Lost in Hollywood

Despicable Creature

Hawk had to admit that things had been better since the talk with Sky.

There was no more crying, no more tears. At the dojo Sky accepted his presence and participated in all the exercises, even if it meant training with him. She even sat with their group at snack break, instead of searching for a spot where she could eat alone. If his presence hurt her, she didn't let it show - though sometimes when she thought he wasn't looking, he saw the pain in her tense posture, saw how she pressed her hand on her heart as if trying to soothe away the ache.

That always made him feel like there was a hole in his chest. He wished he could walk to her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be fine - but of course, that was impossible. She wasn't his to comfort anymore. She might have been civil with him, but that didn't mean they were friends. Sky never searched for his company, never talked to him unless it was about karate or school, and even then only with short, simple sentences, without looking him in the eye.

Still - the fact that Sky even tolerated his presence, was a fucking miracle.

The other night Demetri had asked everyone to his place to watch a movie, and Sky had agreed to come, even if it meant sitting in the same room with Hawk for hours.

Afterward, Hawk couldn't even remember what movie it had been. He had been unable to concentrate on anything but the fact that Sky was there. Even if she'd been sitting on the opposite end of the couch, barely acknowledging him at all - both Yas and Demetri had been squeezed between them on that small couch - Hawk had still felt Sky's presence in his veins, in his gut, turning everything inside him soft and hot and trembling.

The sweet sound of her laughter when Demetri had been commenting on the movie, had shattered him. He had missed that sound more than anything in the world. In the middle of the movie, he had had to flee to the bathroom to rinse his face with ice-cold water, to calm the frantic beat of his heart.

Still, even if all this was definitely progress, things were far from perfect, and some days the awkward situation they found themselves in, crushed Hawk like a sudden landslide.

Like today.

They were in the school, it was the lunch break and Hawk was following Demetri through the cafeteria, holding his tray. He was only half-listening to Demetri's non-stop commentary about the latest Dungeon Lord comic, as his mind was still trying to figure out an especially difficult physics problem he had failed to solve in class, so he only realized what was happening when it was too late.

Yasmine was already there, at her regular table, flashing a grin at Demetri as they approached, and with her were Sam, Miguel, and Sky. Hawk froze on his feet. Next to Sky, sat Cody.

Hawk's gut clenched into a tight, cold knot of anxiety, jealousy, anger and guilt. Cody glanced up from his food, and his eyes turned to ice, his jawline went hard. They hadn't really seen each other since their messed-up encounter at Kyler's, weeks ago. Cody usually ate with his friends - the Drama Club nerds - while Sky sat with Sam, Miguel, and the rest of them at lunch break. But of course, this was bound to happen sooner or later. He should have seen this coming. Sky was allowed to sit with her boyfriend - it was what normal people did, people who had moved on, who were in love, who still had a heart.

"I should—" Hawk said, gripping his tray so hard his knuckles turned white. "I'm just gonna sit somewhere else—"

He turned to leave - scanning his surroundings. He could always sit with Chris and Mitch, or even Nate and Bert— he had options now, he wouldn't have to be alone—

"It's okay," said a silent voice, making Hawk turn to look. "Just— sit down."

Hawk's heart jumped painfully against his ribs. Sky wasn't looking at him and her voice was tense, a bit hoarse, but it cut straight through all Hawk's defenses, took away his words, and he couldn't do anything but slide his tray on the table and sink in a chair next to Demetri.