╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter forty-eight
you're confused, and I'm
upset

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ALYSSA BARELY HAD time to blink before Miguel and Sensei Lawrence were up and gone, catching the next flight back to California. There had been an issue with Carmen's pregnancy, and as much as Alyssa hated to see them go because of her worry for the tournament, the worry for Carmen was so much greater. Carmen had acted like another mother to Alyssa ever since her and Miguel met, and she knew how much Carmen meant to both Miguel and Sensei Lawrence. They had to be there. Alyssa just wished that was able to support them more, but all she could do is sit in Barcelona and fight.

The night life in Barcelona was absolutely popping, especially with all the tourists in for the tournament. Alyssa and Eli, hand-in-hand, had run up to Sensei Toguchi in the hallway earlier, asking him if they could go out, especially to celebrate after staying in the tournament. Sensei Toguchi had agreed, telling them to hit the town hard. Yet that was before Miguel and Sensei Lawrence left, and now, the mood was severely dimmed.

They were in some random bar that they had found. Alyssa was sitting on Eli's lap, glancing around at the entire place. It was fun, really — music was playing, drinks were flowing, people were dancing. Yet Alyssa couldn't really find it in her at all to enjoy the mood. In fact, none of them did. She looked back at Demetri, tucking some hair behind her ear as she sipped on the alcoholic drink in her hand. Might as well drown her sorrows — even better that she was of drinking age in Spain.

Devon turned to them, a worried look on her face. "What are we gonna do now that Sensei Lawrence and Miguel are gone?"

"Well, I heard they're gonna fly in Kenny," Eli answered.

"Yeah, 'cause the kid that shit his pants is totally gonna save the day," Demetri said sarcastically, raising up his drink. "Whoo!"

Alyssa gave him a look. "Stop being so mean to Kenny. I think the important thing right now is that Miguel and Sensei Lawrence are going back to see Carmen." She shook her head. "I'm so worried about them. All of them."

"Hey," Eli stated, gripping her waist a little tighter. "They're going to be fine."

She sighed. "God, I hope you're right."

Three new people then entered the bar. Alyssa looked up from her drink, only to freeze for a moment. Cobra Kai had just walked in — it was Tory, Yoon, and Kwon, which was the name of the boy who had smirked at her and looked at her up and down the first day.

Sam got up from her table with Robby. "I'm gonna get some air."

Alyssa watched her go. She wanted to follow Sam, she really did, but she felt as if somebody else needed to be talked to more. Alyssa's eyes slid over to Robby, who was staring down at his Coke. His whole demeanor practically screamed sad — which made sense, considering his whole thing with Tory.

She pressed herself up from Eli's lap, walking over to Robby's table. "All right, Keene." Alyssa extended her hand out to him. "Come on."

Robby looked up at her. "What?"

"It's time we had a heart to heart, captain to captain. Let's go."

He glanced at her hand for a moment. "Ally, no offense, but I don't really want to talk."

"I'm taking offense to that, actually," Alyssa responded. "But right now, I don't fucking care. You've clearly got some stuff you need to work through, stuff that I can understand." Her eyes softened slightly. "Robby."

After letting out a deep breath, Robby took her hand and got up out of his chair. Alyssa gave him a tiny smile before turning to Eli, mouthing be right back. Eli nodded, and Alyssa led Robby outside into the alley. The stars were out, and it was slightly chilly, but not too bad. As soon as they stepped outside, the music from inside got slightly muted. Alyssa let go of Robby's hand, leaning against the wall in the alley and crossing her arms. Robby stood in front of her, slipping his hands into his pockets.

He looked at her. "So?"

"So," Alyssa repeated. "Tory."

Robby's face fell again. "If you're going to say she's bringing me off of my focus, I already know. Ever since she asked for a break, I haven't been in my right mind."

"I know. I can tell. But I don't blame you for that, unlike some of the others."

"You don't?"

"No," Alyssa responded simply. "I think out of everyone, I can probably relate to you the most when it comes to things like this." Her voice lowered slightly, to something a lot more vulnerable. "I know what it's like. To see the one person you care about the most, the one that you love, to get sucked into the evil that's Cobra Kai."

Robby's face flashed with understanding, now seeing what she meant when she said she understood. "Oh."

She nodded. "Yeah, oh." Alyssa started to absentmindedly twist her friendship bracelet, the one she shared with Sam, around her wrist. "When Eli fell into Cobra Kai and became Hawk, he made me feel so . . . powerless. Like, every time I was around him, I would put up this front that I was all tough and didn't care, but in reality, I was just absolutely breaking down inside to the point where it felt like I couldn't breathe. Sound familiar?"

