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──EPISODE TEN

ÉLODIE HADN'T SPOKEN to anyone in days.

She'd not been to school, she'd not visited her grandmother, and hadn't spent any time at Hawk's house either. She'd text Hawk begging him to speak to her that night, but when she'd received no response she found herself alone and spiralling.

Not even Sam had replied to her that evening, and she didn't doubt that Sam had been told that Miguel had kissed her. Despite the kiss not being her fault, the guilt was swallowing her whole, and she'd not thought about anything else in the time she spent curled up in her bedroom.

Miguel, obviously, had sent her a number of apologetic texts asking her to speak to him so he could properly apologise and explain, but Élodie had been too fearful to reply.

Demetri had checked in once, and she'd sent him a grateful response, but it had been days now of wallowing on her own.

Her stepmom had knocked once or twice, but she didn't care beyond the amount she needed to, so she'd soon given up. Élodie had hardly slept and hardly eaten, scrolling absently through photos of herself, her friends and most importantly her and Hawk. She felt as though they'd broken up, even though things had been left completely uncertain.

It had been a week, now, and the day of the All-Valley Tournament had finally arrived.

Élodie had been talking herself into going for the whole time she'd been holed up at home. She wanted to cheer Hawk on, and she did want to cheer her best friend on too. But she felt odd about that now. Was everyone right to find her close friendship with Miguel so strange?

She was certain that she was head over heels for Eli, but the self-sabotaging voice in her head kept making her wonder if she had any feelings at all for Miguel. Like she'd told Eli at first, she had had a small crush on him when they first met. But it was never anything more than that, whereas her feelings for Eli had been all-consuming.

Did the worry in her mind mean anything?

She stood staring in the mirror in her grams' bathroom, fiddling with the hem of her dress as she eyed herself carefully in the mirror. She was determined that she would go to the tournament, she had finally successfully talked herself into it, and had headed straight to her grandmother's apartment at 6AM that morning to avoid running into Miguel.

But the anxiety bubbling in her stomach was impossible to ignore. She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, a decision to make that she'd never been aware that she needed to make until this week.

"You look beautiful, honey," her grandmother cooed, appearing behind her and placing her hands on her shoulders, "You're going to be fine, okay? You can support them from afar and sort things out afterward, yeah? And I'll be right by your side, sweetie."

Élodie nodded, "Thanks Grams," she released the deep breath she'd hardly even noticed she was holding, "We should probably go, I-- I guess."

———

"Please take your seats," a voice sounded over the speakers as Élodie and her grandmother snuck into the venue trying hard to remain unseen by any of the people Élodie knew, "The competition will begin shortly."

They sat somewhere in the midst of the crowd, just deep enough to be difficult to spot but with a good enough view. Marjorie Marshall squeezed her granddaughter's hand tightly as she spotted the boy Élodie had been thinking about non-stop for the past seven days.

He hadn't seen her yet, obviously, but Élodie felt her heart ache a little as he seemed to be interacting with Miguel as though nothing had happened. He hadn't replied to her, but had forgiven him so soon?

Sure their interaction seemed a little more awkward than usual, but all the same it hurt a little.

She watched carefully as Hawk stood there, as usual, entranced by him.

"Welcome, everyone, to the 50th annual All-Valley Under-18 Karate Championship!" Élodie gulped as the tournament finally got in full swing, "All right, let's start by welcoming all the local dojos competing today!"

Élodie and her grandmother shared a nervous glance.

The young girl seemed to zone out, eyes fixed on the blue-haired boy just shy of the mats until she heard the announcement she'd waited for, "From Reseda, returning to the tournament, we have..."

The Cobra Kai students erupted into chanting, "Cobra Kai!" repeatedly in their usual boisterous manner. Élodie couldn't help the smile creeping to her face as she watched Hawk's proud stance. No matter how much Cobra Kai seemed to have changed his attitude, she was still incredibly happy to see him so passionate.

"Now that's what I call an entrance! And a badass name for a dojo. Let's hear it for Cobra Kai!"

The crowd applauded, Élodie clapping weakly as she worried, however irrationally, that she would somehow stand out. But she was shocked by his next words, "And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills, we have Mr. Robby Keene."

"Oh my, isn't that your ex-boyfriend?" Marjorie queried, looking at her granddaughter with confusion. Élodie nodded, "Uh, yeah... We're friends, it's okay, but I had no idea he'd be fighting."

"All right, folks... Get ready. It's karate time!

———

Immediately upon starting his first fight, Miguel won a point... with a move Élodie recognised all too well. She saw the irritated expressions of the LaRussos, biting her lip.

"That's one point, Diaz!" and of course he went on to win the fight. Élodie clapped, feeling guilty as she did so, but her eyes twinkled as she watched his focused expression.

As if aware, he glanced up at the crowd and his eyes caught hers. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling like a rabbit in headlights.

She looked down at her lap, hoping he wouldn't look up at her again. But of course he did; She just made sure she wasn't looking when he did.

Robby won his first fight too, and Élodie was shocked by how good he'd gotten. He'd been excellent when she last saw him fight, but Mr LaRusso's training had done him well.

With a sweep of her leg, Aisha won her first fight also, and Élodie's heart swelled with pride as the crowd erupted in applause.

