Chapter Eighty Two
Primadonna

CAROLINE AND ALEXANDER were so proud of their daughter for winning that they didn't question her plans to go to an unsupervised party at Miguel's house. Normally, Sydney's dad would be livid at the thought but he knew how much finally winning meant to her, so how could he say no? And Caroline wouldn't have said no anyways. But up until seeing the situation with her feet, the mother was filled with concern. "Syd, love, I don't think you should be going out."

Sydney sat on her bed with a wash cloth and roll of gauze. She briefly rolled her eyes. "Mum, I'm alright. They just hurt a little." They hurt a lot, but she wasn't going to tell her that.

"At least let me make you a doctor's appointment. You could have damage." Caroline continued.

"Sure, mum. Whatever you want. Just please let me have this night. I have a good feeling about it." She pleaded.

The mother stopped her motherly antics and smiled slightly. "What makes you say that?"

Sydney finished wrapping the gauze around her feet and she looked her way, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "I don't know. . ."

"Doesss it have to do with a certain someone?" Asked Caroline. She inched closer to the bed. "A boy, perhaps? Or girl. I don't judge. You can love whoever you want."

Sydney chuckled for a second. "It's not a girl."

Her mom gasped. "So it's a boy?"

"Mummmm—"

"Sydney Shea."

She rolled her eyes again. "Okay. Okay." She crossed her legs and turned slightly so that she was facing her mom. Caroline sat down with her. "You know the situation with Miguel,"

Caroline slowly nodded with a hum.

"Well. . ."

The woman's face dropped slightly. "Oh, babe, don't tell me you're wanting to get back together with him." She didn't respond. "Sydney, he hurt you. I won't let you get your heart broken again!"

"I don't even know if that's what I want, mum!" Said Sydney. She threw her hands up and they fell again, slapping against her exposed thighs. "It's just — I thought I would be over by now, y'know? That maybe all we had was just some silly high school romance. But it's more than that, mum. I love him. I love him so much that it hurts to not be with him." She expressed deeply. She put one of her hands over her heart. "I've never loved someone this much before. It's scary. And I hate him for hurting me like he did but I'm also learning to understand why he did it."

Caroline frowned in the slightest and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Oh, love, but I saw how hurt you were. It killed me inside. I don't want that to happen to you again."

Sydney knew that her mom loved Miguel. She loved Carmen and Rosa. She loved the Diaz family. She also loved how much Sydney had changed since meeting Miguel. But as a mother, Caroline couldn't forgive him for hurting her daughter. She had her fair share of break ups when she was a teenager as well. She knew what her daughter was feeling. But Sydney's intuition was strong. She knew what was right and what was wrong. She made decisions for herself. "I know, mum. Believe me, I know. But calling Miguel a friend and pretending that what we had doesn't exist anymore hurts me even more. He's not just my friend. We'll never be just friends."

Caroline nodded slightly, taking it in. "Does Miguel know that?"

He did. Of course he did. Miguel had been trying to her her back since he came back from Mexico. He loved her. Sydney had no doubt that if they tried to work things out, slowly of course, then everything would be okay. "I think he does." She answered with a smile.

Her mom grabbed her hands. "Then just be smart about it, okay? You're a strong girl. You can hold your own. But don't let him thing he can hurt you like that again. I'll kill him. And have your father bury the body."

Sydney smiled in return even though she knew she was serious.

Miguel had never seen so many people at his apartment complex. Let alone this many people in his home. He rushed around his apartment, carefully pushing past everyone, and picking up the empty solo cups they were leaving around, all while his eyes wondered around and looked for a certain someone. "Dude, this is insane. How did everyone find out about this?" He asked Hawk.

"Moon invited a ton of people from East Valley," he answered. "And, uh, Charlie doesn't exactly have a quiet mouth."

Miguel, Eli, and Robby turned their heads and saw Charlie dancing in the middle of the living room with the large crowd, a cowboy hat on his head and his neck covered in beads. "WHOO!" He cheered out loud.

Robby saw Miguel looking around the apartment. "Dude, she'll be here. Stop worrying." He told him.

Miguel quickly looked at him, his eyes wide. "What? Worrying? I'm not worrying."

"Dude, think about it. If tonight goes well, this could be your chance to get back with Sydney." Said Eli and he hit his friend on the arm.

