MIGUEL HAD TO REFRAIN FROM CHOKING ON HIS OWN SPIT WHEN HAYDEN APPEARED AT HIS BEDROOM DOOR.

He could've died from embarrassment when he realized baby pictures of himself were plastered all over the walls of the apartment, and that Hayden would've most likely seen them.

His suspicions were confirmed when Hayden held up a picture frame that had previously been sitting on a shelf. "You were so cute, Diaz. What happened?" She teased, laughing when Miguel buried his face into a pillow and muffled a groan.

"What're the chances you wipe that picture from your memory completely?" He questioned hopefully.

She hummed. "Slim to none. Matter of fact, I think I'll ask your mom to send me a copy, who let me in by the way." She sat on the edge of his bed, putting her hands in her lap.

"What're you doing here?" Miguel tilted his head at her, "Not that I don't, like, want you here."

Hayden looked down at the ice pack he held in his hand, gently grabbing his wrist and guiding it back to his eye. "Keep icing your eye, Diaz. The swelling will go down."

"Yes, ma'am." The corners of his mouth curved into a smile, a teasing undertone to his voice.

Hayden rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You looked pretty beat up at school. I just wanted to check on you."

"You were worried about me?" Miguel quirked a brow, cocking his head at her. A sense of pride surged throughout his body, as if finding out Hayden cared about him was a reward in itself.

Hayden looked off to the left, chewing on her lip. The promise she made herself was slowly being forgotten, and it's all thanks to Miguel Diaz.

The walls she'd worked so hard to build up throughout the years were faltering, and it scared her. "Don't let that go to your head. Just need someone to copy off of in math." She scoffed as if what Miguel had suggested was ridiculous.

Hayden convinced herself it was.

"Right." The shit-eating grin Miguel wore told Hayden that he didn't believe her for a second, and she rolled her eyes, shooting up off the bed.

"Right, well, now that I know your brain is still functioning," she paused, looking down at him, "kinda," she walked over to the door, "I'm leaving, dork."

"Wait." His voice halted her in her spot. "I was wondering — well, I wondered if—" The Ecuadorian boy struggled to get a sentence out, eyes flickering to the floor out of embarrassment.

"Spit it out, Diaz." Hayden nodded, curiosity getting the best of her and anticipation spewing from her mouth.

"Right. I don't know if you heard Demetri—"

Hayden raised a brow, shaking her head slightly as to confirm that she, in fact, did not know what he was referring to. "Demetri talks so damn much, I learned to tune him out half the time." She shrugged.

Miguel paused at that, finding it difficult to form coherent sentences at the moment. "He mentioned, um, karate?"

Hayden quirked a brow at that, nodding. "Okay, I vaguely remember that. As in you're in?"

"Well.. yeah, I am." Miguel tried to not let the fact that he was nervous show but Hayden was observant. The stuttering was enough, but the messing with the fingers, avoiding eye contact, and unsure tone in his voice was the tipping point.

He sucked in a breath, realizing he most definitely wasn't knocking the confidence thing out of the park. "Do you want to come with me?"

"To your karate lesson?"

"Yes."

"With you?"

"Uh-huh."

"You want me to go to your karate lesson with you?"

"That's what I said, yes."

Hayden scratched the back of her neck, looking around the room. That sounded like something friends did. Accompany each other to their extracurriculars.

"And you're extremely silent because you're thinking of ways to say no, right?" Miguel nodded, looking at the floor while trying not to take offense.

"Miguel—" She sighed, trailing her gaze off to the side.

"No, it's okay. No harm in asking, right?" He avoided her gaze.

"It's not that's I don't want to, alright? I just—" Don't want to get attached to you. "—have a lot of homework." She lied through her teeth.

Miguel nodded, because at least she wasn't ditching him for some other guy. "It's cool. I get it. Some other time, maybe?"

Hayden looked at the floor and then at him, hesitantly nodding. "Yeah, some other time." She lied.

—

"Liar!" Miguel gasped at Hayden, walking back towards her with a jokingly disappointed smile.

Hayden laughed, holding her stomach and hunching over. "Dude—" She wheezed out, pointing at him. "I've never— never seen you sprint so fast." She bursted out in fits of laughter, at one point her eyes started to sting from tearing up.

"Alright, alright. Wasn't even that funny." Miguel rolled his eyes playfully, slightly shoving her to the side as they walked back to the cafeteria, where Miguel had bursted into just moments ago because Hayden told him they were serving chocolate cake today.

Hayden wiped the corner of her right, "You're right, it wasn't funny." Miguel glanced at her, "It was hilarious, dude."

"What was hilarious?"

Hayden's grin immediately dropped, looking over at Kyler and his group of friends that stood behind him. She rolled her eyes, going to walk around him. "Nothing, mind your damn business." She muttered.

She felt Miguel put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to their table where Demetri and Eli waited for them. Miguel could feel the way Hayden tensed, sending her a reassuring smile that seemed to calm her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Kyler grabbed Hayden's arm, halting her from walking any further.

She whipped around, glaring. "Take your dirty ass hands off me before you don't have fucking hands."

His hand flew off her, holding them up. "Chill, bruh, chill."

"Dude, leave her alone." Miguel stepped forward boldly, narrowing his eyes at the boy in front of him.

Kyler looked at his audience, pointing at Miguel. "'Rhea thinks he's tough shit, guys." He laughed, giving a slight shove to his shoulder.

