song is 'snap out of it' by arctic monkeys!

chapter six, friendship bracelets, or so he said.
season one, episode five-six.
'counterbalance.' 'quiver.'

Long after the bell dismissed them from their academic duties, the group arranged a fun meeting place, which happened to take place at Francisca's house. Everyone thought it would be an appropriate location to discuss the fight that broke out in the cafeteria. Nevertheless, a particular karate duo gained popularity as the day went on.

Which, both of them found enjoyable as they received numerous compliments, especially from their friends. That did not appear to be the case for Demetri Alexopoulos, who found himself exhibiting a feeling of shock rather than impression. His initial thought was he could finally roam the hallways without getting picked on, and then he noticed a sense of abandonment.

If his friend's popularity enhanced further due to their skills, would that indicate a departure? And if so, would he and Eli be left isolated once again?

Voices clouded his rush of beliefs and his concentration instantly diverted to the scene displayed in front of him. The image of Francisca's younger sisters exclaiming due to the video of Miguel and Alison gradually withered his thoughts away. "Everyone at school is talking about it!" Shouted Alondra. "Oh my gosh, look at the views!" Aralice beamed as she faced the phone toward Alondra.

While slicing a mango, Francisca let a giggle fall from her lips. "I think you just became their biggest inspiration," Informed the brunette whilst observing her younger sisters as they waddled toward their shared bedroom, groveling over the viral clip. Miguel chuckled as he withdrew his focus from the pair to the brunette.

"It was nice to get noticed for once, I'll admit that, but I just don't think it was as big a deal as everyone made it out to be. It was nothing." He merely shrugged it off as if it were nothing, which he undoubtedly believed was. Francisca halted her actions, narrowing her eyes at him. "Is that how you truly feel? Or is it that you're incapable of accepting what happened, even if it was incredible." She breathed out.

Stunned, he widened his eyes at her bluntness. Miguel never reckoned she would be the type to call him out on his foolish utterances. He should've at least expected it, more so after she defended the sport of karate when Demetri quipped a sarcastic joke. Regardless, the idea never seemed to have crossed his mind.

Miguel attempted to form a sentence but stammered over his words. Francisca quickly took note of his demeanor and took it upon herself to defuse the pressure. Her voice began to stutter as well. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any— Demetri don't touch that!" She cut herself off whilst slapping the boy's hand as he sneakily tried to grab a piece of fruit.

"Oh, come on. It's right in front of me, flaunting its flavors. What am I supposed to do?" Demetri explained, earning a response from Alison. "Maybe keep it in your pants?" Joked the blonde as she, Tessa, and Eli took their places on the remaining chairs. "Haha, very funny. Frankie, can I have a glass of water?"

She hummed her agreement. "Give me a second, and I'll get it for you," Demetri shook his head and politely declined. "You're busy. I can grab it," He offered, ultimately getting his way after a long exchange of contradicting words. He approached a nearby cabinet Francisca led him to, nabbing a cup before striding toward the pitcher of iced water.

As Demetri did so, he accidentally bumped into Francisca, who mistakenly pushed her bracelet off the counter. Its various colored beads fell to the ground, scattering everywhere. The brunette gasped as she and Demetri took cautious steps back.

Her eyes examined the floor as the Alexopoulos scanned his friend, incapable of responding to the situation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Francisca sighed. She understood his error and that it most likely wasn't his intention to bump into her, provoking the misfortune it did. Nevertheless, the bracelet carried a special meaning.

Subsequently, after Francisca was born, her parents eventually settled on fostering or adopting their future kids. Daniela and Rafael truly loved their daughter, but it wasn't until a year later that the two learned just how dangerous the system was. They waited until Francisca was old enough to assemble decisions alongside them.

It fortunately did not take much for the young girl to agree to have another kid in the house, blood-related or not. Weeks later, her very first sister entered the household. Maya was her name, and Francisca couldn't have been more eager to know her. She had only been a few years younger, but they still obtained a special bond during their time.

But alas, as many promising stories run, there is always an unsatisfying ending. Much to everyone's dismay, Maya was sent back to pursue her birth mother. And despite the tears and sorrow, neither of the girls would overlook their memorable bond. Each of them carried an item of significance, and Francisca's just so happened to be a homemade bracelet.

Which was currently lying on the tiles, broken into pieces.

"It's fine, I promise." She reassured as she lightly smiled. However, her expression said otherwise. Alison instantly noticed her faltering gesture and piped up before the tension escalated. "We should settle on a movie, right guys? Demetri, you want to help us?" Gesturing for Eli and Tessa to follow, she slid off her chair. Demetri studied his atmosphere, hesitating slightly before pursuing his friends.

Francisca cleared her throat once Miguel stayed back. She bent down and began to pick up the fragments. "Wait, I can help," Miguel suggested. He quickly joined the girl on the floor and copied her actions, aiming for every bead he could locate. "Thanks." Mumbled Francisca under her breath whilst the two stood and combined their belongings on the counter.

"Anytime. You okay? It kinda seemed like the bracelet was special," He asked, earning a nod. "I'm fine. But, yeah, it was." Francisca responded without fully defining its purpose. The Diaz shrugged off the subject, comprehending the girl's inability to discuss its purpose. He witnessed her carefully embracing herself in anxiety.

