Best friends Frankie and Penelope have just arrived in the Valley seeking to escape the past. All they needed was each other and a fresh start. They make new friends and potentially find love. Unbeknownst to them, they stumble upon a war between two...
Demetri hit the ground with a thump, his arms falling limp as his back pressed into the grass. He winced, keeping his eyes closed because the sun was bright. It only served to make him uncomfortable as he felt the pain ease into a dull ache, reminding him that he was having trouble.
He'd been struggling to focus all day, which sucked since he was supposed to be sparring and blocking.
He was doing terribly.
Footsteps approached and he finally cracked his eyes open. Sam was standing over him, extending her hand in a show of good sportsmanship. He took it and pulled himself up with her acting as an anchor, then brushed away any dirt or blades of grass from his clothes.
"Thanks," he mumbled, rubbing his chest where she had struck him. She gave him a weary and apologetic smile. "I'm okay."
"You should have been able to block that," she said, her voice nothing but encouraging, if not a little confused.
He thought she was a lot like her dad in that regard, the encouraging part at least. She seemed to think that he was actually going to be able to learn karate, so she had yet to stop cheering him on and helping him along, just like Mr. L.
However, he was starting to believe that he was a lost cause. He was supposed to be using his reflexes, to which he asked himself, what reflexes? As far as he was concerned, he was supposed to have developed kickass karate skills, which at this point felt a little sad.
But his self depreciation wasn't the problem today. On top of being uncoordinated, he was completely distracted.
His mind was unfocused, but how was he supposed to concentrate when all he was thinking about was Frankie?
She had said she loved him. It came out of nowhere, cuddled up in his bed after having sex. It boggled his mind, because it was the last thing he expected her to say. After all, she was the one enforcing that their relationship was strictly sexual in nature, so it was startling for her to say she was in love.
He had never heard her speak so softly before. Even when she spoke low or semi-soft, it always had an undertone of edge to it. She never let him forget she was hardened and tough, the kind of girl nobody should mess with. However, when she said it, I love you, the look in her eyes was so vulnerable, he forgot what kind of girl she was. She wasn't reminding him of it, either.
That moment was something new for both of them, something equal parts amazing and terrifying. They both laid in shock, but he didn't dare let her go. Something in her eyes told him that if he pulled away from her, she would bolt and he'd never hear from her again, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. He needed her there, against him, in his arms, because while he'd never labeled them, the feelings he had for her were too strong to ignore any longer. Especially after a confession like that.
He kissed her. He put a hand in her short hair and furiously kissed her because she'd rendered him speechless. She moaned into his mouth, accepting his wordless confession and brought her hands to his neck and jaw, holding him close. He rolled them over and for the first time they didn't fuck like animals. No, they had slow, passionate sex where they whispered each other's names in between the I love you's.
It was all Demetri could think about. She was the reason he couldn't focus.
After nights spent with Frankie, he could usually act natural, but this was different. Everything had changed monumentally. He had no idea what that made their relationship, but he was certain it was far greater than what it had been before, and for that he couldn't go about his days normally anymore.
"Are you feeling okay?" Sam asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. She was watching him with a slightly concerned look, her hands on her hips as she stood in front of him. It was a stance that told him they weren't going anywhere until they got to the button of this bout of uncertainty. She couldn't possibly know what was going on inside his head, but she wasn't going to give up on him. "Do you need some water?"
He blinked at her, then shook his head. "No, I'm alright. I just haven't figured out how all the moves are supposed to go yet."
"Do you want to run through them again?"
He felt kind of bad. They had become friends and she was being so kind and helpful to him. He couldn't help feeling guilty over (1) not having developed the muscle memory and (2) being so distracted by his maybe-girlfriend - who wasn't even there - that he was hardly paying attention to her.
"That might help," he told her, unsure of what else he could say.
As they got into position, they faced the rest of the yard. Opposite of them, Penelope and Robby were going through the kata Mr. L taught them. It was equal parts defensive as it was relaxing, which he knew was helpful to Penelope. It required even breathing and thought, helping her focus and control her anxieties. She appeared to be enjoying herself, a smile on her face that seemed to threaten splitting her cheeks.
At the beginning of summer, that sight felt like a rarity. It was like a precious gem. In recent times, though, her smile seemed to appear more, which was a far cry from the girl he had met a couple of months ago. It made Demetri happy, as he considered her to be one of his closest friends now, even if they didn't know everything about each other.
He was still curious about her past, but that wasn't a big concern to him. He was sure that when she was ready to tell him about it, she would. There were certainly things he didn't want to talk about yet, some things only one other person knew about him and they weren't on good terms at the moment. So, yeah, he wasn't exactly ready either.
Sam began the walkthrough and Demetri did his best to follow her lead, still a little unfocused. He tried to push the cousins out of his head, knowing that his thoughts and curiosities about them weren't going to propel him into being a better student if he didn't put the effort in, and if he couldn't do that then he was never going to be able to defend himself against bullies or Cobra Kai.
That would be pretty pathetic as far as he was concerned. He was tired of being pathetic and letting others push him around. It was time to stand up for himself. So he doubled down and watched Sam's movement's closely and followed her lead.
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I feel like nothing happened in this chapter, but I love being in Demetri's head. He's so much fun to write for :)
Any thoughts on Demetri and Frankie? Certainly their new relationship changes a few things. Maybe like telling Penelope? Who knows 🤷♀️
