𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄. 𝖤𝖲𝖰𝖴𝖤𝖫𝖤𝖳𝖮

MIGUEL SAT OVER HIS LAPTOP IN THE DIMLY LIT DOJO , his fingers flying across the keys. Johnny stood nearby, arms crossed, watching him with a mix of curiosity and impatience.

“So, what’s the deal with this ‘advertising’ thing?” Johnny asked, his voice gruff, as if the concept was foreign to him.

Miguel rolled his eyes. “It’s simple, sensei. We need to get the word out about Cobra Kai. I’m making a website for the dojo, and I’m gonna post some videos to show what we’re all about.”

Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Videos? What kind of videos?”

“The kind that show us training, teaching self-defense, and kicking ass. You know, real Cobra Kai stuff,” Miguel said, his enthusiasm growing. “It’ll help get us more students. Trust me, this will work.”

Johnny scratched his chin, clearly skeptical. “Alright, alright. I don’t know about this internet stuff, but if you think it’ll help, go for it.”

Miguel’s fingers clicked away, setting up the site and uploading clips of their training sessions. He added captions like "Strike First," "Strike Hard," and "No Mercy" with images of Johnny demonstrating his brutal style. The more he worked, the more energized he felt. For the first time in a long time, he was genuinely excited about something.

Johnny watched, occasionally offering a grunt of approval or shaking his head when Miguel played a particularly loud and intense fight scene. “I still don’t get why you want to put all this online,” Johnny muttered. “Back in my day, if we wanted people to see us, we just showed up and kicked some ass.”

Miguel laughed. “Well, times have changed, sensei. This is how things get done now.”

The conversation paused as they both glanced at the screen, watching as the website slowly took shape. After a few minutes, Miguel hit the final button to launch it. The Cobra Kai dojo had officially entered the digital age.

Johnny folded his arms, a hint of pride in his eyes. “Not bad, kid. Not bad at all.”

---

Later that week, Daniel LaRusso stood outside his daughter Sam’s bedroom door, his face tense with concern.

“Sam, we need to talk,” Daniel said, his voice a mix of authority and concern.

Sam, who had been getting ready for the Halloween dance, turned and rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m fine. I’m just going to a dance with some friends.”

Daniel stepped into the room, eyeing her outfit. “It’s not about the dance, Sam. It’s about you being careful. I’m going to chaperone this year. I’ll keep an eye on you and make sure everything’s okay.”

Sam shot him a look that clearly said, "You're not my boss." “Dad, I’m fine. I don’t need you hovering over me.”

Daniel sighed. “I’m just looking out for you. I don’t trust the other kids there. Especially... well, especially Johnny’s dojo. I don’t like the influence he’s having.”

Sam crossed her arms. “You don’t like Johnny, we get it. But not everyone in his dojo is a bad influence, okay?”

“Sam—” Daniel began, but Sam cut him off.

“I’m not a little kid anymore, Dad. I can handle myself.”

Daniel paused, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface. He had always feared that Sam would slip away from his protective grasp as she got older, but this was different. Cobra Kai represented everything he despised—an aggressive, no-mercy approach to life that had nothing to do with the values he had tried so hard to teach her.

But he knew he had to let her grow up. Despite his reservations, Daniel agreed to chaperone the dance. He’d keep a close watch on her without completely smothering her.

---

On the night of the Halloween dance, Johnny watched from a distance as Miguel got ready for his first real night out since joining Cobra Kai. Johnny had insisted that his students still participate in school events and maintain a balance, even if the whole “social scene” wasn’t exactly his thing.

Miguel adjusted his costume, a simple skeleton mask and black clothes, and looked over at Johnny, who was standing by the door, arms crossed. “So, what, you’re not coming?” Miguel asked, a bit of surprise in his voice.

Johnny shook his head. “Nah. I’ve got work to do here. You go, have fun. Just don’t forget the lessons you’ve learned. Stay focused.”

Miguel nodded, trying to suppress a grin. “Got it, sensei.”

Johnny stared after him as Miguel left, a strange feeling of pride rising in his chest. Maybe this whole “teaching” thing wasn’t so bad.

Meanwhile, at the dance, Sam stood in the middle of the gym, nervously adjusting her dress as she scanned the crowd. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting—certainly not the drama that was unfolding before her. She noticed Miguel almost immediately, his skeleton mask catching the light as he stood by the punch table, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with most of the other students.

As the night wore on, Daniel hovered nearby, keeping a close eye on his daughter. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something would go wrong. He didn’t trust Johnny’s dojo, and seeing Miguel in the same room only made him more uneasy.