"T-That's — No," Miguel laughed nervously. Robby and Hawk just stared at him. "Look, guys, it's not like that. Sydney said that we're friends so that's what we are. I can't change that." His stomach turned as he said it. "I gotta accept the fact that we're not together anymore."

Robby and Hawk looked at one another. "So, what are you gonna do?" Asked Robby.

Miguel thought he had an answer. His lips parted like he was going to respond but he had no words to say. He was lying to himself. Stuck in denial. Putting on a brave face so nobody would know how much he was actually hurting.

Sydney was shaking. So much that she thought she was going to wreck on the highway. Her hands clutched the steering wheel tightly and her food shook against the gas pedal. Sailor sat in the passenger seat of her car. "Thanks for inviting me, Brit. It's 'bout time you introduce me to your karate buds."

"No problem. When you said your mum was out of town, I figured you wanted a night to escape."

Sailor sighed heavily. "God, you have no idea. You know she's trying to get me to go a pageant? A pageant. The last time I was in a pageant, I was three years old."

Sydney smiled. "I think you would do good."

"I'd rather rip out my teeth than have to surround myself with a bunch of pampered girls. I have to do that enough at dance."

The girls laughed. "Well, I think tonight'll be fun. I'm excited." Said Sydney.

Sailor raised her eyebrow. "You sure? Cause your shaking legs say otherwise."

Sydney felt her legs jolt from the nervous shakes. "I'm just. . ." She briefly looked her way. "I'm thinking of getting back together with Miguel.

Her friend gasped. "What? After what he did to you? Are you insane? Are British people actually that crazy?"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. I already had this talk with my mum."

"Syd, he left you at the All Valley and dumped you in a letter like we're in the 1800s." Sailor reminded her.

"He had a good reason," she told her. "I was angry at first but I'm trying to understand, Sailor. And he's not just some random guy. He's Miguel. My Miguel. I love him so much. I can't keep pretending that I don't anymore."

"Well just know, if he hurts you again, I'll break his hands and legs. He won't be the karate champ anymore." Sailor threatened.

Sydney looked her way and smiled. "Thanks, love."

When they arrived at the Receda apartment complex, Sydney was absolutely shocked by how many people were there. She figured that Charlie told a bunch of people but even he didn't know that many people. "Damn. Your boy has this many friends?" Sailor said out loud after seeing the crowd of people outside. "Does he have a sister?"

Sydney just laughed. She parked her car and the girls got out, making their way through all the people. She smiled at everyone who said her name or waved at her. Her legs were still shaking and as she stood in front of Miguel's home, her heart beat began to quicken. "Uh, why don't you go in? I'll be in there in just a second." She told Sailor.

"Are you sure?" Sailor asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course. Just need a second." She said again with a slight stammer.

The girl slowly smirked. "Ah, getting prepared for your boy. I see you, Brit." She teased and went to go inside the home.

Sydney went and stood by the wall. "Okay, don't be nervous. You're never nervous. You're confident." She talked to herself. She took her compact mirror out of her purse and examined herself in the reflection. "It's fine. You're fine. You're beautiful. You won today. You're strong. You can do anything." When she was done with her pep talk, she put the mirror away and took another deep breath. She adjusted her long hair quickly and smoothed out the skirt of her blue dress.

Walking into the house through the back door, Sydney was met by Chris, Charlie, and Mitch. "There's our winner!" Charlie announced when he saw her.

"Sydney!" Chris beamed.

"Hey guys." She said with a laugh. She looked around the crowded apartment. "Jesus, Charlie. How many people did you tell?"

"Uhhh," he began to say. "Maybe all of my Instagram followers. Moon also helped our. Did not think they would all show up."

"They got all the hot chicks to show up!" Said Mitch with a happy grin. Sailor made her way over to them and he smirked flirtatiously when he saw her. "Sup. Haven't seen you around before. I'm Mitch."

Sydney's lips curled back into a smile. Sailor sucked air through her teeth. "Yeah, sorry. I'm a lesbian. It's nice to meet you, though."

Mitch's face and shoulders fell and they all laughed. "Guys, this is Sailor. We dance together. Sailor, this is Charlie and Chris."

They exchanged their hi's and hellos. "Charlie, where's Sam? I thought she was coming with you."

