❝ it's too late to beg. ❞

―

DECHA GRABBED DEMETRI'S HAND.

He pulled him down the hallway and to the side before he cornered him against the wall. Demetri gave him a confused look. He held out his hand and placed it on Decha's chest, pushing him away. Decha raised an eyebrow at him and stepped closer once again.

"So, you'll kiss me in private but not in public?" Decha asked, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout.

"That was one time after you signed my cast and you drove me home," Demetri told him. "I wasn't thinking. It was impulsive and it'll never happen again. Not to mention, we're in school."

Decha gave him an upside down smile. "Never again, huh?"

Demetri nodded. "Never again, Hobbit."

Decha smiled and then bit his bottom lip. "You can't call me that and expect me to not want to kiss you."

"Any normal person would be turned off by being called a hobbit," Demetri replied. "But then again, when have you ever been known to be normal?"

Decha shrugged and then leaned in close to him. Demetri could feel his breath on his ear.

"Normal isn't in my vocabulary," Decha whispered in his ear.

Demetri gulped. "You know, I don't really think it was necessary to whisper that in my ear. You definitely could have said that out loud."

"Would you shut up and let me kiss you already?" Decha asked, moving his head so that he could look him in the eyes.

Demetri inhaled a breath. As he exhaled, he rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. But no more times after this, all right? Not until we're officially dating."

Decha furrowed his eyebrows. "Are we not?"

"You haven't asked me," Demetri responded. "I just assumed we had a friends with benefits situation going on...is that not what this is?"

Decha shook his head. "Definitely not."

"Oh..."

"Go out with me?" Decha asked. "Like, officially?"

A small smile tugged at Demetri's lips as he nodded his head. Decha smiled back at him before tilting his head. Their lips finally met. Decha pushed Demetri back into the wall gently, making sure to be careful of his arm. Decha placed his hand on the back of Demetri's head as Demetri's hand rested on his shoulder.

The kiss became frenzied the more their lips moved together. Decha slowly snaked his other hand onto Demetri's hip, pulling him closer. The sound footsteps that echoed through the hallway and the chatter from the people passing them might as well have been nonexistent. The only sounds that played in Decha's ears were their lips smacking together and the faint sound of Demetri's breaths.

"Oh, uh..."

Decha pulled away at the sound of a voice, calling out Demetri's name. Miguel and Sam stood in front of them.

"Hey. Um...we were just, uh..." Demetri blew out a puff of air, his lips buzzing together as he glanced at Decha.

Decha crossed his arms. "I'm not going to give you some lame excuse or tell you it's not what it looks like. It's exactly what it looks like."

Demetri stared down at the ground.

"So, are you two dating now or...?" Sam asked.

Demetri picked his head up, turning to Decha for an answer. "Uh..."

Decha wrapped his arm around Demetri's shoulders and grinned. "We're dating."

A big smile spread on Demetri's face, but he quickly tried to play it off and act nonchalant. Decha grabbed his cheek and pinched it. Demetri flinched and smacked his hand away.

Sam chuckled. "It's about time. Listening to Demetri go on and on about you was starting to get tiring."

Demetri glared at her. "Sam!"

Decha shook his head, laughing as he looked down at the ground.

Miguel chuckled. "Why are you laughing? You haven't been much better. You're always talking about Demetri. It's always Demetri this and Demetri that."

Decha laughed nervously, removing his arm from Demetri's shoulders as he walked up to Miguel and Sam. "You two just think you're hilarious, don't you?"

Miguel shrugged. "Maybe."

Decha sighed softly and then turned around to face Demetri. He gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to class. See you later, okay?"

Demetri nodded. "Uh...yeah."

Decha gave him one last smile before he walked down the hallway in the direction of his classroom. Demetri stood next to Sam and Miguel, watching as Decha disappeared from view.

"So, you're officially dating," Miguel broke the silence. "How's it feel?"

Demetri shrugged. "I don't know. I thought it'd feel...I don't know—momentous? But I just feel...worried."

"About what?" Sam asked.

Demetri sighed. "I don't know."

"Is it about his reputation?" Sam asked. "Look, everyone knows he has a habit of dating people, dumping them, and then moving onto the next. But that won't happen with you."

Demetri wasn't convinced. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've seen the way he looks at you," Sam responded. "You only look at someone like that if you're in love with them."

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down there, Trixie Tredwell," Demetri said, putting his hand up in front of her.

