"So you aren't coming back?" Miguel questioned Demetri. "Hell no, he hurt me and he humiliated me in front of all my friends." Demetri explained for the fifth time today. We all sat around a lunch table discussing our experience at cobra kai the day before. "No offense guys but Mr. Lawrence sucks." Demetri stated. "Hi, Ali Lawrence is sitting right across from you." I replied while waving my hand slightly with a fake smile. "B-but I said no offense." Demetri butted in. Instead of replying I just rolled my eyes and looked over at Miguel who looked like he wanted to say something. I raised my eyebrows at him and he understood my questioning expression, "Eli... are you coming back?" Miguel questioned with a slight voice crack due to how nervous he was. Eli looked up from his practically untouched plate with his eyes wide, "U-uh ya I guess, I've gotten used to the bullying. I mean, I get it, I've got a freakish lip." Eli replied with a shrug. My eyes softened at the boys statement, 'he was used to being bullied' that was just wrong. "Anyway cobra kai will help me with all the bully's, maybe they'll stay away from me." Eli continued with a small smile. I smiled back at him and nodded in delight as we all continued eating. "Ya learn how to kick and punch and all the bullies will run." Demetri mocked as he rolled his eyes. "Ya they will just like Kyler and his group of idiots." Aisha reassured with a smile.
Warning: Slight hint of an ED
I looked down at my lunch with a loss of appetite as I gripped my stomach and held in a weird queasy feeling. "Hey Ali, I uh forgot my phone at the dojo yesterday so I ran back to get it and I heard your conversation with sensei, is everything ok?" Miguel questioned is a discrete tone to ensure nobody heard. "Ya, everything's fine, he's just an a$$hole sometimes." I shrugged while still poking at my food. "Ali... please eat." Miguel stated while pushing my tray closer to me. He was so over protective of me and I hated it. "Miggy I'm just not hungry." I shrugged while resting my gaze on the table. "Please Ali." Miguel pleaded, it got the attention of Eli as he realized what was going on. "C'mon Ali just one bite." Eli said while picking up the pizza on my tray. He brought it up to my mouth and I reluctantly opened it and took a small nibble of the slice. "Yummy right!" Miguel encouraged trying to put me in a better mood. "I guess." I shrugged while taking another small bite.
(Later that day at training)
"Ok everybody fall in" My dad stated while walking out of his office. "Where is everyone" He continued. "Crater face? Nose ring? Sling shot?" He questioned while looking around at the half empty dojo. "They quit sensei" Miguel spoke quietly. I was still angry with my dad about what he did to Demetri so I kept my gaze on the floor. "Are you serious?" My dad replied. Everyone in the room looked at him with wide eyes unsure if they should reply or stay silent. "I- I mean good. That was a test, I want to see who the quitters are. Not you guys! You're in it to win it!" My dad made up, it was a sh!tty excuse but no one seemed to care. "Alright you can be home playing your icomputers, playing your video games, eating candy. Instead you're here doing push ups and learning how to fight!" He continued while nodding his head proudly at all of us.
I looked up at my dad for the first time and saw his eyes directly on me before he made his next statement, "Lip!" He called out. "Look even lips tougher than those guys, he's no quitter." He continued while pointing at Eli. My blood began to boil as I looked from my dad to Eli then to Miguel. Miguel's expression showed fear while Eli's showed sadness. I looked back at him and he looked at me, a glow of determination shinned through his eyes, I nodded my head slowly preparing myself for his response. "Could you please not call me that." He spoke up. I looked down at the ground trying to hide my blush, he did it, he stood up for himself. But his moment of pride was quickly shut down by my dad, "Excuse me what?" He questioned. "I said could you please not call me that." Eli repeated slightly louder. I looked over at Miguel with concern knowing that my dad would prey on Eli's weakness and suck the confidence out of him like venom. "I-I'll warm em up sensei." Miguel offered but my dad shut him down. "No no no lip has something he wants to say." My dad interrupted while walking towards Eli. "C'mon lip speak up, or is your tongue messed up to?" He continued while getting up in Eli's face. I shuffled my feet around on the ground trying my hardest not to run into the conversation and send a right hook across my dads face. "Are you one of those challenged kids?" My dad stated continuing to insult Eli. I had enough, I started walking towards the conversation but I was pulled back by Miguel, "Eli's got this." He reassured although his tone didn't show very much confidence. "The doctor said I could be on the spectrum." Eli mumbled in reply. "I don't know what that is but get off it pronto. And if you don't want me to call you lip then don't have a weird lip, cant you get surgery for that?" My dad shrugged. "I was born with a cleft lip, this is the scar from the surgery." Eli replied. "You mean it was worse before that, or did the doctor just screw up. Cause if this is the after photo that sucks man, you should sue." My dad rose his eyebrows as he spoke. My rage built up and I felt Miguel's grip tighten around my wrist due to the anger that he was feeling. "C-can we please just change the subject?" Eli asked in a cracking tone. "You think I don't want to, it's tough when it's right in front of me. If you want to be something rather than a nerd with a scar on his lip then you have to flip the script. Ok get a face tattoo or gouge your eye out we'll call you patch. n-no don't do that you'll still look like a freak." My dad finished while walking back to the front of the class. Eli stormed out of the dojo and Miguel sighed from behind me. I felt his grip loosen giving me the sign to go so I did. "Hey where are you going?" My dad questioned while grabbing my arm. I quickly pulled my arm out of his grasp and simply scoffed before bolting out the back door behind Eli.
