· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

"Hey Kalina, can we talk?" Miguel asked as he stood by her door, she was trying to focus on her sketching ─ something she loved before her life had changed ─ but she couldn't find any inspiration, her pages empty and bland. "Please... I feel like we've been distant since the tournament... I just... I miss my best friend," Miguel expressed from the other side of the door. Kalina sighed as she leaned back against the door, she blinked back tears before taking deep breaths remembering Demetri's affirmations, the words he told her to repeat in any scenario that became overwhelming.

I am human. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am enough. I am proud of myself. I am alive. I am strong. I am more than my demons. I am human.

"I, uh... Just want you to know that I'm just across the apartments if you need me... and, uh, just know that Sensei has been beating himself up about your fight... we all miss you at Cobra Kai," Miguel told her before sighing. "Sensei, uh..." Miguel began ─ it had been a week since Kreese showed up ─ before chuckling softly, "He had us in the back of a cement truck, we had to run so we wouldn't get stuck in the cement... almost got stuck but hey... I'm sure you would've loved watching it happen."

Kalina rolled her eyes as she looked down at the blank page, she couldn't even find the will to draw useless lines; who had she become? She was doing better when hanging out with Yasmine of all people. "You were a balance in the rough edges... I don't want this rift between us to get worse so... let me know if need to talk... I'm here," Miguel finished off before moving towards the living room when he heard the door open and Kalina stepped out with teary eyes. "What did I do wrong?" Kalina asked in a broken voice that tugged at his heart, she needed her best friend.

"You did nothing wrong," Miguel told her as she walked towards him and fell into his embrace, she finally broke into tears as her best friend held her in his arms. "I feel like everything changed so quickly... and things were going so well and then... they weren't..." Kalina sobbed out, she needed this moment of vulnerability, she needed to break. "I know, Kali... I know..." Miguel ran his fingers through her hair as he rocked her back and forth. The best friends reconciled after their distance and spent that afternoon catching up and watching Sam and Colby videos.

· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

Miguel and Demetri had convinced Kalina to join them at the beach for the day, she was mildly surprised by Hawk's distance and the more friendly persona; She assumed it was because of what he had witnessed between Kalina and Johnny. Kalon sat on a towel, she was in a black bikini top with jean shorts watching Demetri play volleyball with Hawk ─ well, attempt to play. She laughed softly at Demetri's failed attempt at hitting the ball over the net, he glared at her playfully but she just winked at him.

Demetri walked over to Kalina and sat with her as Miguel walked over to Hawk, the two were talking before they glanced at Kalina. They walked over to Kalina gaining her attention, Demetri helped her up before wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Hey guys," Kalina greeted with a smile but she frowned at the unimpressed expressions. "What now?" Kalina asked with a sigh. "Is Robby Keene your brother?" Miguel asked her, Kalina tensed up in Demetri's arms.

"Yes. He's my twin brother," Kalina replied trying to ignore the glare on Hawk's face while Miguel scoffed. "Why didn't you tell me? We're best friends, right?" Miguel snapped harshly at Kalina. "Hey, that's enough. She has a right to her own privacy," Demetri told them as Kalina took a deep breath. "Remember what I told you when we first became friends... you gotta leave some surprises to keep things interesting... but don't get pissed with me when it was you two who hurt him in the All-Valley," Kalina replied.

"But why?" Miguel asked, his face morphing into a frown. "Because dad and Robby have a bad relationship but my twin and I... We have differences but we never let it get between us and it just never came up," Kalina told them when her phone rang. She picked it up to see Sam calling her, she smiled softly before turning to the others. "I gotta answer this," Kalina told them before deeply kissing Demetri knowing a few girls were watching, she wanted them to know he was taken and he certainly didn't mind as he squeezed her hip with a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey, Sam, what's up?" Kalina asked once she was a distance away from the others, she could see them talking and assumed that Demetri was standing up for her while Hawk complained; she didn't miss the look on Miguel's face when he looked at her. "I was wondering if you wanted to join Robby and me in today's class?" Sam asked as she looked up at Robby who was practising moves. "Uh, I'm not so sure. I'm in the bad books with my father and Miguel just found out who Robby is to me..." Kalina expressed stressfully.

"Okay, well... You know where to find us. I didn't tell Robby so feel free to show up, if not maybe we can make plans together... like the old days," Sam told her with a hopeful tone. "I'd love that Sam, I'll let you know. Talk later," Kalina told her before hanging up the phone. She let out a breath as Miguel walked up to her with a frown on his face, Kalina looked down for a moment before looking back up at him. "I wish you had told me, Kali," Miguel said with a sigh.

