little bird // r.keene

xxxi. she's not here you know.

Wren had no interest in going to a party that night. She had been at the mall, finally buying herself a new phone when she bumped into Moon coincidently. Moon had phrased it as just a normal kick back before school started next week but Wren liked to think she knew Moon rather well, she was trying to make peace between Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai...

Wren knew it was a futile effort.

So she remained home, a warm night in was the first thing she needed and what she was going to get.

"Thank you, have a nice evening." She smiled at the customer, leaving the shop, the last one of the day, the little bell above the door ringing as they did. Wren ran a hand through her hair and made her way out from behind the counter towards the front door. Flipping the sign over OPEN to CLOSED, she turned around and began to clean up the shop floor.

She swept and she stacked. Wren wiped down the counter and closed the blinds. And in all that time, she just basked in her own thoughts. Thinking, reflecting remembering. Reminding herself of:

Hawk's Betrayal.
Sam's Judgment.
Robby's Apology.

Wren had a very good feeling all three would be at Moon's party and another rumble was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want another accusation, argument or meaningless apology. Wren wanted some space.

Much to some people's disappointment.

Robby strolled into the living room, scanning the waves of faces dotted around the room. He had picked up in the first minutes he arrived at the party with Sam of Wren's absence and though, despite being three hours in, he still hoped she might show. He sighed when he realised his efforts were futile and spied Sam by the sink- pouring herself another drink.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked but he already knew the answer, Sam looked over at him.

"Don't worry. I'm, like, totally fine." She reassured him, setting the bottle back down again on the other side of the sink but Robby didn't believe her for a second.

"No, you're not. You're not acting like yourself." Robby leaned over and grasped her cup, "No more drinking." He said as he poured the liquor down the sink in front of them.

"What? I'm not allowed to party?" Sam asked him, resting a hand on the counter top to steady herself as much as she tried to hide it. "Just roller skating for me?" She teased, "Are you my boyfriend or are you my babysitter?"

Robby found himself shaking his head lighty at her stubborn tone before turning away from her, "Just wait here, I'm going to get you some food." And just like that, he trailed away from Sam and further towards the kitchen.

He opened one cabinet: Glasses.
He opened another: Plates.

He opened his third when Demitri strolled into the kitchen, his hair was wet and he was rubbing his head over and over with a kitchen towel as if trying to dry himself off.

"I will never understand the mechanism of the male ego." He uttered, setting the towel down on the counter beside where Robby had placed a loaf of bread he found. He didn't really hear what Demitri had said but nodded anyway.

"Are you okay?" Demitri asked and Robby looked up at him.
"Sorry, what did you say?" He asked, having known he asked a question but still, his mind was turning over and over and not focusing on his friend's question.

"You know, it's all about who you look for in a crowded room." His words caught Robby off guard and he gave him an inquisitive look, Demitri read him like a book, "You scan the room whenever you walk in, Robby... She's not here you know." Demitri watched as Robby nodded his head in agreement. Robby knew he was right.

Robby pressed his hands to the side of the kitchen counter and looked up at his friend, who had his back leaning against the counter beside him.

"Do you think she will forgive me? For not believing her?" Robby found himself asking and Demitri twitched his lips, a habit when he was thinking. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"I don't know." Demitri told him and Robby swallowed, nodding his head. "But also know that what you did, isn't all she has on her plate." Robby looked up at him again, "What Hawk did, framing her like that, getting people to turn on her... That really messed with her head. And you know, I don't know much about her home life but I have a feeling it's not great." Demitri said, turning the face Robby, resting his elbows on the counter.

"Everyone can handle bad things, it happens all the time... But Wren's bad things, they just happened to happen all at once- I think she's overwhelmed. I reckon she will come around eventually but you just need to be patient." Robby soaked in Demitri's words, and again, he knew Demitri was right.

"Yeah," Robby paused, "Yeah I think you are right."

"Do you know why she did it?" Demitri asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on a cabinet, as if casting his mind back in thought.
"Did what?" Robby asked, looking from his hands up at Demitri.

"She protected me in the fight at the mall, I might have been useless but I'm not blind. She hardly left my side." Demitri remembered it all so vividly despite everything happening so fast.

Wren's eyes darted to Demitri, who had Chris on his tail. Wren darted forward and pretended to accidentally get between them so Chris left him alone. Wren had eye contact with Demitri, "Stay close." She uttered and with his arms tucked into his middle, he nodded vigorously.

"She told me to stay close and I did, I just don't know why." Demitri thought out loud.
"You're her friend aren't you?" Robby said aimlessly, "Friends protect friends."

"Hawk used to be my friend too, we all know how that ended." Demitri let out a dry scoff, pursing his lips in a tight line, "You know, it's not the first time Wren has protected me either. Did I tell you about how we met?" Robby shook his head.

And so Demitri told the tale of the first day he met Wren. How she was lecturing about how to stop being bullied when in walked Kyler. How began picking on Eli, telling him no one would ever want to kiss him.

"So guess what Wren did?" Demitri asked, a sleek smile painted on his face at the memory.

"She kissed him?"

Demitri nodded his head but held up a finger, adding another thing, "And then guess what she did," Robby shrugged, he didn't know, "She turned to Kyler and punched him in the face and ran." Demitri laughed at that, Robby almost did too.

"Really?" He asked but inside, somewhere inside he wasn't surprised.

"You should have seen the look on her face when we found her after school. She was smiling from ear to ear. Sure, she could have gotten suspended if Kyler hadn't kept quiet- probably from embarrassment. But either way- she was so proud. Kyler hasn't picked on me, Hawk or Miguel since."