"She took an Uber. She should be here in. . ." He trailed and checked his phone, seeing the text that Sam had sent him. "Less than a minute."

Sydney nodded. She began looking around the crowded apartment. "Say, have any of you seen—" her sentence was cut short when she spotted Miguel. What should've been a happy moment for her turned into a complete disaster. There he sat on his couch, a girl she didn't know by his side, and her hands rubbed against his clothed chest as they kissed frantically.

Her friends followed her gaze. "Oh, crap." Charlie said out loud and his face fell.

Sailor immediately glared. "What a pig. I knew it."

You know that feeling when you crumble a piece of paper? The sound it makes. The jagged edges it creates. Or when you drop glass on the floor and it shatters into a million pieces. That was Sydney's heart. The heart she spent years protecting and she finally gave it up for a boy, only to have him drop it and shatter it. There was pain and then there was hurt. A feeling so painful that it made her feel nauseous.

When Eli appeared from the hallway, he smiled when he saw his friend. "Sydney!" But then he saw her face, and everyone else's, and he saw what they were seeing. "Oh. . ."

At the sound of her name, Miguel pulled away from the girl and his eyes met Sydney's, the tears in them visible from where he was sitting. "Syd." He spoke out loud and immediate detached himself from the girl.

Without meaning to, Sydney pushed past her friend and quickly ran out of the apartment. She didn't care that she was bumping into people, she just needed to get out. Even out in the open air, she felt as if she couldn't breath. The walls of her throat were closing and her hearing became disoriented as if she was sinking to the bottom of a swimming pool.

"Sydney, wait!" Miguel's voice pieced her ears. He chased her as she fled the apartment. "Sydney, please. Let me explain—"

His words were cut off when she stopped abruptly. Sydney spun around and Miguel almost ran into her. She grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his, so hard that their teeth flashed together painful. A noise came from the back of his throat. It wasn't their usual sweet, passionate kisses. The kisses that made Miguel feel like he was floating. It was painful. It was full of hurt. But it was her lips again this. A feeling he wanted to hold on to forever. There was always that spark when they kissed. He didn't even get a chance to collect his thoughts before she pulled away, her face flushed red and her eyes glossy. "Did you feel that?" She uttered shakily. "Did you feel what I feel?"

"I always have." He managed to say even though his words were stuck in his throat. He felt it. That jolt of electricity. That spark. That incandescent glow.

She pointed her finger to the apartment home. "Is that what it felt in there?" She questioned and her voice was full of betrayal. "Did you feel that with her? Because that is what a kiss should feel like." She jammed the finger into his chest. "If you want to keep feeling it, then get your shit together."

She spun around again and started to storm off. Miguel stood there with shaky hands and shaky breaths and his feet were glued to the ground. He watched her walk away. But he couldn't let her go. He wasn't going to, either. He ran after her. "Why are you mad?" He said out loud.

"What?" She said back but didn't face him.

"You're mad. You're angry. But you have no right to be. We're broken up, remember?" He threw at her. "We're just friends, right? That's what you said. So why are you so mad if I kiss somebody else? I don't get mad when you flirt with Chris."

At his statement, Sydney stopped walking and she faced him again, laughing spitefully. "What? I do not flirt with Chris. We're friends, you arrogant shit. In case you haven't noticed, I got my heart ripped out. Doesn't exactly leave me room to go off and flirt with other people."

They threw shots at each other because they were mad. They were hurt. They loved each other, but it was hard for Sydney to just come out and say it. Miguel was trying. At his accusation, he felt stupid, but he didn't back down. This needed to happen. Everything they were feeling. Everything they'd been holding in for so long. It needed to all be let out.

"So answer the question. Why are you mad that I kissed that girl, huh? You're single. I'm single. Tell me why." He repeated the question with a large huff. His chest heaved up and down heavily and he felt like he could pass out from the amount of adrenaline inside him. His lips still tingled from her forceful kiss and it also left him extremely confused.

She wanted to blurt it out. I love you, idiot! It was on the tip of her tongue. But she was scared. She was terrified. Her lips parted to speak but when she started to feel that all too well familiar feeling in her heart, the one that always took her breath away, he forced herself to step back. "I can't do this right now, Miguel. I'm sorry."

She turned on her heels again and walked away. He watched the back of her head with a gaped mouth. His face was bright red from anger and flush. "Why do you always do that?" He blurted out.

