"Dude this sucks. Prom without a date is like Halloween with no candy. There's no point." Eli muttered, over his sadly non-alcoholic drink.

He wished he were drunk. At least then this wouldn't hurt so fucking much. But no such luck. He was sober and alone, and this night was quickly proving to be one of the worst of his whole fucking life.

Prom without a date, he had said, but truly he meant prom without Sky. It wasn't just any date he craved for. It was the one and only, the love of his life, the most amazing girl he had ever met, and whom he had lost so many times he couldn't even keep count.

But Demetri, of course, knew all that without him having to spell it out.

"You can only blame yourself for this one," he said, not sugarcoating the truth one bit. "Things were going fine, and you blew it. Again. Had you not decided to act like a jealous asshat, you could be dancing with Sky as we speak."

"Right," Eli rolled his eyes. "Cause I had no reason to be jealous over whatever the Hell it is that's going on over there."

He glanced towards the table where Sky was sitting with her friends from the grief group. Or maybe he should say "friends". Sky had assured him that was all they were, and Eli had actually felt bad about accusing her of something else— but now he was pretty sure his gut feeling had been correct the whole fucking time.

"Seriously, Eli—" Demetri sighed, sounding frustrated. "You need to get your eyes checked. Or your brain. She's sitting and talking with her friends. If that's too much for you, then maybe you need to do some soul-searching before even thinking about dating."

"Oh, so you'd love it too if Yasmine was hanging out with two dudes like that?"

"That's different."

"How come it's different?"

"Because," Demetri made a face, looking incredibly uncomfortable as he struggled to put it into words - the fact that Yasmine was his girlfriend, whereas Sky wasn't Eli's, and thus Sky was pretty much free to do what she wanted. "Because—"

"Forgetaboutit," Eli muttered into his stupid non-alcoholic drink and took a long gulp hoping that believing it was alcohol would make it so. Quite like Jesus turning water into wine.

Of course, he knew Demetri was right. Of course, Eli only had himself to blame for how things were between him and Sky now, but still— was it really too much to ask that Demetri could have been supportive, instead of taking her side in this?

"Tell me it's all in my head—" he said to Demetri, after a short, awkward silence. "Tell me I'm being paranoid and that guy isn't hitting on her."

"Who, Tom?" Demetri frowned, confused.

"No, idiot. The other one. I don't know his name."

Demetri turned to take a look, just in time to see how Sky leaned closer to the tall, good-looking stranger, and laughed heartily at something the boy said. The sound of her laughter felt like someone was stabbing Eli's heart with a burning dagger.

"I don't know," Demetri shrugged, looking rather uncomfortable. "But even if he is, what can you do about it? It's not like you can walk up there and make a scene. As long as she's fine with it, I guess you're just going to have to accept the fact that there will be no candy during this Halloween."

Trying to swallow down the sudden tightness in his throat, Eli turned his eyes back to his useless drink, wishing he had just stayed home. A Halloween with no candy. Right. An understatement of the year. This was no Halloween, nor a prom. This was a fucking torture chamber, where he was slowly being ripped apart limb by limb, his intestines fed to a pack of wild dogs as he watched and bled to death.

"I know," he groaned. "But still—"

"Look, I'm about to say something that's gonna make you angry. So I want you to remember I'm only saying this because you are my friend, okay? So don't take it out on me."

Eli frowned, already annoyed. "What?"

"You sound a lot like your Dad right now."

"The fuck, Man?! I don't! My Dad's a fucking asshole—!"

"Just— just listen to me, okay?" Demetri made an apologetic face and pushed on. His words formed a nervous stream that was dropping off his lips too fast. "Things were going great with Sky, and you had to ruin it, again, by being totally jealous and paranoid. Don't tell me there's not a pattern, because to me it is pretty clear. Just like your Dad. How many times did he do that? Upset your Mom and made her cry? I was there, dude. I know what it was like. And I know you don't want to be like him, but when it comes to Sky— you are, a bit. "

I'm not. I'm nothing like him. I would never hurt Sky like he hurt Mom—-

But the words wouldn't come. They formed a painful lump in his throat because he knew Demetri had a point.

He had never laid a hand on Sky, and never would. Never. But that wasn't what Demetri meant. There were other ways to hurt someone too, cruel, horrible, painful ways, and those Eli knew by heart.