Sam, on the other hand, had finally relaxed a bit. She was dancing with her friends, laughing and joking. She caught Miguel’s gaze once or twice, their eyes meeting in an unspoken understanding. There was something about the way he stood on the sidelines, a quiet confidence emanating from him, that intrigued her.

But the night wasn’t over yet.

The tension between the different cliques at the dance started to grow. Some of the Cobra Kai students were present, and their aggressive behavior started to clash with the more laid-back crowd. Sam’s friends began to distance themselves from her as they noticed the shift in the atmosphere, and her frustration grew. She wasn’t sure where she belonged anymore.

When the music started to pulse a bit louder, Johnny’s influence was beginning to seep into the night.

And Daniel LaRusso, ever vigilant, watched it all unfold from the back of the gym, as his worst fears began to come true.

---

The Halloween dance was in full swing, and the gym was decorated with cobwebs, flashing lights, and eerie music. The atmosphere was alive with energy, everyone in costumes ranging from ghosts to vampires, superheroes to creatures of the night. But for Zhen, it felt like a nightmare waiting to happen.

She had been told the theme for the night was "Funky Halloween," which, to her, meant something fun, a little quirky. But she had misunderstood. What she hadn’t been told was that the theme was more "Spooky and Scary."

So, there she stood, in the middle of the crowded gym, dressed in an oversized, multicolored clown suit, complete with a red wig and a large red nose. To top it off, she wore rollerblades—an unfortunate attempt to bring a little more flair to the costume. But all it did was make her stand out in the worst way possible.

Laughter rippled through the crowd as she entered. Sam’s friends snickered behind their hands, glancing at her with that mix of disbelief and cruelty that only high school students can muster.

“Oh my god, look at her!” one of Sam’s friends whispered loud enough for Zhen to hear. “What is she even wearing?”

Zhen’s face burned with embarrassment. She had never been one to care much about fitting in, but this was different. This was public humiliation.

Trying to ignore the whispers, she skated over to the side, hoping to blend in with the wall. But no matter how hard she tried, the attention wouldn’t stop. The sound of mocking laughter followed her everywhere.

“Hey, clown!” someone called from across the room. Zhen turned to find a group of boys from the basketball team, their smirks evident even through their masks. “Nice wheels!” one of them shouted.

The others laughed, making Zhen’s stomach churn. She could feel the weight of their stares, their mockery.

She pushed herself further into the corner, feeling the sting of the isolation. It wasn’t like she was looking to be the center of attention, but this? This was beyond uncomfortable.

Just as she thought she couldn’t feel worse, the punch bowl was moved near her, and in an instant, her rollerblades hit the edge of the table. She lost her balance and stumbled forward, the entire bowl tipping over as it spilled across the floor.

Guacamole and punch splashed in every direction. The green goo slid across the gym floor, splattering on her clown costume, her rollerblades slipping in the mess. Zhen scrambled to regain her balance, but it was too late—she slipped again, landing hard on the floor with a loud thud that made the entire room go silent for a moment.

For a split second, it felt like time stood still.

Then, as if the universe had decided to pile on, everyone burst into laughter. Zhen could feel her heart sinking deeper. It was like every eye in the room was fixed on her. Her face turned crimson with humiliation.

“Nice one, clown,” someone shouted, and more laughter erupted.

She pushed herself up quickly, trying to ignore the mocking calls, but it only made things worse. Her rollerblades, now covered in guacamole, made it even harder to move.

Finally, unable to bear the stares any longer, she turned and fled for the exit, her steps unsteady and her heart pounding in her chest. The laughter followed her all the way out the door.

She made it to the parking lot, her face still flushed with embarrassment. With shaky hands, she grabbed her keys and opened the door of her car, ready to escape the nightmare of the night.

But as she turned to get inside, she slipped on the slick pavement, the guacamole splattering once more across her costume and onto the ground. She felt the tears welling up, but she refused to let them fall.

Not here. Not like this.

Frustrated, she got into her car and slammed the door shut. With a deep breath, she started the engine, ready to drive away from the dance and the humiliation. She didn’t want to be there anymore.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, Zhen wiped her face with the back of her hand, trying to ignore the sting of embarrassment. The night had been a disaster, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

But even as she drove away, a part of her knew she had to keep going. This was just another hurdle to overcome, another lesson to learn.

She couldn’t let this define her. She wouldn’t.

---

The days following the Halloween dance were like a slow, suffocating buildup of tension for Zhen. Though she tried to put the humiliation behind her, the ripple effects of that night lingered, especially when she saw the video circulating on social media.

It had started innocently enough, with Sam and Yasmin—two of the more popular girls at school—filming the dance for fun. But what they didn't count on was how the night would unfold, especially when Zhen’s fall and rollerblade disaster became the perfect material for their Instagram post.

