❝ i'll have your back no matter what. ❞

―

JULIANA SAT IN A BOOTH BETWEEN HAWK AND MOON.

In front of them were Demetri and Aisha, with Demetri sitting across from Juliana. Cobra Kai was celebrating their victory at the local Applebee's. Juliana was laughing at a joke that Demetri had told while Aisha stood up and began filming a video on her phone.

"So, you might be wondering what a team does after they win the championship," Aisha said, speaking into her phone. "The answer? Victory nachos!"

Aisha turned her camera and pointed it at the group. They all raised their cups in the air, cheering as their glasses clinked together.

"It was supposed to be a round of drinks, but the waitress was not feeling Hawk's fake ID," Aisha said as her back turned.

A panicked look appeared on Hawk's face. "Hey, don't talk about that. My parents follow you."

Aisha visibly cringed, staring at her phone with wide eyes. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Moskowitz. "Anyways, until next time, no mercy, bitches."

Aisha put her phone back in her pocket and sat down next to Demetri.

Demetri grabbed a chip, glancing around at his friends. "I gotta say, it's nice to be at a victory party."

"Yeah, except you had nothing to do with the victory," Hawk told him, grabbing the chip from Demetri's hand.

Demetri gave him an offended look as Hawk ate the chip. Demetri shrugged his shoulders. "Well, then I consider it a belated party for the coding competition we won at computer camp. Remember?"

Hawk shifted his eyes away from him, glancing at Juliana.

"Demetri and Eli, binary brothers!" Demetri sang as he danced like a robot.

Juliana, Moon, and Aisha giggled. Juliana clapped her hands together, causing Demetri to smile at her. She didn't notice, but Hawk clenched his jaw as he glared at Demetri.

"Hey. Cool it with the nerd shit, huh?" Hawk whispered to Demetri.

Juliana rolled her eyes, punching Hawk in the shoulder. "You seem to be forgetting that you're also a nerd, and so am I."

Hawk shook his head. "I wasn't trying to—"

Juliana placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just because you're cool now and do karate doesn't make you any less of a nerd. Besides, being a nerd is a whole lot cooler, in my opinion."

Hawk didn't respond, only nodding his head. Juliana turned to look at Demetri. The boy had a smile on his face, and his cheeks were a light shade of pink.

"Hey, where's Miguel?" Moon questioned. "His wings are getting cold."

They looked around the restaurant, spotting Miguel sitting at a nearby table by himself.

"I'll go talk to him," Hawk offered.

Moon and Juliana scooted out of the booth to let him out. Once Hawk stood up and moved, the two girls sat back down.

Aisha stood up. "Me too."

Hawk and Aisha walked away from the table, leaving Juliana, Moon, and Demetri by themselves. Juliana reached for a chip and put it in her mouth. She stared down at the table, picking at her nail polish.

"So, how're things with Eli?" Moon asked.

Juliana puffed her cheeks and then slowly blew the air out. If she had to be completely honest, she would say that it was not going well. She didn't like the ruthless boy she had seen at the tournament or the way he didn't even seem to care about congratulating her for making it into the semifinals. He wasn't behaving like himself.

"That bad, huh?" Moon asked. "What's going on?"

Juliana shrugged. "He's just been acting strange and like a jerk. I mean, you saw what he did to Robby at the tournament. It was totally uncalled for, and all because he told him his hair was stupid. And then he cared more about the fact that I shook Robby's hand than congratulating me."

Moon's eyes widened. "Wow. Seriously?"

Juliana nodded. "Yeah. I mean, he didn't even really seem all that happy for me."

"You were totally badass out there," Moon told her. "I was rooting for you the whole time. While karate might not be my cup of tea, I'll totally root for you every time. I got your back, girl."

Juliana smiled at her. "Thanks, Moon."

"Me too," Demetri chimed in. "I'll have your back no matter what, Juli."

Juliana turned to look at him, her smile growing even wider. "Thanks, Dem. I appreciate it."

Demetri smiled back at her, his entire face lighting up. Moon glanced back and forth between them, getting an inkling of something more than friendship. She reached for her glass and sipped from her straw, her eyes continuing to shift back and forth. She couldn't help but smile at them.

────────────

The next day, Juliana raced alongside Hawk and Miguel through the mini-mart on electric scooters. They stepped off the scooters, resting them up in front of the wall of the pawn shop before making their way to Cobra Kai.

"All right. So, I get my license next week," Hawk announced.

