"Cole, you need to hurry up!" Olivia yelled up the stairs while finishing her outfit with a pair of earrings. Her quick footsteps took her into the kitchen where Harper finished off a cup of coffee. "Please tell me that's not your whole breakfast."
"I had some toast," Harper answered before placing her cup in the sink. She ran some hot water into it before putting it on the dryer rack but could feel Olivia's eyes burning into her back. Sighing, she nodded. "A bite of toast. I'm too nervous to eat."
"So to fix your nerves you chose to go with coffee?" Olivia shook her head, a smile pulling at her lips.
Harper shrugged with a smile of her own. It was a strange way to deal with her anxiety but coffee seemed to have the opposite effect on her. Perhaps it was the rush of caffeine that gave her the energy to deal with her nerves.
"You don't have anything to be nervous about," Olivia said, pouring coffee and creamer into her tumbler. "You'll be okay, I promise."
"No, I know but I just... I don't know. I'll be okay." But the truth was, she was terrified. This was one of the last first days she would ever have. This was her home now and the permanence of it all still scared her. Even though she was happy to have found a family that truly wanted her, all she ever knew was how to be a foster kid. It was as if her identity had been stripped from her and she was blindly searching for herself.
"Of course you'll be okay. Your friends who you've been hanging out with all summer will be there with you. And I'm sure you'll see Lucas at some point during the day." Olivia squeezed her arm reassuringly before stepping out into the hallway. "Cole! I'm not telling you again. You have ten minutes until we leave."
Harper smiled despite Olivia's nervous energy.
"I swear, that kid will give me a nervous breakdown one of these days," Olivia mumbled as she returned to the kitchen. "Are you still getting a ride from Sam?"
"Yeah, she said she'll be here soon."
"Okay, good. First days are always so chaotic around here. Lucas and I have to be at work early for the first couple of days so this really helps us out that Sam's driving you. But we'll be able to take you once the first week of school is over," Olivia explained. A smile pulled at her lips as she studied Harper. "You look so beautiful."
Harper smiled at the compliment though she could feel her face getting warm. "Thanks."
"I thought you said we were leaving." Cole appeared behind them, his backpack slung over one shoulder.
"We are but - wait!" She said, causing him to stop. "I need a first day of school picture!" Olivia waved Cole, who was no-so-subtly rolling his eyes, toward Harper as she got her phone out. "Alright now - Cole, smile. You look like you're going to a funeral."
"I kinda am," he muttered but it was just low enough for only Harper to hear. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.
As Olivia counted down, they put on their best smiles and endured a few seconds while she took 'just one more' picture.
"Perfect! I'll have to see these to Lucas later." Olivia smiled before pocketing her phone. She grabbed her bags off the counter and followed Cole toward the door before stopping short. She turned back to Harper and gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. She frowned at the smudge her lipstick made on her skin and tried to remove it with her thumb. "I'm sorry, my lipstick's all over you now," she said with a laugh, trying but failing to clean the red mark.
Harper laughed. "It's okay. Don't worry about it, mom." As soon as the word left her lips, her eyes widened with realization as did Olivia's.
They stared at each other for a few seconds with Harper panicking internally. She hadn't meant to say that. She had no idea what even came over her to utter that one word. Mom. It was too soon considering the adoption wasn't even finalized. Or maybe there would never come a time for her to say that word again. Maybe Olivia and Lucas just wanted to be called by their names.
"I'm sorry. I-I don't know why I said that. I shouldn't have-"
She didn't get a chance to finish because Olivia pulled her in for another big hug. Pulling back, she smoothed down Harper's hair in a motherly and affectionate way. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"You're not mad?" Harper asked, unable to hide her surprise.
"Of course not. Why would I be angry?"
"Because I, uhm, called you mom. And maybe you don't want me to call you that now or ever and that's fine. It really is. But it just slipped out and now-"
"I am your mom," Olivia told her, cutting her off. "I would love it if you called me that but I didn't want to rush you."
The fear of thinking she had already screwed up lifted from her shoulders. Letting out a breath, she smiled shakily. "Are you sure?" She asked, because there was nothing more she wanted to be able to say the words mom and dad.
