The halls of East Ridge High were loud, chaotic, and absolutely not where Andrea Johnson wanted to be on her first day.
She adjusted the strap on her backpack, silently counting her steps while trying to avoid eye contact with every kid she passed. New school, new city, same teenage jungle.
The bell rang, and the sea of students parted just enough for her to slip through. Her first class was already halfway down the corridor, but her map might as well have been scribbled in Klingon.
“Awesome,” she muttered under her breath, folding the crumpled paper back into her hoodie pocket. “Lost on day one. Classic.”
“Yo, you lookin’ for something?”
Andrea turned sharply. A tall kid with a blue mohawk and a sarcastic grin was standing nearby, flanked by a shorter Latino guy and a lanky dude with glasses and a stacked folder.
“Depends. You gonna mug me or help me?” she replied, raising an eyebrow.
The mohawk kid smirked. “Damn, she’s got teeth. I like that. Name’s Hawk. That’s Miguel, and four-eyed over here is Demetri.”
Demetri raised a hand. “Technically, these glasses are corrective lenses, but hi.”
Miguel smiled warmly. “You’re new, right? You need help finding class?”
Andrea hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. 2B? English with… Grayson?”
“Grayson’s on the second floor. We’ll show you,” Miguel offered.
The boys turned, and she followed them through the crowd, keeping her head low. There was a weird calm about them — like they didn’t care what people thought, like they had each other’s backs in a way that felt solid. She didn’t have that. Not yet.
“Where you from?” Demetri asked, glancing over his shoulder.
“Nowhere interesting.”
“Cool, same,” Hawk said with a smirk. “You fight?”
Andrea blinked. “Fight?”
“Yeah, like karate. Miguel and I are in Cobra Kai. You should check it out.”
Demetri cut in. “He means ‘you should mentally prepare for reckless violence with a side of brain trauma.’”
Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Cobra Kai?”
Miguel grinned. “It’s a dojo. Our sensei’s intense, but it’s legit. Changed my life.”
Hawk leaned closer. “Changed mine too. You seem like someone who doesn’t take crap. Cobra Kai would fit you.”
Andrea didn’t respond, but something about the idea stuck with her.
They reached the stairs. As Andrea turned to thank them, a voice cut through the noise.
“Hey, Cobra trash. Try not to recruit every stray you find.”
The four of them turned.
A boy was leaning against the locker just ahead, arms crossed, cold eyes fixed on Andrea. He was tall, tense, and looked like he’d fought too many people and trusted too few.
Miguel stiffened. “Robby.”
Robby Keene. Andrea recognized the name. Heard it whispered in homeroom. Miyagi-Do fighter. Dangerous.
Andrea’s voice was flat. “Who the hell are you?”
Robby’s eyes didn’t move. “Someone who doesn’t need backup to feel important.”
Hawk stepped forward. “Back off, pretty boy.”
Andrea tilted her head, stepping closer too. “Let me guess. You’re one of those silent brooding types who thinks scowling is a personality.”
Demetri coughed. “This is going well.”
Robby’s gaze flicked to her. “Just warning you. Don’t get too close to these guys. They’ll turn you into them.”
Andrea smirked. “Sounds like fun.”
The bell rang again, louder this time.
“Come on,” Miguel said, gently tugging her sleeve. “Let’s go.”
She followed them up the stairs but couldn’t help glancing back.
Robby was still there. Watching.
The rest of the day went fast. Lunch was chaos. People stared. Whispers spread. Andrea didn’t care. She sat with Miguel, Hawk, and Demetri. Laughed a little. Felt... not invisible.
After school, they offered to walk her home, but she declined.
“I’m good. Thanks, though.”
Miguel handed her a paper.
“Cobra Kai. This is the address. Come by. Watch a class.”
Andrea folded it slowly. “Maybe.”
That night, Andrea stood outside the Cobra Kai dojo, hoodie up, hands buried in her pockets.
She watched the silhouettes through the window. Bodies moving. Fists flying. Controlled chaos.
Her chest buzzed.
She opened the door.
Johnny Lawrence looked up from where he was instructing a spar.
“Who are you?”
Andrea swallowed. “I’m thinking about joining.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You thinking, or you ready to get hit?”
She smiled.
“Both.”
Her first training session was nothing like she expected.
Johnny didn’t care that she was new. He didn’t explain everything — just told her to copy the drills, mimic the stances, and take the hits when they came.
“You’re not here to look pretty. You’re here to survive,” he barked.
Andrea flinched when a punch grazed her cheek in a spar. Her partner — some blonde girl with eyes like knives — didn’t apologize.
“You drop your guard, you bleed,” the girl said flatly.
Hawk appeared at Andrea’s side between rounds. “You’re sparring with Tory. Don’t expect hugs.”
Tory grinned at Andrea. “She learns fast, though. I like her.”
Andrea wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and nodded. Her blood was pumping. Her legs ached. Her knuckles stung. And yet—
She wanted more.
Later that night, bruised and tired, Andrea sat on her bed with her hoodie tossed to the floor. The paper Miguel gave her was now pinned above her desk.
COBRA KAI: STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number: "Still think this is fun? Or are you ready to quit already?"
No name. But she didn’t need one.
Andrea stared at the screen.
Then she replied: "I haven’t even started yet."
END OF CHAPTER 1
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