Miguel nodded. "Uh-huh."

"My mom's gonna give me her Sentra," Hawk continued. "I'm thinking about putting a blue racing stripe down the middle, hood to tail."

"Subtle," Miguel replied. "I-I like it."

Hawk turned to Juliana. "And what about you? What do you think, Juli?"

"Uh..." Juliana trailed off, avoiding eye contact with him. "Oh, look! It looks like we have some new students!"

Juliana pointed to the group of teenagers that were gathered by the door. She walked up to them, leaving Hawk and Miguel behind.

"Wait, does that mean you don't like it?" Hawk asked, sprinting to catch up with her.

Miguel shook his head, laughing as he caught up to them. Juliana ignored him and continued to approach two of the boys.

One of the boys smiled when he saw them, staring in amazement. "It's the champs."

"Check this out," Hawk said, lightly nudging Miguel in the arm.

"Don't," Miguel said, shaking his head.

"Hey, mouth-breathers. Move it," Hawk greeted them.
demandingly.

"Sorry about that," one of the boys said as he stepped out of the way.

"I'll get the door."

The other boy grabbed the handle and pulled the door open for the trio.

"So, you guys wanna be Cobra Kais, huh?" Hawk asked them, raising his fist at them and causing them to flinch. "You got a long road ahead of you."

Hawk and Miguel walked inside the dojo. Juliana stayed outside, standing in front of the two boys.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I didn't do anything!"

Juliana chuckled at them. "Don't mind Hawk. He was just messing with you guys. Come on in."

Juliana turned on her heels, stepping inside the dojo. She stopped instantly, taking a look around. One of the glass mirrors was shattered and covered with sheets of white paper, remnants of shards still on the floor. Part of the wall in the corner looked like it had been on fire, charred black.

"What the hell happened here?" Miguel questioned.

Aisha shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like sensei threw a party."

"Must have been pretty sick if fire got involved," Hawk commented, followed by a chuckle.

"Yeah, something tells me this was not the result of a party gone wild," Juliana added as she slipped her backpack off her shoulders.

"Quiet!" Johnny screamed, startling everyone in the dojo. "The dojo's closed to new students today."

"We just wanted to sign up after we saw the tournament," one of the boys from earlier said.

"Do I need to say it again?" Johnny shouted at him. "Get out!"

"Yes, sir...sensei. Come on, let's go."

The new recruits turned and started to walk out of the door as Johnny began to usher them out. "Let's go, move it. Come back tomorrow and bring your checkbooks."

Johnny turned to look at his students. "Everyone, fall in!"

"Must have been a rager, Sensei," Hawk remarked.

Miguel nodded his head, grinning at him. "Yeah, were you celebrating all weekend?"

"Celebrating what?" Sensei Lawrence asked. "That my students are a bunch of pussies?"

Hawk's and Miguel's smiles instantly faded. Juliana furrowed her eyebrows, watching her sensei as he paced back and forth.

"Diaz, Hawk, up front."

Miguel and Hawk reluctantly stepped forward, standing at the front of the mat.

"Hawk," Johnny started. "Did you attack your opponent when his back was turned?"

"Yes, Sensei," Hawk replied, uncertainty in his voice.

Johnny walked around the two boys, standing in front of Miguel. "Diaz. Did you purposely attack your opponent's injury?"

Miguel nodded. "Yes, Sensei."

"You think that makes you badass?" Johnny questioned.

Miguel and Hawk exchanged a look, unsure of how to respond. Hawk glanced at Juliana. The girl shrugged her shoulders at him.

"What's the matter?" Johnny asked. "Too tough a question? Maybe you need some help. Miss Morales!"

Juliana jumped at the sudden shouting of her name. "Yes, Sensei."

"Two cobras in a jungle," Johnny spoke as he paced in front of his students. "One kills the strongest lion, the other kills a crippled monkey. Which cobra do you wanna be?"

"The one that kills the lion, Sensei," Juliana answered.

"And why is that?" Johnny asked her.

"Because it killed a stronger animal," Juliana explained.

"Correct!" Johnny shouted. "Cobra Kai is about being badass. And the baddest badass is the one who beats his opponent when he's at his strongest."

He directed his attention back to Hawk and Miguel. "Not when his back is turned. Not when he's injured! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"That means no more cheating," Johnny addressed the entire class. "No more fighting dirty. From here on out, those are pussy moves, and you don't wanna be pussies, do you?"