He scoffed. "Extremely familiar. I'm trying so, so hard to not let it affect me, but it's hard seeing her act so normal when this break thing is messing me up." Robby shook his head. "And it's hard to see her back in the one place I didn't want her to be in, even though I understand why she did. I just . . . I hope she can forgive me if I ever made her feel alone."

"I get that. Really, I do. It's not easy. Trust me, I know. It's like, all you can do is consider them . . . until there comes a time, and all you can do is consider yourself." She glanced back at the door for a moment before looking at Robby seriously. "Your heart calls out to Tory. And I'm struggling with the fact that she's there, too, especially with the whole I blame your mother for the death of my mom thing, which is still fucking with my head. But if I learned one thing from this, it's that I'm a real tough kid. I can handle my shit, and I can fake it till I make it." She tilted her head slightly. "And so can you."

Robby was silent for a moment, as if he was taking in her words. "I just . . . I don't want to lose her."

Alyssa's eyes softened slightly a pang going through her chest. "I have a very strong feeling that you won't. But, if you do . . . take it from me." She pushed herself off of the wall and reached out, squeezing Robby's shoulder. "Everything you lose is a step you take."

Robby stared at her for a moment longer before giving her the tiniest of smiles. "Thank you, Als."

She reciprocated his smile. "Captains have to stick together. But friends have to stick together more. You know what wise people say. We're all in this together."

"Ally, that's High School Musical."

"Exactly. Wise people." Her smile only widened when Robby let out a laugh at that. "Robby, you've got this. I've got your back."

Robby extended his fist out to her. "And I've got yours, too."

Alyssa bumped his fist with hers. "Glad to know. Well, back inside we go, I guess."

He turned towards the door, opening it up for her. "Time to go add some rum to my coke."

She raised her eyebrows, brushing past him to step inside. "You? Mr. I Don't Drink is going for the alcohol?"

"Just drowning my sorrows."

"Oh, you so get me. Just . . . not too much, okay?"

He nodded at her, heading off towards the bar to go get his drink. Alyssa turned back to the others, ready to go hang out with Eli, Demetri, and Devon, only for the smile she had to immediately slip off her face and her heart to drop all the way to her stomach.

The boys were at the same exact spot she had left them in. However, something was different this time. Eli (and Demetri, but she didn't care too much about him at the moment) had his eyes glued to the dance floor, where multiple people were gathered. Except, his eyes were more so glued to the one girl that was dancing, almost entranced. Alyssa, now feeling quite unimportant and extremely shitty, moved just a bit closer to the table to hear them, yet still keeping herself out of sight.

Demetri hit Eli's shoulder. "Remember, you have a girlfriend."

"Yeah, so do you," Eli argued. "Oh, shit, she's coming over here."

"We have girlfriends. We love our girlfriends. Think with that head."

The girl from the dance floor walked up to them confidently, moving some of her hair off of her shoulder. "Qué tal, boys? Having fun tonight?"

"Yeah," Demetri replied.

"Yeah," Eli agreed, looking up at the girl and not even sparing a glance away. "Fun night."

The girl touched the side of Eli's head before letting her hand drop to his shoulder, making Alyssa's stomach churn uncomfortably. "I like your hair. It's so cute."

"Thank you. I have a girlfriend, though."

Well. If that didn't make Alyssa feel like a fucking afterthought, she didn't know what else would. She crossed her arms across her chest, chewing the inside of her cheek absentmindedly.

The girl focused on Demetri. "Well, how about you, tall man? Do you want to dance?"

Demetri took her hand and stood up. "I thought you'd never ask."

Eli stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"I'm on vacation!"

Alyssa scoffed in disbelief. This could not be happening. Instantly, she reached for the back pocket of her jeans, grabbing her phone. Alyssa went to her camera app and zoomed in on the dance floor, snapping a picture of Demetri dancing with the girl. Without a second thought in her head, she sent the picture to Yasmine. Would Demetri get mad at her for this? Probably. But Yasmine deserved to know.

She put her phone back, and as she did, she looked back at Eli. Her heart felt heavy, and she didn't really know what to do anymore. Alyssa knew Eli loved her — that was just something that was set in stone. He told her a lot, and he showed her a lot. Yet, seeing him stare at that girl . . . it was enough to make her fucking sad. Even her, who was pansexual as fuck and could see that the girl was hot, wouldn't have just stared at the girl like she was the only one in the room.