Raising an eyebrow, Miguel stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm. "You don't have to explain. I'm here if you need to." Francisca quickly looked up and fibbed a grin. "I'm okay. We should probably head with the others," She backed away and took hold of the bowl into her hands, forgoing any forthcoming plans of including other sweet fruits.

Watching as she strolled off into the distance, Miguel couldn't help but wonder about the potential solutions he could do to uplift her spirits. His mind ran through numerous ideas until one in particular caught his attention. Now, all he needed to do was steal Tessa aside for a moment and ask for a favor.

"See? No one's gonna mess with you." Finalized Demetri in his conversation with Miguel. The two had been discussing Demetri's ongoing problem with Cobra Kai's sensei, Johnny Lawrence. He wasn't as much of an educator as much as he was a tauntless bully. Besides, who needs a sensei when you have a badass friend?

Turning on his heel to seek a different route, Kyler seemed to have avoided all chances of coming into contact with Miguel Diaz. His reputation tanked rather quickly after the brawl, which delivered only a few tangible peers to sustain his leftover prominence.

Miguel continued to send daggers until his expression softened when Francisca walked past, his eyes tracking her movements. It was clear she hadn't noticed their presence by her rapid pace.

He turned his head toward Demetri, meanwhile his stare never left the girl. "Hey, uh, I'll see you later?" Perplexion crept up on the other's face as he wondered about the justification for his friend's distance, mainly due to his previous interest in their dialogue. Demetri sought after Miguel's sudden attraction and followed his gaze, which immediately anchored onto Francisca.

As his face dropped, Demetri gave the Latino a knowing look as he was preoccupied. "Sure. Tell your girlfriend I said hi," He playfully teased. Miguel now targeted daggers at his friend despite his prior softened expression. "Dude, she's not my girlfriend."

"Whatever you say, man. See you later,"

Once Demetri left his atmosphere and eyeline, Miguel hustled to catch up with Francisca. He called out for the girl, grabbing her attention as her treads faltered. Francisca pivoted toward his direction, tightening the hold on her backpack straps as a mere grin evolved. She noticed his careful demeanor when bypassing a few clusters of students.

Carefully evading each group, Miguel approached Francisca. He was accompanied by a cheeky smile, a particular one Francisca knew all too well. Due to the disaster that took place in the brunette's home, Miguel yearned for an opportunity to converse with her, but the adolescent had yet to succeed in finding a moment alone for the two.

He presumed that now would be perfect.

"Hey, Frankie. I've been meaning to talk to you. Wait, you're not late, are you?" He nervously inquired, earning a head shake from Francisca. Arriving late to class on account of his urgent need to chat surely wasn't a great look. He was aware the girl depended on her academics quite heavily. "Oh, not at all. I'm on my way to study hall," Assured Francisca as she promptly noticed his uneasiness.

Exhaling, Miguel piped up once again. "Great! I actually have something for you," He dug through his denim pockets before drawing out two bracelets. Dangling the two pieces of jewelry, Francisca arched a brow at the assortment of clashing colors. The bracelets appeared to have been homemade, and built by Miguel, no less.

Coming to a particular realization, the Latino mentally facepalmed himself. "Right, so I should probably explain. Uh, I made these for you, or one of them was made for you," He specified as he departed with one, leaving him the remnants. "This one is for you. I kind of noticed you weren't really okay after what happened with your old bracelet, so I asked Tess to help me make another one! M—My original plan was to make it a group thing but I kept messing up.. It can still be an us thing, you know, if you want. Like a friendship bracelet," Miguel rambled, stuttering over a few terms.

Francisca inspected the entity in her hands, unable to express her gratitude. A part of her felt almost dumbfounded by his realization of her emotions, but another wasn't particularly shocked. This bracelet, his words, all of it, it fundamentally screamed Miguel.

Not to mention his statement was correct.

But for the first time in her overwhelmingly perfect life, Francisca felt seen. Seen by another individual who hadn't been her mother. She clutched the object in her palm, cultivating a smile.

"Thank you, Miguel. I don't know what to say except that it means more to me than you know." She slipped on the bracelet and gestured for him to do the same. He copied her actions and raised his arm to glance between their matching sets before diverting his attention once more.
"Uh, I should go. My class starts in..." Miguel examined the clock above the lockers, his eyes widening shortly after. "Sorry, Frankie, I have to go, I'll see you later!"

Offering him a gentle laugh, she watched as he frantically ran in the opposite direction. She tugged on her brand-new, homemade bracelet, appreciating its memorable importance.

Oh, how she hoped this feeling would last.

— AVERY SPEAKS !

My last chapter of the new year (kind of)!! Tbh, i would've rather offed myself than post this but you guys deserved a little present/farewell

Also, if you saw this before my other little surprise(s), then surprise!

I genuinely hate this chapter, idk if it's bc my writing sucks, i suck at writing, or if it's bc it's been a while since i've fully written a chapter that isn't based on episodes.. either way, don't judge me:)

Anyway, have a good new year my children!