❝ just breathe. in and out. ❞
―
MOON WAS THROWING A PARTY.
She texted Decha, inviting him and Achara. She had never been anything but nice to them both, so when she asked if they wanted to come to her back to school bash, they couldn't say no. Decha was never one to pass up a good party. Achara and Decha drove to the party together.
When they arrived, they met up with the rest of Cobra Kai. Achara immediately walked up to Miguel and gave him a kiss. Decha did the same with Hawk. After hearing what Demetri had said the night of their birthday, Achara couldn't help but roll her eyes every time she saw Decha and Hawk be affectionate. She was happy for her brother, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Decha didn't actually like Hawk.
Achara turned away from the two boys and looked around for Tory, but she was met with the bright blue eyes of Samantha LaRusso instead. Behind her followed Robby and the rest of Miyagi-Do. Upon seeing her face drop, Decha turned to see what she was staring at. His eyes instantly landed on Demetri. He could feel Hawk tense up next to him. He tried placing his hand on his shoulder to help ease him, but it didn't seem to do any good. His birthday was over and now, it was back to thinking Demetri was the enemy.
Tory entered through the back door. She turned to see what everyone was looking at. She grabbed Achara's hand and dragged her away. "Let's go."
Miguel followed after them, glancing at Sam as he passed her.
Decha stayed with Hawk, taking a seat next to him on the couch. Hawk placed his arm around Decha's shoulder, still staring at Demetri. With a roll of his eyes, Demetri walked away. Decha watched him leave, carrying a board game. A small smile appeared on his face. That was such a Demetri thing to do.
He turned back to Hawk and smiled at him. "I'm gonna
go get a drink, okay?"
Hawk nodded. Decha stood up and walked in the direction of the kitchen. Several different bottles of alcohol were set out on the counter. There was also a keg off to the side. Decha grabbed a red cup and opted for the beer from the keg. He took a sip as he walked back into the living room.
When he took a seat next to Hawk, a dance battle was starting. Decha continued to drink as he watched the dancing. In just a few minutes, he was getting back up to refill his cup.
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Achara stood outside with Miguel, cheering Tory on as she stood on a stool with one leg, playing a drinking game against a boy she didn't know. The boy started to stumble and then fell off the stool, making Tory the winner. Achara cheered Tory's name.
"Winner and still the champion!" Miguel cheered. "Tory!"
Tory laughed as the partygoers around her cheered and
hollered. "What do you say, Achara? You think you can beat me?"
Achara smiled. "You're on."
Achara stepped onto the stool and reached for a cup from the boy who was handing them out. He handed one to Tory. Achara lifted up one of her legs. On the count of three, Achara started chugging the beer from the cup. The crowd around them started chanting. Achara finished her cup first, throwing it on the ground. She reached for another cup as Tory finished hers.
Achara drank as fast as she could. Tory was trying her hardest to keep up, but she was starting to stumble. Achara kept drinking, waiting for Tory to fall. Finally, she slipped and fell onto the ground. Achara smiled down at her as she jumped off the stool. She reached her hand out and pulled Tory up.
Tory smiled. "Looks like we have a new champ."
The crowd started cheering for Achara.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Miguel shouted. "Our new champion, Achara!"
She smiled as she heard her name being chanted over and over again.
Achara turned around, her face sinking when she saw Sam and Robby walk through the back door. She walked up to her, Miguel and Tory following behind her.
"Well, look who it is," Tory spoke up first. "Maybe you'd like to play a little game? Or are tea parties more your speed, princess?"
Sam crossed her arms. "Just give me a cup."
"All right," Tory replied. "Chara, you wanna go against her or should I?"
Achara glared at Sam. "I'll do it."
Achara walked over to the stool and stepped on it, reaching for a cup. When Sam stepped onto the stool, Achara stared at her directly in the eyes.
"You ready, princess?" Achara asked.
Sam didn't respond. She just held the cup in her hand and stared back at her.
"Legs up!" Miguel said.
Achara lifted her leg with ease. She chuckled to herself as she watched Sam struggle a bit.
"Three, two, one!" the partygoers chanted. "Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"
Achara wasted no time lifting the cup up to her lips and chugging the entirety of its contents. She finished and threw her cup. Sam was already starting to struggle to stay on the stool.
"Struggling already?" Achara asked.
Sam tilted her head and downed the rest of her drink. Achara held her hand out for another cup. Sam did the same. Achara chugged her drink quickly, throwing it. Sam threw hers shortly after.
Sam was proving to be a tougher opponent than Achara thought. She wasn't willing to give up. Neither was Achara. Achara held her hand out for another drink.
"Achara, maybe you should slow down a bit..." Miguel tried to tell her.
"Hand me another drink," Achara ignored him.
She waited for Sam to hold her own drink in her hands before she tilted her head back and chugged once more. Sam wasn't faltering.
"Hey, Big Red, how about two shots of vodka?" Tory suggested.
Miguel looked worried, but he handed her the shot glass. Achara held it in front of her as the crowd chanted for them to drink. Achara raised the shot glass to her lips and drank it all in one gulp. She looked Sam directly in the eyes as she waited for her to drink. She held her hand out and Miguel handed her the second shot.
