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"I don't know about this. I mean, whose to say that someone won't punch me right in the face right now?"
"Dem, we aren't even in the building yet," Delaney looked at him oddly, raising her hand to gesture to the door in front of her.
He shifted around nervously. "You never know what could happen. You can think that you're safe but then all of a sudden, you're hit on the back of the head and being dragged into a white van."
Eli eyed him, leaning towards Delaney. "I think you should take off that true crime channel on the TV."
"Agreed," she whispered back, leaning away as a heat crept up her neck. "Dem, just go in. We already look weird enough standing out here like we don't know where we are."
Demetri shook his head. "I'm not going in first. What if someone yells at me? I tear up when people yell at me."
"We know," Delaney rolled her eyes. "Eli, open the door, please?"
The Moskowitz teen immediately listened, grabbing the handle and pulling the door open. Delaney sarcastically smiled at her brother. "In. Now."
He thickly swallowed, eyes wandering around the room. "I can't. You go first. You seem like you know what you're doing."
She deadpanned at him. "Why did you even agree to come if you're gonna be a pussy about it? Even Eli's more confident than you. And he's, like, the most introverted person I've ever met. Get your ass in there."
"If you raise your voice just a little bit, I'm gonna start tearing up," Demetri looked her up and down, as if he was challenging her.
"Are you asking me to?" Delaney raised an eyebrow.
There was a beat of silence.
"I'll go in," Demetri quickly walked past her and through the door that Eli was still holding. She hummed in satisfaction, turning to Eli with a cheeky smile.
He chuckled as he shook his head. "He thinks you're really scary."
"Do you think I'm scary, Eli?"
"No," he immediately answered. "You're the nicest person I know."
Her cocky demeanor came crashing down, and a shy smile replaced her cheeky one. "Thank you. You're the nicest person I know too."
Eli's face grew pink, and he nodded into the dojo. "Ladies first."
She laughed. "See? Nicest person I know."
Delaney then grabbed onto his hand, pulling him along with her. They made their way over to Demetri, who had found an open space for them.
"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Demetri asked Eli, looking up from his phone. "This goes against everything I stand for. It's like an extra gym class for no reason."
