It was a Heaven on Earth.
Sky loved the childish joy that filled the air so that you could breathe it in with every inhale. She loved the smell of popcorn, deep-fried food, and cotton candy. She loved the sounds that surrounded her - the music, the band, the sounds of the rides and people squealing, children laughing and screaming, their clear, loud voices cutting through the air. But most of all she loved the rides - the crazier one the better - and the games, even if she always just ended up losing her money and never winning a thing.
They had gone to these things when she'd been little - always with Kat of course - and she had usually ended up vomiting in a roller coaster or just feeling sick after eating too many deep-fried Oreos, but always when returning home, she had been filled with that kind of exhaustion and happiness which it made everything peaceful and quiet in her usually loud ADHD head. Lying on her bed, hands sticky with cotton candy, throat sore from screaming, her hair a tangled mess, her clothes sweaty and dirty and torn - and Kat by her side in a similar state - she had known true happiness.
Now Kat wasn't here, but Sky was too excited to let that drag her down. She had her hot-as-hell boyfriend, who was constantly checking her out as if he had never seen a girl before (granted, she was wearing a super short and tight neon pink skirt and a tiny top, revealing a lot more skin than usually). But it wasn't just Hawk who was with her - Sky also had her friends and she just knew that today they would make memories that would have her laughing years from now.
That day was perfect.
They went to all the rides (all except Demetri, who turned green after the first ones), Sky stuffed herself with fried things and cotton candy, and she didn't even have to lose her money in the games this time because Hawk was insanely good at them and won her a cute plushie, a huge panda bear that had instantly caught Sky's attention on the upmost shelf when it was time to pick the prize. Sky was ridiculously happy and disgustingly in love as Aisha told her with an eye roll.
She blushed at Aisha's comment. Luckily no one else heard. It was just the two of them - they were in the bathroom, washing their hands and Sky met Aisha's dark eyes through the mirror.
"Seriously," Aisha said. "You guys are like the most in love I've ever seen anyone be in real life."
"What, more than Miguel was with Sam?" Sky asked with a raised brow drying her hands in a paper towel. "Because that was kinda too much."
"Uhhuh," Aisha nodded. "But I'm happy for you guys - you are super cute together."
"He is super cute," Sky said. "I fricking love that mohawk."
"It's pretty neat," Aisha replied with a grin.
"So," Sky said as they exited the bathroom and stepped under the blazing sun again. Sky searched her purse for a scrunchie and finding it, pulled her hair into a high ponytail. It really was too hot to wear it down. "How is your love life? Any cuties I should know about?"
Aisha didn't immediately reply, and the slight blushing of her cheeks could have been just because of the heat, but the look on her face told otherwise. Sky was immediately intrigued.
"Oh my God!" She exclaimed. "You have someone! Tell me, tell me all now!"
"It's just this guy I've been texting with," Aisha shrugged. "I'm pretty sure nothing's gonna come out of it, though. He's older than me, and he's pretty cool."
"You are pretty cool too," Sky said sincerely. "But how much older - we're not talking about anything creepy, are we?"
"No, eww, nothing like that," Aisha blushed a bit more. "Two years. But you know, he's already 18."
Sky waved off Aisha's worries and gave her a bright smile. "So what? Two years isn't a big age gap."
"Yeah, I know." Aisha replied. "It's just… that sometimes I wonder why he would like me. He is so awesome, and… I know I'm not pretty, or sexy, or anything like that."
Her words made something shatter in Sky's heart. She stopped on her feet and turned to face Aisha, taking in her lovely face, her beautiful, curvy body, the pout of her lips.
"You are beautiful," she said very sternly. "I've always thought so. And you are also smart and wise and badass and sexy and all amazing things! I just hope this dude can see that too."
Aisha made a small smile, but Sky could tell it didn't come from the heart. She knew it because it was the same kind of smile she made whenever someone told her she deserved love or forgiveness.
"Now, who is this boy?" She asked, determined to find out. "I want to meet him."
Aisha's eyes avoided hers, her blush deepened. "You… kinda know him already."
Sky blinked a couple of times. The number of 18-year-old guys she knew was limited, and for a moment she was baffled, but then—
"Oh my God!" She squealed and started jumping up and down on her feet. "Oh my god, it's Paulo, isn't it!"
"Calm down!" Aisha tried to hush her, but couldn't help a smile. "It's nothing, as I said we're just texting. He lives on the other side of this damn continent."
"But you like him?"
"Of course I like him. He is gorgeous." Aisha admitted with a giggle. "I just… don't know if anything can come of it."