"I know the adoption didn't go through yet but you're already part of the family. You've been our daughter since the first day you got here. I just... I wish you'd stop being so scared or worried that you'll do or say something to push us away. Because that'll never happen, okay?"
Harper nodded. "I'm trying to work on that," she said, knowing that she was her own worst enemy. That she was guilty of overthinking everything in her life and then self-sabotaging.
"You know we're gonna be late, right?" Cole called into the house impatiently. "If you're making me go to school early then I might as well have some time to hang out with my friends before class starts."
Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically, the smile never leaving her face. "Sam will be here soon?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, well, Cole's right. We're running a little late," she said with a look at the time. "Have a good first day, sweetie. Love you."
Harper smiled though her chest tightened at hearing those words for what felt like the first time in her life. "Love you, too," she quietly said back.
The front door slammed shut seconds later but Harper didn't mind the silence for once. She smiled to herself, still unable to believe that this was her life. There was no fear or apprehension or instability. She had a family who cared for her, which was a first.
All those months ago, when Shane said that he had a good feeling about this family, he had been right.
Catching sight of the time forced Harper into action, knowing that Sam would be here any minute. No sooner had she finished getting ready than the doorbell rang. When she opened the door, Sam walked past her into the house. Harper's smile turned curious when she spotted a different car in the driveway with Daniel behind the wheel. She gave him a small wave before being pulled back into the house.
"Hey," Harper said, throwing a look at her friend. "Is that your dad?"
Sam nodded, looking glum as she let out a big sigh. "He's driving us.
"Oh, okay. So I don't care that he is but... why?"
"Because he took my car away, grounded me and we've been in a fight ever since. My life is basically over."
"Okay but why? What happened?" Harper asked, surprised at how much had changed in just a couple of days.
"I got really wasted at the party, and I was scared to let my parents see me like that so I asked Robby to take me somewhere else. So he took me to Johnny's where we spent the night," Sam said in almost a rush, throwing a look her way. "The plan was to sleep the alcohol off and be home before my parents noticed that we were gone but that's not how it turned out."
Harper nodded though remained confused about how that led to her getting into so much trouble.
"I think what really made my dad mad was that we went to Johnny over him. I get it but I think he's overreacting. He kicked Robby out and everything's just a mess," Sam said. "Oh, and I forgot the part where my dad and Johnny got into a full-blown fist fight."
Harper remained quiet for a moment as she tried to process it all. "Uhm, wow," she said, which was a lame reaction to what Sam told her.
But Sam didn't take her short answer in a bad way. "Yeah, I know. I hope it'll all blow over soon but I've never seen my dad this mad before."
"I mean, just give it some time. It's only been a couple days but your dad doesn't seem like someone to hold a grudge for long."
"He does if Johnny's involved."
Harper nodded, knowing something about their rivalry. Unfortunately, she had no advice to offer so she let the silence engulf the room as she made sure she had everything for the first day. One look at Sam and Harper frowned, sensing that something else was wrong. "What's going on?"
Sam looked her way with a sad smile, shrugging in reply.
"Come on, Sam. Something else happened. Did... wait, you and Robby didn't break up because of this, did you?"
"No, but we still might."
"Because your dad kicked him out?"
"No." Sam focused her attention on the notebook that rested on the counter. Seconds went by before she sighed and said, "Because I kind of kissed Miguel. At the party."
Harper tried to process what she just heard. "You what? How - why would you do that?"
"Because I was really drunk, okay? I went outside to get away from everything and Miguel was there and I just... I'm such an idiot!"
"You kinda are," she said, getting a look from Sam. "I'm sorry but... what do you expect me to say? It was a dumb thing to do."
"It was a mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. I never should've done that."
"I get it, I do but I kinda have to ask. Do you still like Miguel?"
"No. I-I don't know," she said, sighing. "But I'm with Robby. I like Robby and I want us to last for longer than just a week. He can't know this happened, Harper. If he finds out...."
"But he kinda needs to know. What if someone saw you at the party and it gets back to Robby? It would be so much worse if he heard it from someone else. You have to tell him, especially if the kiss didn't mean anything."
