╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter forty-three
girls just wanna have fun
(sensei lawrence is one
of the girls)

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

IT WAS A complete honor of Alyssa's to be invited to Sensei Lawrence and Ms. Diaz's baby shower. After all, she was close to both of them. Sensei Lawrence had been her first Sensei (even though it was for, like, two days) and gave her the nickname Fairy Princess, and Ms. Diaz had been like a second mother to her ever since she became friends with Miguel.

The others, including Eli, were supposed to show up a little later for the party, but Alyssa had offered her help to come early and set up, along with Sam, Tory, Robby, and Miguel. It was being hosted at the LaRusso's house, the very same house Alyssa spent quite a lot of her time in. Scattered around the kitchen were baby dolls, dressed in white gis with either pink or blue belts. Pink and blue food decorated the table with pink and blue baloons, and Alyssa straightened things out, trying to make sure everything was perfect.

She placed her hands on her hips, resting them against her blue denim skirt decorated with pink flowers with a matching pink top, taking a step back and tilting her head to admire her work. Vaguely, she could hear Miguel's grandmother (Alyssa absolutely adored his Yaya) have a conversation with his mother in Spanish, but it went in through her one ear and out the other. Besides, it not like she understood. No matter how many times Eli spoke to her in Spanish, she never picked up on anything. Well, besides mi amor.

"Here, let me help you," Tory then said, making Alyssa snap out of her thoughts.

Alyssa tore her eyes away from the table, watching as Tory helped Sam carry a large flower vase away. She felt her heart warm. Even after everything they'd been through, Alyssa was glad they were finally finding some common ground.

"Oh, thanks," Sam replied.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that," Miguel admitted, slinging an arm around Alyssa's shoulders as he walked by her, dragging her along with him and Robby.

"Better than when they were trying to tear each other's faces off," Robby countered.

"What'd I tell you?" Alyssa asked, smiling smugly. "Time is the most important thing. I'm always right."

Miguel scoffed at her over Mrs. LaRusso screaming at Anthony for eating the cannolis. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Als."

Alyssa rolled her eyes, shrugging his arm off of her shoulders. "Oh, I do. Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours." She then glanced in between Miguel and Robby as they slowed to a stop next to Sam and Tory. "You two excited to find out the gender of your little sibling?"

Miguel nodded, bouncing on his toes, looking a little like an excited golden retriever. "Dude, I'm stoked."

"Same," Robby agreed. "I can't believe it."

"Little siblings are the best," Alyssa commented, but paused for a second, thinking about her little brother Jackson. " . . . sometimes."

Suddenly, from the living room, they heard a loud explosion. Alyssa slightly jumped and turned in the direction of the sound. However, what she saw wasn't anything bad — instead, it was Sensei Lawrence walking into the kitchen, the front of his shirt stained pink. Her mouth dropped open before she smiled brightly, clutching onto Sam's arm. It was a girl.

"The package came early," Ms. Diaz complained.

Sensei Lawrence shrugged. "Guess it's a girl."

Ms. Diaz chuckled, tears filling her eyes. "I can't wait to meet her. And for her to meet her dad."

Mrs. LaRusso slapped Sensei Toguchi's shoulder a couple of times. "It's a girl."

Sensei Toguchi clutched onto his arm. "Ow."

"I'm a girl dad," Sensei Lawrence commented, turning to Robby. "You're a girl brother."

"Where's Daniel?" Mrs. LaRusso asked.

"Oh, yeah, uh . . ."

As if on cue, Sensei LaRusso then walked into the kitchen. Alyssa's eyes widened, and her hand slowly reached to cover her mouth in shock. He was holding a cardboard box in his hand, but everything about him — his shirt, his face — was covered in pink. At once, they all started to laugh.

"I told him not to move," Sensei Lawrence voiced.

Sensei LaRusso shook his head. "I'm too old for this shit."

Alyssa couldn't help but feel her grin widen even further. That little girl was going to have the best family (and extended family, the dojo, duh) ever.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALYSSA STOOD IN a circle next to Eli, along with Kenny, Nate, and Chris. They were all stretching before practice, and Alyssa stretched out her back just a little extra, since it still hurt a bit after literally being slammed into a wall at the frat party. Go figure.

