XXV.                                             Heartbreak Weather

      Odessa knew Oliver was right. She didn't want to be that girl everybody said she was. She was a nice girl. She wasn't the girl to sleep with someone and leave them to the dust. She was better than that. Later that night when he sun went down, Odessa drove the the Larusso home. She saw Sam and Robby getting out of the girl's car with their training bags.

Sam saw her first then Robby. His stomach twisted in knots when he saw her get out the vehicle. Sam looked between them. "I'll let you two talk." She said and walked into her house.

Odessa stepped closer to Robby but he took a step back. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice steady.

"I've been trying to work up the courage to come for days but it's been hard. I just want to talk." She admitted.

"What's there to talk about? That you had sex with me and then left and haven't spoken to me in days?" His voice increased angrily.

She shrunk back and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's complicated,  Robby—"

"So what? You used me to get back at your asshole ex?"

"No, no, of course not!" She denied and walked closer to him. "I would never do that."

"So what is it then?" He asked again. This time, his voice was soft but his facial expression held a lot of resentment. His green eyes darting to everywhere but her.

Odessa opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the right words. "I-I don't know how to explain it. I've been trying to find ways to justify why I did it but I can't. But I don't regret it."

Robby's eyes met hers. He saw the pleasing look on her face. No matter how much he tried to be angry with her, he just couldn't. Giving in, he motioned his head motioned to the house. "C'mon, we can talk inside."

She smiled and nodded slightly. The two walked in the house and Robby's eyes went wide at a woman sitting on the couch with Mr. and Mrs. Larusso.  "Mom?"  He voiced.

So much for talking, she thought to herself. She saw the betrayed look on his face and her heart sunk. She had forgotten the reason why Robby was staying at the Larusso's in the first place. He didn't really have a family. His mom was always gone. Odessa reached forward and grabbed his hand, feeling him flinch. "I'll call you, okay? I promise." She whispered.

He looked down at her and his green eyes scanned her face. He knew she was telling the truth. Robby nodded his head and watched her walk away with his heart falling to his stomach.

Odessa was laying across her mom's lap on the couch. The mother and daughter were watching tv. She couldn't focus. "Mom?" She muttered.

Thalia looked down. "Yes, Angel Face?"

"I'm really, really lost right now."

The mother paused the show and played with her daughter's hair. "What is it, Dess? It's it Eli?"

Odessa exhaled. "It's more than that. It's. . . It's Robby."

Thalia was shocked. "Oh?"

The girl shifted on her lap so that she was looking up at her. "I really like him, mom. Like really, really like him. But—"

"You're scared to move on from Eli?" Thalia guessed. Odessa nodded. "Sweetheart, you're sixteen years old. There's going to be so many boys that come in and out of your life — And I know you've had a hard life, especially when it comes to boys, but they're not all bad. I promise you. If you like Robby then don't be afraid to give it a chance. You never know what can happen."

"I'm scared of getting hurt again." Odessa whispered vulnerably.

Thalia leaned down and pressed her lips to her forehead. "If that happens, Johnny and I'll take care of it. Don't you worry." She whispered back.

Thalia went to bed but Odessa couldn't sleep a wink. There was too much on her mind. She curled up on the couch and continued to watch tv until she felt like she could go to sleep. There was a knock on the front door. When she opened the door, Robby stood on the other side, his green eyes bright red. "Robby?" She spoke

"I'm sorry. I know it's late but I needed to see you." He spoke with a shaky voice. He had been crying.

Odessa opened the door wider for him to come in. He sat on the couch and she quickly closed the door (She was quiet to not wake up her mother). "Robby, what happened?" She said and sat next to him.

"My mom's going to rehab." He said just above a whisper.

She blinked and touched his shoulder. "Robby,  that's great." She spoke gently.

He nodded his head silently and breathed out a laugh.  "Yeah,  it is. . ."

"So, why are you upset?"

Robby turned his head to the side and looked at her.  "I haven't seen her in a month and the first time I do,  she's leaving again." His voice broke.