Sam looked uncertain as she battled with her own problems. Instead of replying, she said, "Are you ready to go? I don't want to give my dad more to be mad at me for."
The drive to school was quiet and awkward. Apart from saying 'hi' to Mr. LaRusso, the conversation didn't go further than that. Sam kept her attention out the window, refusing to even make eye contact with her dad while Harper sat in the back and hoped she wouldn't have to be a buffer if an argument broke out. Despite being nervous for her first day, Harper almost sighed with relief when the school came into view.
"Sam, I need to talk to you real quick," Daniel said, earning him a sigh from his daughter.
"I'll catch up with you soon," Sam said.
Harper nodded and eagerly escaped the awkwardness of a conversation she had no interest in hearing or witnessing. The door opened to the shouts and happy squeals of friends greeting one another. Everyone seemed too invested in their own conversations to notice her, which lessened her anxiety though not by a lot. The two-story building was intimidating but she forced herself to walk towards the double doors.
The inside was packed and Harper did her best not to walk into anyone as that never ended well for her. Despite its exterior, the inside was bigger than she thought and more modern looking, probably due to a remodel in the last few years. Her eyes took in the vast hallway that contained several classrooms and hallways that led to other parts of the school. A staircase led to the second floor and, while the inside was impressive, Harper couldn't figure out which way to go.
"That's where I got my backpack thrown into the trash by the wrestling team. Oh, and there someone thought it'd be funny to trip me while I was carrying a project for class. It broke and I got in trouble for not being prepared." Demetri appeared by her side, pointing to various places as the memories danced in his eyes. "Yeah, this place sure is awesome. I'm so glad to be back."
Harper turned to him, a sad smile crossing her face. "This year will be better."
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
"I don't know but I can hope," she said with a smile.
Demetri shook his head at her hopefulness. His expression turned sheepish as he adjusted his backpack. "So, look. I'm sorry about the party. I kinda got drunk-"
"Really drunk."
"Yeah, thanks," he said with a miserable look. "But I acted like an idiot, or at least I think I did. I don't remember that much but I'm sorry for what I may or may not have said. Or did."
"Thanks," she said before a sigh escaped her lips. "But I kinda think there's someone else you should say sorry to."
"Who? Robby?" A bemused look crossed his face when she shook her head. A few seconds passed before his eyes widened with realization. "Okay, wait.... You're not - You think I should apologize to Eli?"
Harper shrugged but nodded at the same time. "I mean, you did kinda roast him in front of the whole school."
"I don't even remember what I said but whatever it was he deserved it. After all the shit he's done to us, he had it coming."
"Still doesn't make it right." Harper felt as if she was playing the devil's advocate and smiled uneasily. "I'm just saying. It wasn't you that night, Demetri. You don't get revenge like that. It was kinda a Cobra Kai move and, I'm sorry, but you were a jerk."
Demetri blinked in surprise before he nodded glumly.
"I get that you wanted to defend yourself but you took it too far. I'm not defending him for being an ass but...."
"He's gonna kill me. I'm literally going to die today," Demetri realized with a look of fear in his eyes.
"Then you better apologize fast."
"My last words will be 'I'm sorry'. What a way to go," he said with a shake of his head before rushing off to his locker.
The word 'bye' barely left her lips before she realized with dread that she had forgotten to ask for directions. "I'll figure it out," she promised before throwing a quick and confusing look at the paper in her hand. The letters and numbers associated with not only her locker but the classrooms made no sense whatsoever. She lifted her eyes and took in the hallway, hoping for some kind of directory that could point her in the right direction. But aside from motivational posters and welcome-back signs, there was nothing.
She was on her own.
Harper looked across the hall where her eyes landed on Hawk and her heart skipped a beat as their eyes locked. One second. Two seconds. But when he looked away first, she felt the sting of heartbreak all over again. Just because she'd broken things off didn't mean that it hurt any less.
But it was for the best. Or so she kept telling herself.
"Harper!"
She looked over at the sound of her name, a forced smile tugging at her lips when Kyler walked toward her. "Hey."
"Let me guess, you're nervous about the first day?" He asked and, just like she knew he would, put an arm around her shoulders.