"You're thinking too much," Sky grinned. "Just go with the flow. Aaahhh I'm so happy! You guys are the perfect couple! And when he comes to visit you we can double date!"
She didn't want to think about the fact that Hawk hated Paulo's guts, so the double date could be rather awkward - though if Paulo was dating Aisha, then Hawk probably wouldn't hate his guts anymore, would he?
All these thoughts made her so happy she could barely contain it. Happy squeals just kept escaping her lips.
"And this is why I didn't want to tell you," Aisha muttered with an eye roll. "You're getting ahead of things."
"It's just because I happen to know that you are just his type," Sky smirked.
"Oh, and what's that?"
"Tall, smart, and badass." She laughed. "Aaahh I'm so excited! I can't believe I introduced the two of you! When you get married, you'd better make me the bridesmaid–"
"Aisha's getting married?" asked Hawk's voice, and Sky turned around to notice he was walking towards them with a smirk, holding the panda bear plushie under one arm. "I bet it's illegal in this state."
Aisha glared at Sky in a way that made her swallow what had been on the tip of her tongue.
"I'm not getting married," Aisha noted with a cool tone and a glare that told Sky that if she said a word about this to anyone, she'd be dead meat. "But I am going to get another slushie. You guys want some?"
"Sure," Sky said. "Lead on."
Sky took the giant panda bear from Hawk, and squeezed it against her chest, unable to hold back her giddy grin. He reached to kiss her, just a quick, gentle peck on her lips, but it was enough to make Sky's heart race in her chest.
She was so happy she could burst - and not just because of what Aisha had told her about Paulo, but because finally everything in her life seemed to be going great.
The small arguments Sky had had with Hawk this week about hanging out at Miyagi-Do (Sky still thought it was stupid) were forgotten at least for the day - and then there was the conversation they'd had in the car on their way here.
Sky still couldn't quite believe it - that she had opened up about Kat, and that Hawk had been so awesome about it, so supportive, so loving.
For so long it had been too painful to talk about Kat, and now that Sky had opened that Pandora's box, she realized it wasn't filled with just sadness and pain, it was also filled with laughter and tears of joy, and she couldn't wait to be able to tell Hawk everything, every little memory she had of Kat - and then he would finally know who Sky was and where she came from.
It felt as if time had finally started to stitch up the wound that had been wide open and bleeding in Sky's soul for all this time, and Hawk seemed to realize that too. The way he held her hand when they walked through the crowd, was gentle and protective, and Sky loved it. His touch made her feel like she was high, like she was Champagne in a flute, bubbles rising up and up in her veins until she was all high-headed, walking on the clouds.
They ended up making out behind the booth that sold slushies. And in the Ferris wheel. And in the line waiting for Hawk's turn to throw the loops in one of the games. His kisses made Sky's heart beat so fast she was sure it would burst out of her chest, his hands on her skin made her wish they could leave already, to go somewhere where they didn't have to stop making out and they could go all the way.
Here, in front of their friends, there was only so much kissing they could do before things got awkward - before Aisha started rolling her eyes and Demetri making sour comments about his own non-existing love life.
But they couldn't go, not yet - not before the demonstration was over. As the sun went down and the night turned dark and velvety soft, the blazing heat of the day finally giving in, it was time.
"Good luck, babe," Sky breathed as she pulled Hawk into one last kiss before it was time for him and the other Cobras to go and get ready.
"You'll be watching me?" he asked with that crooked grin Sky loved.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Sky stayed in the audience with Moon and Demetri, hugging her giant panda plushie.
Her mind still busy thinking about Hawk and the things they would do after the demonstration, she barely noticed as the Miyagi-Do started their demonstration - but was quickly drawn into it, because it was actually pretty cool.
Mr. LaRusso had nailed the oriental theme - the music was beautiful, the stage simple, the choreography elegant. Sam looked beautiful and badass in her white gi, and Robby - well, Sky had labeled him as hot but annoying, and now admired from the far, he was only hot.
She clapped her hands excitedly and cheered for Sam as she performed a fight routine against Mr. LaRusso with a bo staff. Sam was really good and watching her beautiful, precise moves, Sky was itching to get to do Karate herself.
The tattoo was fully healed now, even if it had been only a week since the day at the cement truck, and she was going to the dojo tomorrow, no matter what anyone said.
"Yay, Sam!" she cheered, as the three people on the stage bowed at the end of the routine.
"And now, time for the grand finale," Mr. LaRusso said, and Sky watched with interest how he walked to the side to get something. She could hardly wait - during this week she had spent time at Miyagi-Do almost every day and had realized that Mr. LaRusso was really good at Karate, even if he didn't come off that badass. Whatever he had in mind for the grand finale, was no doubt amazing.