"What did you just call me?" Sam asked, confused.

"Trixie Tredwell," Demetri repeated. "You know, from Speed Racer?"

Sam shook her head, still confused. Miguel just chuckled.

"She's right though," Miguel added. "Decha really likes you. I can't tell. Pretty much everyone can tell."

Demetri closed his eyes and sighed before reopening them. "I hope you're right and that I'm not making a big mistake by finally agreeing to date him."

────────────

Decha stood in the park; arms crossed as he watched his peers kicking a frisbee out of Sensei Lawrence's hand that he stole from some random guy. Decha was trying his hardest to focus on the lesson, but his mind kept wandering elsewhere.

He kept thinking about Achara and how she had chosen to stay in Cobra Kai. He tried talking to her, but there was nothing he could say that would get through to her. It was as if Kreese had completely brainwashed her.

Decha felt like he hardly ever saw Achara anymore. The only time they were in the same room was when they were sitting in the dining room during dinner. It seemed like now that they were in separate dojos and not driving to school together every day, that they didn't see each other much. Achara was either always at Cobra Kai or spending time at Tory's apartment. The rest of her time was spent at therapy.

When she was home, Achara just locked herself up in her room. They lived in the same house, yet their conversations were few and far between. There were so many things that Decha wanted to tell her, but it seemed like she was always off in her own world.

Decha thought it was almost humorous. It was hard to believe that the Achara that sat across next to him at dinner was the same Achara that was so torn up about the fact that he hadn't talked to her for a week after they had a fight. He wondered where that girl had gone.

"Boyband! Get your head out of your ass! You're up!"

Decha sighed and stepped forward. Sensei Lawrence held the frisbee out in front of him. Decha stared at it for a few seconds before turning his attention to Sensei.

"Can I just ask one question?" Decha asked. He proceeded to ask, not waiting for an answer. "Why do you call me Boyband?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? Kick the damn frisbee."

Decha crosses his arms, standing his ground. "Tell me why you call me Boyband first."

Sensei Lawrence lowered the frisbee. "It's cause you look like one of those boyband guys on those teeny-bop magazines. What's it called? BLT? No, that's a sandwich."

Decha gave him a confused look, his face scrunched up. "You mean BTS?"

He nodded. "That's it."

"Is it because I'm Asian?" Decha asked. "First of all, the members of BTS are Korean. Second of all, I'm Thai not Korean."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what kind of Asian you are?" Sensei Lawrence asked. "Now, would you kick the damn frisbee already?"

Decha rolled his eyes and got into position. He lifted his leg up, and shifted his weight onto his other leg as he spun around to kick the frisbee.

"Nice one, Boyband!"

Decha rolled his eyes again as he walked back into his spot.

"He doesn't mean to be offensive," Miguel whispered to him. "He's just...culturally and socially unaware about pretty much everything."

Decha nodded in agreement. "True, but even saying that might be an understatement."

Miguel just laughed.

"Diaz, you're up!"

Miguel stepped out, standing in front of Sensei Lawrence.

He held the frisbee out in front of Miguel. "Imagine this is the guy I stole this frisbee from, all right? Just picture his stupid white dreads."

Miguel took a deep breath before lifting his leg to kick the frisbee. His foot barely grazed against it. Decha heard Miguel groan in frustration. Even though he could walk again, he still wasn't quite the fighter that he used to be. It was as if he was back to square one.

"All right, good hustle, who's next?" Sensei clapped his hand against the frisbee.

"No, I can do it, Sensei," Miguel said, determination in his voice.

"Miguel, it's fine."

"I got it," Miguel responded.

Miguel attempted his second try. As he stepped into a side stance and prepared to kick the frisbee, Decha crossed his fingers. He hoped that the second time would be the charm. This time, Miguel's foot didn't even come into contact with the frisbee before falling onto the grass.

The rest of the Eagle Fang members rushed to Miguel's aide. He pushed them away and stood up on his own.

"All right everybody. Take five, go get some water," Sensei told them. "But not from the fountain, I saw some meth head wipe his ass in it."

Decha shook his head as he walked over to the tree where he had set his backpack down. He pulled out his water bottle and started to drink as he leaned against the tree.

"You gotta be shitting me!" Mitch shouted suddenly, causing Decha to nearly choke on his water.

Miguel turned his head. "What? What happened?"

