6 Puppeteer

I know that for the time being it is just a waiting game, but the fact that I require help even to get into the washroom to take a shit and dress myself is honestly breaking me down mentally. It's the simple things that you take for granted that end up hurting you the most once you have lost control over your body. I was never the type to sit around in one location for hours on end and the fact that I'm stuck doing exactly that makes me even more frustrated and irritable.

Mother hasn't visited me yet today and honestly that would have ticked me of even more and that's the only reason why I believe I got to meet kreese. Now that I think about it, how the hell did Kreese manage to enter my room? Lawrence had to physically injure himself to make himself look like a patient. Did he smoothly lie to get in as my grandpa? I'm pretty sure they would have an id check and all that…Once again it reminds me how street smart the old boy is. I have to really double or triple check when dealing with him.

Thoughts of getting Kreese to do my bidding again wells up a sense of satisfaction within me. It wasn't my best work but I got the job done. For now, I need to get into his heart and form a bond of trust so that he would be blind to my manipulations as his native arrogance will continue to consider me as naïve child and it should work for now. Replacing Lawrence as his favorite will be impossible as I don't have the time, but I could possibly play the grandson role and use it to my advantage. I also need to up the art of subtlety as well incase Silver comes into the picture, he is another whole can of worms; I shall leave that thought right there as it seems like I have another visitor: It's Samantha, Fuck!!.. Now how do I play this?

"Hey.." she says awkwardly, "Hey" I say awkwardly myself, good mother of god please provide me a miracle and let me walk away from this conversation.

"How are you?" she asks without thinking

"Fantastic.." I quip with barely concealed sarcasm while giving a look to my legs.

"Oh, stupid question, sorry" she says as her face slightly flushes with a bit of embarrassment. Now, I was never particularly a fan of hers but I got to admit dark hair and those dark blue eyes hit a lot of bases when it comes to my personal preferences. Reminds me quite a bit of Alexandra Daddario. My personal celebrity crush. Then I remember who she actually was and the fact that her kissing me regardless of the fact of showing me multiple times that she didn't want anything to do with me, which then further triggers the school fight which led to my current disability, and just like that my carnal like emotions instantly disappears and my mind sharpens.

I look back at her with an intense gaze and she ends up looking away from me for a second…

'Heh, looks like she has it pretty bad for me. Poor Robby, hell nah!! I don't feel bad for at all you little shit.'

"I'll have to go through surgery soon, the doctors themselves don't really seem all confident. Honestly, I'm considering why bother? If the chances are low why spend the money? My mother and I were already struggling financially but now the surgery may lead us into debt…Mother doesn't agree with me and has started working extra shifts. She looks exhausted all the time." I say trying to incite some guilt. 'God I'm such a dick'.

I immediately notice the guilty look and it looks like the waterworks were about to begin, however, before she could gather herself for an apology that might help her loosen that guilt, I immediately change the subject,

"Are those from Tory?" I say noticing the scars from Tory's bracelet? Can I call that weapon a bracelet I wonder briefly. I swear that girl is after my own heart. Seems like my distraction has worked for the time being as I notice the princess flinch slightly at the mention of the scars and from Tory's name being brought up. Seems like the whole PTSD has been settling in, I don't really feel bad for her when I realize her whole trauma is of Tory beating her ass, completely ignoring the fact that she succeeded in beating her already. Maybe my fall also has some impact on her, not my problem though, I'm pretty sure daddy Larusso will help her through that, of course only if he doesn't get distracted by the presence of Silver first. I feel a sense of anticipation for the chaos that I may have sowed.

"Yeah, well its not that bad. In fact I think it makes me look tough." She says with a hint of steel in her voice. I swear this girl is a contradiction, here she is all badass and looking all manly in regards to her scars but then she is absolutely terrified of the same person who gave her those scars even though she beat her quite soundly I might say.

Noticing me looking away from her she seems to assume I feel guilty about it and says, "Look it's not your fault, you had nothing to do with it. It was tory who decided to act all crazy."

"Tory has had a very difficult life, what with her mom sick and----" I 'try' defending her, but the girl gives me no chance…

"Everybody has a sob story. That doesn't give you the right to be a bully." She replies back with conviction and hatred in her eyes."

'This bitch'. "Bully? Sam a bully is someone who would attempt to harm or intimidate a person who is vulnerable. You were anything but vulnerable. Besides she was heartbroken and furious of what happened that night during Moon's party. She confronted you face to face and from what I witnessed during my bout against Robby you defeated her. As the smoke cleared, The girl has been expelled, I heard that Robby has been sent to Juvie and I am a crippled mess." I say coldly with no sense of emotion while on the inside I was burning up at the audacity of this selfish little girl.

"You're actually defending her, after all she had done?" she asks me in disbelief.

I carry on without giving two fucks, "I am not defending her, I am stating basic facts, besides I never said what she did was right." Without giving her time to process anything I further continue on, "How is Keene by the way? I heard he had been captured and sent to Juvie. I can't believe that the little shit only got three months for what was basically attempted murder".

