It was a chilly December afternoon at West Valley High, and the school halls were abuzz with the holiday spirit. Christmas decorations adorned every corner—garlands hung over lockers, snowflakes dangled from the ceiling, and strings of multicolored lights blinked intermittently. In the midst of it all, a peculiar tradition caught everyone’s attention: mistletoe strategically placed throughout the school as part of the student council’s attempt to “spread holiday cheer.”

Daniel LaRusso had just finished wrestling with a stubborn locker door, his breath visible in the cold air. He adjusted his scarf and started walking toward the exit, eager to get home and help his mom decorate their little apartment.

At the same time, Johnny Lawrence rounded the corner with two of his Cobra Kai buddies, laughing about some joke one of them had told. His confident stride slowed slightly when he saw Daniel ahead, but he shrugged it off, pretending not to notice.

Daniel, however, was well aware of Johnny’s presence. He’d learned to be on high alert whenever the Cobra Kais were around.

They both ended up walking down the same narrow hallway, headed toward the double doors leading outside. As fate would have it, their paths converged just beneath one of the strategically placed sprigs of mistletoe. Neither noticed it until a group of nearby students began giggling and pointing.

“Hey, look!” someone called out, their voice echoing down the hallway. “LaRusso and Lawrence under the mistletoe!”

Johnny stopped mid-stride, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “What the hell are they talking about?”

Daniel glanced upward, his face turning crimson as he saw the offending sprig dangling above their heads. “Oh, come on!” he muttered, trying to step aside, but the crowded hallway didn’t give him much room to escape.

The students around them erupted into laughter and mock cheering, some even pulling out cameras to snap pictures. “Kiss! Kiss!” they chanted teasingly.