╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter thirty-two
there to catch her

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

"ROBBY KEENE IS ahead one-nothing as he and Demetri Alexopoulos battle it out for a trip to the finals," Daryl announced.

Alyssa could hardly focus on the fight between Demetri and Robby. Her eyes kept trailing back to the doors Miguel disappeared into, wanting nothing more than to run back there and make sure he was okay to calm her racing mind. With a struggle, she managed to blink and come back to reality, only to see Demetri jogging back over to them. Robby had evidently scored another point, and he needed one more to win.

Sensei LaRusso clapped. "All right."

Demetri breathed heavily, his hands placed on his knees. "I had it hard beating him when he was on the good side of the force. Now that he's gone all Sith, I feel like a helpless Jedi youngling about to get slaughtered."

"Okay, well, you're taller," Eli cut in. "You have the high ground. That's how Obi-Wan beat Anakin, right?"

"All right, just remember your fundamentals, Demetri," Sensei LaRusso instructed. "Breathe in, breathe out, breathe through. You got this. Come on, Demetri."

Alyssa extended her fist to him. "May the odds be ever in your favor."

Demetri bumped his fist against hers, but then he blinked in confusion. "That's Hunger Games, Ally. Not Star Wars."

"You get the gist."

Demetri and Sensei LaRusso bowed to each other before he got back on the mat. Alyssa watched, fully aware now, at the fight. Demetri was doing amazing — it was clear all that training had paid off. However, in the end, Robby managed to get the point.

Alyssa glanced up at the scoreboard as Demetri walked over to them. Robby was going to the finals, and considering who won the next fight, either Eli or Miguel would be going up against him.

"Okay, he's very good," Demetri said.

Sensei LaRusso nodded. "So are you."

Alyssa patted Demetri's shoulder. "You did great, Dem."

After one final girls' fight, the match was settled. It was Tory versus Sam for the finals — which, considering their whole history, was sure to be something. Yet they still needed to set the boys' final. Since Miguel had gotten hurt, they gave him half an hour. If he came back, he would fight Eli again to see who would make it. If he didn't, Eli would automatically be going in.

"Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do are neck-and-neck on the leaderboard," Daryl said. "But there's a dark horse . . . or should I say a dark bird that still has a chance. Will Eagle Fang Karate stay alive in our dojo race? We're about to find out. Miguel Diaz has one minute to return to the mat!"

The screen then showed a large countdown clock, starting at sixty. Alyssa watched as the numbers ticked down. She glanced back over to the door to the hallway. No movement. Alyssa chewed the inside of her cheek nervously and pressed her shoulder into Sam's, maybe for some additional comfort. Sam pressed back, clearly needing it as much as her.

A countdown of ten, with shouts from the crowd, and no Miguel. Alyssa felt her heart sink — something was wrong with Miguel, and not physically. She could tell. But then her eyes trailed over to Eli standing on the mat. He was going up against Robby now. Another personal fight.

"Well, it looks like Miguel Diaz is not gonna fight," Daryl revealed. "Which means that the winner by default is Eli Moskowitz, who advances to the final where he will face Robby Keene. The finals are up next."

Eli got down from the mat and looked at Alyssa, his blue eyes slightly wide. "Oh God."

"Hey," Alyssa voiced quietly, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You've been training for this. You're one of the best fighters out there."

Eli looked like he didn't really believe her, but he nodded nonetheless. There was a small break to prepare before ultimately, Daryl called all finalists back to the mat — Eli, Robby, Sam, Tory.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over," Daryl told them. "It's finals time! Since Cobra Kai scored the most points, they only need to win one match to be crowned Grand Champion. But, if Miyagi-Do wins both matches, the title is theirs. Ooh, high drama! Up first, the boys' fight! Good luck to all of our fighters. Let's go!"

"This is my chance to get back at Robby for what he did to me," Eli stated.