Odessa felt her heart crack at his vulnerable state. She pulled him into her and his head rested in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry, Robby. I'm sorry."

"I'm just so tired of people leaving." He cried out and his shoulders shook.

Her hands brushed against his hair and she could feel his tears on her bare shoulder. Looking down at him, she saw him in a completely different light. He wasn't what people say about him. He wasn't a rebel child or a reject. He was teenage boy from a broken home. It reminded her of how she was with her own father. Maybe that's why she felt such a connection with him.

Feeling her looking at him, Robby lifted his head from her shoulder and their faces were inches apart. His eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes. Odessa touched the side of his face and leaned down,  pressing her lips to his. It was soft and gentle. Light and airy. Robby leaned up, not breaking the kiss, and brushed the side of her neck. The conflict in Odessa's head only grew more but she didn't focus on it, only on the broken boy before her holding her face in his hands.

Odessa hadn't spoken to Moon in what felt like forever. Not since the party at the cove. So when she was invited to her back to school Summer party at her house, she was completely shocked. Of course verbose was going to be there but she was still surprised that she was even considered. She walked hand and hand with Robby down Moon's very long driveway. "Are you sure about this? I don't want your friends to say anything bad about you being with me." Robby questioned.

She looked up at him and grinned. "Don't worry about that. Let's just have fun." She said and squeezed his hand.

Hailey and Grayson got out of her car and Oliver and Demetri jumped out of his Jeep. Chris and a lot of other Miyagi Dos joined them. "There's a lot of people here already." Chris pointed out.

"Moon knows everybody from everywhere." Said Oliver. The large group of friends gathered together.

"I only brought trivial pursuit." Demetri complained while holding a board game in his hands.

Hailey narrowed her eyes. "You brought a board game to a party?"

"You don't?"

Odessa laughed and led Robby up the stairs and into Moon's house. There were kids everywhere drinking alcohol in solo cups and standing around talking with their friends. The bright look on her face dimmed when she saw Hawk sitting on the couch with the rest of the Cobra Kai's. His face fell drastically when he saw her hand in Robby's.

The two dojo's glared at each other and Odessa felt out of place, as did Hailey and Grayson. They had no problem with the Miyagi-Do's like everyone else did. Miguel walked in from outside with Tory and his face dropped when he saw Sam. It only made things more awkward. Tory glared harshly at Sam and she grabbed Miguel by the hand, dragging him away.

Moon appeared and smiled at them all. "I'm glad you guys came! The kegs out back and the drinks are in the kitchen. The vegan pigs in a blanket just for out of the oven." She explained in excitement.

Oliver leaned towards Demetri. "Ooh, that sounds bomb right now." He whispered.

Sam crossed her arms. "Moon, you never said anything about inviting Cobra Kai."

"Well I figured with Summer ending and school starting back up, we could stop all the fighting and be friends again." Moon explained her reasoning.

"It's wishful thinking."

Odessa quickly stepped in. "It's a great idea, Moon. I'm sure we'll have a great time." She smiled awkwardly. It was the first interaction they had in over a year.

Moon smiled softly in her direction. Odessa glanced at Robby and saw the way him and Hawk were glaring at each other. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from everyone.

Hawk felt like he could explode. Like a bomb was about to go off. He sat there and watched his ex girlfriend in the arms of someone else, somebody who he hated with everything in him. She laughed like she used to with him, smiled the way he used to make her smile, and she looked happy. He watched Robby whisper something into her ear and she giggled. When they kissed, Hawk squeezed his fists tightly together.

He spotted a girl standing by herself in the living room of the home. "You know the best at to win a girl back?" He said to Mitch with a smirk. "Make her want what she can't have."

Mitch looked between him and Odessa. He knew it wasn't going to end well but he nodded nonetheless.

Hawk stood up from the couch and walked up to the girl. "Hey. I like your hair." He greeted flirtatiously.

The unknown girl smiled. "Thanks. I like yours, too. It's spiky."

