High and Dry | miguel diaz

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LARUSSO's DOJO HAD been trashed and it didn't take long for Ivy or anyone else for that matter to connect the dots; she told herself she would stay away from all the karate and dojo drama due to how insane it could get over small things, but something about those snakes getting away with it made her blood boil.

She tried telling Johnny about this new Sensei — he broke her friends nose and was using the kids to get back at someone who beat him in a tournament ages ago. But Johnny was loyal to his Sensei and gladly kicked her to the curb the moment she said something remotely rude and something he didn't agree on. Sure, he was an asshole, but Ivy didn't like that he discarded it like he doesn't see the damage done.

On top of that, Miguel was mad at her for what happened the other night; she did not want to be a rebound, though those exact words weren't said, he caught the hint. He wasn't that big of an idiot.

"Good morning, baby," her mother knocked on the door as Ivy put on a fresh shirt, "Eli's here." She knotted her eyebrows and followed her mother to the kitchen to see Hawk sitting at the table, eyes looking at his phone.

"Nice shirt." Hawk snorted at the old, faded E.T shirt she was wearing. She gave him a blank expression, not in the mood to deal with him or what new bullshit he was ready to dump on her.

"Why are you here, Eli?"

"Hawk," she rolled her eyes and served herself a cup of water as he shifted in the seat, "you heard about the dojo being trashed."

"Is that it?"

"N-no. Uh, I just wanted to say that the person who did it w-wasn't Miguel." Hawk stuttered as her eyes pierced into his.

Everyone knew now that Hawk was a badass, a guy who no one wants to mess with. But under all the hair product and dye, he was terrified of Ivy and became a complete coward under her stare. Ivy had mastered the death glare at a young age, a look like that made Hawk feel weak and small. He never would tell her, but she was the only person who could seriously kick his ass and the only person who scared the life out of him. Well, Sensei Kreese as well.

"I know."

"Oh, okay."

"So, is that it or .."

"He told us what happened — Tory asked me to see if you were okay because you didn't answer her messages. She would have asked Miguel but he came in all mad and told me that you're not on talking terms again."

Ivy wanted to roll her eyes for the millionth time, "he acts like an asshole one second and the next he is crying about Sam and then all of a sudden he wants to be with me .. of course I'm not going to be on talking terms with him. Not until he gets over himself."

"He apologized the first time."

"And he should have since he did punch me in the face." Ivy scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Hawk sighed, "look, Miguel does like you. He's only talked about you to me and everyone else in the dojo. He just doesn't know how to make a move. Just .. hear him out."

"You're decent when you wanna be," she eyed him, making him smile a little, "but it still doesn't make up for you going to that dojo and fucking it up."

"How did—"

"Come on, Eli, I've known you longer than any of those morons you're training with. If anyone has that anger and frustration, it's you."

Suddenly, his posture changed from ease to tense within seconds. It was as if she was the first one to find him out, the first to see how mad he really was.

"I didn't have another choice."

"You have other choices, Eli. You're choosing to be a complete dickhead to people who couldn't give another fuck about what you're doing."

"Why do you defend them so much? I thought you hated Sam."

Ivy shook her head, "she's not the reason — she and her dad want to make this dojo work, but it can't happen when you and those goons are constantly fucking their shit up. How would you feel if they came in and destroyed your dojo?"

"I gotta get going." He mumbled, head low and lip stuck in his mouth.

AVOIDING COBRA KAI was impossible. It was like they were in every corner and they all knew how to get under everyone's skin. Ivy had seen Miguel twice and had avoided him though it was hard. She liked him and she wanted to be with him, since the day she met him, but he was only looking for someone to cling onto as he had with Sam and anyone who gave him the slightest bit of affection. Being his friend gave her a bit of insight on it and she wondered if he was still the same. She hoped he was over Sam, but she couldn't be too sure.

Tory was annoyed at Ivy for not making a move and running off like a pussy, as she so nicely put it. Ivy ran out of excuses and she was out of time, "I don't think he's over her. I mean, he made a video of them and then he tried to tell me that he liked me like .. two hours later. You can't tell me that's normal, Tory."

Tory sat still as she tried to think of what to say to her friend. Ivy was right — Miguel had a lot of problems with being hung up on everyone and it did make things hard for Ivy. But still, he clearly liked her.

"Why don't you give him a shot?"

"Did you not hear me?" Ivy deadpanned.

"Come on, Ivy!" Tory exclaimed, "the boy gets a boner each time you bend down and he cries whenever you don't talk to him. I mean, if you don't make a move now I'm gonna have to hear him crying all day."

"A bit exaggerated."

"I'm just telling the truth — he likes Sam but I swear he loves you. You're the only person who knew him and liked him when he was a bigger loser," Ivy snickered, "when he was a nobody. Sam only liked him because he beat someone up for her."

"I was there when he got pink goop thrown on him." Ivy rubbed her chin between two fingers, making a low humming noise.

"Exactly, see? You just gotta let go a little and give him a shot. See what's up."

"I don't know, Tory."

"Do it."

The two went back to the movie that played as background noise, moving on past the previous conversation and onto whatever the plot was. Ivy pretended to care about the movie and the zombies that seemed to mutate with every other snarl they let out; Tory was right, Ivy had been there before he knew karate and before he was awarded a trophy. She was there before Sam.

Miguel was his worst enemy, he couldn't focus on one things and the way things went with Sam, Ivy worried it'd end that way or worse for them. She valued their friendship far too much to ruin it with dating, but she couldn't deal with being 'just friends' anymore.

Holding back a sigh, she excused herself to the kitchen and poured chips in a large bowl, her lips twitching from a frown up to a small grin.

Maybe dating him wouldn't be too bad. Maybe Tory is really right when she said he likes Ivy.

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FILLER CHAPTER SORRY