"Eli wait!" I called while running down the sidewalk trying to catch up with the boy. When I reached him he turned around to face me with a sad expression. His gorgeous grey eyes were filled with tears. "E-Eli i'm so sorry." I started with a pained expression. "No!" Eli cried out in response. I took a few steps backwards slightly afraid of the way he had acted. "I- I'm sorry." He reassured as he took a few steps closer to me. "I'm just upset, I didn't mean to yell." He continued, I could tell he was less worried about what had happened in the dojo and more worried about how scared I had just been. "P- please don't cry." He cried out while coming closer to me. I looked into his eyes holding back tears, I had come out here to comfort him but he was the one doing all the comforting. "Why don't we sit down, I think you need to talk to someone." He suggested. I nodded my head and sat down next to him and we both leaned up against the brick wall that was behind us. He patted his shoulder lightly motioning for me to lay my head down onto it, I did and he put his arm around me. "Miguel told me about what your dad said yesterday, I'm really sorry Ali. I wish I could make him care for you more but I'm just a freak like he says I can't make a difference in the world." Eli started while carefully stroking my hair. "Y-You're not a freak." I stated while trying to clear up tears that had settled in my eyes. "What do you mean I'm not a freak have you seen me?" He replied while tipping my chin up to look at his scar. "Your scar is bada$$, you went through surgery to get that b!tch, that sh!t must have been painful." I stated in a more joyful tone. "Well I wouldn't know, I don't feel pain." He replied while fake flexing the muscles he had. I laughed slightly and instantly felt the grief and pain that had just been taking over my body release into the air around me.
I looked up into Eli's eyes and he looked back into mine. My eyes traveled from his eyes to his lips and his traveled from my eyes to my lips. I felt myself slowly leaning closer to him and he did the same, we were having one of those moments again where our eyes were locked onto each others and our body's were out of control, butterfly's swarmed throughout our bones, and nested in our stomach as our faces became centimeters apart. Before our lips could connect Eli stopped, "I- I thought you didn't do relationships, a-and I don't want to commit myself t-to you if you are going t-to leave me." He said. I looked at him with wide eyes, he was scared of the same things as me, we were both afraid of heartbreak. In that moment I wanted to admit my feelings to him, I wanted to shout 'Eli I wont break your heart, I love you' but I couldn't. Instead I sighed and replied with something stupid, "Oh ya... I did say that." I stated while looking down. I looked up the street to where cobra kai was and saw someone run out the back door, "Ali sensei want's you back inside now!" They screamed up the side walk. I squinted my eyes and saw Aisha standing there. "Tell him to f^ck off!" I screamed in reply.
'f^ck it' I thought to myself. I turned around and faced Eli while quickly connecting my lips with his. "I like you Eli." I confessed. "I like you to Ali." Eli replied while letting out a breath of air that he had held in. I guess sometimes you just had to leap and hope for the best possible outcome, this leap had given me the best possible outcome. "I'll see you tomorrow." I said to Eli while getting up and running back to cobra kai. "Y-ya see ya tomorrow." Eli replied still slightly in shock.
Eli's pov
I watched as Ali ran back down the side walk to cobra kai, she was gorgeous when she ran, she was always gorgeous. I was still slightly in shock, we liked each other! I couldn't get over it, we liked each other! A new found confidence struck throughout my body, "We like each other!" I screamed out while running down the sidewalk like a little boy. My mood was quickly ruined when I remembered my scar, she would find it ugly at some point, I needed to do something to make to less noticeable. I thought for a moment before three of Johnny's words popped into my head, flip the script.
AHHHHHHHH IM SCREAMING! IM NOT OK!
This was like nerve wracking and adorable at the same time!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHH
HERE'S YOUR PICK FOR THE DAY!