One Hundred Five
Primadonna

BARCELONA WAS STUNNING. The architecture, the rich culture, the glowing lights at night, everything about it was beautiful. The feeling she got when she looked around the city was the feeling her parents described to her whenever they came back from their trips around the world. It was a rich, everlasting feeling. But to not be able to share it with Miguel was gut wrenching.

The teens found a club suitable for kids their age just on the beach. Sydney found her way through the busy club, all of the teens from the Sekai Taikai there as well, while trying not to trip over the green maxi skirt she was wearing. Her and Sam locked their arms together. "Are you sure you're okay with being here? I know how stressed you are right now."

"I'm alright, Sammy. I promise," she answered and searched for a table for them to sit at.

"Did you get to talk to Miguel long before they left?" Sam asked her, wincing slightly.

Sydney rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "I helped him pack. I've never seen him so devastated. Not since he was in the hospital himself," she explained and stared sadly down at the table.

Sam's frowned deepened. "I'm so sorry, Syd."

She nodded lightly. Sydney promised herself she wouldn't get emotional tonight. She was here to have a good time with her friends no matter how difficult it was. "Everything will be just fine. Let's just focus on having a good time," she declared with a convincing smile.

Charlie and Robby joined them at the table. "Now this is what I've always dreamed of," the tallest one commented, running his hand through his hair.

Sydney raised one of her eyebrows. "Clubbing with a bunch of teenagers?"

"No. Having my first legal drink in a different country," he clarified with a wide smile. "What do we say?"

Robby shook his head. "Nah, bro, I'm good. Just a coke." He declined, seeing as how he didn't drink.

"I think I just want an iced tea," said Sam.

Sydney scoffed. "You're boring." There was a shove to her arm and she laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Charlie and I will go get everything. Charles."

He quickly nodded. "Right behind ya."

The pair walked away to go to the bar. Sydney saw Eli and Demetri sitting together with Devon at the booths. "Be right back," she told Charlie and headed their way. "Drink requests anybody?" She patted Devon on the top of the head. "Not you love, sorry."

"I heard the most famous drink here in Spain is a Sangria," Demetri pointed out.

Hawk narrowed his eyes. "You want wine? What are you, a divorced mother with three kids?"

Sydney chuckled.

"Fruit and wine, thank you." Demetri added, holding up his finger.

Eli rolled his eyes. "I'll have whatever you're having," he said to Sydney.

She grinned. "Wonderful." She stated and went back to the bar where Charlie stood. Sydney smiled at the bartender. "Hola, ¿puedo por favor dos aigua de valéncia, sangria, té helado, dos cocas. . . What do you want Charlie?"

"Uhhh, whatever you just got."

She nodded. "Tres aigua de valéncia," she told the banter and took out her card.

"You don't have to pay for mine, Syd—"

"Don't even," Sydney interrupted him and held up her gold card with a smile. "I brought the gold card for this trip."

Charlie hummed. "Fancy pants."

She giggled and thanked the bartender. "I hope tonight goes well. We deserve to have a break," she said to Charlie and leaned against the bar.

He nodded. "I agree. I'm really sorry Miguel can't be here though," he said with a slight frown.

Sydney half smiled. "Let's try to think positively, yeah? Carmen will be fine. That baby girl's gonna be just fine and I'll get to spoil the piss out of her in no time."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah. You'll be a great sister-in-law one day. Hopefully I'll be promoted to a fun uncle."

Sydney giggled. "We'll be the cool aunt and uncle together," she said and they high fived. The bartender came back with the drink orders on two trays for them. "Muchas gracias."

She took Eli and Demetri their drinks first. "Two gorgeously made drinks for my lovely boys," she announced poshly.

Hawk chuckled. "Thanks, Princess Benoist," he said and took his from the tray. He examined it. "What the hell is this?"

"Aigua de valéncia," she answered and handed Demetri his drink. "It's basically a really sweet orange juice with vodka. You'll love it." She handed Devon the coke. "I got you a coke."

The young girl half smiled. "Thanks, Syd." She said and took it.

"De rien, amours." She told them and walked away to give the tray back to the bartender.

Devon furrowed her brows and looked at Eli and Demetri. "What does that mean?"

"You're welcome, loves." The answer in unison.

She went back to her table and sat down beside Sam. "Cheers to a night in Spain?" She inquired and held up her drink.

"I'll cheers to that," Charlie declared and held up his.

Sam and Robby looked at each other. They smiled and together, the group clinked their classes and cheered.

The night continued and Sydney felt herself letting loose. She was with her friends, that brought her all the happiness in the world. She was on her third drink of the night. "I definitely think we should all get in the hot tub tonight when we get back." She suggested.

"Syd, you know what say. Water and alcohol don't mix," Sam pointed out while sipping her ice tea.