"This fight is not about him," Sensei LaRusso protested. "The biggest battle is always the one within. Okay, concentrate, defense, focus, power. You find your balance, and those points will come, all right?

Eli looked over at Alyssa. "Any parting words?"

She scoffed. "You make it sound like you're going away for war. Which . . . is actually kind of fitting. Whatever. You got this, E. Remember, I'm always in your corner."

The ref then called them to the mat.

Sensei LaRusso patted Eli on the back. "Go out there. Go get him."

Both Eli and Robby stepped up onto the mat, their faces set with determination. They bowed to the ref and then to each other, and the fight began. Robby kicked first, then Eli, and Eli started to block all of Robby's punches until he nailed him in the chest. Alyssa tried to keep her face neutral, but her mind was screaming.

Eli then signaled to the ref. "Time out." He walked back over to them. "He knows all my moves. He trained at Miyagi-Do way longer than me."

Alyssa then glanced at the opposite side of the mat. Robby may know Miyagi-Do's moves, but Eli also trained at a dojo for longer than Robby. It was a stupid idea, considering the image that came to mind of the asshole he used to be, but it could be used to their advantage.

"I cannot believe I'm about to say this," Alyssa muttered before clearing her throat. "Eli, bring out Hawk."

He blinked at her. "What?"

"You might not be fully him anymore, but he's still in there. As infuriating as he was, he knew Cobra Kai. Better than anyone, arguably. So, channel that guy you were when your hair was red . . . maybe with less arrogance."

"Alyssa's right," Sensei LaRusso agreed. "You were in Cobra Kai longer than him. You each know each other's karate better than anyone. Put him on defense."

Eli got a slight smirk on his face and he bowed at Sensei LaRusso. Alyssa watched him get back on the mat, her heart racing against her chest in anticipation.

"Ally, I think in order to actually watch this, you have to breathe, or else you'll pass out," Sam said.

"How am I supposed to breathe when my boyfriend is in the finals?" Alyssa countered. She then turned to Sam with wide eyes. "Holy shit, he's my boyfriend." Her eyes then widened even further. "Holy shit, I'm a girlfriend."

"Did it just hit you now?"

Their conversation quickly ended, due to the ref saying Eli and Robby could fight again. Eli kicked first, which Robby swiftly blocked. Robby blocked his punches and all his advances. He seemed to be taking their words to heart — whatever he did, he always attacked first, putting Robby on defense. She then watched as both of them jumped up into the air and kicked each other at the same time. Alyssa's eyes widened as they both fell to the mat, but Eli got the point because he was able to kick Robby.

Alyssa gasped excitedly. "Yes, E!"

They got back into their fighting positions, and once the ref said they could fight, Eli ran right at Robby with a kick. Robby caught him and brought him to the ground, but before he could punch, Eli rolled away. He blocked a kick of Robby's, who in turn also blocked his kick. They continued blocking each other's punches and kicks, and both of them fell to the ground before getting back up. Eli blocked all of Robby's advances, and Robby even got him down to the ground at one point, but Eli shoved Robby off of him and got back on his feet.

Eli blocked Robby's punches and his kicks, like always. Alyssa started to feel worry pool in her stomach. Both of them looked out of breath, and this one fight seemed to be going on way too long without a point. Her heart raced against her chest as she watched Eli grab Robby and take him down to the mat, but before he could punch and get the point, a buzzer sounded from above them, making everything stop. The ref told them both to go back to their sides.

"Unbelievable!" Daryl exclaimed. "These two amazing competitors have reached their three minute time limit in a one-one tie! Which means their championship match will be decided, for the first time since 1985, by sudden death overtime! Let's go!"

This was it. No more point system — whoever got the final blow in this time would be the winner.

Alyssa felt her mind spin from the roaring crowd. "Oh God, I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

Demetri glanced down at her. "Aim it away from me, would you?"

Eli and Robby bowed to each other before going back to their respective sides. Alyssa placed a gentle smile on her face, wanting to keep Eli's spirits high.

