AFTER THE fiasco at the country club, Thaila didn't want to be seen by rich people ever again and planned on not returning to the club by any means necessary, but Aisha seemed to like Thalia enough to be invited out to eat with her and a couple of the students from Cobra Kai.

Thalia sat in front of Tory as she picked at the plate of dessert the two of them shared.

Aisha had introduced Thaila to the group that showed.

Moon, Hawk, Penis Breath (Mitch she would late learn), Bert, and Chris.

According to Moon, she was in a relationship with Hawk, the boy with the red mohawk, but everyone else was free range. Not that Thaila really cared, she'd been in the Valley for about a week and didn't see a need to speed into anything new, especially when she didn't know what she was really looking for.

She dated someone back in her hometown and things began going south quickly after her mother grew sick. Thalia wanted someone who could understand that she had other priorities. That yes, a relationship was important, but the health of her mother would overrule any of that. She wanted a guy to look at her like she was the only girl in the world. That every moment with her was golden.

Thalia looked up from her plate and over at Tory.

"You gonna finish this?" Thalia asked.

Tory shook her head and watched as Thaila began to stand. She grabbed her spoon and made her way over to Miguel. He'd been nose-deep in his laptop since they arrived.

"Wanna bite?" Thaila asked.

Miguel looked up from his laptop and smiled. "Thanks."

Thalia sat the plate down before taking a seat across from the boy.

"What are you working on?" She asked.

"Um..."

Thaila smiled. "Is it that bad?" She asked.

Miguel sighed. "I could use a girl's opinion on this, actually. But you have to promise not to laugh."

Thaila smiled, a small, breathy laugh escaping her. "I can't promise that."

Miguel begrudgingly shook his head before turning the laptop in Thaila's direction. On the screen was a red heart with a simple black background.

"Ta-da."

A song quietly played in the background once he hit the play button and a picture of Miguel faded into the screen on one half of the heart on the other side, the girl from the country club that accused Tory of stealing her mother's wallet.

Thaila's smile dropped slightly as she turned towards Miguel. "Is she-"

"My ex, Sam." Miguel answered.

The video continued, a hand chopping the heart in half with the saying "my heart is broken without you" appearing on the screen.

"Oh, wait." Miguel smiled. "Watch this right here."

Soon, a cartoon octopus flew onto the screen and fixed the broken heart.

"Sam and I have this thing for octopuses." Miguel explained. "Or octopi. It's kind of like our relationship mascot."

The video finally concluded and Miguel now drew his attention over to Thaila, ignoring the sour look on her face.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"Um," Thaila began, clearing her throat as she sat upright. "it's definitely a video."

"It's that bad?"

Thaila sighed. She, for a lack of better words, hated the video and not because of her distaste for this Sam girl. She simply didn't like the video. The song choice was definitely a choice and the editing seemed slow and choppy. If she was presented with this video she would honestly think the boy was desperate.

Thaila had always been seen as kind, but she was always honest. At times, she would lie if she knew she would be protecting someone, like Tory for example, but this... this video was a sad, sad attempt of playing get back and she would hate to be shown this video by a guy that she liked.

"Are you desperate?" Thaila asked. "This makes you look really desperate."

"I am desperate."

"I don't think girls like desperate guys."

Miguel sighed. "Then how am I supposed to let her know how I feel?"

Thaila laughed. "Be honest. I feel like it's really simple."

"And if she doesn't listen?"

"She definitely wasn't going to listen if you were going to show her that video." Thalia smiled. "Maybe you think about what you're going to say before you see her. Take a day off."

Thaila wasn't going to sabotage his relationship because she didn't like Sam. That would be too much for her to juggle and she didn't have the time to do any of that. Maybe if she consulted her sister about she would've, but there was no need for that, plus, if Tory found out about Miguel and Sam, she would probably resent the body for a few months.

"And do what?" Miguel asked.

Thalia smiled. "Wanna go to the park?"

MIGUEL AND Thaila had been at the park for hours. It had been daylight when they arrived and nightfall when they found themselves spinning around the merry-go-round and jumping off before landing in the mulch.

Miguel laughed, following behind the girl. Her laugh was contagious and that's all she had done for the past couple of hours since they'd arrived at the park.

Thaila heavily sighed, rolling over in the mulch so she was sitting down next to the boy.

"I'm so dizzy." He muttered.

"That's what happens when you are constantly in motion in five minutes." She chuckled. "You havin' fun?"

"Yes," Miguel smiled. "I am having fun. I kind of dig the abandoned playground vibes. It seems like an awesome place to... fight off a zombie apocalypse."

Thaila chuckled. "I don't think that will happen anytime soon, but I like it because it's quiet and cars barely pass so being here at night... feels freeing if that makes sense."

"To get away?" Miguel asked.

Thaila nodded. "Exactly."

A beat of silence passed before Thaila grabbed her phone from her pocket. She soon smiled and pushed herself and Miguel onto their backs.

"What-"

"Just look." Thaila smiled.

Soon, a plane flew past. It seemed too close to the ground, but that's what made it cooler.

"Holy shit!" Miguel exclaimed. "That was awesome."

"It happens every night at 10:36." Thaila explained. "No sooner, no later. It's the last flight out of Burbank."