She furrowed her brows. "The hot tub's like 3 feet deep, Sammy."

"Yeah, when I stand up, the water barely hits my knees." Charlie described.

Robby was quiet and he had been for several minutes. He was on his second coke and he stared off into space as they talked, something on his mind. Or someone. Sydney eyed him from across the table, silent concern written on her face.

". . .I almost broke my foot on that Iron Dragon kid's face," she heard Charlie say when she came back to reality.

"Sammy, come dance with me," she said to Sam and grabbed her arm.

Sam laughed. "You know I cannot dance."

"Well yeah, I know that, but let's have some fun." Sydney begged.

"I'll dance you with you, Syd." Charlie volunteered.

She sucked in air through her teeth. "Sorry, Charles. I only dance with three parties: women, my boyfriend, and gay men. Have fun, losers!" She said playfully and walked away from the table. "Devon, love, come dance with me!"

The young girl looked surprised. "Really?"

Sydney nodded and held out her hand. "Yeah, come on."

Devon smiled widely. "Okay." She stood up and grabbed her hand. "I don't really know how to dance."

"Don't think about. Just move your body," Sydney said and twirled her. "Appropriately, though. You're fourteen."

She chuckled. "You're in a better mood than I thought you'd be," she said and followed her movements.

Sydney swayed her hips side to side. "I'm trying to be okay for tonight at least. I have all my friends and three drinks in my system." She said and grabbed Devon's hands again, twirling them around.

Devon chuckled until she looked over her shoulder. Her face fell. "Uh oh."

Sydney furrowed her brows. She turned around and saw Cobra Kai walk into the club. The excitement she was feeling fizzled out. Her eyes shifted and she watched them look at her table, Tory and Robby locking eyes. Then, her eyes met Sydney's.

"I'm gonna get some air," Sam voiced and stood from the table.

Charlie frowned. "Do you want me to come with you?" He asked.

"No, it's fine. I won't be long." She answered and walked away from them.

"Are you okay?" Devon asked Sydney, seeing the disgruntled look on her face.

"I'm perfectly fine," Sydney responded flatly. "I need another drink."

Sydney leaned against the bar counter. "Uno rosé sangria, por favor," she requested and gave him a smile. "Gracias."

"Ahh, the British girl," Kwan announced himself and walked up to her, a smirk on his face. "Been waiting to run into you."

She smiled forcefully. "Lucky me, I guess," she said sarcastically and watched the bartender make her drink.

"Where's your boyfriend?" He asked her, pretending to look around with interest.

"He's not here. Family emergency," Sydney answered, not making eye contact.

Her dismissiveness made him scoff a laugh. "You fight well on the mat. Impressive." He told her.

She smiled again at the bartender when he slid her drink towards her and she gave him her card. "Thanks. Appreciate it," she responded and picked up the glass.

"Much better than other captain." Kwan laughed distastefully. "What's his name? Keene."

Sydney refrained from rolling her eyes. She turned herself so that she was looking at him. "Can I help you with something or is there a reason you're speaking to me?" She questioned and sipped her drink.

Kwan laughed again. "You fight too good for team you're on." He stated.

She hummed. "I don't remember asking for your opinion." She replied bluntly.

He stepped closer to her and Sydney pulled a face, aimlessly taking a step back. She held her drink close to her chest. He seemingly sized her up and for a second, she regretted wearing a crop top, exposing her entire midriff. "Y'know, if you ever get tired of team or bored of boyfriend, I have room to myself," he spoke and grew an arrogant smirk. "I'm sure you remember, no?"

His words surprised her but Sydney stared at him, unimpressed. She had half the mind to yell for any one of the boys but she was certain a fight would break out, and she could fight her own battles. She forced another smile. "Thanks for the offer, but, if you're waiting for me to care, I hope you don't plan on showing up at the arena tomorrow cause it's gonna be a really long time before I get there." She took back her card and walked away without saying another word.

Robby sat alone at their table, Charlie having gone to talk to Hawk and Demetri. "You alright?" She asked and sat beside him.

He stared into his almost empty glass of coke. "Would you hate me if I poured some rum into this coke?" He asked her, his voice despondent.

Sydney frowned. "Robby, you don't drink."

"Thinking now might be a good time to start," he mumbled and drank the rest of his coke.

She knew why he was acting this way and Sydney wouldn't lie that she was feeling scared for him. "Rob, don't let her cloud your morals. You're better than that." She pleaded.

Robby met her worried eyes. His face was still, his body language shrugged and it was clear he didn't want to be there anymore. He grabbed his class and stood from his chair. "I'll be back," he said and walked away to go the bar:

Sydney's frowned deepened and she watched him. She sighed and took another sip of her drink.

"Looks like your friend's a little lonely."

