little bird // r.keene

xxxiii. reunions.

Wren didn't talk at lunch. She sat with the Cobra Kai's, a few feet away from their table a book in her hands and an unreadable expression on her face.

Stare after stare she felt burrow into her head, scotch her skin. Some kids didn't even try to hide it at that point. Wren heard their comments, not all, but most as people walked past her.

"I didn't know she was back in school."
"i didn't even think she would come back- not after what happened."
"Didn't she technically start the fight?"
"At least Miguel is back."

Comment after comment sailed to her ears from the loud hum of chatter around her and yet she remained silent because Wren knew if she opened her mouth- it wouldn't end well. For anyone.

Wren allowed her eyes to skim up from the worn pages of her book to find Hawk sat a few meters away, he was perched on the edge of a table with his back to her but she could tell he was laughing at something from the way his shoulder shook.

She had made him laugh like that so many times.

But then the image of Demitri's cast skimmed behind her mind and Wren swallowed any feeling of longing to be friends with Hawk again.

He broke his arm. He broke his arm.

Hawk broke Demitri's arm.

The Cobra Kai's were attacked, they were just fighting back. Defending themselves.

"Hawk had me on the floor. He had my arm behind my back. Sam disappeared. I couldn't see anyone, I begged him not to but... Tory told him to do it and he did."

She couldn't let it go. She couldn't let it go.

What happened next, Wren found almost comical.

The mere second before she was about to push herself out of her chair and grab Hawk's shirt to ask him why he did it... Miguel walked in- looking exactly how she felt.

Wren felt any sense of her resentment for Hawk dissolve because, though she didn't let it show, it broke her heart to see Miguel look as angry as he did after finding out about Demitri's arm.

Because Wren knew, Miguel had looked ten times worse when he found out she had betrayed him by helping Robby.

"Hey man." Hawk pushed himself from where he was sat to meet his friend, Miguel stopped right in front of him. Wren made sure to keep her eyes fixed on her book and yet listened intently.

"I heard about what happened with Demitri." Miguel answered him flatly, "How could you do that?" He asked.

A beat passed before Wren heard Hawk's reply, "You should be thanking me for getting revenge on the Miyagi-Dos'. Besides they started the fight. We finished it." Hawk tried to justify and Wren clenched her jaw.

Wren heard Miguel audibly sigh and she couldn't help it, she just couldn't- Wren looked up from her book and she instantly regretted it because she locked eyes with Miguel.

He took three long strides, steps he didn't think he would ever take again the last time they saw each other, and closed the gap between them. Hawk followed him as he stood, looming over her chair.

Wren remained as she was. Still and silent.

"And what about you? How can you be okay with this?" He sneered and Wren felt her spine crawl to the point where she had to move so she stood up to face him. "The last time I checked you were trying to protect Demitri."

He paused and how uncomfortable it was... Wren gazed up at him, any expression was gone and all she could do was stare. If she opened her mouth she would argue and then Miguel would have yet another reason to hate her. If she opened her mouth she would yell at Hawk, cause a scene and she would never be able to reason with him.

Either way, if Wren spoke there would be a fight. So she did had to do what she used to be so good at. She had to take it. All of it. So she did.

Miguel rolled his eyes, "Of course you're quiet right now. Out of all your snarky little comments lay one on me... Common Wren. Or are you just too busy hiding another fugitive?" He snapped at her.

"Miguel." Hawk chimed in from behind, placing a hand on Miguel's shoulder but Miguel just spun towards him and Wren was just thankful to have his gaze off of her- until she heard him talk.

"You do know she hid Keene, right?" Miguel said under his voice, though his rage lined his words so thickly. Wren saw Hawks shoulders fall, "She hid the guy that almost fucking killed me..."

Hawk let his eyes skim to Wren. She said nothing. He wondered why she wasn't arguing- fighting back. He just looked at Miguel. Hawk had been angry when he first found out what Wren had done- of course he had- Robby almost killed Miguel but when he saw Wren, sitting in her chair by her window, drinking...

He knew she couldn't turn him away. He knew she couldn't bare turning anyone else away. She couldn't lose anyone else.

"Yeah, man, I know." Hawk answered in a low voice. Quite enough for only Miguel and Wren to hear as the rest of the cafeteria hummed in light chatter around them. "But it's just-"

Wren felt her stomach burn.

She couldn't take it.

Wren pushed herself up from her chair and became level with her two former friends, who were still facing each other. "Stop defending me." She hissed at Hawk, he looked down at her, his brows drawn together, "Be mad at me. I deserve it, Miguel's right..." Neither said anything, "You have got to stop justifying bad behaviour, mine and yours." Hawk remained still.

Wren paused, her throat dry and yet she persevered, she turned to Miguel. "Keep being angry with me, I know what I did was wrong but frankly I don't care. It felt right and it still does. I don't regret hiding Robby, the only thing I regret is that you ever went over in the first place and there was nothing I could do to stop it." Her rage flared but it wasn't directed at either of her former friends- it was directed at herself.

Both were slightly taken aback by her outburst and neither had a chance to speak as Wren continued: "When are either of you ever going to learn that I just want to keep those I love safe?" She snapped, her words cool and sharp.

Hawk was the first to move, "Wren-"

"No. Stay away from me." She uttered, moving to grab her bag and just as she spun away from them both, she spied Kyler out of the corner of her eye.

With Demitri.