It took all her willpower not to push him away. "I'm not nervous. Just a little bit lost but I'll-"
Before she could finish, he pulled the paper from her hand and looked at it as a wide smile crossed his face. "Your lockers upstairs. That's where all the juniors and seniors are. And your first class is up there, too."
Harper looked toward the staircase that led to the second floor and nodded as if that made sense. "Oh, great. Thanks." She started for the stairs but his arm remained around her as he walked beside her. She swallowed down the frustration, thinking of all the polite ways to tell him to leave her alone. Because it wasn't that she hated Kyler, she just knew his type and wanted nothing to do with him.
"Did you have fun at the party? It was pretty sick until the cops showed up."
"Yeah, it was pretty fun," she lied as she tried to navigate the steps with him by her side.
"Right? Did you get home okay? I was gonna see if you needed a ride but shit was crazy with everyone trying to leave that I couldn't find you."
"Yeah, it was crazy but one of my friends drove me home."
"Cool. At least they were useful for something other than wasting space."
"Kyler." Her lips pressed together as she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, so remember that you're sitting with us at lunch," he continued, oblivious to the glare she shot him.
"Thanks but I promised my friends I'd sit with them. Maybe some other time," she said as they reached the second floor which was somehow busier than the first.
"You don't want to sit with those losers, trust me. And then after school, all of us are -" he continued but she purposefully stopped listening.
She went through the motions of nodding and smiling when it was necessary all the while not knowing what Kyler was saying.
Hearing her name being called, she looked around the busy hallway until she spotted Miguel waving her over. "Thanks for the help but I gotta go!" The crowded hallway helped her lose him, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips when she stopped beside Miguel.
"It looked like you needed some help," he said.
"Yeah, thanks. I definitely owe you," she said, grateful for the save. "I didn't think he'd ever stop talking."
"Didn't you hang out with him at the party?"
Harper rolled her eyes. "More like Moon and Piper introduced us and now he thinks that we're like best friends or dating or whatever delusional thoughts are going through his head."
Miguel laughed but the laughter died down at the unamused look she threw him. "That sounds like Kyler. He thinks everyone wants to be with him but just be careful, Harper. He likes to make bets on which girl he can sleep with."
"Why do you think I'm avoiding him?" Harper shifted the bag on her shoulder before looking at her schedule. "Hey, any chance you can help me find my class? I think it's around here somewhere but I'm completely lost."
Miguel glanced at her schedule and then over his shoulder before a smile crossed his face. "You mean this one?"
Blinking, she looked from her schedule to the classroom number above the door. A laugh escaped her lips. "Huh. Guess I didn't need your help at all."
"Come on. Let's grab a seat before they get taken and we're stuck with seats we hate for the rest of the year."
"Wait. You're in this class, too?"
"Yeah, looks like it!"
Harper followed Miguel into the room where a few front row seats were already occupied by some overeager students. They opted for the third row, which was close enough to the front without them being the prime targets for the teacher to call on them all year. She settled into the seat, wincing as the chair legs screeched against the tiled floor, and pulled out a notebook and pen.
She tapped her pen against the notebook, trying to calm her nerves. There was something nerve-wracking about knowing this was the last time she'd be the new kid. It was ridiculous considering how many schools she'd been in over the years but anxiety wasn't something you had control over.
Or maybe it was the permanence of everything that terrified her.
Whatever the reason, she was freaking out.
Miguel watched her for a moment as her pen tapped the notebook over and over. "It's not that scary here, I promise," he said with a smile. "I was the new kid last semester and... okay, it sucked but I didn't know anyone. Like, at all. And I didn't exactly make the best first impression since I bumped into Kyler first and he kinda made my life hell but it got easier. And you already have friends so you're off to a better start than I am."
He was right, she knew that but anxiety had a death grip on her nonetheless. "Thanks. I don't really know why I'm freaking out all of a sudden. I've been to like ten different schools since I was put into foster care but I don't remember ever being this nervous."
"You'll be fine," he assured her. "Maybe just stay away from Kyler."
"Trust me, I'm trying," she said with a groan, wrinkling her nose at the mention of him. "He's trying to get me to have lunch with him because he thinks my friends aren't good enough. He doesn't really take 'no' for an answer though."