Stopping her pace again, Sydney turned back around. "Do what?" She asked as if she didn't have a clue. She knew. Of course she knew.

"Hide!" He shouted. His arms flared. "Why do you hide what you want to say from me? Why do you hide how you're truly feeling? What are you so afraid of, Sydney?" He hated raising his voice at her. He had done it too many times in the past and he felt guilty every time. But it needed to come out and unfortunately, this was the only way for it to happen.

Sydney wanted to swallow back all the harsh and unforgivable things that were threatening to come out of her mouth but it had been building up for so long, that it seemed she had no choice. "Because that's exactly it, Miguel!" She shouted back at him, her voice sharp and loud. "Before you, I never wanted to feel! I was perfectly fine with being the mean girl everybody thought I was. I didn't care. And then you came along and now I feel everything, and I don't want to!"

He took a long step towards her. "What do you feel? Tell me, right now." He almost demanded. But it wasn't harsh. It was longing. It was desperation.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"You do know."

"You broke up with me. You broke my heart. And then you said you love me and that you want to get back together and now I catch you kissing someone else. You can't just keep messing with me like that, Miguel. I'm a person!" She shouted in his face, her eyes glistening with tears again. "I would've never done this to you!"

For the last time, she went to walk away again, but Miguel wasn't finished. "Je n'ai pas fini de tomber amoureux de toi." He spoke French.

At the sentence, Sydney stopped walking and she closed her eyes. She inhaled a shaky breath and felt like she was going to cry. Slowly, she turned back around and stood face to face with him, completely vulnerable. His translation was butchered but it was her language. What she was passionate about. The language he learned for her.

"That's what you said that day at the waterpark. You were talking about me." Miguel continued. His eyes were red and teary as well as hers. "I haven't finished falling in love with you, either."

There's always that scene in the movies. The ex couple. The huge blow up. The fighting. The shouting. The tears. And then the boy/girl says something that makes the boy/girl stop and think. And then the feeling of love appears. The reminder of what they had and still have. That was the scene in Sydney's movie.

But the scene was put on pause when the pair heard an uproar of shouting going on. Turning their heads, they saw a crowd of people gathered around and they instantly ran to see what was going on. Sydney's eyes widened when she saw Sam and Tory fighting. "Sam!" She shouted and pushed through the crowd of people.

On cue, Robby and Charlie came running out of the apartment and saw the uproar happening. They pulled the girls apart. "Sam, what are you doing?" Charlie said out loud and held her back.

"She's been working with Kreese this whole time!" Sam snapped at him and threw a glare at Tory. "Silver paid the ref at the All Valley for Cobra Kai to win. And then paid the ref for the Sekai Taikai."

"What?" Miguel said and he and Robby looked at Tory, shocked and confused.

Sydney felt Sailor come and stand by her side, completely oblivious to what was happening. She looked at Tory and Tory looked back, their eyes meeting. Tory looked completely vulnerable and apologetic. Sydney felt a pain in her chest.

Seeing the look on her face, Sam looked between them. "Wait — Syd, did you know?" She asked her friend, causing all attention to turn towards Sydney.

The Brit cowered under their stares and her lips parted. "I-I. . ." She didn't bother trying to lie. "I had a feeling, okay? Earlier during the fight but I wasn't sure, Sam—"

"Why would you not say anything?" Sam boomed and stared at her in betrayal. She broke out of Charlie's hold. "You know what they've put my family through. Look at everything they put you threw!" She emphasized. She glared at Tory again. "Why did you only come forward now, huh? Because you're a coward!"

"Sam." Said Charlie and he sighed.

"Sam, stop." Sydney quickly followed.

"Once again, you're both taking her side!"

By now, Tory had enough. "Screw you, Larusso. I knew this was a mistake." She breathed out and took off.

Sydney saw the look on Robby's face and then she looked to Sam. Her feet began to move. "Tory!" She called out her name. "Tory!"

"Just leave me alone, Sydney!" Tory shouted back, making it completely obvious that she was crying, and she ran off without another word.

Sydney stopped running and her arms dropped to her side tiredly. She turned around and there stood Miguel a few feet away from her. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. She had nothing to say.

Sailor came and walked past Miguel, glaring, and she grabbed the girl's arm. "C'mon. Let's go."