Sam was starting to lose her balance. Achara raised an eyebrow, anticipating the moment that Sam's stool fell out from under her. Sam took a deep breath and closed her eyes before gulping down the vodka shot.
Achara's body started to tilt to the side, but she caught herself before she fell. Achara wasn't going to let her win so easily. She swallowed the second shot of vodka, taking one huge swig. She threw the cup to the side and glared at Sam.
"Don't think I'm going to let you win that easy," Achara said.
Not breaking eye contact with her, Sam swallowed her second shot.
"Think you can handle another one?" Achara asked.
"I could do this all night," Sam challenged her.
"You heard her," Tory called out. "Another shot!"
It was Tory who handed Achara the shot this time. Before she even had the chance to bring it to her mouth, Sam was already finishing and throwing in to the ground. Achara furrowed her eyebrows at her.
"You've got this, Achara!" Stingray shouted.
Achara turned her head to look at them. A sudden wave of dizziness came over her. The stool started to move under her foot. Achara tried her hardest to balance, but her foot slipped off the stool. Achara collided with the concrete. Achara dropped the shot glass, causing it to break.
"Guess somebody couldn't hold their liquor, huh?" Sam asked.
Achara scowled at her.
"Achara, are you okay?" Miguel asked, helping her up.
"I'm fine," Achara replied, continuing to glare at Sam.
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Decha held a cup of vodka in his hand as he sat on the couch with Hawk. Decha was staring up at the ceiling, not paying attention to what was happening around him. Suddenly, Hawk grabbed his chin and pulled his head down, turning him so that he could look at him. Hawk leaned in, kissing him. Decha immediately kissed him back.
Demetri sat across the living room; his jaw clenched. He knew Hawk was only doing that to make him jealous and get a rile him up, but he wasn't going to let him. Demetri wasn't going to stoop to his level. a
When Hawk broke the kiss, he turned his head to see if Demetri was still looking. Demetri stood up and started to walk over to him. Be the bigger man, Demetri told himself. Hawk may have gotten the guy and wasn't willing to keep their friendship alive, but that didn't mean Demetri couldn't give it one last try.
He took a seat on the couch next to Hawk. Decha gave him a smile, causing Hawk to give him a look.
"You check out the new Doctor Who trailer?" Demetri asked.
"I don't watch nerd shit," Hawk resounded.
"You know, uh...Moffat isn't the showrunner anymore," Demetri continued trying.
Hawk turned to him; his interest piqued. "Wait, really? Since when? Is there a new doctor?"
Demetri nodded, thinking that he was starting to make some progress. Decha sat back, listening to their conversation. He had never been much of a doctor who fan. All he cared about was that Demetri and Hawk were actually having a civil conversation.
"What's he like?" Hawk questioned.
"Oh..." Demetri scoffed. "She's badass."
"She?" Hawk asked, receiving a nod in response. "No way."
Decha stood up from his seat on the couch. "I'm getting another drink."
He stumbled and started to lose his balance, having to hold his arms out so that he wouldn't fall. Demetri grabbed his arm, giving him extra support. He pulled his arm out from Demetri's grasp and stumbled his way to the kitchen. He threw his cup away and grabbed another, getting more beer. He walked back to the living room and as he was making his way to the couch, he saw Hawk pouring his drink over Demetri's head.
Hawk stood up and walked away, leaving Demetri sitting on the couch. Decha walked toward Demetri.
"What happened?" he asked.
Demetri shrugged, covered in beer. "I just said that he was lucky to have you and that he needed to not screw things up like he did with Moon."
Decha sighed and looked around the room for Hawk. He didn't see him anywhere. Decha stood up again, but lost his balance again, falling back onto the couch.
"How much have you had to drink?" Demetri asked.
"Just a little," Decha replied, holding his pointer finger and his thumb close together, but not touching.
"I think you've had more than a little," Demetri replied. "You should slow down."
Demetri reached for his cup, but Decha pulled his hand back before he had the chance. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not," Demetri responded.
"Why do you even care?" Decha asked.
"Why do I care?" Demetri asked. "I care because you're my friend and I'm worried about you."
"I don't need you to worry about me," Decha said.
Decha stood up, but Demetri grabbed his arm. "Decha, please slow down. How about you drink some water?"
Decha yanked his arm. "I said I'm fine!"
Decha walked away from him and went to search for Hawk.
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Achara stood in the living room next to Tory. The two girls were dancing to the music, laughing, and giggling. When the song ended, they took a seat on one of the couches.
"Hey, where's Miguel?" Achara asked. "I swear he was here just a minute ago."
Tory shrugged. "Don't know."
"I'm gonna go find him," Achara said as she stood up.
"All right," Tory replied.
Achara walked around the living room, but Miguel wasn't there. She searched the kitchen, no Miguel. She the bedrooms, stumbling upon a few things she wished that she hadn't. She checked every bathroom, but Miguel was nowhere to be found.
Achara made her way to the backyard. She opened the door and froze.