But just then the lights went off on the stage and Sky heard the 'Cobra Kai!' chant she recognized all too well. Loud music started blasting, the bigger stage was lit up with lights and flames, and a huge Cobra Kai banner was draped on it as the Cobras jogged through the parting crowd in a neat formation, wearing their black and yellow gis.
"But–" Sky glanced at Sam, who stood frozen on the smaller stage, and her heart sunk. Suddenly she felt like an idiot.
She had thought Cobra Kai would go after Miyagi-Do. That they would get back at Mr. LaRusso for making that stupid ad video, by just doing a demonstration that was way more badass than Miyagi-Do's.
But of course, that wasn't enough. They had to ruin Miyagi-Do's presentation too, embarrass them and make them look stupid.
Something about that didn't sit right with Sky. It felt like cheating, and she liked to win her fights fairly.
The crowd was now moving towards the bigger stage, toward the blasting rock music and fire and sparks. The Cobras were already on the stage, performing their routine of kicks and punches, looking incredibly hot in their black gi's - the same ones they had used in the All Valley. Sky spotted Hawk on the stage, and her heart twitched at the sight of him - he looked so fierce, full of unchained energy and spunk, and it took her breath away.
Moon was clapping her hands, her pretty face lit up with glee, and the night lights as she started walking closer to the stage with Demetri, who was looking at Hawk wide-eyed and in disbelief. He still wasn't used to seeing him like that, Sky knew.
But her own feet were stuck to the sticky ground. She hugged the plushie tight against her chest and bit her lip.
"Fuck it," she muttered and turned her back to the main stage and her team, her family, her friends.
She found Sam and Robby behind the smaller stage. They were still in their white Miyagi-Do gis, collecting their things. Sam looked miserable, but Robby looked annoyed as fuck.
"Sam–" Sky started, but it was Robby who interrupted her sentence.
"What the fuck do you want?" he asked, seething.
Sky decided to ignore him and kept her eyes on Sam, who finally looked up from the bag in her hands.
"Maybe not the best time to talk," Sam said, through a clenched jaw. The music was still blasting on the main stage and the cheering of the crowd almost drowned her voice, but Sky didn't miss the tone. Sam was holding back tears, and Sky felt like a monster.
"I just… I just wanted to say, that I thought your demonstration was super cool—"
Sam gave her a glare which made her shut up mid-sentence.
"You ruined it," was all she said.
Sky swallowed. Her hands that held the plushie felt weird, numb. It was like she was watching this all from somewhere far away, like it wasn't really her who stood here, losing another friend.
"Sam, I'm not on that stage," she tried. "I didn't do this."
"You, your dojo, doesn't make a difference."
That stung because it was true. She was Cobra Kai, and that was for life - right? What did it make her, that she was here begging for the Miyagi-Do's to be her friends?
A traitor. A fucking traitor.
That's what Hawk would say.
Sky pushed that bitter thought away. This wasn't a fucking war, this was karate. And she wasn't prepared to lose any more friends because of it.
"I'm sorry," Sky said, her lips trembling slightly. "I didn't know. I didn't realize—"
"Save it," Sam snapped, turning her eyes away. "I just want to go home."
"But—" Sky swallowed, but there was a lump in her throat, a lump that just wouldn't move. "I'm really sorry. I just want us to be friends—"
"Just leave her alone," Robby said, giving her a glare that made Sky feel like the smallest person on Earth.
Sam gathered her things, clearly fighting tears. Robby was stone-faced, his whole attention diminished to Sam, and Sky noticed the heaving of his chest, which told of extreme emotion.
She opened her mouth to say something - what, she didn't know - but closed it again. What was the point? It was clear that Sam felt like shit, and that Sky was the last person on Earth she wanted near right now.
"Just... Please call me," she said silently when Sam and Robby turned to leave.
Sam made a small nod, but her eyes avoided Sky's, they were cast down and full of tears. Robby's hand lingered on Sam's shoulder, and she leaned towards him ever so slightly when they started walking away.
Sky watched them go, holding the plushie tight against her chest as if it could give her some comfort, leaning her chin on top of the soft, furry head of the panda bear. She tasted tears in the back of her throat, the bitter taste of regret on her lips. The happiness she had felt before, was now as unreachable as the moon in the dark night sky, it had melted away leaving nothing behind but a sticky feeling of shame.
"Sky, what the fuck?" An annoyed voice came from behind.
She didn't have to turn around to know it was Hawk.
Guys, what's up?
Let me know what you think about this chapter, or Hell, I don't know - tell me anything. I'm kinda lonely.
