Battle Wounds

nineteen.

The street resembled a parking lot with the amount of cars parked haphazardly around the house. Or castle would be a more appropriate term at the sheer size of the building. Music blasted from both inside and out, blending into one harmonious noise that was hard to decipher when one song ended and the next began. Laughter and conversations could be heard from where Harper stood with her friends. The party was already in full swing with even more people arriving by the minute.

So much for this being a few people.

The urge for her to turn around and leave was strong but she couldn't just abandon her friends. Still, a look of uncertainty rested on her face as she took a big breath, preparing herself for a night of talking to people she had no interest in talking to.

But she'd promised Sam, and apparently Moon, that she'd come so there she was. There was no getting out of it now. Perhaps if the party was terrible, she'd find a way to sneak out early but given how she got a ride from her friends, it wasn't likely.

"Are you sure you're up to this? With your mom and everything?" Sam asked Robby. "I mean, I feel like I kinda forced you to come."

"You forced all of us," Harper muttered and smiled to show it was just a joke.

"She's not wrong," Robby agreed with a laugh. "But I'll be fine. I could use a distraction."

Harper kept her attention focused on the house. Or actually at the number of people that seemed to be inside it with more arriving every second. "I thought you said that Moon was only inviting a few people," she stated.

"Yeah. I guess she invited other people from school, too," Sam said with a casual shrug.

"All of these people go to your school?" Harper asked in awe.

"Probably," Demetri said, seeming to be as overwhelmed as she did. He shifted the board game under his arm, a frown pulling at his lips. "Man, I only brought Trivial Pursuit. If I'd known there was going to be this many people I would have brought Boulderdash."

"Something tells me no one will be playing board games," Harper told him gently, shaking her head at his disappointment. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

The noise level intensified as soon as they stepped through the door. They carefully navigated the packed entryway into an even busier living room. To say that Harper felt overwhelmed was an understatement. Everywhere she looked, there were people talking and laughing at too high a volume. But, she supposed, with the amount of conversations going on plus the music that blared through hidden speakers, she couldn't blame them for talking so loud.

"Where should we go?" Harper asked, raising her voice to be heard over the noise.

"This way. Come on," Sam led them a few feet before stopping suddenly, causing everyone to almost crash right into her.

"What's wrong?" Robby asked.

Harper looked at Sam whose attention was directed at the crowded room. Following her line of sight, her smile faded as she caught sight of Cobra Kai. Specifically Hawk, Mitch, Aisha, Miguel and Tory. The other group scowled in their direction save for Hawk who looked at her with surprise mixed with hope. As if her being at a party was the most ridiculous thing ever but hoping that they could talk at the same time. She averted his gaze, not wanting to deal with the mixed feelings that took hold of her. But she felt his eyes on her.

"They weren't supposed to be here," Harper said, her voice just above a whisper.

"No shit," Robby said angrily.

"Sam! I'm so glad you guys came.Isn't this awesome?" Moon asked with a big smile as she made her way over. "So, the kegs are in the back, drinks are in the kitchen and the vegan pigs in a blanket just came out of the oven."