Chapter Four: Rumors
"Center of attention once again. They don't understand. They don't understand, no. Then they try to tell me who I am."
~You Don't Know Me by Ariana Grande~
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Revised: July 3, 2022
Warnings: abuse, domestic violence, sexual harassment/assault, language, violence, and other mature themes
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Zion's POV
I slept for about two hours, had a nightmare, then just sat in my car on TikTok until school started. Demetri texted the group chat about us meeting in the library; they all said last night they were fine, which made me feel better.
I always have a change of clothes in my book bag, so I'm wearing a Journey t-shirt and leggings. It isn't anything special, but it'll have to do. I can still see the mark from when my mom hit me the other night in the face, but I hope it won't be noticeable to anyone else. My abdomen still hurts from where my mom punched me, but at least it's not a visible thing.
I'm not in the mood to socialize, but I know that I need to act normal. So, I head to the library to meet up with them. I'm sure the guys will be confused about my disappearance last night, but I don't know if I'll ever be ready to fully talk about my vulnerability.
After a moment of silence between all four of us, Miguel speaks up, "I'm glad you're safe,"
"Me? I'm glad you're safe," I counter. He has cuts and bruises all over. "You're all beat up. I can't believe they did that to you."
"I can't believe they even hit a girl. I mean, that bruise on your cheek looks awful," Miguel notes.
I look down, unable to get the memory of my mom hitting me out of my mind. I was stupid for thinking it wouldn't be noticeable.
"Well, my mom said I'm done with Sensei Lawrence."
"So that's it? No more karate?" Demetri questions.
"I guess so," Miguel shrugs glumly.
"It's probably for the best. It was starting to boost your confidence," Demetri says like it's a bad thing.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Miguel asks.
"What has confidence gotten anybody except for a black eye and their backpack thrown in the trash?" Demetri tries to reason.
"Well," Eli hesitates before speaking, "I thought it was kind of cool how you guys stood up to Kyler and his minions."
He gives me a tiny smile and I smile back at him. I'm glad I stood up for myself as much as I could and that Eli is okay.
"Are you insane? Let me ask you: What is the best superpower anyone could ever have?" Demetri questions.
Eli looks sad that is thought was so quickly taken over.
"Super strength," Miguel says.
"Wrong! Invisibility," Demetri corrects.
"Natasha didn't even need powers," I counter.
"She's badass," Eli whispers and I give him a smile of gratitude.
"No, no, no. A distant second would be super speed to run away fast," Demetri says.
"Run away from who?" Kyler is suddenly over here with his hand on Eli's shoulder and it makes us all uncomfortable.
"Whom," Brucks corrects. It's just these two. "It's the object of the preposition. Remember English class."
YOU ARE READING
Cold Hearted ⭒ Cobra Kai
Fanfiction"People lose their morals when they get to the top." ⭒ After her father's death, Zion moves to Reseda where she makes a new group of friends. Then, one boy in particular catches her eye. When Miguel invites her to Cobra Kai karate, her initial goal...
