STARCROSSED: Anthony LaRusso (ON A HIATUS)

Chapter XXX: Demetri and Eli, Bradon and Ethan, Binary Brothers

"What were you even thinking? She didn't smash up the house enough? I know this is difficult, but... You wanted her to go to jail and now you want her back in school?" Sam asked Amanda, who responded, "I don't want this rivalry dominating your life anymore."

"Dad can't get along with his high school rival and I'm supposed to go to school and be best friends with a psycho whose younger sister might be bullying Anthony?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Johnny's and my differences have nothing to do with..." Daniel explained but Sam cut him off. "Yes, it does. Because you guys just do whatever you want. You don't stop to think that maybe I liked training with Johnny, or I don't wanna get my face torn off again."

"As long as she's in school, she has something to lose. She's not going to hurt you." Amanda assured Sam, but she countered, "You're just gonna believe her? You'll listen to what she has to say, but nobody listens to what I have to say? God!" Sam then stormed off, and Amanda sighed. "Thanks for the backup."

"Hey, Amanda. I mean, she has a point. Why are you helping this girl?" Daniel asked his wife.

"Did I tell you about the time I was arrested?" Amanda asked.

"Sure. What? It was a high school prank." Daniel assumed.

"Right. And by "prank," I meant I took a baseball bat to my math tutor's car. With her in it." Amanda explained.

"You... what? Why?" Daniel asked his wife.

"She was having an affair with my dad. My parents' marriage was falling apart, I thought the world was ending, and I blamed her for taking it all away from me." Amanda answered.

"I know you didn't get along with your dad, but I did... I had no idea." Daniel said in shock.

"I was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment. I didn't walk my graduation. And then my parents divorced anyway." Amanda explained.

"Why did you never tell me?" Daniel asked.

"Just worked hard to put it behind me. And it's not exactly a first date story. Or an any date story. I was young and upset. And I'm lucky it didn't ruin my life. Tory's young and upset. And maybe she's a lost cause, but..." Amanda said.

"We'll never know if we don't try to help." Daniel understood what his wife was saying.

"All I want to do is try to break the pattern, Daniel. Kids like Tory get the same messages delivered to them over and over again the same exact way. Sometimes they just need a wake-up call to change course." Amanda explained.

"She's not the only one who needs a wake-up call." Daniel said.

"You can't quit." Demetri told Eli, who was still playing Dungeon Lord on his laptop.

"I already told you, I made up my mind." Eli was adamant on his decision.

"Hey, you're the one that got Bradon and I into karate, remember? We were perfectly happy playing Dungeon Lord after school, but you put us in a situation where we had to join a dojo. And you know what? It was the best thing that ever happened to us. We got stronger, gained confidence, got the girls of our dreams..." Demetri explained.

"Even if Yasmine ends up leaving Demetri for some hot Aussie dude she meets there." Bradon said.

"I got the girl of my dreams too, and even though she broke up with me over the whole Yelp review thing, we got back together not long after we defected to Eagle Fang during the LaRusso house fight." Ethan explained.

"Hell, we're actually excited about the All Valley tournament. I never thought I'd say that. But it's not gonna be as exciting if you're not there." Demetri said. When Eli said nothing, Demetri decided to do something that was meant to be a last resort. "OK, you're gonna make me do this." Demetri said as he pulled out his phone and closed Eli's laptop.

"Excuse me..." Demetri went onto the YouTube app and showed him a video that was the Binary Brothers theme song.

"You said you deleted these." Eli said in confusion.

"Oh, I say a lot of things. Which tends to be a polarizing attribute of mine." Demetri quipped.

♪ Demetri and Eli, binary brothers ♪ ♪ One or a zero, we'll be your hero ♪ ♪ Binary Brothers ♪ ♪ Binary Brothers ♪ ♪ Binary Brothers ♪ ♪ Binary Brothers ♪

"Why are you showing me these?" Eli asked.

"Because this is who you are." Demetri answered.

"A loser?" Eli asked.

"My best friend. I know you think that that Mohawk defined who you are, but it didn't. Not to me. Eli, Hawk... hell, call yourself Cornelius for all I care. None of that changes the fact that you, Ethan, and Bradon are my Binary Brothers. Whether you're number one, or a zero." Demetri explained.

"And by the way, there's another version of this video with me and Bradon." Ethan told his older brother.