THAILA BANGED her fist repeatedly against her locker, but again, struck out on opening it. She struggled every so often to open it and would try and find someone nearby to open it.

To her luck, someone was standing by their locker to help her out.

She approached the boy with a small smile, tapping his shoulder, but once he turned around her smile dropped slightly.

His arm was in a cast.

"Oh, sorry." Thaila apologized. "I was going to ask if you could help me get into my locker, but-"

The boy smiled. "It was my locker last year." He approached the locker, turning the dial, and slamming his first against it. "The trick is not to use the combination because it's never right. Make sure it's exactly on eighteen and hit it. It'll open."

Thaila nodded, watching her locker fly open. "Uh, thanks." She looked back over. "You're the guy who gave me the drinks at that party. Demetri, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I would shake your hand, but my dominant, stronger hand is out of commission."

"Yeah," Thaila nodded. "how'd that happen?"

"You don't know?"

Thaila furrowed her brows. How would she know? She didn't know Demetri until the party... even then, she still didn't know Demetri.

Demetri awkwardly chuckled. "It's not a- not a big deal or anything, you know?" He continued to chuckle. "Uh, Eli broke my arm."

"Eli?"

"Hawk or whoever he is now." Demetri answered. "With Tory and some of the other Cobra Kai kids. I thought you knew because Tory's your sister and... I don't know. Sisters tell each other everything. But I wouldn't know because I don't have a sister and-"

"I get it." Thaila muttered. "But I- I didn't about any of this and I'm sorry about your arm, Demetri."

He shrugged. "It happens."

But it shouldn't have.

As the day ended, Thalia made her way over to Cobra Kai. She was used to dropping Tory off or waiting for her, but Tory managed to find her way there and Thalia wouldn't be waiting for her.

She hopped out of the car and made her way inside the dojo. It was her second time inside the dojo and it still smelled of sweat and blood... maybe worse the second time around.

"Ms. Nichols." Kresse called, all eyes now facing the petite blonde. "Glad you could join us today."

Thalia awkwardly smiled, holding her hand in the air as she waved with the same awkwardness.

"I'm just here to speak to Tory." She said. "Family emergency."

Kresse nodded and Tory followed her sister outside.

"What's wrong?" Tory asked.

"Did you start a fight a the boardwalk?" Thalia asked.

Tory scoffed. "What?"

"Tory, I'm not stupid and you that." Thalia said. "That Demetri kid said that Eli-Hawk whoever the hell he is broke his arm and you were there... cheering him on. Is it true?"

"Thalia-"

"I don't know who you are anymore." Thalia said. "Why would you do that?"

Tory was taken aback. It wasn't that serious was it?

"Those Miyagi-Do's are the problem. Not me. Not Cobra Kai."

Thalia scoffed. "I know things are hard at home, but acting out this way isn't going to change anything. I get that you hate Sam and trust me, I'm not her friend either, but this has gone too far, Tory. What are you fighting for?"

Tory stepped forward, making Thalia take a small step back.

"She hurt you." Tory said. "I don't care that you're over it or that you think it might magically disappear. She hurt you and I won't be done with LaRusso until she feels the same way that you did."

"What does that have to do with Demetri?" Thalia asked softly. "What does it have to do with that Miyagi-Do dojo? I don't know what Kreese is telling you in there but-"

"You're not going to disrespect him." Tory said. "He's taught me a lot and he's the one who's got our rent off. You should be in there thanking him instead of shitting on him."

"I know that you're angry. You have every right to be angry at the world. I am too, but I can't help you when this is your outlet." Thalia said. "I was the reason you weren't sent get sent to juvie, remember that? If another fight like the one that happened school happens... I'm not going to be the one to help. You're on your own with this and I'm sorry it had to come to this."

With that, Thalia turned, leaving Tory standing there. She didn't wait in the parking lot, she didn't bother waiting for Tory after practice. She left.

She didn't want to argue with Tory, it was the last thing she wanted to do, but she didn't recognize the person she'd grown up with. She wasn't the ideal that she remembered and she wasn't the sister she loved.

It was strange. She had no one to talk to about this. She always had Tory. It had always been the two of them and helping their family out the best way that she could.

But now? Thalia felt alone. She had absolutely no one to talk to about what she was going through and she didn't know if she ever would again.

Thaila simply drove, she didn't know where she was going or what she was doing, but she knew that she had to drive, and by nightfall, she found herself at the park.

She sat on the playground, her back pressed against the cold metal bars that led to the slide. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her cheek against them.

