𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐌|𝐂𝐎𝐁𝐑𝐀 𝐊𝐀𝐈

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘅

Delilah stood at the edge of the bustling school hallway of West Valley High School, her heart pounding in her chest as the cacophony of voices and footsteps were on the verge of swallowing her whole. The newness of everything pressed into her with the unfamiliar faces, the towering lockers that seemed to never end, the overwhelming sense that everybody had belonged.

Going into high school, Delilah had thought she figured everything out. She had Kenny, Audrey and her friends, and what was once a sense of purpose. Now, three classes in, that idea was slowly beginning to dwindle from her mind. For one, Delilah and Kenny barely had any classes together, leaving her alone with people she wouldn't ever see herself interacting with.

Then there was Audrey, who was so caught up with senior year and her own boyfriend that she didn't even have time to spare her sister a singular glance in the hallway. Delilah knew that if she really felt lonely she could just stop Audrey herself and ask for some sort of help, for at the end of the day they were sisters, a bond that came before anything else. But the problem with that was that Delilah wasn't weak or needy, and asking for help would make her seem like both of those things. Delilah had spent so much time trying to be independent, she wasn't going to throw it all away now. Especially because of something that she felt as if she had been so prepared for.

The weight of Delilah's backpack felt like an anchor dragging her down, and every step that she seemed to take was hesitant, as if she might be swallowed up by the sea of older students at any second. Her mind began to race with thousands of questions that she couldn't find herself answering: what if she ended up getting lost somehow? What if she was lonely for the rest of her high schools days with her boyfriend and sister as her only friends? What if Delilah isn't able to defend herself from those who think that because they are older, they had more power over her.

Delilah was so used to middle and elementary school. She knew everybody, even if everybody didn't know her. Casey had always loved to comment that she was one of the most observant people she knew, though over the years that trait had begun to fade over time, especially when she joined Cobra Kai. All that seemed to matter was herself and making sure she managed to stay on top long enough for nobody to forget about her. Now that Delilah left however, nobody knew who she was. Her high school was huge and all that she had were people that she was only able to see in passing in the hallways.

"You look grouchy," Kenny commented, making his way down the hallway where other students were beginning to file from their classes. Delilah hadn't even realized how long she had been standing in the middle of the hallway until the sight was revealed before her eyes, a small sigh escaping her lips once she had realized she would have to go back to her classroom to get her backpack, while also risking the possibility of seniors laughing at her seeing that they were going to be occupying the classroom. "Then again, you always look grouchy."

"Funny," Delilah hummed, pecking Kenny's lips and looking down to see that he held her backpack in his hands. "You went to get my backpack? We don't even have English together."

"Yeah, well, I saw you walk by my class to the bathroom, and I checked my phone to see that class was gonna end in two minutes. So when the bell rang and you didn't come back for your bag I just went and got it for you," Kenny shrugged nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just performed one of the most romantic gestures Delilah had ever seen. "No big deal."

"Oh yeah, no big deal," Delilah sarcastically agreed, as if it wasn't the most romantic thing Kenny could've ever done for her. "Really, you didn't need to do this for me. I could've went back for it myself."

"Why do you always downplay everything nice I do for you?" Kenny stared at him for a long moment, Delilah instantly beginning to recognize the frustrated look on his features. Ever since he had left Cobra Kai the anger she had thought left him returned, scaring her from time to time. She missed how this by s used to be before Kenny joined Cobra Kai, the nerdy, somewhat awkward boy who made her blush with every words that escaped his lips. Though Delilah couldn't help but blame herself for this sudden change. It was her and Robby who encouraged Kenny to stand up for himself, landing her in this situation. But an irritable Kenny was better than no Kenny at all. "Shit pisses me off, Lilah."