"Just tell him to leave you alone. The Harper I know would've told him off by now."
"I don't have a problem telling him to back off but... I'm already known as the crazy foster kid ever since I took that golf club to my dads' car and ended up in juvie. So I'm kinda trying not to give them something else to talk about, you know?"
"That was your dad? Shit... so it really wasn't a date, huh?"
Harper shook her head. "It's a really long story," she said with an apologetic smile, not wanting to get into any details about that right now.
"It sounds like it is," he agreed, not pressuring her for more information. "But if you want, I can tell him to leave you alone."
"Leave who alone?" Hawk asked as he stopped beside Miguel's desk.
Harper sighed quietly because of course Hawk would be in her class.
"Oh, uhm Harper. Kyler's kinda not leaving her alone since the party."
"Oh."
"And you know how he is. He's not gonna back off on his own."
An almost imperceptible frown crossed Hawk's face as he glanced at her, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
"So I was thinking of talking to him. Oh, hey! Maybe you can help. Both of us can tell him to back off," Miguel said.
"I mean, I guess-"
"I can handle it," Harper said before adding, "but thanks." She didn't want Hawk involved in this. It was her problem and now that they were officially over, she would deal with it on her own.
Hawk shrugged as if it didn't bother him while Miguel asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine," she said. "I can take care of myself."
Miguel nodded though it looked like he wanted to say more. Deciding against it, he looked at Hawk who still hovered by their desks. "No ones taken the seat by Harper yet if you're still looking for somewhere to sit. You got here kinda late, you know."
Hawk looked at the occupied desk beside Miguel with a smirk. "No, I'll just sit here."
"But it's -" Miguel started.
"Move," Hawk told the kid sitting in the seat, closing his open notebook.
The kid just laughed but his laughter died down when he noticed that Hawk was serious. "But I'm sitting here.".
"Not anymore, loser," Hawk said, forcing him up and throwing his backpack and books to another table before sitting down in the seat.
Harper watched the whole interaction through narrowed eyes but chose to keep quiet. Instead, she glanced over at Miguel who stared down at his phone with a frown. "What's wrong?"
Miguel smiled sheepishly and placed his phone down. "Nothing. It's just... I haven't heard from Tory since the party and I'm kinda worried. I've been texting her the last couple of days but she's not replying. You didn't - I mean, you haven't seen her, did you?"
"No, sorry. I'm sure she's fine but if I see her, I'll let you know."
"Really?" Miguel smiled with relief. "Okay, yeah. Thanks. I'm probably worried for no reason but I'm kinda wondering if maybe she saw ...."
"Saw what?" Harper asked, though she had an idea of what he was about to say.
"Me and Sam. At the party. We... kinda kissed," Miguel said but the only person that was shocked was Hawk.
"Dude, you kissed Sam?" Hawk asked, inserting himself into the conversation.
"Yeah," Miguel said glumly.
After a moment, Hawk smiled and bumped his shoulder. "Nice!"
"Are you serious? Nice?" Harper asked but Hawk just shrugged at her words.
"No, not nice," Miguel said. "I shouldn't have done that to Tory."
"Why limit yourself to one chick? I plan to have a full rotation by the time we get to midterms," Hawk said proudly, taking a quick second to see if Harper was listening.
But Harper kept her expression neutral and as indifferent as possible but pretending not to have been listening was hard. She felt like an angry and jealous ex-girlfriend as her grip on her notebook tightened, the pages crinkling from the pressure.
"What?" Miguel asked, turning to Harper with bemusement. "Did you understand any of that?"
"What? No, I wasn't really paying attention," she said with a shrug.
"Oh, I was just asking if you -"
"Get the hell out of my face!" Hawk said, knocking the books out of some guy's hands. They scattered across the floor as other students laughed at the exchange.
"What was that guy's problem?" Miguel asked, more confused than before.
"I don't know," Hawk said.
The morning announcements continued through the staticky intercom. No one paid much attention, Harper included. She doodled in her notebook, unable to get Hawks words out of her mind. The logical part of her knew that she shouldn't be bothered with who he dated let alone how many people he chose to date. It was none of her business.