Now, the moment Élodie couldn't deny that she had been waiting for. Hawk stepped onto the mat, and Élodie felt butterflies swarm her stomach at the sight.

The tournament continued, Élodie on the edge of her seat as she watched her friends advance through the competition.

She saw the anger on Aisha's face when she lost her fight, upset for her not reaching the semi-finals as she knew how hard she had worked. Élodie noticed Sam follow her as she stormed off, and was happy to see the attempt to make up with her once best-friend.

"There can be only one true winner, and he is standing on this stage right now," the announcer beamed, glancing at the boys on the mat around him.

Élodie's heart was racing as she watched Hawk, Miguel and Robby standing all together on the same mat for the first time without loads of others. It was strange, and her stomach was uneasy.

"Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai Karate?" the crowd cheered, "Will it be Hawk... well, I guess it's just Hawk from Cobra Kai Karate?" more cheers were heard, but Élodie heard Demetri shout, "Moskowitz. It's Eli Moskowitz." and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Will it be Robby Keene, unaffiliated?" more cheers sounded from the audience, "And last but certainly not least, last year's champion, fighting out of Topanga Karate, Xander Stone!"

Xander's mother began screaming her support for her son, and Élodie rolled her eyes with a laugh as her grandmother gutted, "Crazy lady, eh?"

Xander began ranting off some spiel about his desire for peace, but yet again Élodie found herself entirely zoned out as she glanced between the three boys she held so dearly.

She had no romantic feelings for Robby anymore, that was out of the question. But it was this that ever so slightly made her hope he would win — it would be easier for her that way.

"First up, Stone versus Diaz!"

This fight was less easily won than his previous fights, but all the same Miguel managed to pull through and win. Élodie clapped, silently cheering for him as he smiled at his victory. He glanced up again and they made momentary eye contact, but Élodie blushed and looked away.

"Miguel Diaz is headed to the finals! Next up, Hawk versus Keene," that sent Élodie's heart racing even faster, somehow, than it already had been.

She watched them get into fighting position with her breath in her throat, swallowing thickly as she almost wished not to watch.

Hawk won the first point, and as much as Élodie wanted to cheer for him, she did so quietly. Either way, someone she cared about would be disappointed by a loss so she didn't want to make too much of a fuss.

She could see that Robby wasn't entirely focused, but ever-so-slightly heard Daniel shout some words of encouragement, and saw him gain focus almost immediately as he breathed deeply, eyes closed.

Robby gained a point, and Élodie could see the aggravation on Hawk's face.

"That was a lucky point... It's gonna be your last," he scoffed, but Robby just scoffed right back at him, "Why? You leaving early to fix that stupid haircut?"

Next thing she knew, Élodie watched Hawk swing a kick to Robby's shoulder as he turned to walk away, having shoved the referee out of the way.

"What the hell is that? Robby!" Johnny ran to Robby's side, leaving everyone watching confused, as Hawk was reprimanded, "That's enough! Illegal contact... You're disqualified."

"Bullshit!" Hawk growled, furious. Élodie had never seen him so angry, and it scared her, but something also made her desperate to run to him to calm him down.

"What the hell are you thinking, man?" Johnny asked, clearly pissed off, which confused Hawk.

"What was I supposed to do, be a pussy?" he snapped, walking back to the rest of the Cobra Kai students with a scowl on his face.

"With that disqualification, Keene earns a trip to the finals. We'll see him back here after a short break."

———

As the group dispersed, Élodie's grandmother gave her a telling look, and the young girl nodded, rising to her feet. She drew in a sharp intake of breath, just as she made eye contact with a devastated looking Hawk.

His face flashed with various emotions, settling on extreme confusion as Élodie quickly descended the stairs and ran over to him.

Almost as soon as she reached him, the fight was about to begin so she said nothing at first, feeling eyes on her briefly until the announcer called the fight.

It was announced that Robby would now be fighting for Miyagi-do, and whilst Élodie was proud she couldn't think about anything but the way her heart thrummed against her ribcage right now.

The fight began, and the crowd roared in anticipation, but the only thing both Élodie and Eli seemed to be aware of right now was eachother.

"Winner!" Élodie heard, her brain jumbled as she stared into Eli's eyes, still saying nothing. Had the fight finished already? She couldn't bring herself to turn to see who had won... she couldn't bring herself even to move.

"Without further ado, let me present the trophy to this year's new champion, Miguel Diaz and the Cobra Kai dojo!"

They both glanced at the victor now, stood proud on the mat, but Élodie looked back at Eli with a shy smile on her face.

She tried to steady her breathing, reaching out to take both of his hands in hers and pull them to her chest.

"You." was all she said for a moment, and she saw his eyes twist in confusion, "I was cheering for you, I'll always be cheering for you, Eli."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE !
aaaand that's a wrap on season one guys! i hope
you enjoyed... i'll be taking a short break to pre-
write s2 properly, and then i'll be back with updates
i promise — i'm gonna mark the book as complete
for the time being purely as there is one complete season, i suppose, while i'm taking a break.

so she chose eli... obviously this could change in
future, but let me know how you feel about this,
sorry to everyone who's been rooting for miguel!

thanks again for all the support, likes & comments
on this, ur all angels <3 i may have like an interlude
chapter out this week just of the aftermath but that's
not 100%... anyway hope u enjoyed !!!!