It was quiet.

She liked the quiet. Though her mind raced with a million thoughts per second in the silence, she knew was doing it in silence rather than a bustling room full of people.

She closed her eyes for a moment, the cool breeze washing over her as she sat there.

Nothing but silence, her thoughts, and the crunching noise of the mulch beneath someone's feet.

Thalia moved slowly, lifting her head from her knees, but remained as still as she possibly could afterward.

Who the hell would be a the park at this hour? Who the hell would approach the park as slowly as the footstep made it out to be?

Thalia quickly stood to her feet, grabbed her phone out of her pocket, and chucked it at the assailant.

"What the hell?"

Thalia looked up. "Miguel?"

The boy muttered her name under his breath and bent down, picking the girl's phone up as she slid down the slide, meeting him halfway.

Thalia looked down, surprised that the boy had been walking when just days ago he was wheelchair bound.

"You're walking." Thalia smiled.

"And you still have good aim." He joked.

Thalia chuckled softly, taking the phone from Miguel's hands. She shoved it back into her pocket and looked at him.

"Sorry." She muttered. "I wasn't expecting you or anyone to show up."

"I like it here." Miguel said. "It's quiet."

Thalia nodded. "Well... I will let you think in the quiet... Alone."

She gave Miguel one last smile before gently brushing past him.

Miguel turned, watching her walk off with his hands stuffed in his pocket.

"Thalia?"

She turned, her eyebrows raised.

The bright light from the moon dawned upon her, casting a silvery glow across her face as shadows danced in the cool night breeze. Her eyes shimmered with a quiet intensity, reflecting the ethereal light, the soft rustling of leaves the only sound in the calm, moonlit night.

"I'm sorry." Miguel muttered. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Thalia softly asked. "I mean, I threw my phone at you not once but twice and-"

"Not-" Miguel chuckled. "Not that. I deserved that." He smiled softly before changing his demeanor. "I'm sorry for how treated you. You're—"

There were many words to describe Thalia. She was bright, soft, kindhearted, beautiful, intelligent, beautiful, sweet, and beautiful. She was like the finest piece of chocolate from the Valentine's Day boxes billionaires buy for their wives. The expensive kind that cost thousands of dollars.

Thalia Nichols was enchanting.

"Miguel?"

He blinked slowly before looking down. He'd been staring at her as he tried to get the words to fall from his lips, but all he could do was stare at her.

"I really do like you, Thalia." Miguel finally managed to say. "But I also—"

"I get it." She muttered, cutting him off. "It sucks, but I get it." She sighed. "We're cool."

"We are?"

Thalia nodded, though the faintest trace of a frown pulled at the corners of her lips. "Hating you isn't doing anything. I don't want to hate you. Which sucks, but I can't hate you, Miguel."

There was a brief silence, an almost tangible stillness in the air between them. Miguel's gaze flickered over her, searching for some clue, some signal in her eyes that said more than her words were offering.

"I just wish..." Thalia hesitated, biting her lip as she looked away. "I just wish it didn't have to be this complicated. That you didn't have to be..." She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

Miguel's heart sank. He wanted to say something, anything, to fix it, to erase the hurt in her eyes, but instead, he let out a sigh. "I know. I never wanted it to be this way."

Thalia closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a breath as if gathering herself. "Me neither," she whispered. Then, as if flipping a switch, she smiled faintly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "But like I said, we're cool."

Miguel nodded. "Friends?"

Thalia chuckled. "Friends."

There was a long pause, the kind of silence that felt heavy with everything left unsaid. Slowly, Thalia stepped forward, hesitating for just a second before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. It was gentle, but there was a warmth in it, a kind of finality. Miguel froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden closeness, but then his arms moved on their own, pulling her in a little tighter. He closed his eyes, letting himself feel the weight of her in his arms, trying to memorize the moment, even as he knew it was slipping away.

Neither of them spoke, but the silence seemed to say enough. The kind of silence that felt both comforting and unbearable at the same time.

After what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, Thalia pulled away. Miguel's arms lingered for a moment as if they were reluctant to let go, but she was already stepping back. She offered him one last small, sad smile before turning on her heel.

Miguel stood there, watching as she walked off, her figure growing smaller with each step she took. He wanted to call out, to ask her to stay, but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was watch until she disappeared, leaving him with nothing but the faint echo of her presence and the ache that settled in his chest.

And for the first time, he realized just how much he hated the word "friends."

— lucy has something to say !!

how do i recover this?

bye :))))