"I don't think we should ever go to parties again," Alyssa suggested, looking at Eli. "Some shit always goes wrong."

"Fairy Princess," Sensei Lawrence called.

Alyssa sighed. "I'll be back." She walked down the hill and joined Sensei Lawrence's side, who was standing by Sam and Tory on the deck while practicing their punches. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Any reason why these two are so skittish around each other?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that this is them still trying to be civil after hating each other for a really long time, right? It's not exactly easy to fight each other in a friendly manner after fighting each other in hatred."

"You weren't that way with Hawk," Sensei Lawrence insisted.

Alyssa shrugged. "That was different. E and I never really hated each other, we just pretended we did."

(It probably didn't help argue about sparring with Eli in this case. Not that they didn't spar — they could, actually, pretty well. They bounced off each other well. But more often than not, they weren't actually serious when sparring with each other. Usually, they just started laughing and play-fighting . . . and may have kissed one too many times to the point where they weren't allowed to spar at practice together anymore.)

Devon then walked up to them. "Sensei, I get that Miyagi-Do is about avoiding conflicts, but if they're not gonna go hard during training, how are they gonna lead us to victory at the tournament?" She then elbowed Alyssa. "No offense, Ally. But if we're down two . . ."

"None taken."

"They're not," Sensei Lawrence answered. "They're gonna get their asses kicked." He then pushed Alyssa's head gently to the side. "Go warm up."

"I was doing that," Alyssa muttered. She then tugged on the end of Devon's ponytail gently. "Let's go, Lee."

Devon fell into step with her. "Coming, Liu."

Together, the two of them walked back to the group Alyssa was originally standing in. Alyssa took back her spot next to Eli. She moved her hair off of her shoulder to rest against her back, smiling softly when Eli elbowed her side.

"All right, tomorrow's the big day, boys," Eli began. "Finally gonna find out which country's hosting the Sekai Taikai."

"Hey, Germany would be cool," Kenny revealed. "My dad's getting stationed there next month."

"Oh, sick."

"My money's on Taiwan," Chris announced, patting his stomach. "Gonna get my Din Tai Fung on."

Nate stared at him. "There's a Din Tai Fung in Glendale."

"Word?"

"Yeah, you've never been there?" Alyssa questioned, going back to stretching. "Sam and I go all the time. Their chocolate dumplings are to die for, although their soup dumplings got nothing on my mom's."

Chris lit up for a moment. "Your mom makes soup dumplings? Can I have some?"

She giggled for a second. "I'll ask her."

"Lee," Sensei Lawrence yelled from across the dojo, and Devon turned to look at him. "Call your dad. Tell him you're having people over tonight. Fairy Princess, you're one of them."

Alyssa raised her hand, her eyebrows knit in confusion. "I had plans."

"Cancel 'em."

"It's with my boyfriend."

"Hawk will survive."

Alyssa slowly turned to Eli. "I'm going to hold your hand while I tell you this."

Eli held up his hands helplessly. "I guess I'm going to survive."

"I'm sorry." She reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Reschedule, for sure."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALYSSA HAD GIVEN both Sam and Tory a ride to Devon's house. All of them were wearing comfier clothes — and in Alyssa's terms, that meant Eli's purple t-shirt he had worn when his hair was purple (which was the color she absolutely loved the most on him . . . and it may have also been because he dyed it purple for her) layered over a white long-sleeved and a pair of leggings with sneakers. She had to admit, the car ride there was a bit awkward, but it was better for all of them to travel together since they were going to the same place.

"Does Devon have a home dojo?" Tory questioned.

"No idea," Sam replied. "But I am wearing waterproof shoes in case Johnny throws us in a creek, or quicksand."

"Ooh, you're smart," Alyssa commented. "I should've thought about that." She stopped in front of the door, staring at it before rapping her knuckles against it three times. "Here goes nothing."

Devon immediately opened the door, smiling excitedly. "You made it! We're in the basement."