Miguel sighed. "Whoa. Sam and I once went to this ice cream shop in Burbank-"

Thaila chuckled as she began to sit up. "You were doing pretty good until that. Almost an hour without a mention of her."

Miguel followed suit, watching as Thaila rested her hands behind her back. She looked up at the stars. He'd caught her doing that a couple of times throughout the night, he thought she was spacing out in their conversations, but she would always respond to what he'd been speaking about.

She was always listening even if you didn't think she was. Thaila was attentive, it showed in her work, her friendships, and her relationships. She wanted people to know that she could be reliable and trustworthy and Miguel could easily see that in her.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm sorry." He apologized. "Uh... Sensei just said to go all in and make a move and I'm still trying to figure out what that means."

Thaila hummed in response. "Want my opinion?" Miguel nodded. "I think he's being literal. Go for it. Just do it." She said, gently nudging his arm with hers. "Make a move." She whispered.

Miguel's eyes locked onto Thaila's as she whispered the words, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He leaned in closer to her, their faces inches apart.

Thalia was beautiful. There was no doubt about that. Miguel knew that. He knew that when he saw her that night in the park. This exact park.

He watched as her cheeks grew pink in the moonlight and it made him smile as he began to lift his hand, cupping her cheek.

Thaila didn't back away, her gaze holding steady with his. Miguel could see the stars twinkling above them reflected in her eyes.

And Thalia knew she should've done something different. She should've said something about Sam and how he'd just mentioned her in passing. It was clear that he had a big thing for her.

He was waiting for Sam.

But when Thalia saw the look in his eyes, it was the look she knew any girl would fall for. That any girl would be glad to say yes to. It was like he only had eyes for her, that whatever thoughts he had about Sam had completely gone vacant in his mind.

Looking at Thaila... Miguel felt wonderstruck. Was it possible to feel that way in a short amount of time? Well... it wasn't impossible. It wasn't like he was in love with the girl. He was simply... enchanted by her.

Without another word, Miguel pressed his lips to Thaila's. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but as they lingered together, it deepened into something more intense.

Miguel's hand continued to rest against her cheek as Thaila used her hands to rest themselves on either side of his neck, her thumbs on the underside of his jaw and pulling him in even closer.

The only sound was the distant hum of crickets and the quiet rustle of leaves in the wind.

It felt freeing. Miguel had finally found out what Thalia met. The park felt freeing. You could be or do whatever you wanted without a care in the world. It was quiet, it was calm. There was no karate, no one to fight, no one to yell in your face. It was all so quiet.

Thalia should've said no. She should've brought up Sam. She would hate herself for not doing so. She knew she would. It would all come back to bite her in the ass.

THALIA SLOWLY opened the door of the apartment complex and gently shut it behind her. It wasn't too late, but late enough for Tory to notice the girl wasn't in her room.

"Where were you?"

Thalia jumped at the sound of Tory's voice. She looked up and found her sister standing in the hallway. Her hands tucked into her hoodie's pockets and her knees exposed.

"At the park." Thalia sighed. "Jesus."

Tory raised her brows. "That park?" She questioned. Tory looked over at the stove, the time reading a quarter past midnight. "This late a night?"

Thalia sighed. "You can't say anything when I tell you this?"

Tory scoffed. "Who would I tell?"

"Miguel kissed me."

Tory raised her brows. "That scrawny kid from my dojo? Miguel Diaz?"

"Yes, but-"

"Holy shit, Thalia!" Tory smiled. "I didn't know you had it in you." She approached her sister, taking her hand and gently pushing the youngest back. "I better step up my game."

"Tory." Thalia called.

Her face was ridden with seriousness. No smile on her face.

"What happened?" Tory asked. "Did he try something? Thalia, I swear-"

"He was in a relationship with that Sam girl." Thalia said. "The one from the country club."

Tory paused, shoving her hands back into her pockets as she looked over at her sister. She seemed... confused. Like she'd done something wrong. Tory had seen the look a million times when Thalia used to draw on the walls and would find herself standing in the corner when their mother came home.

"So?" Tory smiled. "I don't see-"

"He wants to be back with her." Thalia said. "He showed me this video and everything. He told me he was desperate, Tory."

The eldest sighed. She hated that Thalia felt this way. She wouldn't exactly understand it, but she knew that Thalia didn't want to be in this position.

Thalia knew that Miguel wanted to be with Sam. So why did he kiss her? He'd talked about Sam all day... so why did Miguel kiss her?

Thalia stood in silence. Her back pressed against the cold door as her eyes locked on the floor. Her mind was racing. She just kissed a guy she had little to no chance with because he was desperate to get back with his ex. And my God, Thalia knew that Sam was beautiful, but she didn't seem so kind, but then again, she had every right to assume that Tory had stolen her mother's wallet because she had taken the vodka with such ease.

Tory watched Thalia's slow moment and then it happened.

Thalia's lip quivered.

"Thalia." Tory called. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she took careful steps towards her.

"I just feel really stupid." She whispered.

Tory licked her lips and gently embraced her sister, her cheek pressed to the side of her temple.

Thalia felt like a fool.

— lucy has something to say !!

i opened this chapter on my phone and everything was gone! i was do something drastic but revision history saved my life (literally)

me trying to use as many enchanted like lyrics in this chapter as i can to justify why miguel kissed thaila here... yup!

bye :))))