"They cancelled the All Valley!" Mitch informed them.

"They did what?" Sensei shouted.

────────────

Achara sat with her legs crossed, shaking her foot as she listened to an old man complain to the board about manholes. Kreese sat in the seat next to her. When Cobra Kai learned the news of the cancellation of the All Valley, Kreese was determined to change the board's mind and asked Achara to tag along. She was, after all, Cobra Kai's top fighter and one of the only ones who had been there from the very beginning. At least according to Kreese.

Achara didn't know if she necessarily believed him when he said that, but when she thought about it, she figured it made sense. Tory and Hawk were reckless. They acted on impulse. Out of everyone that was still in Cobra Kai, Achara had been there the longest. Kreese told Achara that she had a good head on her shoulders, and it'd be a shame if the tournament was cancelled, preventing her from sharing her true potential.

Achara started to bounce her foot up and down as she stared at the floor. The pounding of the gavel caused her to move her head up.

"Okay, next we will hear appeals for the cancellation of the All Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament. Who would like to speak first?"

Kreese stood up from his seat and walked towards the podium. Achara looked around, hearing movement. Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso stood on either side, hoping to get to the podium first, but Kreese beat them to it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm retired Army Captain John Kreese," he spoke into the microphone.

"Thank you for your service."

"It was an honor to serve," Kreese responded before continuing his appeal. "And I continue to serve right here in our community, by teaching our children strength and discipline through karate."

Achara continued to bounce her foot as she listened.

"My student, Achara Thirasawat and I," Kreese gestured to Achara with his hand, "were devastated to hear about the cancellation of the tournament because of the fight at the high school. Why are my students being penalized because of the violence perpetrated by...dojos like Miyagi-Do?"

"Now, wait just one minute," Daniel stepped in.

"Mr. LaRusso, please. It's not your turn to speak."

"I apologize, Councilwoman Roberts. But this man—"

"Councilperson Roberts," Kreese interjected.

"Thank you, Captain Kreese. Please, continue."

"I think my colleagues here would agree that all we need why is the best for our students and our community," he continued. "Cobra Kai's goal is to prepare the Valley's youth for the unfortunate realities of the real world. It's hard out there. I'm simply just preparing them to defend themselves."

"Councilperson Roberts, I'm sorry," Daniel interrupted again. "But this guy is selling you a bad bill of goods. Just a few weeks ago, my students were injured by a bunch of his Cobra Kais at an abandoned recreation facility."

"And who started that fight?" Kreese asked. "If memory serves, your out-of-control daughter."

"Hey!"

Achara turned around to see Sam's mother, Amanda, jumping out of her seat.

"You leave daughter out of this, you piece of shit!"

Achara moved her eyesight towards Sam.

"Ma'am please restrain yourself."

"It's funny that you say that, because I've had to file a restraining order against her for physically assaulting me," Kreese announced.

Amanda scoffed. "Assault? Are you kidding me?"

Kreese kept his attention on the council members. "Maybe I should make the call to the authorities?"

"That won't be necessary," Councilperson Roberts said, gesturing for security.

Achara looked over her shoulder as a security guard walked up to Amanda.

"Hey, do not...Do not touch me! Okay?" Amanda shouted, grabbing her purse. "I'm leaving. I'm leaving! Okay? But that man is a lunatic!"

Amanda walked up the stairs, the security guard following her to the door. Achara made eye contact with Sam. Sam inhaled a deep breath. Achara crossed her arms and turned around.

"I assure you that I am a positive influence to my students and the hundreds of students before them," Kreese told the council. "Please, just ask my student, Miss Thirasawat."

Kreese turned around and gestured for her to come up there. Achara stood up from her seat but didn't get the chance to speak.

"Horseshit!" Johnny yelled, getting up. "Your honor, John Lawrence, Eagle Fang Karate. This man has poisoned the minds of his students. And I should know, I was one of them."

Kreese turned to him. "Were we competitive? Sure. But it was all for good sport."

"This man is a thief and a liar!" Johnny pointed at him.

"And he put a live cobra in my dealership!" Daniel added.

Councilperson Roberts pounded the gavel. "Enough! Sit down. All of you."

The three men took a seat.

"It is clear this karate tournament is causing division and rivalry in our community," Councilperson Roberts spoke. "You gentlemen...have made an excellent case today as to why this tournament should not continue."

Achara walked up to the podium. "Councilperson Roberts, if I may?"