"That was incredible!" Sensei LaRusso praised.

"Any advice on the last point?" Eli questioned.

"Give him all you got."

"Hey," Alyssa called after Eli bowed to Sensei LaRusso. "Put in a good hit for me, would you?"

"Every hit's for you," Eli replied before turning around.

"Did he just say that and walk away?" She turned to Sam. "How can he just say that and walk away?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because he has a fight to win?"

"You know what? You're so right."

Robby then seemed to get frustrated with the belt on his gi, and he ultimately just decided to rip the top off all together, leaving him completely shirtless. Alyssa blinked in shock. Eli looked towards the ref, who shrugged, like he also didn't know what was going on. Robby tossed the top of his gi over to Tory.

Alyssa then watched, her face settling into a knowing expression, as Eli started to take the top of his own gi out from the belt. He also took it off, and on full display for her to see was Eli's hawk tattoo — the very same one that she had seen get inked on him, and the very same one that had red marks adorned on it from her. Eli turned and tossed his top to her, and Alyssa caught it, butterflies flying around her stomach as he rolled his shoulders back.

"You got it," Alyssa told him quietly.

Eli looked straight into her eyes and rapped his knuckles on his chest twice, right over his heart. Alyssa nodded and repeated the motion. That seemed to give him courage, and he turned back around, starting to head back towards his mark on the mat.

Alyssa stared at his back muscles and his hawk tattoo, a dazed look on her face. "Oh, God, he's so gorgeous."

Sam clapped her hands together in front of her face. "Snap out of it."

She slightly jumped from the loud noise. "Jesus. Uncalled for."

"Why does Eli have red marks on his back?" Demetri inquired, squinting his eyes a little. "They almost look like . . . scratches?"

Alyssa's eyes widened slightly and her cheeks heated up, turning her face red. Sam slowly looked over at her, an knowing expression on her face. Alyssa did her best to ignore it as she threw the top of his gi off to the side.

Sam's jaw dropped, and she lowered her voice. "You . . . did . . . not."

"Remember the day at the dojo when I said I did a thing but it actually wasn't the thing?" Alyssa whispered. "Well, now I've done the thing. Like, for real."

Sam's jaw dropped and she slapped her arm. "Dude! And you didn't tell me?"

"Would you like to hear about the specifics?"

"Ew, oh my God, no." Sam's eyes then flickered from the red scratches on Eli's back to Alyssa. "You at least could've been more discreet about it."

Alyssa looked at her incredulously. "I didn't know he was going to take the top of his gi off!"

The ref then announced they could fight. Alyssa looked back at the mat, trying to control the blush she could feel all over her. Robby advanced first with a kick that Eli dodged, and he flew into the air while kicking, making Eli duck. He then kicked and put his foot on Eli's thigh, pushing off of it. Robby flew up into the air in a layout while Eli fell backwards, but did a kip-up to get back on his feet. While Robby was kneeling, Eli ran straight at him. Robby caught him, however, and spun him around.

Robby had Eli right where he wanted him. He raised his fist in a punch, but for some reason, he . . . hesitated. It gave Eli enough time to kick him off and get back to his feet. For a second, Eli and Robby just circled each other, both breathing heavily and only jumping to get each other to advance.

"He's getting tired," Alyssa told Sam quietly. She then raised her voice and clapped her hands together. "Come on, E!"

Eli kicked at Robby multiple times, all of which Robby blocked. Both of them blocked each other's punches, and Eli dodged Robby's kick. Neither of them scored a point as they kept blocking. Alyssa glanced up at Demetri worryingly, and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Robby egged Eli on as they both stood there for a second. Eli spun around with a kick that Robby dodged. He then kicked again, and Robby caught his leg in his hands and took them both down to the ground. Alyssa's breath hitched as the two hit the mat, but Eli lifted up his foot and kicked Robby square in the chest.

He won.

"Yes!" Alyssa yelled, even before the ref could announce anything.