She then turned around, leaving the door open as she ran off. Alyssa, Sam, and Tory all shared a confused glance. Basement? What could they possibly be doing with karate in Devon's basement? Nevertheless, they walked into the house, shutting the door behind them. The three of them followed Devon's path down to the basement, only to find it was decorated with a punch of pink accessories. None other than Sensei Lawrence was waiting for them at the very bottom.

"Welcome to Miyagi-Do After Dark," Sensei Lawrence greeted.

"I don't think you should call it that," Sam responded.

"Miyagi-Do Nights?"

"No."

"Dark Nights?"

"Wait," Tory cut in. "Is this a slumber party?"

Alyssa's eyes widened — of course, she had slept over Sam's house more often than not, but it was nothing to this extent. "No way."

Devon then rushed up to them, holding a container of nail polish and looking very happy. "I've never had one before. I didn't know what color nail polish you guys like, so I just got them all."

"I figures since you three are friends now, most importantly, Sam and Tory, we can have a girls' night," Sensei Lawrence told them.

Tory blinked. "With you?"

"Hell yeah. I'm a girl dad now. I brought cookies and tampons and everything."

Alyssa nodded slowly. "Oh, of course. The essentials."

"All right, come inside, grab a sleeping bag," Sensei Lawrence urged. "The Mr. T one's mine."

Her, Sam, and Tory then wandered off to the other part of Devon's basement, placing their bags down. As Alyssa kicked off her shoes, she thought for a second. So, in short, Alyssa was totally fucking confused. Don't get her wrong, she understood why Sensei Lawrence brought them all here. It was to whip them into fighting shape so they weren't so skittish anymore. Yet, she couldn't understand why she was there — maybe it was to get her closer to Tory, or something. Whatever it was, maybe spending time with the girls . . . and Sensei Lawrence, wouldn't be so bad.

"Who's ready to have some fun?" Sensei Lawrence inquired.

He put a cassette tape into the stereo, and instantly, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper started to play. Alyssa shook her head, a fond smile on her face. Classic Sensei Lawrence, and

The first activity of the night was face masks. Alyssa, Devon, Sam, and Tory all laid together side-by-side on the couch, face masks on. All of them shut their eyes and put cucumber slices over them. To be honest, it was relaxing . . . besides Sensei Lawrence munching on the rest of the cucumber behind them.

The second activity of the night was pillow fights.

"Ready?" Sensei Lawrence announced. "Fight!"

Tory and Sam circled each other, each holding a pillow. Alyssa watched off to the side, also holding her own pillow. They continued to circle each other before Tory reared her pillow back behind her head, bringing it down on Sam's side.

"Yeah!"

Sam stared at Tory for a second, as if she was going to attack harshly. However, Sam faltered for a second before smiling, a giggle passing through her lips. She hit her pillow against Tory, who started to laugh with her as well.

She then turned to Alyssa with a mischievous glint in her eyes and absolutely launched her pillow into her side. Alyssa gasped at the sudden contact, a grin making its way onto her face. She then jumped in the circle, hitting her pillow against Sam before hitting Tory's stomach with it as well. Together, the three of them absolutely smacked each other with their pillows, their giggles echoing throughout the room as feathers flew all around them.

The third activity of the night was a Ouija Board, for some odd reason. All of them placed their fingers on the planchette

"Will Mitch ever win the All Valley?" Devon asked.

"Who the hell's Mitch?" Sensei Lawrence replied.

"Penis Breath," Tory answered.

The planchette moved. However, it wasn't from a ghost or anything. It was from Sensei Lawrence forcefully moving it all the way to NO.

"Nope," Sensei Lawrence stated firmly.

They moved the planchette back to the center of the board.

"Does Tory want Sam to fall down a flight of stairs, breaking every single bone in her little body?"

Tory stared at him. "What?"

Sensei Lawrence shrugged. "Well, let's see what it says."

Once again, he started to forcefully move the planchette. They all tried to resist and push it back, but eventually, Sensei Lawrence made it stop on YES. Alyssa gave him a look.

"There it is. That's ugly." He paused for a second before moving on. "If Sam could describe Tory in one word, what would that word be?" He pulled the planchette the way he wanted it to go. "B. I. T." At once, Alyssa, Sam, and Tory all rolled their eyes in annoyance and got up from the table. "What? It could've said bitching."