But then why did she feel sick to her stomach just thinking about it?
Harper was a whirlwind of emotions where one contradicted the other. They were over so there was absolutely no reason for her to be feeling this way. When she tried to relay that to her heart and mind, the message seemed to get lost in translation. And she was back to both wanting to be with him and keeping him at arm's length.
Though the latter was the safest option.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," the woman making the announcements said before her voice faded to static and the sounds of a struggle took place as the microphone screamed in protest. "Give that back! Ow!"
When the announcements picked up, a new voice came through the speaker.
"Samantha LaRusso. I know what you did and you're going to pay for it. I'm coming for you bitch!" Tory said, her voice bitter and hateful as it delivered the threat.
"Well, we know that Tory's okay," Harper commented with a strained smile.
"This isn't good," Miguel said with a groan, a panicked look crossing his face.
"Yeah, no shit," Hawk commented with a dry laugh.
"I need to find her! M-maybe I can fix this somehow." Miguel stood up but the teacher directed him back to his seat.
"No one is leaving. I suggest you sit back down, Mr. Diaz," the teacher said, trying her best to calm the excitement mixed with panic from the class.
And so the class dragged on painfully. No one paid much attention to what the teacher said as their minds were on other things. Mainly Tory's public threat announcement to Sam. Harper fidgeted in her seat, half paying attention while anxiously staring at the clock as the minutes moved backward. She didn't know Tory well enough to know what she'd do but she didn't have a good feeling about this. Shit was about to go down and who else would be dragged into it was anyone's guess.
The bell rang, shrill and loud. Harper followed an anxious Miguel out into the hallway where other classrooms emptied all around them. The energy buzzed with a weird sort of excitement. A call before the storm so to speak.
Harper pushed through the hallway to where students were crowded around the beginning of a fight. Her heart was in her throat as she watched Tory kick Sam in the stomach, sending her backward into a group of students.
Before Sam could get her bearings, Hawk pushed her back into the fight. "Get back in there!"
"What the hell are you doing?" Harper asked, throwing an incredulous look his way which he shrugged away. "They're gonna get hurt. You know that, right?"
"How is that my problem? Tory's just making Sam pay for what she did. She deserves this."
"What? No, she doesn't. She just made a stupid mistake and I know that she feels really bad about it. People make mistakes, Hawk."
He looked at her for a moment too long before saying, "Yeah, they do."
Harper wasn't sure what to say to that or if his words had an underlying meaning behind them. Shaking her head, she turned back to the fight before her and stepped forward to intervene. Because what else could she do? She barely took a step before a hand tightened around her wrist, pulling her back. She looked over her shoulder questioningly, slightly irritated.
"I think your friend's handling it," Hawk said, nodding to where Robby stepped in to help.
Harper pulled her hand free from his grasp and then threw a worried look to where Robby was holding Tory against the locker. His attempt to break up the fight was futile because Miguel tackled him away from Tory.
Cursing, she pushed her way into the fight and tried to pull Miguel away from Robby. "Stop! He was trying to stop her, not hurt her. You're just making this worse."
But Miguel was lost to his own beliefs about what was going on. "Stay out of this, Harper," he said, his voice somewhat apologetic as he fought against Robby.
Sighing, she jumped back as the fight grew out of control when more people joined in.
"Harper! You're okay?" Demetri asked, stopping beside her as he looked on at the fight with a look of horror. His face paled as he barely dodged a hit.
"I'm fine," she said dismissively, "but what do we do? We have to stop this."
"Good idea. I'm gonna get a teacher!" Demetri ran off into the crowd before she could protest.
Harper was left alone in the middle of this war. To say that she felt helpless was an understatement as she stood there frozen with fear. This wasn't just a fight. It was a battle. And the only thing she could do was stand and watch.
Well, maybe not the only thing.
Harper could join the fight to help her friends but something held her back. Perhaps it was selfishness but she wasn't ready for anyone to know one of her biggest secrets. So rather than help, she backed away with the hope of coming up with a less intrusive way to help.
