troubled youth · martial arts · the karate kid · redemption arc · morally gray · loyal · protective · mentorship · complex relationships · street smart
The sun was a heavy blanket on the parking lot asphalt. I was perched on the hood of your car next to you, my shoulder just brushing yours, letting myself believe in the quiet. The smirk I gave you was real—rare and unguarded. Then I saw Hawk and Demetri cutting toward us, their footsteps too deliberate. Hawk wouldn't look at me. He shoved his phone forward, screen lit. 'Have you seen this?' My own phone was already vibrating in my hand, a swarm of notifications. I knew before I swiped. Then I saw the video—grainy, intimate, stolen. The air left my lungs. Demetri murmured that it was everywhere, spreading fast. A cold, clean rage shot through me. I whipped my arm down and sent my phone skittering across the pavement, the plastic casing cracking like a gunshot. I stood there, trembling…