Achara received a nod in response. She gulped. "I'll be the first one to admit, I never had any intention of joining karate. To be perfectly honest with you, the only reason I joined was to support my friend who was being bullied and wanted to learn to defend herself. I watched her grow into a strong, confident woman who stood up for herself."

Achara took a breath before speaking again. "Not only did it help her, but it helped me too. I'm a stronger person with thicker skin because of karate. So many other kids in the valley are too. Don't let the immaturity of these grown men affect your decision."

"Miss Thirasawat, was it?" Councilperson Roberts asked. Achara nodded. "With all due respect—"

"Wait!"

Achara turned her head around quickly at the sound of a familiar voice. Miguel stood at the top of the stairs. He walked down to the podium. Achara stepped to the side.

"My name is Miguel Diaz. I was in the school fight. I was the one that got kicked off the second floor. You know, uh...I thought I was gonna be paralyzed. I relearned how to stand. I relearned how to walk. And I want the tournament to continue."

"Uh, we are very happy for your recovery, young man," Councilperson Roberts told him. "But I'm afraid you don't understand—"

"Yes, he does," Sam spoke from behind Miguel and Achara. "We're the ones getting hurt. We're the ones fighting." She stood next to as Achara. "Our voices should matter the most and we want a place where we can compete, fairly and safely."

"When I first moved here, I was bullied," Miguel told the room. "And I realized that there's no escaping it. There's always gonna be a kid who wants to steal your lunch money, or give you a wedgie, or give you swirlie."

"A swirlie?"

Johnny stood up to explain. "It's where you dunk someone's head in the toilet and flush it. Pretty funny actually."

Achara tried to stifle a laugh as she rolled her eyes.

Miguel breathed deeply before speaking into the microphone again. "Instead of burying your heads in the sand and pretending that bullying doesn't exist, or that you could just give rid of it, what you need to do is teach kids how to defend themselves."

"Physically and mentally," Sam added. "Because sometimes the scars you can't see are the ones that hurt the most."

Achara crossed her arms, glancing down at the ground. She found herself nodding in agreement, hating the fact that Sam was right.

"Karate is about discipline," Miguel continued. "It's about inner strength. It's about confidence. Lessons that you can use for the rest of your life. Look, I don't know where I would be today, or who I would be today, if it wasn't for my sensei."

"There's this saying my mother told me once. Adit kae khai mai dai tae anakhot rao tham hai di kwa doem dai. We cannot fix the past, but we can make the future better," Achara pitched in. "Taking away the tournament won't change the past. We need the tournament so that we have a safe place to fight so that we can strive to make our futures better and stand up for ourselves."

Miguel nodded his head. "She's right. What's done is done and there's no changing that."

He turned and smiled at Achara before continuing. "We don't need this tournament to do cool kicks or to sell tickets, we need it to show the bullies of the world that we're not afraid. It's called the All Valley because it's for everyone, to give everyone the chance to show what they can do, to fight, to become a champion. And we deserve that chance."

The council members exchanged looks with each other. Achara tapped her foot nervously as she waited to hear what their decision would be.

"To be honest, I don't get the Valley's fascination with karate," Councilperson Roberts spoke. "But...if it means that much to all of you, and you're willing to sign waivers stating that the city is not liable, then...the All-Valley Under-18 Tournament is officially back on."

Achara squealed as Miguel embraced her in a hug, picking her up and swinging her around. He put her down and smiled at her. Achara smiled back, but it quickly faded when Sam hugged Miguel. Miguel didn't hug her back, but he didn't push her away. He just let her hug him until she was the one who let go.

Achara's fist clenched at her side as Kreese patted her on the back.

────────────

Achara stood in Cobra Kai, picking at the skin on her bottom lip as Kreese hung up a poster for the All Valley.

"I'm going to go," Achara announced. "It's getting late."

Kreese nodded, not saying a word. Achara just started at him for a few seconds. Achara started to turn around, the jingling of the bell stopping her before she had the chance.

"Sensei Kreese?"

Achara froze. She knew that voice. She shifted her head around, the rest of her body soon following. Standing at the door to Cobra Kai was someone Achara never thought she would ever see again.

Robby Keene.

"Achara?"

"Robby..."

Ten minutes later, Achara sat on the curb outside Cobra Kai next to Robby. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

Achara shook her head. "Are you sure? Maybe they were just hanging out..."