"Well, considering you are the one who went all Cobra Kai on him, I should be more upset with you. I always tell you that you can't have so much personal emotion in tournaments, it can be bad for both parties," Kalina reminded him as she ran her fingers through her hair, sighing as she remembered how short she cut it. "I get that but... I got nothing. Any other secret siblings?" Miguel asked her. "No, you?" Kalina asked him with a raised brow making him laugh. "No I don't," Miguel answered her with a grin.

"So, are we good now?" Kalina asked him with hopeful eyes. "Yeah, we're good but Hawk isn't impressed about it. Especially knowing that Demetri's known longer," Miguel told her as they walked back towards the semi-best friends. "Yeah, well, he'll have to get over it," Kalina said as she stepped up into Demetri's open arms, the couple instantly melted into each other's embrace. Miguel took notice of the glare on Hawk's face before he wrapped an arm around Moon, who took notice of it too.

"So, how are things going between you?" Moon asked Kalina and Demetri with a kind smile, she had always wanted Kalina to find someone that matched her. "Things are really good," Kalina answered her as she leaned her head back to look up at Demetri, the boy smiled down at her before pecking her lips; it was one of his favourite things about their relationship, the kissing was always fun. "That's so good. I always had hope that you'd find someone that sparked a fire in you," Moon told her as Miguel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what's a relationship without that special spark, right?" Hawk asked them smugly.

· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

Kalina drove Demetri home in silence, they were thinking about what Hawk had said before they left the beach. Demetri was trapped in his thoughts about the spark, he knew he felt one with Kalina, something worth exploring with her. But that wasn't what had him worried, it was the possibility that the spark she felt with him wasn't the same as his; that it wasn't as strong as what she felt for Eli. He knew that underneath everything, Kalina Lawrence had something for the boy hidden under the mohawk and he couldn't compete with that.

However, Kalina was left trying to understand what her feelings truly were. She knew for a fact that she felt something for Demetri, there was no denying that and she wasn't going to walk away from something that could become more than what it was. But she knew that underneath her surface, she still felt something for Eli but not Hawk and she needed to move past that; she truly believed that if she couldn't love both versions then she shouldn't love just one. And the more she thought about it, the more her heart turned to Demetri and she didn't want to lose him.

They pulled into Demetri's driveway and sat in silence for a few minutes before turning to each other, "We need to / I just wanted─" They both laughed before Demetri signalled for Kalina to speak first. "I just wanted to clear up that... there is a spark, at least from my side and I know that I liked Eli first but... that ship sailed away because I know that being with him means accepting and dealing with Hawk but... that, I can't do. With you, I'm... me and I don't want to lose that. But if this is something you don't want then I'll accept that," Kalina told him before they both fell silent.

"Well, there is no arguing that. Let's see where this goes before we call quits," Demetri replied getting a wide smile from Kalina. "I like the sound of that, 'Metri," Kalina told him before she leaned over to him, their lips met in the middle. Demetri moved his hands to her face and deepened the kiss, testing the waters but smiled successfully when a quiet moan left her lips. They pulled away panting as Kalina traced his lips with her thumb, "That was... wow." Demetri smiled proudly before swiftly kissing her again ready to be a little more adventurous in future.

· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

A few days later, Kalina made her way towards Miyagi-Do Dojo as two teenagers walked towards her with unimpressed expressions on their faces. "It's a scam," One of them warned her before they left, the pink-haired girl furrowed her brows before shrugging. She made her way down the pathway and spotted Robby and Sam with Sensei LaRusso, she smiled and leant against the wall watching as they attempted to sync their steps without watching each other.

"That's pretty impressive," Kalina spoke gaining the attention of all three, Robby smiled widely before rushing over and pulling his little sister into a tight hug. "You came?!" Robby cheered while Sam and Daniel shared a smile. "Well, I'm not definite on joining the dojo but I thought I'd come to have a trial while I decide what I want to do," Kalina explained as Robby pulled her over towards Daniel. "That's fine by me," Daniel told her with an encouraging smile.

"So where do I begin?" Kalina asked enthusiastically. Daniel led her towards the fences with the paint as Sam and Robby continued working on their synchronised moves. Kalina wasn't quite sure why painting the fence mattered but slowly as she brushed up and down, she noticed an ongoing pattern that she began to perfect. "That's it. You're getting this faster than Robby," Daniel told her causing Robby to scoff despite the smile on his face. And for the first time in a while, Kalina felt at peace completely within herself.

· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

· · ─────── ·✿· ─────── · ·

Rosemary Speaks

So Kalina has a lot to think about; Which Dojo does she belong in?

How will Miguel and Eli react to Kalina trialling Miyagi-Do?

Will they consider it betrayal?

What will happen next?
Also, how damn cute are Demetri and Kalina?
Will things continue to improve between them?
Or will something go wrong?

See you in the next chapter!