They left Sensei Lawrence and Devon behind, sitting on one of the small couches together. Alyssa opted to take the middle seat in between Sam and Tory, her knees tucked into her chest. All of them were scrolling absentmindedly on their phones, just showing each other things and texting.

Alyssa's screen suddenly lit up. She picked up her phone, only to see it was a text from Eli. Alyssa smiled softly at the screen as she looked at the picture he sent — his TV screen showing Clueless with the message your presence is greatly missed, wish you were here.

Tory's eyebrows knit as she read Alyssa's screen. "Your contact name for Hawk is The Hottest Boyfriend Ever?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "God, no. I did not name that myself, that was all him. And God forbid I change it. He'd have my head."

Sam chuckled, watching a video. "Have you seen this one? It looks like the dog's actually talking."

She showed them her screen of the dog. The three of them laughed at it, but right in the middle, Sam got a call from Robby. Alyssa tilted her head at it. Well, that was weird.

"Why is Robby calling you?" Tory questioned.

"I don't know," Sam responded, sounding equally as confused. "Probably just a butt dial." She ended the call, and her and Alyssa turned to Tory, who was staring at her own screen in confusion. "What is it?"

"It's a text from Miguel," Tory revealed.

"Well, what does it say?"

"Hola, Mamacita. How about you drop the zero and get with the hero?"

Instantly, Alyssa understood what was going on. Robby would've never called Sam out of the blue like that, and Miguel wouldn't have texted Tory that. Besides, that's not how Miguel even texted.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed. "I'll be right back." She got up off the couch and walked up to Sensei Lawrence, crossing her arms across her chest. "I know what you're doing."

"And what's that, Fairy Princess?" Sensei Lawrence replied, hiding Miguel and Robby's phones behind his back.

"You're trying to stir up drama in between Sam and Tory, and you're making me try and choose sides to cause more rifts." She sighed, shaking her head. "We're finally getting along, especially them. Can't you just leave that be?"

Sensei Lawrence then looked behind her, and Alyssa glanced back to see Sam and Tory had gotten off the couch. "Hey, hey, what's going on?"

"What's behind your back?" Sam inquired.

"My hands. Nothing. Just my hands."

"Smooth," Alyssa commented sarcastically.

Tory then typed on her phone for a second. Instantly, Robby's phone went off from a call.

"Lee, your phone's ringing," Sensei Lawrence said.

Sam then called Miguel, and his phone went off, too.

"Oh, wow. Multiple lines." He glanced at Devon. "I didn't know you were such a social butterfly."

"You're catfishing us," Tory voiced.

"I don't know what that is, but catfish is gross."

"You've been messing with us all night," Sam argued. "And now you're trying to get us to start fighting and drag Ally into it."

"We just wanted to help you get your edge back so things can go back to the way they used to be," Devon explained.

"You think things were better when we hated each other's guts?" Tory asked.

"No," Sensei Lawrence answered. "Maybe just south of that, like a really strong dislike."

Sam sighed. "I thought you were Miyagi-Do now."

"I am Miyagi-Do. Look, we're inside with pillows, and chocolates, and air conditioning. I want you to hate each other, but in a friendly way."

Sam shook her head and looked to Alyssa. "Can you drive me home?"

"Yeah," Alyssa replied. "Tory, I'll take you, too. Come on." Sam and Tory went to go grab their bags, but Alyssa hung back for a second, looking at Devon. "Devon, if you ever want an actual sleepover without any scheming, just let me know."

Devon smiled excitedly again. "Okay."

Alyssa put her shoes back on and slung her bag over her shoulder. She followed Sam and Tory up the stairs while getting her car keys out of her bag. The three of them started to walk down the path that led up to Devon's house, heading towards Alyssa's car that was parked on the street.

"Well, that slumber party sucked," Alyssa commented, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Can't believe he stole their phones," Sam admitted. "He actually thought we would fall for that."

"I don't know, it's not like you haven't tried to steal my boyfriend before," Tory countered.