Robby sighed. "Maybe that's true, but I saw the way they looked at each other."

"What should I do?" Achara asked. "Please, just tell me. No one else wants to give me a straight answer. Tory says I deserve better, but never said directly that I should break up with him. My therapist can't give me an answer. Robby...please give me an answer."

Robby placed his hand on Achara's shoulder. "Tory's right. You do deserve better. How many times has there been doubt in your mind caused by him and Sam? Someone who loved you wouldn't allow that kind of doubt to be planted in your head."

Achara turned to face him.

"And let's not forget, he drove a wedge between us," Robby told her. "You were my best friend, and I was yours. He took that away from us with his jealousy. Sure, me hanging out with Sam didn't help knowing your feelings about her, but we could have worked things out if his jealousy hadn't gotten out of control."

Achara sniffled as he continued to talk.

"He doesn't deserve you," Robby said. "If you're the only one putting effort into your relationship, it isn't worth it. It's time to move on. He needs to see how special you are and if that means you need to break up with him in order for him to see that, then so be it."

Achara nodded her head. "You're right."

She stood up and walked to her car. She opened the door and got inside, leaving Robby sitting on the curb without even saying goodbye as she drove out of the parking lot.

Achara went to his apartment first, but there was no answer when she knocked. She knocked again and waited, but nothing. The third time she raised her fist to knock, the door swung open.

"Achara, hey, is everything okay?"

"I can't do this anymore," Achara blurted out.

Miguel's eyebrows furrowed together. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"I tried," Achara continued. "I tried so hard, but I just can't do it. I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one trying!"

"What do you mean? I—"

"You never listen to me! Every time I try to talk to you about how I'm feeling, you always just brush me off. It's always about you. How hurt you were after the fight. How hard it was on you," Achara shouted at him. "I get it. You were in a wheelchair. You had to relearn how to walk, but I was hurt too! Not physically, not as bad as you were, but mentally?"

She was bawling. Tears streamed down her face like waterfalls.

Achara didn't give him the chance to respond. "I didn't leave my room for weeks. I barely ate. I cried myself to sleep every night, and sometimes I still do. I have to go to therapy. I was there for you, but when it came down to it, you weren't there for me."

"Achara, what do you mean?" Miguel asked. "I was there for you..."

"No, you weren't!" Achara snapped back. "You might have been there for me, but you weren't really there. And now you're hanging out with Sam? After everything?"

Miguel was dumbfounded.

"I see you return her smiles," Achara told him. "How she looks at you. How you look at her."

"We're just friends, Achara," Miguel replied. "That's it."

Achara scoffed. "You're friends? That's funny. Weren't you the one that was jealous of my friendship with Robby despite how many times I told you that we were just friends? That's really a double standard, don't you think? You can be friends with Sam, but I can't be friends with Robby?"

"I'm sorry," Miguel responded. "I never meant to ruin your friendship with Robby. I just...I just..."

"Just what?" Achara asked. "You just couldn't handle the fact that I was friends with another boy? Are you jealous of Hawk too? He's my friend. Why aren't you jealous of him, hmm?"

Tears started to fall from Miguel's eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'll do anything you want me to do. Just please, please..."

Achara shook her head. "No. It's too late to beg. I'm done!"

"Chara..."

Achara inhaled a breath through her nose, and then exhaled from her mouth. "I'm done, Miguel."

Achara turned around and started to walk back to her car. Miguel called out to her, but she didn't turn back. She could hear the sound of his feet running behind her as he continued to call out to her.

Achara started to run to her car as fast as she could. She put the key in the ignition and stared out the windshield. Miguel stared back at her. Achara drove away, leaving him behind.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

this chapter started off on such a happy note and ended on a sad one...

well except for the gif of achara crying...should've been a heads up that the happiness wouldn't last long. i just wanted to keep y'all on the edge of your seats wondering when the gif comes into play :)

the breakup finally happened at least now we can see miguel start to grovel.

unfortunately achara's downward spiral is only just getting started. but hey, decha and demetri are finally dating!! wish i could say that nothing bad will happen...

also let me clarify something:  judging from his character and how unaware he is about so many things, i felt the whole "how am i supposed to know what kind of asian you are?" was in character for johnny. i really hope it wasn't misconstrued in any way.

alternative chapter title: achara finally breaking up with miguel like she should've a long time ago...