¹FIGHT CLUB, miguel diaz

NINETEEN , day of days

DYLAN WATCHED, HER FACE scrunched up at she watched Hawk's handshake with Bert. Mitch stood next to him, grinning between his friends. She shook her head and walked fully through the doors. They didn't seem concerned about anything — not even the possibility of getting into more trouble with the district.

"If I have to see those people for more than five seconds I'm ditching my citizenship and calling it quits," Dylan grumbled. Moon smiled sympathetically, looking in disappointment as her ex-boyfriend slammed a kid's pile of textbooks out of his hands.

"Hey Dylan!" Demetri's voice came booming across the room. Dylan watched with a frown as she took in the situation before her.

Demetri and Chris were facing a tense and riled up group of Cobra Kais, with Hawk at the very front of it, as he always was.

"Nice face, Oakes." Hawk nodded at her injured face, egging her on. She flipped him off with a bored look.

"You wanna match?" She grinned as he scowled. Demetri laughed louder than he usually would at her joke, and she looked at him in suspicion. Demetri usually wasn't this confident in himself, but after he'd thrown Hawk into a trophy cabinet, he was probably still riding out that high.

"Bite me," Hawk said tensely. He was itching for another fight. Dylan watched as their councelor made her way over to them, looking nervous as she looked between the students. "All this security isn't enough to protect your scrawny ass."

Demetri bit down, his jaw tensing. Dylan nodded her head towards him, silently asking if he was okay.

"I don't need security," Demetri replied. "Dylan and I are fine on our own."

"Get some better threats, Moskowitz. And a better haircut. Then we'll talk, cool?" Dylan asked, smiling for Counselor Blatt as she eased herself away from the boy who was about ready to pounce on her.

"Everything alright here?"

"Oh! We're all buddies here." Demetri slapped Hawk on the shoulder, putting his arms around him and Mitch with a cheeky grin on his face. Dylan stifled a laugh. "Isn't that right fellas?"

"Yeah," Hawk gritted out, a smile plastered on his face. He slapped Demetri on the chest, hard, causing him to wince.

"Don't you all have somewhere to be?" Their counselor asked them firmly. Dylan stepped up from behind her line of sight.

"If I may . . . honestly, I think we're all just trying to get to where we were before, you know, the fight," Dylan said, faking a look of far off sadness. "It's been tough, and we just don't wanna burn anymore bridges, counselor Blatt."

Blatt's eyes softened as she looked at her. Like Demetri, Dylan had also moved closer to the Cobra Kais, pretending to be friends with them as she mussed up Mitch's hair and pinched Hawk's cheek. She heard his intake of breath and watched his eye twitch dangerously.