The ref then officially announced Eli as the winner, grabbing his arm and lifting him up off the ground. Alyssa immediately felt a huge amount of relief spread throughout her, and a wide smile made its way onto her face. She giggled in glee as she ran onto the mat, Sam grabbing onto her hand to follow.

Eli let out a shout of excitement as they all crowded around him. Alyssa turned to Sam and immediately threw herself on her best friend. Sam caught her, hugging her tightly as she laughed herself. After a long moment, the two pulled away from each other.

"Your boys' champion, Eli Moskowitz!" Daryl announced, holding the trophy.

Eli, with a wide grin, took the trophy from Daryl. He then lifted up the trophy high and let out yet another shout of victory.

"And with that, Miyagi-Do vaults into the overall lead! It all comes down to the girls' final, coming up next."

"That's my boyfriend!" Alyssa shouted before she could help herself, because holy shit, all she wanted to do was shout it from the rooftops. "That's my boyfriend!"

Eli turned to her. He had the brightest smile on his face, one that made her heart race against her chest. Eli absentmindedly handed his trophy to Chris and walked towards her. He immediately took her face in his hands and kissed her hard. Alyssa kissed him back and smiled a little into it. The crowd went wild — again — for them. Alyssa giggled and pulled back from him, looking up into his blue eyes.

"You fucking did it," Alyssa said.

He nodded in agreement. "I fucking did it."

Eli then let his hands drop from her face and he took her waist in his arms, lifting her completely off the ground. Alyssa let out a loud laugh and threw her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he spun her around a couple of times. Finally, after a long moment, he finally sent her back down.

Alyssa let her gaze soften. "I'm so proud of you."

Eli's gaze softened as well, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you."

After a small intermission, the girls' final was finally here. Alyssa was standing in front of Sam, doing everything in her power to try and calm the nerves Sam so obviously had, even if she was trying to hide it.

"Hair's tight," Alyssa listed off, reaching back and tightening Sam's pigtails. "Chin's up." She moved Sam's chin up a little. "Okay, you're all set. You feeling okay?"

Sam looked up at her, her eyes showing vulnerability that was only really reserved for Alyssa. "Will you catch me if I fall?"

Alyssa frowned and reached forwards, pulling her best friend in for a tight hug. "Sam, you're not going to fall. I know you won't. And I meant what I said all those months ago — I'm right behind you." She pulled back and rested her hands on Sam's shoulders. "Go out there and kick ass."

She spared Sam one more smile before she got down from the mat. Alyssa slotted into place between Demetri and Eli. With a fight like this, especially with Sam, those two would be able to ground her.

"What better way to cap off this exciting exhibition of karate than with a final match for the ages?" Daryl asked. "Representing Cobra Kai, the Queen Cobra herself, Tory Nichols! Coached by her Senseis John Kreese and Terry Silver. And representing Miyagi-Do Karate, the Bonsai Badass, Samantha LaRusso! Coached by her father and Sensei, two-time All Valley champion Daniel LaRusso, who I've just been informed will be joined by Sensei Johnny Lawrence."

Alyssa blinked in shock. Well, she wasn't expecting that. She also wasn't expecting Sensei LaRusso to jog up to Daryl and whisper something in his ear.

"Oh, I stand corrected. Fellow two-time All Valley champion, Sensei Johnny Lawrence! Let's go!"

"All right, LaRusso, ready to kick some ass?" Sensei Lawrence questioned.

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sensei." She then sent a glance over to her dad. "If that's okay with my other Sensei?"

"I want you to win more than anyone," Sensei LaRusso answered. "Whether it's defense or offense, Miyagi-Do or Eagle Fang. I want you to be you. Just make sure you keep your anger in check—"

Sam then fell forwards and wrapped her arms around Sensei LaRusso. Alyssa smiled gently at them. She always loved the father-daughter bond they had.

"Uh, s-sorry," Sam stammered as she pulled back. "You were saying?"