Miguel stood next to the pool with Sam. Slowly, Sam leaned in and pushed her lips onto Miguel's. Achara's heart sank. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes started to fill with tears as she turned around and began to push past people as she ran to the bathroom. The person who was about to enter the bathroom stared at her in confusion as she slammed the door shut and locked it.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. "Achara, it's Tory. Let me in."
Achara unlocked the door and opened it, letting Tory come in. Achara took a seat on the toilet seat, tears continuing to stream down her face. Tory kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her cheeks.
"You're okay," Tory whispered softly. "Shhh, it's okay. Just breathe. In and out. In and out."
Achara did what Tory said and began to take deep breaths. Her breaths are shaky and staggered.
"What happened?" Tory asked when Achara sobs had been reduced to sniffles.
Achara spoke with a pause between each word due to the shakiness of her voice and staggered breaths. "I...saw...Miguel...kissing...Sam."
"What?" Tory asked.
Her face turned from compassion to anger in a matter of seconds.
Tory wiped the tears from Achara's cheeks. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
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Decha found Hawk standing next to Mitch, laughing, and having a fun time. He made his way towards him, but the sound of feedback from the speakers stopped him. Demetri stood in front of the partygoers, holding a microphone in his hand.
He tapped his cup. "I'd like to make a toast. To Eli Moskowitz."
Confused chatter spread through the room. No one knew who he was talking about.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Demetri tossed his cup. "Some of you may know him as Hawk. But underneath that crazy clown cosplay and whatever type of Manic Panic he dumps in his hair, he still good old Eli. My binary brother. Well, he was my binary brother. You know what he is now? A real zero."
"All right, that's enough, Demetri," Hawk warned.
"Don't let that angry red hairdo fool you," Demetri continued. "He's a big softie. We watched every Harry Potter movie together and he bawled like a baby when Dobby died."
Laughter filled the room as Demetri imitated the sound of sobbing. Decha turned to look at Hawk. He was absolutely furious.
"In the words of Eli's hero, Steve Jobs, "I've got one more thing." Have any of you heard of sleep enuresis?" Demetri questioned. "That is the medical term of course. In the King's English, it's good old fashioned bed-wetting. And Eli here, is a pro. My mom even had a special air mattress for sleepovers, and she called it...Eli's waterbed."
Decha sighed and walked up to Demetri. He took the microphone from his hand. "That's enough."
Demetri turned to him, snatching the microphone back. "And Decha Thirasawat? Where do I even begin?"
Decha shook his head.
"He acts like some big, bad, cool guy who thinks he's the hottest thing since sliced bread," Demetri spoke into the microphone. "But in reality, he's a total geek. He has an entire closet full of comic books, floor to ceiling. He plays Dungeon Lord for Christ's sake. And did anyone know he has the entire periodic table memorized? He has a song and everything. Why don't you humor us all and sing it for us?"
Demetri held the microphone up to his face, but Decha just stared at him.
"No?" Demetri asked, pulling the microphone away. "That's a shame."
"Screw mercy!" Hawk growled. "You're a corpse!"
He started to walk up to Demetri, but Chris stepped in front of him. Decha grabbed Demetri's hand and pulled him off the platform. He kept pulling him by the hand until they were outside.
"What's your problem?" Decha asked him.
"What's my problem?" Demetri questioned. "You know what my problem is."
Decha shook his head. "No, I don't."
"Don't act dumb," Demetri responded.
Decha stared at him and swallowed. Demetri just stared back, the reflection of the moon glinting in his eyes. Decha licked his lips and started to lean in. Demetri stood frozen in place, suddenly unable to move as Decha's lips touched his.
Demetri pushed him back. "Don't. You're with Hawk."
"I don't care about Hawk, and you know it," Decha responded. "I like you. I like you so much it hurts."
Demetri shook his head. "You can't say that. You can't say that when you're dating my best friend!"
"Best friend?" Decha raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "You mean the best friend that dumped his drink on you? The best friend you just embarrassed the shit out of in front of a crowd of people?"
"It was stupid of me to do that, okay?" Demetri admitted. "But you can't do this. You can't just say you like me and kiss me when you're dating someone else. But hey, that's just the way you are, right? You don't care if you hurt other people as long as you're happy."
"That's not true..." Decha responded.
Demetri looked down at the ground before glancing back up at him. "Look, I can't do this right now. You're drunk and you're not thinking right."
"I'm not drunk!" Decha replied defensively.
"The fact you can't even stand up straight without losing your balance and that you're slurring your words says otherwise," Demetri said.
"Dem..."
The sound of police sirens started to wail. In a frenzy, people started running outside, trying to escape the cops. Decha and Demetri shared a worried look. Demetri ran off, leaving Decha by himself. He started to frantically search for Achara.
She was the one that found him, her eyes red and her face puffy as if she had been crying. She grabbed Decha's hand and pulled him out of the house and to the car.
— EMILIA'S NOTES
okay listen...yes, i did make sam kiss miguel. but please do not hunt me down. it will be resolved! i promise, okay?
it was necessary for the plot and for the sake of the school fight!!
alternative chapter title: parties and thirasawats really do not mix.