PHTHARTIC, miguel diaz

ii. cobra kai

"you got the lights
on in the afternoon."

ii. cobra kai
"I mean, I do like to fight."

    ESME WALKED INTO THE CAFETERIA PRETTY LATE but immediately regretted not skipping when she realized they were being lectured about cyberbullying.

She made her way to her seat next to Jude and Sam as the teacher spoke. "I'm not naming names, but the other day a mother called me because her son was crying about mean things kids posted online about his facial disfigurement," the teacher said.

Whispers erupted around the room. Esme glanced at Miguel's table and saw Eli duck his head in embarrassment. It was clear who the comment was about, and Esme couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

While she stared at the table, her eyes drifted to Miguel. He flashed a wide smile at her, which she returned.

"Look at him—he's like a little puppy," Jude remarked, nodding toward Miguel.

"Shut up," Esme said, rolling her eyes but smiling back at Miguel.

"Look at you, mingling with 'nerds'. Yasmine would be so disappointed."

"Forget Yasmine and her disappointment," Esme shot back, causing Jude to stifle a laugh at her quick, sharp response.

The teacher glanced over, noticing the giggle but not seeing where it came from. She then started discussing the Halloween dance and costume ideas.

E.L

In class the next day, Miguel and Esme sat at the same table as before. Before she could settle in, Miguel spoke up about karate.

"Karate," he said.

"What?" Esme replied, puzzled.

"I meant to ask... do you like karate?" Miguel clarified.

Esme nodded as she sat down. "Yes, I do."

"Would you be interested in joining a dojo? Or just doing it for fun?"

"Why are you asking so many questions today?" Esme asked, sighing and giving him a curious look.

"Oh, sorry," Miguel mumbled, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's not you. It's just been a long day. But, yeah, I guess. I do like to fight. A lot," she admitted with a grin.

"Great! You should join the dojo I'm in. It's still pretty small, but we're growing."

"I'll think about it, 'braces'," Esme said, turning her attention to the teacher while folding her arms. Miguel grinned and also turned his attention back to the teacher.

. . .

When Esme got home from school, she discovered that Sam's boyfriend, Kyler, would be coming over.

Despite her reluctance and previous refusals—since she didn't like Kyler—she ended up going upstairs to change into a more "appropriate" outfit.

She chose a cropped short-sleeved shirt and a skirt in yellow and black, keeping her hair in the same long pigtails. She didn't bother to dress up too much, considering she didn't care about Kyler at all.

Esme sat in the dining room with her parents, Sam, and Kyler, barely paying attention as her dad talked about the Yanagi. She was preoccupied with her phone, checking it occasionally.