Now it was her turn to defend her boy toy, oh how it must burn for Robby to know that he can only be second best, I will make sure he knows that, "it was a mistake Miguel, I don't think he meant to do that and since he gave himself up, I believe he got a reduced sentence. I haven't really spoken to him yet." she says gloomingly.

"Reduced sentence? On accounts of giving up willingly? Bullshit!! who paid the law enforcement off? There is no way someone who struggles financially like me would've gotten off attempted murder with just a 3 month stay in Juvie that easily. Was it your father? Robby was his student wasn't he, I'm pretty sure he must have had something to do with it. Even though he didn't even visit me when it was his student who tried to kill me by using the karate he taught."

Sam seems to be getting redder as I viciously bash against her boy toy and her holier than though father. Finally she has enough, "My dad would never do anything like that; Here, I had come here just to give you this anyway." She says while giving me a cringey octopus card and then storming out of my room.

"El Serpiente!!" I hear as she was leaving. It seems like my new best friend has entered the building. I notice a bit of back and forth between the two of them but can't really hear much. Sam looks back at me in sadness one last time and then leaves.

Hawk comes up to me and seems all cheerful. Damn that haircut is awesome.

"My brother" I greet him in a warm tone and a smile on my face.

The hawk persona seems to shrink down a bit and Eli comes out. "What did you hear? Will you walk soon? Would you be able to get back into karate?"

"I have made some arrangements with sensei Kreese. Don't worry I'll be back on my feet in no time and soon cobra kai will dominate the all valley once more." I reply back to him in confidence.

"That's great news!! so you will come back to the dojo. I assumed you wouldn't as Lawrence has abandoned us and you've always supported him on his case " he states with some caution.

"Johnny Lawrence has betrayed us with his teachings. His lessons of showing mercy has led me to near death. I refuse to ever make that same mistake again. You were right in regards to the whole show mercy only to his son bullshit and I blindly defended him. Never again." I say with fire burning deep in my soul.

I notice Hawk gulping a bit. I guess he remembered the ass whopping I gave him in coyote creek. I was indeed quite the terrifying force during my brief stint under Kreese's lessons.

"That's good" he says while smiling widely. He continues, "We should get revenge on those miyagi-do pansies as well."

"All in due time my friend. We shall play it smart. There is too much bad attention on karate in general in the valley due to school fight. For now, try provoking them. Never actively start a fight. You are very smart, I want you to use Eli's brilliance and Hawk's decisiveness to constantly frustrate them and make them attack first. you have sensei's lessons, I need you to be the leader I know you can be while I am gone." I say back in conviction. Seems like my complete faith in him makes him stand a bit more straight.

"Don't worry El Serpiente. I've got this." He says in a playful tone but I notice the strengthening loyalty and resolution in his eyes. If I remember correctly Hawk defected from cobra kai because he had lost all his friends and had to team up with people who once bullied him. With me firmly at his side, I could possibly drag him along with me. He shall be the perfect right hand.

We continue to then joke around a little more and then he decides to leave. Before he leaves I speak up,

"Listen man I need to speak to Eli for the next few seconds."

While he looks a bit uncomfortable for a second he eventually concedes, "alright man what is it?" he says in a much soothing tone. Damn that's a big difference. Its crazy how the change immediately metamorphically darkens his scarred lip. It has to be some tv world bullshit.

"Look man I need you to speak to tory and get into her head with the idea of meeting with me."

"I don't really think that's possible man. She hasn't been to the dojo since your accident and going to her doorstep will likely earn me an ass whopping." Eli says uncomfortably.

"Trust me, she will eventually come back to the dojo. Just tell her that I would like meet and talk things out. She will eventually listen….hopefuly". I say with some false bravado.

"All right man I'll do it, it better not end up with us throwing hands. Well then, okay man I really need to go now." He says preparing to leave.

We do our secret handshake and he proceeds out the door.

I sigh while enjoying the silence a bit. Its been quite the mentally draining day. My con against Kreese, me provoking Sam which would make herself doubt and question her father, once she calms down and finally my conversation with hawk, I feel like a puppeteer what with all my manipulations and talking...so much talking. I have always been an introvert in my past life, but I guess a little bit of the whole death game has brought out some stuff in me that I usually keep under lock and key.

Everything seems to have gone good for the time being, however I still cannot put my guard down. Me getting Eli to talk to tory is a calculated risk. I am pretty sure Kreese will get into contact with her soon, she is to be his golden girl while I am to be his next golden boy. I assume that Kreese would meet up with her way earlier as compared to show, she may question him in regards of him knowing that she would be struggling as a defense mechanism. He would mention my hand in it as it would be his way of getting her attention. The knowledge of the fact that I am there for her even through what is potentially my darkest time and even when she hadn't bothered to visit me, would tug on her heartstrings and could potentially guilt trip her enough to eventually listen when hawk mentions that I wanted to meet her. I have to meet her before going into therapy. It is essential to get rid of this bad blood quickly before I leave. The clean slate will do wonders to her mindset and me helping her out in her time of need even during my struggles will get her to depend on me as well.

"I wonder if this is what Dumbledore felt". I mutter to myself while looking out the window.