Sam suddenly stopped at her tracks at the end of the path, staring up at Tory in shock. Tory stopped as well, looking down at Sam with raised eyebrows. Alyssa slowed to a stop as well, still keeping her distance. Well, this wouldn't be good.

"I was drinking," Sam protested. "And regardless, I — I know that was a huge mistake. But it was, like, over a year ago."

"So, what, that makes it okay?" Tory argued.

"The shit you pulled after wasn't."

Tory nodded to herself. "Oh, yeah, here it comes. Little Miss Perfect LaRusso."

"You attacked me at school!" Sam exclaimed.

"You attacked me at prom!"

"You broke into my house. You — You put me in the hospital."

Alyssa glanced in between them like she was watching a sports match. "Uh, guys—"

Tory ignored her. "I came to you and I tried to make things right, and you attacked me again."

"No, you started this whole thing," Sam stated.

"I did? Because the first time we ever met, you accused me of stealing your mom's wallet. And even after you learned that it wasn't me, you never apologized. I was already the new kid with no friends. And then as soon as I connected with someone, you had to come in and ruin that."

Sam faltered for a second, her voice breaking. "You . . . you're right. I'm sorry. I was jealous and distrustful, and . . . I made a really shitty call, and I should have apologized. Long before now."

"Yeah, well . . ." Tory trailed off. "I'm sorry, too. Things went too far. And if I'm being honest, it was my fault. I can't believe what I did to your arm."

Alyssa watched them for a second, her heart slightly glowing. Reconciliation.

"It's not that bad, actually," Sam reassured her, watching as Tory wiped away a tear that had managed to fall. "It's pretty much faded. A lot like this thing between us, right?"

Tory nodded, sniffling slightly. "Yeah. I really am sorry."

"Me too."

Sam then stepped forwards, wrapping her arms around Tory and hugging her tightly. Tory hugged her back, crying slightly into Sam's shoulder.

"Wow," Alyssa cut in after a few long moments. "Never thought I'd see the day."

The two girls said nothing. All they did was extend one of their arms out, creating an opening for Alyssa. Alyssa's grin widened and she walked up, joining their hug. She tugged them in closer to her with her own arms.

About two minutes later, they had decided they hugged it out enough. Tory wiped away the rest of her tears, and they all clambered back into Alyssa's car. Alyssa drove them back to their respective houses, starting with Tory and then Sam — and, by the way, the car ride back was way more fun than the drive there. She had just dropped Sam off when she remembered Eli and her had originally had plans, but now she was free the rest of the night.

She texted Eli is it cool if I come over now? my slumber party with sensei lawrence is over, to which he immediately responded with I have no idea what that means, but absolutely. Alyssa grinned down at her phone before putting her car back in drive, leaving the LaRusso house and heading in the direction of Eli's. It took her a couple minutes to get there before she parked out front. Alyssa got out of her car, locked it, and made her way up to the door before knocking — although knocking wouldn't have really made a difference, since she was there all the time, anyways.

Eli opened up the door. Alyssa felt her breath hitch in her throat once her eyes set on him. His hair was down — still her biggest weakness — the locks of blue flopping against his face. And he was shirtless as well, his chest and ab muscles on display, along with his lotus flower tattoo on his chest and his hawk tattoo on his back. Even after all of this time, she still couldn't get over ridiculously attractive her boyfriend was.

His eyes flickered up and down her figure. "My shirt? I've been looking for that for weeks, Lys."

Alyssa waved him off, ignoring the warmness of her face. "Irrelevant. You got any ice cream?"

"Did you just come over here to get ice cream?"

"You've always got the best options." Alyssa smiled as she watched him roll his eyes. She stepped into the familiar house and took off her shoes before reaching up, wrapping his arms around his neck while his hands found their usual place on her hips. "Unless you want to give me something sweeter than ice cream . . . like, oh, I don't know, a kiss."

"Hm," Eli hummed in response, dipping his head down so his face was inches from hers. "There's a possibility."

"Depends if there's sprinkles involved with the ice cream, though. Then that would be sweeter."

"Oh, obviously."