The video was posted with the caption: "When you show up at the wrong party..." accompanied by laughing emojis. The clip showed Zhen tumbling awkwardly, slipping in the guacamole, and trying to regain her balance, all in vivid, cringe-worthy detail. The clip was just short enough to make it funny but long enough to make it painfully obvious how ridiculous Zhen had looked.

Within hours, it had gone viral. Comments flooded in from classmates and people who barely knew her, each one snickering at her expense. It felt like the whole school was laughing at her again, and Zhen couldn't escape the sting of it.

That was when everything shifted between her and Sam.

Zhen had always kept her distance from Sam, who seemed like the perfect high school princess, surrounded by her clique of friends. But before the dance, there had been a slight understanding between them, a simple acknowledgment of each other's presence. Nothing more, nothing less.

But the video changed all that. Sam, who had laughed along with the crowd, now became an enemy in Zhen's eyes.

Sam hadn’t been the one to post the video, but she was certainly complicit in its spread. The way she had laughed at Zhen’s humiliation was enough to make Zhen feel like she was being attacked by everyone around her. It wasn’t just a video anymore—it was a reminder that she would never fit in, no matter how hard she tried.

The next time Zhen saw Sam at school, it was in the hallway near the lockers. Zhen had just finished speaking with Aisha, trying to calm herself after yet another taunting comment from some of Sam's friends. When she turned around, there Sam was, walking toward her with a smug look on her face.

“Hey, clown,” Sam said coolly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How’s the costume? Guess you didn’t get the memo about ‘spooky’ versus ‘freaky,’ huh?”

Zhen’s blood boiled. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside of her, and for a split second, she imagined just walking away. But this wasn’t just about the costume anymore—it was about the way Sam had turned her into a joke for everyone to see.

“Yeah, funny, right?” Zhen shot back, her voice sharp. “You know, I really appreciate how you’ve been spreading that video. It really made my day.”

Sam’s smirk faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her confidence. “Don’t act like you didn’t embarrass yourself. Maybe next time, you’ll pay attention to the theme before you show up like a circus act.”

Zhen’s hands clenched into fists. “You know what, Sam? You’re a piece of work. You and your little friends think it's so funny to laugh at others, but you don’t even realize how pathetic it makes you look.”

Sam blinked, clearly caught off guard by Zhen’s boldness. “What’s your problem, huh? I didn’t post the video. Don’t blame me for your mess-up.”

“You didn’t post it, but you sure as hell laughed at it,” Zhen retorted. “That’s all that matters.”

The tension between them was palpable, and it was clear that something had shifted in their relationship. Sam didn’t know how to respond, her words now hollow in the face of Zhen’s anger. For a moment, it felt like Zhen had won the confrontation, but then Sam opened her mouth again.

“Look, if you can’t take a joke, maybe you shouldn’t be around people who actually know how to have fun,” Sam said, her voice biting. “Maybe if you weren’t so serious all the time, you wouldn’t make such a fool of yourself.”

Before Zhen could fire back, Aisha appeared at her side, giving Sam a warning glance. “You should really watch how you talk to people, Sam,” Aisha said, her voice calm but firm.

Sam narrowed her eyes at the two of them. “Whatever,” she muttered, brushing past them. “I don’t have time for this.”

Zhen stood there, seething. She hated the way Sam always had something cutting to say, but more than that, she hated how Sam had made her feel so small. It wasn’t just about the video anymore; it was about Sam’s arrogance, the way she never thought twice about the impact of her actions.

As the day went on, Zhen kept her head down, trying to focus on her classes and avoid any more confrontations. But the whole day felt off, like a cloud hanging over her head. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just crossed a line with Sam, and that their relationship—if it could even be called that—had been shattered for good.

Later that afternoon, she found herself walking through the school courtyard when she saw Sam and Yasmin laughing together, their heads tilted toward each other as if they were the center of the universe. Zhen’s stomach twisted. It was hard to ignore the animosity that had built up between them, and seeing them so carefree while she was still reeling from the fallout made it worse.

Without thinking, Zhen walked past them, her gaze icy and her heart heavy. Sam didn’t notice her, but Yasmin did. She gave Zhen a small, almost apologetic look.

Zhen didn’t want pity. She didn’t want to feel like a charity case.

She had enough of that.

And so, as the days went by, the rift between Zhen and Sam deepened. Each passing moment felt like a reminder of the growing divide. And though Sam would never admit it, there was a part of her that understood: the video wasn’t just something to laugh about. It was a moment that had pushed Zhen away for good, and in some way, Sam had lost something valuable in the process.

But for now, it didn’t matter. Zhen wasn’t going to let Sam—or anyone else—bring her down again.

---