Harper stumbled past groups of curious onlookers while the fight raged on around her. She rounded the corner only for someone to grab her from behind and slam her against the lockers. Her head hit the metal door and tears sprang to her eyes from the sheer impact. She blinked through the pain, trying to figure out what the hell just happened when a hit to her stomach had her doubling over. The wind was knocked out of her and it took everything in her to get her breathing somewhat under control.
"No one's gonna save you this time, stray," Mitch said, an all too pleased look on his face.
Harper started to talk but he landed another blow to her face and she stumbled back from the force. Panic-stricken, she knew she was trapped. The only way out was forward but forward was currently blocked by Mitch. He pushed her against the lockers, his hand on the base of her throat, and applied more pressure.
"What's wrong? Don't have any comebacks?" He sneered as she tried to push his hand away.
Cursing, she did everything she could think of to push him away but her attempts were futile. "Let me go!" She said though cringed at how pathetic it sounded. As if he would actually let her go just because she told him to. The only thing she could think of was to clear her mind, cower behind the wall she'd built to keep herself safe, and hope that the worst would be over soon.
Was she giving up? Absolutely.
She accepted her fate because what else could she do?
Harper looked past him to where Miyagi-Do fought against Cobra Kai. Both sides were strong and wouldn't be so quick to give up. But one would lose, and she hoped it wouldn't be her friends. The fight was out of control now as teachers stood by helplessly to watch as the students fought. No one could stop this. It was one of those things that had to play out its course before it fizzled out into nothing.
In the absolute chaos, she managed to pick Hawk out from the crowd. He looked her way, their eyes locking momentarily. A scowl crossed his face, blending in with a look of worry at the situation she'd gotten herself in. But he made no move to help. Instead, he looked at her meaningfully before mouthing 'fight back'.
Harper waited for a beat or two as she contemplated her next move. If she didn't fight back, she'd get hurt. Very hurt. But if she fought back....
Mitch pulled his fist back, a cruel smile on his face as he swung to punch her. Just as his fist was about to connect with her face, she blocked it and twisted the hand that was still holding her against the locker. He blinked in confusion, momentarily stunned that she managed to defend herself. But it didn't take long for him to charge at her with another hit.
This time, Harper's reflexes kicked in. She used everything that she'd learned from her lessons with Hawk not only to defend herself but to attack. Because Mitch wasn't expecting her to fight back, Harper managed to land a few hits of her own.
"You're dead," he threatened, as he recovered from the punch.
Due to her small stature, she was quicker and did a decent enough job of holding her own. Something she never thought she'd be able to do, especially against Mitch. Using the lockers for support, she brought her leg up and kicked him square in the chest which sent him stumbling back.
Harper grew tired but he kept advancing. She didn't know how long she could keep her defenses up as it took all her effort to both be on defense and offense. She still needed to help her friends and didn't want to waste any more of her time and energy on Mitch. So when he went in for another attack, she braced herself and waited for the right moment to use one of the more advanced moves she'd learned from her lesson. The spinning back kick. Holding her breath, she hoped not to mess it up because she hadn't fully mastered it. She'd been in the middle of learning it when she broke things off with Hawk, so she only had a couple of lessons to go off of.
You can do this.
Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and focused on the kick. She stumbled a little bit but she felt her foot connect with Mitch and watched as he crashed to the floor, a look of pure shock on his face.
"I did it. I actually did it!" Harper said happily though there wasn't any time to celebrate.
With Mitch struggling to get up, she backtracked her way out of the hallway and towards the main area. It took her a few seconds to spot Robby fighting off three boys from Cobra Kai, and she rushed over to help. With them working together, it took almost no time to defeat them.
"Thanks," Robby said, blinking back his surprise at seeing that it was Harper who helped him.
She only smiled in reply before they rushed out to the main area where she could just make out Sam and Tory fighting on the staircase. looked like Tory had the upper hand as she flipped Sam onto the ground.
"Sam!" Robby yelled, quickening his pace toward her but fell to the ground when Miguel tripped him.
Harper looked around helplessly, unsure of who to help first. She looked over the railing to see that Sam was on her feet and fighting back and opted to help Robby instead. Both of them were dodging the other's kicks and hits which grew more aggressive by the second. It was only a matter of time before one of them got hurt, and she had no idea how to stop it.