"Yeah, everyone wants to touch it. I always say no but you can touch it if you want."

Odessa saw Hawk flirting with the girl in front of her. Her arms were wrapped around Robby's neck. She frowned slightly until Moon walked up and kissed the girl on the lips. She couldn't help but laugh.

Robby looked her and grinned. "What?"

She shook her head and smiled up at him. "Nothing." She cupped his face in her hands and trailed her fingers on her cheeks.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. She smiled against his lips. She got a giddy and excited feeling in her stomach. "You're beautiful." He said and pushed her blonde hair behind her ear.

She smiled brightly and brought him closer to her in a hug. His head rested on her shoulder and she smiled against his. She closed her eyes and took in the feeling.

Hawk felt extremely guilty and jealous. He sat back down on the couch and was forced to watch the girl he loved with another guy. He only had himself to blame because he caused it. He pushed her into Robby's arms.

Demetri sat in the chair beside him and followed his glance. He rubbed his hands and leaned over, slightly. "You check out the new Doctor Who trailer?" He started a conversation.

"I don't watch nerd shit." Hawk answered and sipped his drink.

"You know, uh. . . Moffat isn't the show runner anymore,"

A small look of surprise appeared on Hawk's face. "Wait really?" He asked. "Since when?"

Demetri grinned, seeing Eli come out.

"Is there a new doctor? What's he like?"

"Oh. She's badass." He said with a small scoff.

Hawk squinted his eyes. "She? No way. . ."

Hearing the sound of Odessa's giggles, he looked over again to see Robby twirling her to the sound of the music. Her face was glowing and her smile took up her entire face. He frowned again.

"I'd give up, man. Oliver told me that she's really happy." Said Demetri.

"Defeat does not exist." Hawk said with a stone cold expression on his face.

"That's the winning attitude that pushed her away in the first place. You think Oliver doesn't gossip? I know what you said to her," he continued. "I think you need a healthy dose of inner peace. It's worked for me."

He patted him on the back. "Yeah?" He asked with a slight smile.

Demetri nodded, not expecting the worse. The boy stood up and spilt his drink on his head. Odessa and Robby pulled away from each other, seeing it happen. Oliver saw as well and he stormed up to Hawk. "What the fuck is your problem, man?" He shoved him back.

Hawk ignored him and continued looking at Demetri. "That's what I thought. Still a pussy." He sneered and threw his cup on the floor. He walked away with his Cobra Kai goons.

Demetri stood there, embarrassed, with beer tricking down his face and to the floor. "Are you okay?" Oliver quickly asked.

He was in shock. "I-I though things were getting better. . ."

"Hey, don't do that to yourself. You did nothing wrong. He's an asshole. If he hasn't proved it already he did now."

Demetri looked at him with a glimmer in his eyes. It was unreadable but it was there. Oliver jerked his head to the side. "C'mon, let's clean this up." He said and led him to the bathroom.

Odessa was having the time of her life. Everyone formed a circle in the living room and they were watching people come in and out to dance. She stood there with her arms wrapped around Bert and she brushed into laughter at Nathan's dancing.

Grayson pulled Hailey into the circle and spun her around. "Let's go, Gray!" Oliver shouted into his hands.

"Whoo!" Exclaimed Odessa.

Grayson kissed Hailey hard on the lips and dipped her, chasing everyone around them to cheer extremely loud. The entertainment was cut off when Demetri hoped on the stage. "Excuse me!" He announced to everybody. They all turned to him. He held up his cup. "I'd like to make a toast. . . to Eli Moskowitz." He proposed and bitterness dripping from his words like poison.

Odessa quickly shared a look with Oliver. "Oh god, Metri. What are you doing?" He groaned.

Hawk glared at him while the other party attendees tried to figure out who Eli was.

"Oh, i'm sorry! Some of you might know him as Hawk," Demetri continued and pointed to Hawk. "But underneath that crazy clown cosplay and whatever type of manic panic he dumps in his hair, he's still good ole Eli. My binary brother."

