Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Hey, losers,"
THE SMELL OF FRESH PAINT and the faint hum of fluorescent lights filled the tiny Reseda strip mall as Johnny Lawrence stood proudly in the middle of his newly reopened Cobra Kai dojo. The check from Sid had left him with just enough to cover the first few months of rent and a bit of equipment. The logo-bright yellow with a coiled snake-hung prominently on the wall, staring down at him like a promise of redemption.
Johnny adjusted his black gi, pulling at the belt as he watched his first-and only-student struggle on the mat.
Miguel, was flat on his back, his face red from effort. He wheezed as he attempted another crunch, his legs trembling.
"Come on, Menudo!" Johnny barked, clapping his hands. "That's only five. I asked for a hundred."
Miguel gasped, clutching his stomach. "Sensei, I'm dying. I think I need my inhaler."
Johnny rolled his eyes, crouching down beside him. "You don't need an inhaler. You need to stop being a wimp. Pain doesn't exist in this dojo. Right?"
Miguel hesitated, then croaked out, "Yes Sensei."
"That's the spirit." Johnny stood and crossed his arms. "Now get up. We're doing punches next."
Before Miguel could protest, the sound of the door opening distracted both of them.
"Dad, I brought lunch," Artemis called out, stepping inside with a brown paper bag in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other. Her auburn waves were tied back in a loose ponytail, and her eyes sparkled with amusement as she took in the sight of Miguel sprawled on the floor.
Miguel scrambled to his feet, brushing off his gi as if trying to look less pathetic. "Hey, Artemis."
"Hey, Miguel," she replied, setting the bag and beers on the table in Johnny's office. "You good? You look like you just ran a marathon."
Miguel chuckled nervously. "Just, uh...karate stuff."
Johnny grinned as he walked over to the table, grabbing a beer. "You got the beers too? Best daughter in the world."
Artemis rolled her eyes but smiled as she handed him a sandwich from the bag. "Try not to get drunk before five pm, Dad."
"Hey, I'm a professional." He cracked open the beer and took a swig.
Miguel watched the father-daughter exchange with a mix of admiration and curiosity. He'd never seen Johnny like this-relaxed, almost affectionate.
After Miguel finished his practice session, he and Artemis sat cross-legged on the mat, staring at the rows of trophies and medals displayed in the corner of the dojo. Most of them were covered in a thin layer of dust, their golden surfaces catching the light.