"No, Sensei."

"Good," Johnny nodded his head. "That's why I had you wear your white belts. We're starting over. Diaz, Hawk, fifty push-ups on your knuckles. Miss Morales, warm them up."

"Yes, Sensei." Juliana nodded as she stepped up to the front, facing her peers.

"Fighting position!" Juliana yelled, getting into position and watching as everyone else did the same. "Jab punch. Ready? Hiyah!"

The rest of the class echoed her as they practiced their jab punches. "Hiyah!"

────────────

After practice ended, Johnny gave them an assignment—to watch a movie called Over the Top. Hawk had offered to have a watch party.

"Are you coming, Juli?" Hawk asked her as they walked out of the dojo.

Juliana nodded her head. "Most definitely. I've got a few errands to run with my dad, but then I'll be there."

"Cool," Hawk responded, giving her a soft peck on the lips. "I'll see you then."

Juliana smiled at him, watching as he walked away. Juliana sighed, looking down at her shoes. She leaned against the window and waited for her father to arrive. She tapped her foot on the sidewalk, looking up, when she heard a honk. Juliana saw her dad wave at her through the windshield. Juliana smiled at him and jogged up to the car.

She opened the car door and took a seat, placing her backpack at her feet. "Would it be okay if I went to Eli's house after we're done with our errands? Sensei wants us to watch a movie so we can discuss it. I promise there will be other people there. Miguel, Aisha, Bert, and a couple others are coming."

Nicolás nodded at his daughter. "Uh, yeah. Sure. We'll have to run it by your mother first, though."

Juliana laughed. "Okay. So, what's first on the agenda?"

...

Later that day, after all of the errands were finished and her mother had approved, Juliana was dropped off at Hawk's house. She knocked on the door, waiting on the porch. The door opened, and Hawk's mother appeared on the other side.

She smiled brightly. "Juliana, how wonderful to see you again!"

Juliana returned the smile as she stepped inside the living room. "Hello, Mrs. Moskowitz. It's wonderful to see you too."

"The others are all downstairs in the basement," Mrs. Moskowitz informed her.

Juliana nodded her head. "Thank you for letting me know."

Juliana gave her one last smile before she walked in the direction of the basement. She made her way down the stairs, instantly being greeted by everyone else as she entered the basement.

Hawk walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "Now that the gang's all here, let's get this watch party started!"

"You mean, let's get this homework assignment started," Bert chimed up. "Sensei totally gave us homework."

Hawk shook his head. "It's not a homework assignment, Bert."

Juliana laughed. "You are so right, Bertie Bott. He wants us to watch the movie so that we can discuss it in class. Definitely homework."

Bert gave her a small smile, slightly laughing at the nickname. Juliana took a seat on the couch, patting Bert on the head. Hawk sighed and sat down next to Juliana, grabbing the remote and pressing play. As the movie began, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It stayed there for the entirety of the movie.

Nicolás picked Juliana up after the movie was over, and the two drove home. As the car pulled into the driveway, Juliana noticed Demetri sitting on his front porch.

"I'll be inside in a few minutes," Juliana told her father.

He nodded his head and walked inside as Juliana made her way toward Demetri's house. She walked up the driveway, calling out his name. Demetri glanced up, watching her as she came up the sidewalk and took a seat on the porch next to him.

"Is everything okay?" Juliana asked him.

Demetri nodded. "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine."

Juliana raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his answer. "You don't sound or look fine. What's going on?"

Demetri sighed. "My parents are fighting. I didn't want to listen to it, so I came outside."

"I'm sorry, Dem." Juliana placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Demetri shrugged. "It's whatever. It'll be okay."

The two teenagers sat on the porch in silence, staring up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly above their heads, and the moon was glowing. Juliana couldn't help but smile as she admired the beauty of it all.

Demetri looked down, tilting his head to look at Juliana. In his opinion, she was more beautiful than any shining star or the moonlight.

He couldn't help but admire her, much like Juliana admired the night sky.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

heyyy sorry for not updating in a while. i was focused on finishing up season 5 for my fic agony of desire.

how are we feeling after this chapter? things are starting to get a lot more interesting & i can't wait for the big reveal...

also i really hope y'all picked up on juliana calling bert "bertie bott" being a harry potter reference (bertie bott's every flavor bean)...it's her official nickname for him now.

remember y'all, don't be a ghost reader! i love reading all of your comments!! <33