Maybe she was acting irrationally, but she didn't care. Her feelings were valid.

The club was becoming way too suffocating. Alyssa glanced at Eli once more, feeling quite sick to her stomach, before deciding it was probably better for her to just go. She turned herself back around and left the bar again, yet this time it was for good. Alyssa wrapped her arms around herself, walking down the alley in the direction of her hotel. A shower and some bed time would do her good.

Unfortunately, the universe was never on her side. Out of the darkness came three members of Cobra Kai — most notably their captain, the cocky one, which Alyssa had learned was Kwon. Alyssa slowed to a stop, glancing in between the three of them. She could tell they were trying to intimidate her, but honestly, she didn't care. All she was tired, and pissed off, and upset, and the combination of all three of those led to a ruthless personality.

"What the fuck do you want?" Alyssa complained. "I'm trying to get back to the hotel, and you're blocking the way. Move."

"Ah, you're the Miyagi-Do captain," Kwon stated, clearly not listening to her at all. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

She blinked. "I just said why, dumbass. Do you not listen?" She rolled her eyes and kept moving forwards, except the three pushed together, completely blocking her path. "Apparently, you don't. I said move."

"Saw you talking out here with the other captain. Keene, was it?" Kwon's eyes glinted. "Using you as a rebound, huh?"

Alyssa raised her eyebrows. "The thought of dating Robby makes me want to projectile vomit. He's like my brother. I'm dating the one with the American flag mohawk — which, please don't ask me, I know it's an absolute atrocity, but whatever makes him happy. You really can't miss him."

"So why aren't you in there with him?" Kwon asked, a smirk settling on his lips.

She hesitated for a second, wrapping her arms a little tighter around herself. "That's none of your business. But like I said, I'm trying to get back to the hotel, so if you know what's good for you, fucking move. Just leave me alone."

Kwon stared at her for a second, his eyes flickering up and down her figure again. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking by herself at night."

Alyssa tilted her head a bit. "Well, good thing I can handle myself. Get out of my way."

She pushed forwards, shoulder first, and barreled her way through two of them. Alyssa felt a slight sense of satisfaction as one of them stumbled a bit from the force, but it quickly went away as she turned the corner back onto the main street. The street was busy, people going out to have a good time, but Alyssa couldn't match their mood. Whatever she had just seen in the club and whatever she had just dealt with outside was enough to send her spiraling.

Alyssa wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to the Valley, sink into the arms of her mother, and have a movie night with Jackson. But she couldn't. She had to fight, and she had so much to fight for. The Sekai Taikai could get her places, and this was her only chance.

Don't let one bad night set you back, Ally, she told herself. Tomorrow's a new day.

If only she could believe that.

After a short walk, Alyssa made it back to the hotel. She went up to her room, and for the first time in days, she actually had time to herself. Alyssa took a shower, as long as her heart desired because no one else was waiting, and tried to scrub everything off of her, but it didn't do much for the thoughts in her head. Once she got out, she put on her comfiest pajamas she brought and tied her red hair back into a braid. She then completely flopped onto her bed, her head resting against the pillows and the covers over her.

Her ringtone then went off from her phone next to her — a very specific ringtone, for a very specific person. Alyssa glanced over as Taylor Swift sang Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever?, her phone illuminating with a picture that she had taken of Eli smiling. Usually, whenever Eli called her, and she heard that song and saw that picture, she immediately felt better. Yet, this time, instead of happiness, she felt . . . nothing. Alyssa ignored the call, turning back over.

She wasn't sure how long she had been laying there. Alyssa didn't do much except scroll on her phone and disassociate by staring at the ceiling, her head too much of a mess to manage anything else. She also didn't hear much commotion in the hallway, which meant that the others were probably still out.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door, breaking through the silence. Alyssa blinked herself back to reality, sitting up in her bed. The knocking persisted, and she sighed, throwing the covers off of herself. She slightly shivered from the loss of warmth as she stood up, crossing her arms across her chest. Alyssa then opened the door, only to see her boyfriend standing on the other side.

Eli immediately looked relieved from seeing her. "Oh, thank God. I've been trying to call you—"

She didn't want to deal with this right now — all she wanted to do was continue disassociating until she fell asleep. Alyssa, her expression stone-cold, started to shut the door.

"Hey," Eli protested, grabbing onto the door to stop it from closing. "What's all of this? You leave the bar, nowhere to be found, and you're suddenly closing the door on me?" He pushed past the door and closed it behind him, making Alyssa sigh. "Lys, what happened?"

