Skylar's heart pounded against her chest. Did Miguel actually enjoy the kiss or was he avoiding you all about it because he didn't? Skylar knew, deep down, it was just her thoughts and insecurities talking from the medications he had taken this morning. But she wasn't all too sure. She nodded slowly, "yeah, of course, I'd come."
Miguel nodded frantically with a ghost of a beam on his face, "g—great. Well, I'll see you," Skylar nodded which added to the awkward tension between them. Miguel had turned around and walked away, leaving Skylar to curse at herself.
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Skylar met Miguel outside of the hall where the meeting of the laws was taking place. Most people would fight against the laws and political views they disagreed with. Such as the cancellation of the All Valley Tournament. After finally meeting with each other and saying their quick introductions, Miguel walked in with Skylar by his side and shouted out, "wait!"
From the sound of his calling voice, all the heads inside had turned. Skylar raised her brows in surprise at how many people had attended. She stayed up the steps as Miguel glanced back at her to which she sent a comforting gaze, watching as he paced down the steps. Miguel made it to the front and spoke into the microphone, "my name is Miguel Diaz. I was in the school fight. I was the one who got kicked off the second floor."
People turned to each other and began to murmur silently as Miguel continued his speech, "you know, uh ... I thought I was going to be paralyzed," Skylar sighed heavily to herself as she listened, "I relearned how to stand. I relearned how to walk. And I want the tournament to continue."
The main woman that was in the middle spoke up. A smile was on her face, "we are very happy for your recovery, young man. But I'm afraid you don't understand–" Skylar's attention was diverted from Miguel to Sam as she spoke up and stood in the audience, "yes, he does. We're the ones getting hurt. We're the ones fighting."
Sam climbed down the stairs to meet Miguel down below in front of the microphone placed. Miguel peered at the girl, switching his glance to the redhead who was at the top of the stairs when Sam stated, "our voices should matter the most. And we want a place where we can compete, fairly and safely."
"When I first moved here, I was bullied. And I realise that there's no escaping it. There'll always be a kid who wants to steal your lunch money, or give you a wedgie, or give you a swirlie."
Councilperson Roberts frowned and questioned, "a 'swirlie'?" Johnny stood from where he sat in front with his hand in the air and explained, "when you dunk someone's head in the toilet and flush it. Pretty funny, actually," Skylar mentally rolled her eyes and thought, of course, Johnny would know such a thing.
Miguel turned and hissed at his mentor, "Sensei!" Miguel faced the council people and took a deep breath to console himself, "instead of burying your heads in the sand, pretending that bullying doesn't exist, or you could just get rid of it, what you need to do is teach kids how to defend themselves."
Sam added to Miguel's speech, gazing at the boy, "physically and mentally. Because sometimes the scars you can't see are the ones that hurt the most," Skylar took in the words that Sam said and one hundred per cent agreed. Skylar was a victim of mental scars though she hides them with her bubbly personality.
"Karate is about discipline. It's about inner strength. It's about confidence. Lessons that you can use for the rest of your life. Look, I–I don't know where I would be today, or w–who I would be today if it wasn't for my Sensei," Miguel for a second glanced back at Johnny, facing forward again, "we don't need this tournament to do cool kicks or sell tickets, we need to show the bullies of the world that we're not afraid."
Skylar smiled warmly as she closely watched the scene in front of her, her stomach fluttering with butterflies, "it's called the 'All Valley' because it's for everyone, to give everyone the chance to show what they can do, to fight, to become a champion. And we deserve that chance," Miguel and Sam stood proudly next to one another as the council people debated on the issue.
Councilperson Roberts was the first to speak up to everyone, "to be honest, I don't get the Valley's fascination with karate," Skylar felt her stomach drop until she carried on, "but ... if it means that much to all of you, and you're willing to sign waivers stating that the city is not liable, then ... the All Valey Under-18 Tournament is officially back on."
Immediately at the news, the place was full of cheers and yells of celebration. Skylar's lips raised in a smile and went running down the stairs to meet up with Miguel until she watched as Sam jumped into his arms. Miguel held the girl tightly by the waist and Sam held the Hispanic boy by the neck. She gulped, watching as their Sensei got up and joined them.
Skylar sighed heavily, the content feeling she felt fading away to a feeling of intrusion. She felt like a burden by standing back. Skylar inhaled sharply and spun around, walking out of the building and leaving Miguel behind. Mostly it hurt to see Miguel in such a tight embrace between him and his ex. Honestly, the redhead felt jealous. I mean, they hadn't even properly talked about the kiss.
As she walked away and consoled herself, she heard the call of her name and turned around hesitantly. Miguel had his arms out with his brows furrowed and asked, "I was looking for you inside. Why'd you come out here?"
Skylar held onto her arms and shrugged, "I–I don't know. Mostly because I felt like I was intruding into something that I shouldn't have been there for. I mean, you were busy celebrating the tournament with Sam and Johnny when I'm not into karate. I felt ... out of place."
Miguel shook his head and stepped towards the redhead, cupping her face, "you're never a burden to me, Sky. You're my best friend," Skylar blinked at the word 'best friend'. Was that all Miguel thought of the two? Skylar asked, "best friend? Even after the kiss we had? What ...–was it nothing? Was it a mistake? I don't understand what it was–"
Miguel had cut the girl off her rambling by placing a kiss on her lips. Instantly, Skylar was stunned but replicated the action of moving her lips with his. They moved together so peacefully as if it were meant to be. The Diaz boy pulled away first, opening his eyes and saw Skylar with her eyes closed. She relished the moment, feeling his lips on hers and slowly opened her eyes, meeting with his.
"I want to be more with you, Sky. I think I have been since we met but I didn't know. I might've been with Sam and Tory, but I haven't felt this way for anyone before. I thought I still liked Sam when we met in the hospital and then we started getting closer, then we kissed so I started to ... overthink. But right now, looking at you–you're all I want."
Skylar breathlessly laughed, the ghost of a smile meeting her face. She glanced at his eyes, down to his lips and asked, "is it okay if I kiss you again?" Miguel didn't waste a second to nod and leaned in.