"I'm only saying this because—" Demetri blew out a nervous breath, cradling his drink in his restless, long-fingered hands. "Because I am your friend and I think you need to hear it. You left Cobra Kai and wanted to make things right— and you have, so many things. Kudos for that. But— but have you ever thought why you stayed in Cobra Kai for as long as you did? You have a temper. I know it. Sky knows it. We all do. And it's probably something you need to work on if you ever want to make things right with Sky."

A sharp jolt of anger pierced Eli's chest. His throat closed up.

He could feel ugly, awful things crawling under his skin. Words that he wanted to throw to Demetri's face— words he didn't mean and would regret as soon as they left his lips. A temper, Demetri had said, and maybe that was it, the thing he was trying so hard to keep down, to keep under control, to keep caged inside his chest so that it wouldn't break free.

He took another sip of his stupid drink, to wash down the bitterness that lingered on his lips.

It would do no good to snap at Demetri, to yell at him, to try to convince him that none of it was true, that he was nothing like Dad—

Because, deep down, he knew Demetri was right.

The Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?

After quitting Cobra Kai, he had tried so hard to make amends, to change, to be a better person— and still, he had managed to fuck things up with Sky every chance he got. He knew he was jealous and quick to anger, and maybe he had always been those things. Maybe it was time to finally accept what he was and to stop blaming Cobra Kai for every messed up thing he had ever done.

Sure, Kreese had manipulated him and tried his best to turn him into someone who was only anger, only rage. But Kreese hadn't started that fire inside of him. He had only breathed into it and made it stronger. Maybe that anger had always been there, inside of him, just waiting for the right time to break free. And if so— It was naive to think it would go away just because he had left Cobra Kai. If it was in his genes, in the way he was brought up—

He would have to find a way to deal with it. Or face burning down the whole fucking world.

With suffocating regret, Eli turned to look at Sky again. If she even knew he was here, if she felt the way his eyes constantly sought her out, she didn't show it.

She wasn't his to look at, to obsess about.

He knew that, of course he did, even without Demetri saying it out loud. And of course, he knew that even if she was, he couldn't keep her in a cage and throw away the key. To be consumed by jealousy and anger like that was no way to live, and even more importantly - that was no way to treat the person you loved.

And yet—

It was agony to watch her without being able to touch her. She was so fucking pretty. No, not just pretty— she was beautiful, breathtaking, like an angel who has descended from the Heavens, an otherworldly being, a fallen star, so bright that her light would blind him, but still it was impossible to look away.

He had always thought she was beautiful, but tonight— tonight her looks took his breath away. He knew he could live a hundred, or a thousand years, and never forget this night.

Her dress was an absolute dream. She was sitting at the table now, but Eli had seen the whole gown when she stood up earlier, to greet Moon as she entered the ballroom, and the sight of her in that gown had made his jaw drop. It had a tight, lace corset that complimented her slim, delicate figure, a plunging neckline that reached deep down between her small, supple breasts, and a hem that pooled around her legs like a cloud of cotton candy haze.

She wore no jewelry, except for small, golden earrings, but she didn't need any. Her hair was cascading down her back in a waterfall of flames - and it took Eli a moment too long to realize that no, her curls hadn't miraculously grown back in a couple of days but that she must be wearing hair extensions - but so what? It looked amazing, those thick and luscious curls were so incredibly her, that Eli's chest went tight, his fingers gripped his glass so hard it almost hurt. Partly covered by her hair, the phoenix tattoo glowed against her subtly tanned skin, echoing the color of her blazing curls. Every line, every brush of color of that tattoo was more familiar to Eli than the back of his hand.

It was unbearable to see it again after such a long time— Fucking Hell, it was unbearable to see that much of her bare, glowing skin, the smooth planes of her arms, her shoulders, the gentle curve of her swan-like neck— and to keep his distance, knowing he would never, ever be able to touch her again, to kiss her again, because—

Because I fucking blew it. Demetri is right. I had my chance, and I fucking blew it.

Maybe it's better if I just—

let her go.

"Eli— are you okay? Christ— I knew you'd be angry at me for bringing it up. I apologize, I should have chosen a better moment—" Demetri's rambling made him abruptly drop back into the moment. The music filled his ears again, the ice cubes in his drink were melting, and he was back in this crowded room, back in his uncomfortable skin. The painful realization of letting Sky go sat like a heavy weight on his chest, but he tried to hide it the best he could.

"I'm fine," he shook his head, shrugged his shoulders. "But I dunno— Maybe we should just go home. Let's go to my place, order some pizza, and play Dungeon Lord. This sucks."