Alyssa stared at him. "Are you seriously asking me that right now? God, you're dense."

He seemed hopelessly confused. "What are you talking about?"

She glared at him, crossing her arms a little tighter. "The bar, E. That girl on the dance floor? I saw you staring at her. You were looking at her like she was the only one in the room, and then you had to remind yourself that I fucking existed."

Eli's eyes slightly widened. "Oh. Um . . ." He cleared his throat. "Technically, Demetri said that, not me."

Alyssa gave him an incredulous look. "Saying that doesn't really make me feel better. Like, at all. You know, when we came to Barcelona, I thought you and I would have some romantic moments outside of karate. I didn't imagine it would end up with you staring at other girls like I don't fucking exist. Call me crazy, but I don't exactly like being an afterthought."

"You're not an afterthought," Eli argued, stepping closer to her. "You've never been an afterthought. Alyssa."

He moved even closer to her, and no matter how awful Alyssa felt, she couldn't find it in herself to step away, because they've always been opposite ends of a magnet. She stared up at him, her eyes swimming with sadness. Eli paused for a second, his own eyes trailing across her face, before reaching up and placing his hands on either side of her face. Alyssa let out a shaky breath from it, feeling a whole lot of emotions crash into her all at once. Love, anger, sadness. She felt it all, and it was making her confused.

"Alyssa," Eli repeated, putting a lot of strength into her name. "You are everything to me. Come on, you know that."

"You can't say that and then stare at another girl like that," Alyssa insisted, her voice quiet.

Eli sighed, tilting her head upwards just a bit more so she was fully looking at him. "I know. I fucked up, and it hurt you, which is something I know I promised a year ago that I wouldn't do anymore. So, for that, I'm sorry. But you have to believe me when I say that that girl didn't matter, and will never matter to me, because she isn't you."

"Not me?" Alyssa questioned, her own hands reaching up and gripping onto his wrists against her own accord.

He shook his head. "Not you. Does she have red dyed hair because she got bored with the pink, and confirms that she'd look great in any hair color? Does she wear hoop earrings every single day and take them out whenever there's a fight? Does she have a mole right above her top lip that drives me insane? Does she have the most sarcastic personality and isn't afraid to put anybody in their place? Does she have a birthmark on her hip that can only be seen if she's naked? Does she only buy dresses so I can take them off? Does she have that spot on her collarbone that makes her absolutely fall apart when I kiss it? Does she instantly brighten my mood whenever I'm around her? Does she make me feel like my heart is about to burst out of my chest whenever I'm around her? No. The answer to every single one of those questions is no, but there is a person who is a yes for all of them. Guess who that is."

Alyssa gripped onto his wrists a little tighter, feeling a little like she was floating outside of her body. "Me."

"You," Eli confirmed. He looked into her eyes seriously. "No one will ever make me feel the way you make me do. I am so fucking sorry that I made you feel like that you weren't wanted or unimportant." His thumbs trailed across the skin of her cheek. "I love you, Lys. So, so, much. You're it for me, I promise."

She didn't say anything else. Alyssa pressed up onto her toes, planting her lips right on his. Eli instantly responded, tugging her face just a little closer to his with his hands. Was Alyssa still a little upset about the whole situation? Yeah. But that speech, everything he said, had gone straight to her heart. She didn't know exactly how, but she knew Eli had meant every single word. Maybe it was from years of being around him that she could just tell when he was being serious. This wasn't an exception. Finally, after a long moment, Alyssa pulled back.

"Can we go to bed?" Alyssa questioned.

Eli gave her a small smile and a nod. "Yeah."

They — although reluctantly — let go of each other. Alyssa went back over towards her bed, sitting in the spot she had occupied before. Eli took off his shoes, shorts, and shirt, leaving him in just his boxers, before climbing into the bed beside her. He laid down under the covers and immediately opened his arms. Alyssa inserted herself in them, putting her head on his chest and resting one of her hands on his stomach. Just like always, the second they were in this position, everything in Alyssa's head went quiet.

"I love you," Eli voiced, sincerity in his tone. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "More than you'll ever know."

And from the sound of his heartbeat and his chest rising and falling with his breathing, Alyssa managed to fall asleep.

•─•°•❀•°•─•

KISS ME TRY TO FIX IT COULD YOU JUST TRY TO LISTEN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

hey my bad y'all had to add some angst

but I did love bringing back robby & ally's friendship <3