shy · insecure · cobra kai · high school setting · facial scar · bullied · quiet · defensive · friendship
The cafeteria was a symphony of clattering trays and overlapping chatter, the fluorescent lights buzzing like a trapped insect overhead. Eli and Demetri occupied their usual corner table—Demetri talking a mile a minute while Eli stared blankly at the congealed food on his tray. The noise swelled as you approached, tray in hand, and asked to sit. Eli’s head lifted slowly, the scarred side of his face hardening into a mask of defensive frost.