Fly Like A Hawk

Chapter 25 - A Change In Allegiance

"See, I told you I knew where it was. Demetri and Eli used to come here all the time." I pointed out the small store from across the way, walking slowly besides Sam and Robby.

"So you guys were pretty good friends?" Robby asked, looking over at me as we walked and I saw a little of Johnny Lawrence in his features.

"Yeah, best friends actually."

"What happened?" Sam asked, picking up on my sad tone.

"Umm, nothing, I guess. Eli joined Cobra Kai and-" I paused, seeing the shop owner ranting to himself as he picked up a spew of comics from the floor of the shop. My heart sank and I pushed ahead of the others. "What happened here?" I asked, feeling the fear rising.

"Two boys start fighting in here, one of 'em runs before I get what he looks like and my comic books are everywhere." He threw his hands up in frustration then bent back down to continue collecting the comics from the floor.

"These two boys, the one that you saw, what did he look like?" I could feel the air squeezing out of my lungs.

"Big red hair, up like this," the shop keeper held a hand up on top of his head and I stumbled backwards into Sam and Robby.

"Is everything ok?" Sam asked, supporting me with a hand on my arm.

"No....no, it's not."

Soon enough we were shooting back through the Mall the way we'd just come, desperately searching for Demetri. We reached the entrance to the food court again and I skidded to a stop, Hawk was approaching Demetri, Cobra Kai's were surrounding him. I felt my heart beat faster as Sam and Robby ran past me, bursting into the middle of the fight and swinging Demetri out of the way. My feet moved me until I was stood with them and suddenly the feeling of loss disappeared as I came face to face with Hawk.

"You guys need to back off." Sam ordered, staring them down fiercely.

"I don't wanna have to hit a girl." Hawk murmured, readying himself for a fight.

"You wouldn't stand a chance." Robby strolled over, taking his place beside Sam.

"Five against three...more like two and a half." Hawk chuckled, turning to the Cobra Kai students beside him and nodding for them to attack.

The fighting started and I lost track, trying to move out of the way of Sam and Robby but also trying to avoid the Cobra Kai's and not run into Demetri. I slid round the back, trying to gain some vantage by finding an exit point but instead came face to face with Hawk again.

"Please...I don't wanna have to fight you, Eli." I could feel the tears burning up behind my eyes as I spoke.

"Then don't." He sneered, pushing past me and going for Robby again.

I took a deep breath, turning back to the others and saw Demetri get thrown across from Robby to Sam as Hawk went for him. I dashed round the side of the chaos to see if Demetri was alright as Hawk threw Robby onto a table, sending food flying everywhere. I stopped and gasped as Hawk readied himself to finish the fight, moving backwards then running at Robby with his fist raised. I held my breath as Robby turned, lifting his leg and kicking Hawk across the face.

My eyes went wide and I drew in a shaky breath as his unconscious form fell to the floor, images of my dreams came back to me, Eli crying and me unable to help. I didn't notice when Sam and Robby checked on Demetri, I didn't notice when they spoke to me only feeling anything when Demetri grabbed my hand and started pulling me away. I couldn't take my eyes off of Hawk, he still lay on the floor, twitching slightly as his Cobra Kai buddies swarmed him. Even when Demetri was dragging me towards the exit, I watched him, seeing his friends moving round him as the crowd swarmed and blocked my view.

We exited through a fire door, running out into the open air and breathing in the fading daylight. I hadn't noticed it had gotten that late, time seemed to have been slowed down when we were inside of the mall. Sam and Robby made it to the car first, slowing to a stop then smiling at each other before turning back to us. Demetri had managed to drag me half way across the parking lot before I stopped and my hand pulled from his.

"What are you doing?" He turned back to me and his smile dropped. I wasn't crying, not yet, but I could feel the tears stinging, "what-" I cut him off.

"What was that?"

"I don't know wha-"

"What was that?" I repeated myself, this time forcing it through my teeth as I tried to hold myself together.

"He-"

"He's our friend!" I cried, throwing my arm back in the direction of the mall. Sam and Robby watched silently from the car, their smiles missing and their eyes hidden by shadow.

"Was our friend." Demetri added, I could see that he was gonna cry. I didn't want him to cry, that wasn't the point. "Now he's not."

The silence filled the space between us.

"Why didn't you help him?" I muttered, letting my anger go and instead channeling my pain, "Why..." now it came out as no more than a breath, "He was hurt..." my insides felt like they were squeezing in on themselves.

"He was gonna hurt me!" Demetri cried, pointing to himself dramatically and throwing one hand up in the air.

"That doesn't give you a right to hurt him first." I could hear myself speak, hear the wispy tone of my voice and the heartbroken cracks.

Demetri nodded, scrunching his lips together as he tried to hold back his tears. "After all this...." I stared at him defiantly, clenching my fists in anger, "After all this, you still side with Eli." My hands dropped slack at the hitch on 'Eli', I'd unintentionally hurt him, trying to defend a person that I should have left in the past.

"Demetri..." I whispered, unable to produce a sound louder than a wheeze.

"No...I should have known, you always chose him. Always Eli over me and I was stupid. Blind...thinking that for once," he nodded sorrowfully, letting a tear drip from his eye, "for once, you'd chosen me."

"I..." my breath shuddered as I tried to fill my lungs enough to speak.

"But you'd never chose me....would you? You'd never choose little old Demetri in the corner. I was always overlooked because Eli....Eli was the twinkle in your eyes." I looked up at him with huge eyes, not caring now if the floodgates opened and tears rolled down my face. "So now," his breath shuddered as he breath out, "I'm gonna ask you, if you had to choose, between me and Eli? Who would you choose?"

"Demetri, I'm not..." I shook my head slowly, trying to remove the thought from my head.

"Choose, Y/N. Please." I opened my mouth but choked on a sob, I reached up to try and wipe away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks but he dodged out of the way as I burst into hysterical tears. I tried to get hold of myself, hugging myself in an attempt to calm down.

"I..."

"Choose!" Demetri cried, letting his anger out as he watched me snivel.

"I...I don't think you'd like what I'd choose." I stuttered out the words as I held myself tighter. Demetri's eyes dimmed at my words and he turned, stalking towards the car. "Demetri!" I cried, stumbling after him as he walked away, "Demetri, please!" I fell to the floor drawing my hands up to my eyes and sobbing loudly as Demetri reached the car. He climbed in after a few short words with Sam and Robby, swiped his cheeks dry and then the rumble of the car engine started up and they left me, sobbing my heart out in the car park of the mall.