Grayson snorted uncontrollably and the two girls looked at him in disbelief. He looked between them and shrugged. What? It was funny."

Hawk looked embarrassed but he quickly masked it with anger.

"Should we stop him?" Robby asked Odessa.

She shook his head. "I don't know if we can." She responded with a sigh.

"Well, he was my binary brother. You know what he is now? A real zero." Demetri said and held up a zero with his hand.

Hailey cringed. "Oh, he's so nerdy it's hard to find it funny."

Nathan and Bert found it hilarious. "I love math humor." He laughed.

"Alright, that's enough, Demetri." Hawk intervened angrily.

Demetri ignored him. "Don't let that angry red hairdo fool you. He's a big softy. Before he turned into whatever he is now, he was a boy in love with a girl who he ended up pushing into the arms of someone else."

Odessa froze in Robby's arms, her bones chilling. She saw a lot of eyes on her and she felt embarrassed. Robby scoffed.

Demetri found her in the crowd and pointed to her. "Oh, yeah. My good friend Odessa over there! See, they're not together because he tried beating the shit out of me and her best friend and because she's loyal, she broke up with him. And then he got jealous and accused her of sleeping with someone else."

The gasps of everyone around her made her even more embarrassed. "Demetri, what are you doing?" She voiced shakily and her friends stared at her sympathetically.

"You see, Eli and I watched every Harry Potter movie together and he bawled like a baby when Dobby died."

Odessa knew he was angry and embarrassed but he was going too far. Even if Hawk did deserve it, he was bringing up his past and she began to feel bad.

Everyone at the party continued to laugh. "I mean who didn't, really?" Oliver tried lighting up the mood but he was ignored.

"In the words of Eli's hero, Steve Jobs, I've got one more thing. Have any of you heard of sleep enuresis?" Demetri asked.

"Don't!" Hawk shouted.

"Demetri, don't do it." Said Grayson with a sigh.

He smirked. "That is the medical term, of course. In the King's English, it's good old-fashioned bed-wettin'. . . and Eli here is a pro." Demetri clicked his tongue, winking. "My mom even had a special air mattress for sleepovers. She called it. . . Eli's waterbed."

Odessa's eyes widened even more and the laughter of everyone grew louder. Oliver rubbed his face with his hands. Hawk glared at him and threw his cup in Mitch's chest. "Screw mercy. You're a corpse!" He shouted.

Chris and Oliver stopped them. "You'll have to go through us," Chris threatened.

"Stay out of it, traitors!" Mitch sneered.

Robby let go of Odessa and stormed up to them. "Hey, don't touch him." He snapped.

"Get the fuck out of my face." Hawk cursed with a red face.

Everyone watched intensely as they stood in front of each other. Moon got in the middle. "Guys, stop. We're friends."

"Moon, your spiritual positivity is not gonna help this time." Hailey said and pulled the girl away.

"Oh, I smell a rumble!" Raymond shouted out.

But before anyone could do anything, blue lights and sirens started flashing. "Cops!" Someone in the crowd yelled.

The teenagers started clearing out and running like crazy. "Demetri, you got lucky! I'll see you in school!" Hawk seethed. He went to charge at him but Chris and Robby pushed him back.

A fearful look washed over Demetri's face and Oliver took his hand, pulling him away. "Why the hell did you do that? You just killed yourself!" He shouted in his face.

Demetri's mouth gaped open, not being able to say anything. Oliver just huffed and dragged him away.

With their hands in each other's, Robby and Odessa ran through the house searching for a way out. Robby found Sam standing around, stumbling. "Sam, we gotta go!" He said rapidly.

Samantha was very clearly drunk. "No, I can't go home. My parents will freak out." She slurred.

Robby stared at her, contemplating. He turned to Odessa. "I have to take her somewhere. I'm sorry."

Odessa nodded. "No, no, it's okay. Just be safe. Be careful with her." She leaned up and kissed him quickly. They separated and she went to search for Oliver and the others.