High and Dry | miguel diaz

2 - 4

IVY HELD IN her emotions and waited until she was alone to let them out. She prioritized others even when her own mental health was bad and eating her alive. She hated being alone but she doesn't like to be smothered or have people be there for her all the time.

The girl was full of questions and made a list of all the things she wanted to try. She was as smart as they came but dumbed down so she'd feel normal and wouldn't get made fun of if she knew something. She hated feeling smart and the feeling of people looking at her when she got an answer right or gave an opinion.

And most of all, she fell too hard for people she knew were out of her league. She believed their lies and convinced herself everything wrong is her fault. She saw the good in people and chose to give multiple chances even when they had all the red flags waved in her face.

But he was different.

Talking to him for an hour felt like multiple, he could make you laugh over little things then go on about something nerdy he read or some movie he was excited to watch. He was the kind of boy you could reveal all of your embarrassing secrets to and he would make it seem like it was a normal thing just so you can feel better about them.

Everything going on felt like a fever dream that lasted a little too long for everyone around. The competition of who has the better Dojo and the lack of common sense going around made it all the worse. It felt like the longest summer ever and Ivory wished it would end already. Maybe then things would calm down and they would realize it was not that deep.

But things got more complicated as days went by and no one could really predict it.

DIMITRI WAS PRACTICALLY sobbing when he walked down the driveway to Ivy's house. She looked at his bloody nose that was now trickling down to his lip with some dried specs on his hands, rushing him in and taking him to the bathroom next to her room.

"You should tell someone." Ivy said with her eyes carefully studying his nose to make sure it was not broken. It was swollen at the bridge but at least he was somewhat breathing through it.

"No way. Everyone will just call me a pussy."

"Just because one person called you—"

"You don't understand," he snapped suddenly. He sighed and looked down, "we used to be the ones getting called names and teased for the lack of strength we had. Now he is the one telling me I need to suck it up and how I am not Cobra Kai material because his teacher broke my nose. I don't know why I ever went." Dimitri winced as she pressed down on his nose.

"He is getting brainwashed by the sensei and if he continues to act that way towards you then I will find a way to get him to stop, okay?" Ivy smiled at him and he merely nods his head.

"I miss Eli - Hawk is a dick."

"Sometimes. I think he is still trying to find out who he truly is and this is just another phase of his he will grow out eventually. Remember the Star Wars phase he went through and how he'd hit us with a stick? Did it hurt? Yes. But did he drop it after a while? Yes." The two chuckled weakly, not exactly in the mood to be amused.

"But what if he doesn't outgrow this?"

Ivy bit her bottom lip and tried thinking of a good answer to lift his spirits but he was right — all his phases last a month or two and he was over them. What if karate is something he loves and will keep doing even after high school?