Sensei LaRusso gave her a small smirk. "Go kick some Cobra Kai ass."

The ref then called them to take positions, and Sam bowed to the Senseis before going out onto the mat. Alyssa let out a deep breath before clapping.

"Come on, Sam!" Alyssa called. "You've got it, babe!"

Eli frowned at her.

Alyssa gave him a look. "Platonic pet name, baby. Haven't you heard me call Miguel honey, like, five million times?"

"Do you think baby can be reserved just for me?" Eli questioned, his blue eyes glinting.

She shrugged and looked back at the mat. "It can be arranged."

Sam and Tory bowed at the ref before bowing to each other. The two of them aimed kicks at each other until Tory backed up, falling to her knees. Sam then spun herself around and kicked Tory right across the face, successfully scoring the point. Alyssa let out a laugh of amazement and clapped loudly.

Tory talked to Silver and Kreese for a moment before taking her spot. The ref announced they could fight, and like a true Cobra, Tory struck first with a punch that Sam blocked. Sam aimed a kick at her and blocked all of Tory's advances, but in the end, Tory got Sam in the stomach.

"It's okay," Alyssa shouted, noticing Sam's slightly deflated stance. "Come on, Sam!"

Their fight began again. Sam advanced on Tory with multiple kicks, but Tory kicked back, scoring her another point. It was two-to-one now, obviously in Tory's favor. Eli seemed to notice Alyssa's buzzing energy, because he moved in a little closer to her.

Sam ran back over. "I'm attacking but it's not working. What style should I use?"

"Yours," Sensei LaRusso responded. "Trust your instincts. Use everything you've learned from me and Sensei Lawrence. All of it."

"Your dad's right," Sensei Lawrence agreed. "Every now and then."

Sam bowed to them before running back onto the mat. Alyssa clapped for her as she watched Sam perform her version of kata and before getting in position. The ref said they could fight, but Sam stayed in her place. Tory got tired of waiting and struck first, but Sam quickly blocked everything with precision. They continued striking until Sam and Tory got their arms mixed, and Sam pushed Tory back towards the edge of the mat. She then struck Tory right in the stomach. Alyssa brightened, but only for a second, because the ref announced Tory went out of bounds.

"Come on, ref!" Sensei LaRusso complained.

"She went out after she got hit!" Sensei Lawrence added.

The two got back in positions. Both girls attacked, swinging and blocking. It was evident now that this was getting personal — well, even more personal than before. It wasn't until Sam got Tory in the chest that a point was scored. Alyssa cheered loudly, and her heart pounded with anticipation. They were tied now. This was it — this outcome could determine everything.

Their fight began. Tory attacked first, but Sam fought back. Both seemed to be doing well, but when they were on the ground, Tory swung her elbow back and hit Sam right in the eye. Alyssa gasped, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. The ref then announced that the elbow to the face was only a warning.

"Warning?" Sensei Lawrence repeated incredulously. "That should be a point deduction!"

Tory stood up. "I didn't mean to. No, it was an accident."

"Hey, are you all right?" Sensei LaRusso questioned in worry as Sam came back to them.

"Yeah, she got me good, but I can still fight," Sam insisted.

Alyssa frowned at the bruise already forming by Sam's eye. "Sammy, you sure?"

Sam winced again. "Yeah, I'm good."

She nodded. "Okay. You've got this."

Sam and Tory got back on the mat. The ref started the fight, and Sam kicked first, which was swiftly blocked by Tory. Sam stayed on high alert as Tory circled around her, almost like she had back at the school fight. Tory then kicked and swung, which Sam blocked easily. She blocked all of Sam's advances as well. However, in the end, Tory went down low to the ground and managed to kick Sam right in the stomach.

Alyssa's heart sunk. Sam was on the ground, staring up in nothing but pure misery, as the Cobra Kai team ran up to congratulate Tory on the mat, just like Miyagi-Do had done to Eli not so long ago. Sure, Alyssa hated the fact that Cobra Kai won overall and how this would affect them because of the bet, but right now, her main focus was to her best friend.