The Sanders' girl stepped forward, but she didn't have the opportunity to get a word out before Miguel's hand found hers. His grip was gentle, yet firm, as he pulled her behind him.

That only upset her more.

Miguel had good intentions. She knew he did. She knew Miguel wanted to protect her and shield her from harm. But she could handle herself. She'd been doing it her entire life, fighting her own battles, surviving on her own terms.

And for some reason, when Miguel stepped in, she felt like she was shrinking in her spot. Like all the independence she had worked so hard to maintain had faded in a second.

All her instincts screamed against it. The need to push him aside, to stand tall, clawed at her, but there was something about Miguel's presence that made her hesitate. It wasn't fear—it was a mixture of something else, something she didn't want to admit. It was as though his concern, his care, tugged at something deep inside her. A vulnerability she never allowed herself to feel.

"Why don't you shut the hell up and stop being such an asshole?" Miguel stepped up to Kyler.

'Ooo''s went around the room, and it was only then did Hayden realize that an audience quickly formed, making her take a few steps back.

She reminded herself that her mom wasn't joking around in the slightest when she said if Hayden got into another fight, she'd send her off to boarding school.

"Want another beatdown 'Rhea?" Kyler taunted, shoving at Miguel's shoulders who stumbled back. "I'm ready for your lame-ass karate this time."

Kyler's second shove was harder, forcing Miguel back into the tables, but he caught himself quickly, his jaw tightening as a crowd began to form.

Miguel clenched his jaw, "It's not lame-ass karate."

Kyler balled his fists, throwing a punch at Miguel. But Miguel seemed to expect it, holding his arm up and straining it against him. "It's Cobra Kai."

Miguel sent a punch to Kyler's nose, sending his stumbling back into his crew and drawing a few gasps.

Hayden's jaw hung open, looking at Miguel in shock. She felt a sense of pride surging through her for standing his ground.

Kyler wiped his nose with the back of his hand, looking at his fingers and seeing the blood that was slowly seeping out. He shook his head, catching everyone off guard when he charged at Miguel and tackled him back into the tables.

Kyler held him in a headlock, dragging him off the table and holding him in place with brute force.

Miguel struggled for a minute but he quickly composed himself and sent his elbow flying down to Kyler's ribcage, making Kyler let go of his grip on him.

Miguel got a hold of Kyler's arm, twisting it backwards to the point where Kyler hunched over in pain, and Miguel sent another punch to the boy's jaw this time.

He spun around, sharply kicking the boy in the back and launching him into someone's table.

A smile tugged at Hayden's lips, her mouth agape in shock but when she saw Kyler's friends creeping up on Miguel she pointed quickly. "Miguel!"

But Miguel had already anticipated them, twisting sharply down to sweep Bruck's feet out from under him. Another one of his friends grabbed Miguel by the shoulders, but Miguel elbowed him while simultaneously kicking at someone else's stomach. He spun a kick to that same guy's face, finishing him off.

By this point, Bruck's was finally getting off the ground, and Miguel ran forward, catching the lunch tray that Hayden tossed at him.

He kicked a chair at someone, stalling them for time while slamming the tray against Bruck's stomach, blocking Kyler's punch with the tray. He hit the top of Bruck's back, then brought his knee up to his abdomen and kicked him down to the floor.

Miguel noticed Kyler getting back up again, so he used Bruck's as a stepping stool to get onto the table, kicking Kyler across the face, and finishing him off by using the tray to whack him on the head.

By now, about five guys sprawled on the floor, all moaning and groaning in pain while Miguel stood victorious on the table.

The cafeteria erupted in cheers, celebrating the chaos that just unfolded. The entire room was buzzing with energy, but Miguel's eyes found Hayden's.

She gave him a curt nod, her smile wide, and for a moment, amidst the chaos, he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

But Hayden felt the opposite. Her heart thudded in her chest, not from the fight, but from something else. As the adrenaline slowly ebbed, her eyes caught a figure just a few feet away.

A familiar figure.

The girl stood there—polished, poised, everything about her screamed wealth and effortless confidence. Her perfectly styled hair, designer clothes, and the way she held herself made her stand out in the crowd.

But it wasn't just that. It was the way she was staring at Miguel, her eyes wide with something Hayden couldn't quite name. Admiration? Awe?

Whatever it was, it made Hayden's stomach twist uncomfortably.

For a reason she couldn't explain, Hayden felt the air grow colder. Her body tensed, and a strange chill crept down her spine. It wasn't the girl's presence alone that bothered her—it was the look in her eyes. The way she was fixated on Miguel, as if he were some kind of hero standing on that table, victorious and untouchable.

Hayden didn't like it. Not one bit.

Her hands balled into fists at her sides, the smile that had tugged at her lips moments ago fading as a knot tightened in her chest. She wasn't the jealous type—or at least, she hadn't thought she was—but seeing her look at Miguel like that stirred something unfamiliar inside her. Something she didn't want to acknowledge.

And when the girl's gaze shifted ever so slightly, their eyes met for the briefest moment. Hayden stiffened, as if she'd been caught in some silent confrontation.

She could feel her pulse quicken, the sound of cheering around her muffled now, as if the world had shrunk to just the three of them—Miguel, the rich girl, and herself.

And suddenly, the victory didn't feel as sweet anymore.

authors note.
Guys, I'm not gonna lie... I used AI to like, revise some of this because my writing was just notttt working with me, IT IS MY ORIGINAL WORK but AI did help just a lil 😓 sue me IDC