He then leaned down and kissed her fully. Alyssa pressed up onto her toes in effort to get closer to him, her body slightly leaning back as she did so. After a couple of moments of kissing, they parted, nothing but bashful smiles being shared between them.

"Okay, come on, you," Eli continued, picking her up off the floor. Alyssa let out a small yelp from the sudden movement and tightened her grip around him. "Let's go get you some ice cream, and you can tell me about this slumber party."

And as Eli carried her through his house to the kitchen, placing her down on the cool marble of the counter to fix her a bowl of the treat she had been craving, Alyssa was one-hundred percent certain that the way he made her feel was definitely sweeter than ice cream.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALYSSA WATCHED, CLEARLY impressed, as Sam and Tory fought with newfound confidence. Unlike earlier, they didn't hold back, and there was no hatred between them anymore. She stood in between Sensei Lawrence and Devon, watching with complete interest. It was the perfect balance of offense and defense between them.

Sensei Lawrence clapped. "Now that's what I'm talking about." He lowered his voice, turning to Alyssa and Devon. "What the hell got into them?"

"It's called friendship," Alyssa responded.

Devon shrugged. "I guess their breakthrough last night took care of whatever was holding them back. Remind me to never doubt you again, Sensei."

Sensei Lawrence fist-bumped her. "It's like I always say. Girls are easy."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at that. Girls are easy? Yeah, sure. Whatever. That definitely wasn't true at all, but she knew it was better than to argue with him, because it would probably get her nowhere.

"Hey, everybody, gather 'round!" Eli called.

It was time. Alyssa turned and bounded across the yard, reaching Eli's side. She grinned at him, placing a hand in the crook of his elbow as the dojo formed a group around them.

Eli held up his iPad. "The announcement just came out. All right. Who's ready to find out where we're going for the Sekai Taikai?"

"Congratulations on your admission to the Sekai Taikai," the judge voiced from the video after Eli pressed play. "We're excited to finally announce the host city for this year's competition. Martial arts has always had a rich history in the East. And the Sekai Taikai has held many tournaments throughout Asia."

Chris exhaled in excitement. "Soup dumplings, baby."

"But in recent years, European teams have shaken up the competitive landscape, bringing a whole new style to the event."

Kenny grinned. "I'm feeling Germany."

"Within that region, there's one nation that has continued to stand tall amongst the pack for its growth and dominance in both junior and senior competitions. It gives me great pleasure to announce this year's Sekai Taikai will be held in Barcelona, Spain."

Alyssa gasped, cheering along with the rest of the dojo. She had already heard about how beautiful Barcelona was, and honestly, she couldn't wait to get there.

"As you prepare for your journey, we'll also present the rules of registration," the judge continued. "We intend to test your dojo's quality, not quantity, and each dojo must select seven fighters to compete."

And, suddenly, Alyssa felt everything crash down around her. Her heart sunk all the way to the pit of her stomach, and she shared a glance with Eli. That meant not all of them would be going.

"Wait, seven?" Eli repeated.

"These seven fighters will participate in team events, with one boy and one girl serving as captains to enter into the individual competitions, which will be televised around the world. We wish a hearty bona sort to all competitors, and we look forward to seeing you in Barcelona."

The video stopped. Eli put his iPad down and instantly put a hand on the small of Alyssa's back.

"What exactly does that mean?" Robby asked.

"It means we don't all get to go," Miguel answered.

Alyssa moved herself a little closer to her boyfriend, her heart thudding against her chest. She glanced around at the entire dojo, feeling the air already starting to crackle. If only seven would be chosen . . . who would they be?

•─•°•❀•°•─•

I think somebody needs to take the words "nerf" "aura" and "glaze" away from the cobra kai fandom like PLEASE I beg of you just shut up

my roman empire is that sometimes, every so often, when ralph macchio says a line in the show, his long island accent slips out. maybe I'm just more inclined to hear it because I live by long island but it makes me giggle every time

you can especially hear it in that one scene in season six when they run after that guy from the boxing place and ralph goes "connection to YA GYM" like that was FULL ON long island

also, come on, you didn't really think I would leave miss ally out of the sekai taikai, did you?