"Oh," Alyssa whispered. "Oh no . . ."

She wasn't sure if it was allowed, but right now, fuck the rules. Alyssa stepped up onto the mat and walked over to Sam. She kneeled down next to her and offered her her hand.

Alyssa gave Sam a sad smile. "I'm here to catch you."

Sam's eyes got impossibly big, and they shone with tears. She took Alyssa's hand and pulled herself up. Alyssa wrapped her arms around Sam, leaning her head against Sam's as they walked back over to the edge of the mat. They stepped down, and Sensei LaRusso immediately put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"What a match!" Daryl exclaimed, getting onto the mat with the trophy. "What a match! Give it up for your first female champion, Tory Nichols! And the winner of the Grand Champion trophy and still the baddest dojo in the Valley, Cobra Kai!"

Silver then took the mic. "Thank you. Thank you. We couldn't be prouder of our hard-won victory. And we're just as proud to announce we'll soon be opening Cobra Kai franchises throughout the entire Valley, so every one of you young men and women here can be part of our championship dojo and learn Cobra Kai's way of the fist. Thank you."

If Alyssa thought Cobra Kai was taking the Valley by storm before . . . well, now it was taking it by a whole God damn hurricane.

"We did the right thing and we still didn't win," Sam said brokenly. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Alyssa interjected, picking her head up to look at Sam strongly. "This is not your fault."

"Ally, can I be alone right now?" Sam's bottom lip trembled. "Please."

Alyssa had no choice but to nod — she didn't have the heart in her to argue when Sam sounded so broken. "Okay. If I don't hear from you in twenty-four hours, I'm coming over."

She let her arms fall. Sam then walked off. Alyssa watched her go, her heart shattering into a million pieces. She had wanted this for Sam so badly.

A hand was then placed on her shoulder. Alyssa looked up, only to see Eli staring down at her worryingly. She sighed — she knew Sam would talk to her in the next day, because Alyssa would ultimately go over her house. Right not, celebration could be for Eli.

She gave her boyfriend a smile. "So, we might've lost overall, but you still won. That's enough to celebrate for me." She offered hand out to him. "Come on, boyfriend."

Eli rolled his eyes fondly at her and took her hand. "Coming, girlfriend."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALYSSA AND ELI had gone out to dinner with their parents at one of the nearby restaurants. It was evident that their parents were trying to keep spirits high by bringing up Eli's victory, but there was an overall feeling of sadness they kept trying to diminish.

Finally, Alyssa and Eli had gone back to Eli's house. The two of them had showered — separately — and were now just in Eli's room. Alyssa was laying on his bed, her wet pink hair sprawled against one of his pillows, as she watched Eli place his trophy on his dresser.

"Are you going to put it somewhere else?" Alyssa inquired. "Not that it doesn't look good on your dresser, but maybe you should put it somewhere . . . better."

Eli shrugged, climbing onto his bed and laying on his back next to her. "I don't know. You think we should build a shelf?"

"Hell yeah, we should. Or I can just bring it back to my place and display it to show my boyfriend won." She then paused for a second. "Wait, okay, I've never had a boyfriend. How the fuck do you be a girlfriend?"

"I've only ever dated Moon, but I wasn't a good boyfriend," Eli stated. "Especially since it's you, I . . . I want to do it right. Maybe we can take it slow.

Alyssa scoffed. "Yeah, okay. I'm sure my Prom dress on my bedroom floor would beg to differ." She started to laugh a little. "We know nothing about slow."

Eli laughed a little with her. He then rolled over and pressed his lips onto her, successfully swallowing their laughs together. Alyssa smiled a bit into it, finding comfort in him, as always.

Truly, how could Alyssa Liu and Eli Moskowitz ever just be friends?

•─•°•❀•°•─•

𝙴𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝙵 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙸𝚅

jodi looks so pretty in that gif ugh