"You guys, stop!" Harper yelled. Of course, they didn't listen to her as it was just a pathetic attempt at getting them to stop fighting.
Robby caught Miguel's leg and punched him to the ground. "That's for taking advantage of Sam!"
"I would never," Miguel said.
"Then why'd it happen?" Robby asked angrily. He lost his hold on Miguel and let himself get kicked in the stomach, which sent him stumbling backwards.
"She doesn't love you! She loves me," Miguel said, getting back on his feet.
Anger clogged Robby's face as he got up and ran full speed at Miguel. He kicked him against the wall and threw one lunch after another at his face.
"That's enough! Stop!" Harper used all her force to pry Robby off of Miguel. "Are you insane? What are you doing?"
"Who's side are you even on?" Robby asked, shaking her off.
"Side? I'm just trying to stop you from doing something stupid! This has gotten so out of control. Both of you guys are acting like idiots and if you -"
The sentence remained unfinished as Miguel swept Robby's legs out from under him. Harper jumped out of the way when Robby crashed to the ground. Before she could even think of helping him, Miguel twisted his arm behind his back and knelt on his back.
Robby cried out in pain, unable to move.
"Miguel, stop! Please!" Harper cried out, grabbing hold of his arm and trying to pull him back. "You're really hurting him."
Miguel turned his head, freezing as he saw the worried look on her face. The seconds slowed down as realization crossed his face and the anger dissipated. With shock and shame, he let go of Robby's arm. "I'm sorry," he whispered, shaking his head at what he'd almost done.
Harper let out a sigh of relief but that relief was short-lived. Robby elbowed him in the head, forcing the other boy up before kicking him in the knee and sensing him towards the railing.
"No! Robby, don't!" Harper said just as he brutally kicked Miguel in the chest.
The seconds that followed were silent. Slow. It was like time stood still as Miguel went over the railing. His arms flailed in a desperate attempt to save himself but there wasn't anything he or anyone could do.
Except watch.
Except prepare for the inevitable.
One second Miguel was flying over the railing and the next second his back hit the railing below with a sickening crack that stopped all the fighting.
Harper shared a panicked look with Robby before they ran to the railing and looked towards the first floor where Miguel lay in a heap on the stairs. Unmoving.
"Robby, what did you do?" Sam demanded as a crowd gathered around him.
"I-I didn't mean to. It was an accident," Robby said shakily.
"I know," Harper said softly but her eyes were glued to the horror show below.
"Hey, Harper! You'll never guess what... oh, shit." Demetri stopped beside her, his face ashen as he stared down over the railing. "What the hell happened? Is that Miguel? Is he okay?"
Harper shook her head, her voice shaking when she spoke. "I-I don't know. It was just an accident. They were fighting and everything just got so out of control but Robby didn't do this on purpose."
"Alright, everyone needs to back up. Now!" One of the security officers said as the paramedics entered the school and went straight towards Miguel. As soon as they started to check his pulse, Harper had to look away.
It was too much. Too real. A nightmare that no one would wake up from.
"You didn't mean to do this," she said to Robby but he was already gone. She blinked in surprise and looked around but
"There you are!" Lucas made his way through the crowd, telling students to gather their stuff because school was dismissed for the day. When he made it to Harper, she couldn't bear to look at him because she felt like she'd let him down. Again. "Thank God you're okay," he said, pulling her into an unexpected hug.
She stood still before returning the hug once the initial shock wore off.
"You are okay right?" He held her at arm's length and frowned at the cuts and bruises that colored her face.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. I just... I had to help them. What happened was an accident and then Miguel.... He's gonna be okay, right?"
Lucas ran a hand through his hair, looking unsettled for the first time that she could remember. "I don't know. I hope so but he's in good hands now. They're gonna do everything they can to help him, I promise."
Harper nodded numbly.
"Come on, let's get you home. Everything will be okay."
The school fight happened! What did you guys think? I hope you guys liked this chapter. I was struggling a little bit with the fight scenes (they're so hard to write without getting too repetitive) but let me know what you guys think :)