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"Cyberbullying is no laughing matter. Sending a cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their faces. I'm not gonna name names, but the other day a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity," Counselor Blatt spoke into the microphone in the cafeteria.
Delaney scoffed from the woman's poor attempt of keeping the son she mentioned anonymous, and without thinking, she took Eli's hand in hers, which made her instantly heat up and slip her hand away.
"Sorry," she muttered, placing her hand in her lap.
He shook his head, his cheeks dusted with pink from her sudden action. "No, it's okay. That was nice of you. Thank you."
She sucked in a small breath, eyes softening and turning dreamy as she looked at him.
"You know, if you're sick of getting bullied, my karate dojos looking for recruits," Miguel's words peaked Delaney's interest enough to make her look away from Eli.
"Karate?" she knew all about the All Valley tournaments that took place back in the day, and was heavily interested in them. She'd find old, staticky videos of them online and just binge them for hours on end. It made her wonder what it would be like if she were up on those mats. She'd be her very own Mulan.
Demetri letting out a scoff of his own brought her out of her mind. "Yeah, right. You hear that Eli. A little karate training and you're gonna kick some major ass."
"Be quiet," Delaney hissed, putting her entire focus on Miguel. "When does your dojo open? After school?"
Miguel nodded. "Yeah. You can come with me after school if you want."
She grinned at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, scooting their chairs closer. "I might just have to take you up on that offer, new kid."
Demetri cut in again. "As enticing as that sounds, I think we'd rather spend our afternoon playing Crucible Control then getting hit in the face."
Delaney rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe if you did karate you would stop getting hit in the face."
Before he could defend himself, Counselor Blatt cut him off, "Oh, and one last thing. While we're all looking forward to the Halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of sexy nurse, maybe try gender-neutral hospital employee."
Delaney snickered, making Miguel curiously look at her. "What's so funny? What are you gonna be?"
"Probably what she's been for the past four years," Demetri sighed. "Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She's her favorite Disney princess."
"And there is absolutely no shame in that," Delaney defended, leaning over and pinching her brother's back, making him yelp. "Plus, I think it's amazing that I can still fit into it."
