery business and maneater so if you need songs to listen to, i recommend those.