Cochlear | A Cobra Kai Fanfiction

19

"Thanks." Jesse said softly after Demetri handed over the extra pair of batteries from her coach purse. She put them in and sighed, the missing the quiet. Looking around carefully she took stock of the closed bathroom door and Demetri sitting on the tub next to her own seated form on the toilet. "Why do you smell like beer?"

"Same reason you're wet." Demetri replied with a frustrated sigh. His hands fisted the fabric of his jeans over his knees and he glared at the door. "I don't understand what his problem is, but he needs to be taken down a peg or two."

Jesse winced. Similar words were once said about her. "Just leave it alone, Demetri."

Demetri's head snapped over to stare at Jesse incredulously. "Leave it alone? You want me to ignore the fact that he's being a bully?"

"Yeah." She said softly, still not looking over at her friend. Jesse picked at small hairs and fibers on her jeans to keep herself occupied. "I think you should l-lay low. They'll pass eventually, right?"

She knew better. She had once thrived off of getting a rise out of the quiet ones because they were the easiest. Why go for the stronger meal when the weak one was easier?

Jesse didn't know what was going through Demetri's head when he stood up and left the bathroom. She couldn't even find the strength to look over at him because of the self-loathing that filled her to the brim. There was no doubt that she deserved this, but Demetri? Her fingers clenched the fabric tightly, a feeling of anger shooting through her chest.

He deserved better.

"Oi, lip. Come here." Jesse called out at the lunch room table, sitting with her usual friends of Yasmine, Moon, Kyler, and whoever else was the flavor of the week. The boy froze in fear, staring over at the girl like a deer in headlights. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't keep me waiting."

Robotically, Eli started walking over to the lunch table and Jesse's lips twitched into a smirk. "Moon? Scoot over a chair. I want to sit next to my favorite toy." Moon giggled, scooting over and Jesse patted the chair. "Come on, sit."

Eli sat, looking down at the table.

"Oh, Eli." Jesse sighed dramatically, her manicured hands reaching over to steal the jello cup from his tray with a a disgusted face. "If you keep eating like this you'll get fat. Here, let me help you."

His tray was sent vilontelt across the cafeteria floor and he flinched forward. The table cackled and Jesse shrugged. "You're welcome."

"Hey! J-just leave him alone."

Jesse turned around and looked at the nerd behind Eli. "What did you say?"

Demetri licked his lips and looked at his friend cowering. He hated playing the hero, he hated the attention, all he wanted to do was stay low and stay away from the bitches and assholes of the school... but he wouldn't let Eli stay tortured alone.

"C-come on Eli. Mr. Adam's w-wanted us t-to come by to talk about a-quiz bowl."

There was a tense silence as Demetri and Eli made eye contact with pleasing eyes matching scared ones. They both tried to ignore the glares rested on Demetri's face that seemed to sharpen when Eli slowly got up, taking the offered escape.

"If you leave this table, I'll make you both regret this." Jesse hissed out, the feeling of being defied sitting uneasy with her. She watched as Eli wrestled with what to do before settling on getting the hell out of there. "Eli Moskowitz! Demetri Alexopoulos! We'll be seeing you after the weekend! You better come to school Monday morning wide awake or already dead!"

The irony of that interaction was it had been the last time Jessica Park had ever spoken to Eli and Demetri in that capacity because Saturday afternoon the Park siblings would be involved in a life-changing car crash.

Demetri had always been shy and reserved, preferring to skate around issues rather than face them head on. The only exception was when it came to Eli, his best friend. The boy had really grown up, hadn't he? He had once been average sized but in the time she had been gone Demetri had shot up into a rocket and started to gain a rather strong personality.

Eventually Jesse worked up the courage to leave the bathroom and try to find sanctuary. Part of her wanted to leave, but she was Demetri's ride home... with a quiet sigh she made shop gracefully on one of the sofa's in the living room and turned off her implants.

The world now silent except for the vibrations going through her body, Jesse pulled out her Nintendo Switch Lite and decided to play some Animal Crossing to keep the feelings at bay.

She had been so caught up in the game that she hadn't seen Demetri go up on stage. Jesse didn't even know what was said until later, because by the tim she realized anything was happening Demetri had grabbed the girl by the wrist and yanked her outside. Disorientated, Jesse barely had time to grab onto her bag and shove her console into it.

Jesse was shoved accidentally into her car by the overwhelming horde of teens also running away. Demetri leant his arms beside her head, shielding her from the crowd of maniacs. She still had no clue what was going on as her chest heaved up and down in panic and looked into Demetri's eyes.

He was a mix of emotions so complicated that Jesse didn't know what he was feeling. Usually he wore it on his sleeve, but I'm this moment Demetri was more complex than half the games he played. And although complex, he was intense looking down at Jesse with passion that she couldn't understand where it came from.

Carefully she raise her hands up and signed over to the boy what's going on? And Demetri blinked a few times before swallowing dryly. He took his right hand from the car and made a small 'c' with his fingers, pulsating it frantically against his chest.

Cops.

Her lips shifted into a small 'o' and her eyebrows lifted in understanding. She pointed her fingers up and then motioned them downward, her head jerking towards the car to indicate her intention.

Let's go.

Nodding His head in agreement, Demetri frantically grabbed onto the car door handle and helped Jesse inside. Jesse got in quickly, turning her car on and waiting for Demetri to get in before taking off.

It took a few shaky moments for her to realize Demetri was trying to get her attention and she quickly turned her implants on, indicating to Demetri that she was paying attention.

"W-what happened?!"

"Did you hear... none of that?!" Demetri blurted incredulously, looking at his friend with a racing heart and eyes wide. "You're kidding?!"

"Hear what?? After I dried off the best I could, I played Animal Crossing with my implants off because the party was overwhelming." Jesse supplied, turning the corner and making sure no cops were behind her. Demetri still reeked of beer and she did not need to have that on any record.  At Demetri's groan, Jesse frowned and spared a glance to watch Demetri bang his head against the seat. "What's wrong?!"

"I think I just signed my death certificate." Demetri groaned, throwing his head in his hands as the moment rushed over him. "No. I totally just signed my death and come Monday... I don't think I'll be living anymore."

"Don't say that." Jesse frowned, the familiar road starting calm her down in the panic of the night. "I'm sure it's fine."

But as Demetri went down the rabbit hole of everything he had said in front of a crowd, Jesse went quieter and her eyes went wider. By the time he got to when the cops showed up and Eli's threat to him, Jesse was more than nervous.

She was petrified.