But whatever Demetri had been about to reply, was cut short as a gorgeous blond in a blood-red gown appeared from the crowd and made her way to Demetri, a wide, seductive grin playing on her painted lips.

Yasmine—

Of course. At any other moment Eli would have been happy for his friend, but now he struggled. A Halloween with no candy seemed to apply only to him. Demetri, by the looks of it, was going to get a mouthful of sweet things before this night was over.

"Oh my—" Demetri gasped, for once almost speechless. "Jessica Rabbit! W-what are you doing here?"

"I just flew in," the said Jessica Rabbit sighed, leaning close to Demetri's body, a hand playing with one, shiny, luscious curl in a way that looked casual but was probably practiced to perfection.

It seemed to be working too. Demetri looked at her as if she was a goddess, and he was her willing slave.

"W-what about your dad's wedding?"

"Oh, I'll get back in time," Yasmine sighed, leaning closer to Demetri and letting his hands find her waist, her hips. "You're more important. I even flew economy plus, which is total shit. The seats don't even lie flat."

That managed to make even Eli let out a small laugh. Yasmine flying economy plus? That was a first. He hoped Demetri appreciated the sacrifice.

"Wow. You really do like me, huh?" Asked Demetri and Yasmine's smug smile grew wider.

"Oh, you have no idea," she said and grabbed his face with her perfectly manicured fingers, pulling him into a sloppy kiss that made Eli quickly turn his eyes away. "Come on, let's go dance."

"Yes, my queen," Demetri sighed and took Yasmine's hand - looking like he would follow her not just to the dance floor, but to eternity. For a moment Eli thought he would just go, without another word to him, but at the last moment, Demetri turned to glance at Eli over his shoulder, throwing him an awkward, apologetic smile.

"I— I gotta—" Demetri shrugged, at a loss of words. "You know—"

Of course, Eli knew.

Had Sky walked up to him, kissed him, asked him to dance— Eli would have deserted Demetri a thousand times over. Hell, he would have deserted an army and faced execution, just to have one dance with Sky tonight, so how could he be upset with Demetri if he went with Yasmine?

No way. So he let Demetri go, and even despite the crushing heaviness on his chest, he couldn't help a laugh when Demetri, looking absolutely ridiculous in his PacMan suit, whooped and jumped in the air, following his Jessica Rabbit onto the dance floor.

That smile died on his lips pretty soon, though.

It was one thing to be alone at a prom with your best friend. But being alone-alone—

He looked down at his hands, at his fingers that were gripping the useless drink that had lost all its bubbles and ice, then looked back up again, his eyes searching Sky.

The upbeat pop song had filled the dancefloor with partying people. In front of him was a sea of dancing kids, colorful gowns, flying curls, and laughing faces. He spotted Moon first -

so fucking pretty in her turquoise off-shoulder gown— and then there was Sky, taking Moon's hand and pulling her into a dance, laughing at something she had said, so radiant, so carefree, so beautiful it was like a knife through Eli's chest.

He knew he shouldn't stare, that he should look away because looking at her felt like dying again and again and again, but it was impossible.

Sky looked so fucking happy. The sorrow that had been hanging over her head like a black cloud for months, was gone, it was lifted, and for a one, pain-filled moment this sight reminded Eli of the night of the Canyon party, when they had just started dating, when everything had been right and bright and exciting between them. That night he had first seen Sky dance, and he would remember it for the rest of his life. She had been wearing pink that night too - a pink, short dress, a denim jacket thrown over it - and impossibly high heels, a pair of earrings shaped like crescent moons. She had been dancing to the stars that night, her hands high up in the air, reaching for the black dome of the sky, and her laughter had filled his soul with love unlike he had ever felt before.

But it was gone. Gone with the wind. They could never go back. He had fucked things up too many times, and all that was left, was letting her go.

Sky's eyes were shining with delight, her hair was flowing in the air, her cheeks were rosy, echoing the color of her dress. She was beautiful, and he couldn't look away. Not even when the tall boy he didn't know stole her from Moon, and pulled her onto the dancefloor.

He would have given anything, any fucking thing, to be that guy. That handsome, confident guy whose hands found Sky's waist. That guy who pulled her close and made her laugh and who got to take her home tonight—

But he wasn't. He was the lone loser, the freak with the weird lip and the shaved hair, and a broken heart.

The kid who didn't even get candy on Halloween Night.