In My Blood (Eli Moskowitz/Hawk FF) (Cobra Kai)

Chapter 45: Retribution

SURPRISE!!! I am so sorry I have been away for so long... Season 5 kinda was saddening- like a let down tbh. And it kinda killed my vibe for this story. However, after rereading this and a few other stories, I've rekindled that fire for it! ENJOY!
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CHAPTER 45:

The boys jump in surprise as my palm smacks against their tabletop for 'extra support' as I lean forward on them. A soft breath leaves both their lips in relief when they turn to see me. "Oh don't be relieved. Just because it's me, doesn't mean grief isn't coming your way." Nate raises his brow while Bert, who is closest to me, swallows hard. "Who the hell are you two to be picking on an eighth grader? Let alone anyone when you both were bullied like 4 months ago."

Nate bows his head while Bert awkwardly looks away, unable to look me  in the eye. "I AM waiting for an answer to the question because I genuinely don't understand how you'd think it is perfectly fine to tease a thirteen year old when you're seventeen, about to be eighteen."

"We shouldn't be." Bert whispers.

I breathlessly laugh. "Damn right you shouldn't be." I lean in closer to the pair, "Did it make you both feel good? Make you feel powerful like those assholes who bullied you felt?" I remove my hands suddenly from the cleared surface, leaning back on the balls of me feet instead of the tips of my toes. "Because if it did- Congratulations. You just became them."

"Zel," Bert tries to reach for my hand, but I pull it out of his fingertips' reach. "We're sorry."

I picture Hawk standing there, the first time I'd caught him acting like Kyler and confronted him about it. The same look in their eyes battling what is right and what feels good. I stare at both of them, swaying my head side to side. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." I swallow hard, debating on the words leaking onto my tongue from my heavied conversation. "And only my friends, who would NEVER place their hands on or intentionally intimidate anyone, call me Zel. You can tell your partner in crime that too."

Instead of sitting in front of them, I sit in the seat down the aisle beside Parker Michaels that is left empty by a transfer out of district. The blonde jock glances backwards at the two shorties from over his shoulder before glancing at me as my body comfortably seats itself while lowering my bag to the ground. "Trouble in paradise?"

"You could say that." I huff out, fumbling through my bag to find my pencil bag.

Soft clattering echos from the table so I turn my head to look at him inquisitively. "You know, those people seem to cause you an awful lot of trouble and here you are being friends."

"I could say the same about your friends too. Especially since you aren't a drinker or smoker for that matter."

He leans forward on his forearms, whispering, "My friends don't try to kill me." He cracks a smile, joking entirely about the situation.

Finally someone who wants to not have a serious conversation about the serious thing that happened. I position my pen in my hand to prepare to write, "I beg to differ. Drinking and driving records would say otherwise." My head turns to steal a peek at the gawk on his face. "At least my friends have the balls to do it to my face." He nods thoughtfully at this with a growing grin on his face.

He clears his throat slightly, reaching forward for a pen at the top of his desk. "I didn't take you as a dark humor person, Bloom."

"Well after all I have been through, dark humor seems the most appropriate method to cope with it." After the absent admission leaves my lips, my entire body sits up straight in my seat, suddenly on edge about the possible responses I could receive from him following my harsh words. "I'm sorry." The apology spills from my lips smoothly, realizing I had just jumped on him without invitation.