She turned her head and saw that Zara approached her. Oh great, another one. Sydney refrained from rolling her eyes. "He's not a drinking type of person," she stated and looked away from her.

"Hmm," she heard Zara say. "Those were some good moves you pulled the last couple days. I recognized some of them."

Sydney smirked slightly at her insinuation and met her eyes again. "Whatever it takes to win, right?" She replied.

The girl smiled. It was clearly fake. "So, are you friends with her?" Zara asked and looked across the club at Tory. "The blonde one?"

She followed her eyes and saw Tory going to sit at the end of the bar, right in Robby's line of view. Sydney clicked her jaw. "No, we're not." She answered and made eye contact with the Iron Dragon.

Zara made a light humming noise, one that made Sydney want to punch her in the face. "That's weird. You two almost fight the same. Makes me wonder if this is just a one time thing for you, too." She spoke smugly, the corners of her mouth curling into a smirk.

Sydney laughed and took another drink. She wiped the liquid off her bottom lip and stood from her chair. Their height difference wasn't that far apart but Zara was short enough that she had to look up at her. "I'm not really sure what you're trying to say but I'm guessing it's hard to pronounce seeing as how you won't just spit it out. But if you're trying to intimidate me, you'll have to grow a few more inches for that to happen, cause you're about as intimidating as a dog chasing after a stick."

Zara's face fell into a glare.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to enjoy my night without feeling the urge to knock somebody's teeth out." Sydney stated and walked away from her.

"Why's your face so red, Syd?" Eli asked when she came and joined them at their table.

Demetri got up so she could slide into the booth. "Because I'm surrounded by people who make me realize why I'm on medication," she said bluntly and tossed her hair off her shoulder.

Charlie's eyes widened. "Whoa."

"Syd, isn't that the girl you fought today?" Demetri asked and pointed to the dance floor.

Sydney looked over and saw that he was pointing to Maria. "Yeah, that's Maria. Thought I didn't understand Spanish till I knocked her ass off the platform. Why?" When she didn't hear a response, she faced him again and saw Demetri watching her dance with a gaping mouth. "Oh no, don't tell me you're thinking what I know you're thinking."

Charlie saw that Eli had the same look on his face slapped him on the back of the head. "You too, American Eagle."

Sydney's jaw dropped. "Shall I remind you both that you have girlfriends?"

"No, no need to remind us," said Hawk. When he saw Maria walk over to their table, his eyes widened. "Oh shit, she's coming over."

"We have girlfriends. We love our girlfriends. Think with that head," said Demetri.

Maria spotted her first and she smirked. "Sydney," she greeted slowly.

Sydney responded with a tight, sarcastic smile. "Hi, Maria."

"Qué tal, boys? Having fun tonight?" She asked the table of boys.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. Fun night," Hawk and Demetri answered, the looks on their faces contradicting everything they said before.

"I like your hair. It's so cute," Maria flirted with Eli and messed with his mohawk. She looked at Charlie and smirked. "Hi."

He gave her a two fingered salute and a polite smile. "Greetings."

"Thank you. I have a girlfriend though," Eli rejected her flirting.

Sydney mentally clapped.

Maria's eyes shifted to Charlie.

"Girlfriend." He replied with a hand over his heart.

Lastly, there was Demetri. "Well, how about you, tall man? Do you want to dance?"

"Actually, Maria, he has—"

"Uhhh, Syd!" Demetri stopped her and held up his hand. "Don't listen to her. I thought you'd never ask." He answered and took her outstretched hand.

All three of their jaws dropped. "D!" Sydney scolded.

"Dude!"

"I'm on vacation!" Demetri defended himself and followed Maria to the dance floor.

She watched him with her left eye twitching. "Is this for real? Am I witnessing this?"

"Didn't think he had it in him," Charlie admitted while watching with wide eyes.

Sydney's phone lit up on the table and she saw it was her mom calling. "Uhh, I'll be right back guys," she told the boys and slid out of the booth.

"Is everything okay?" Eli asked her.

"It's my mum. She's probably calling about Carmen," she answered fast and sped walked around the people in the club. When she got outside, Sydney quickly answered the phone. "Mama?"

"Hi, sweetheart," Caroline's voice came through but she didn't sound excited.

"Is everything okay over there? What's happening?" Her voice quickened and she wrapped one of her arms around herself.

"Your father and I are at the hospital with Carmen." There was a pause. "It's not looking good, love."

There was an immense amount of pressure that hit her chest. Sydney blinked rapidly. "W-What does that mean?" She stammered and walked through the sandy.

"Carmen's lost a lot of blood, Sydie. She's in pain. I-I think her cervix has dilated too early. It's really dangerous," her mom's voice started to shake. "I-I-I'm not sure what's going to happen, but, I don't think it looks good right now."

Sydney had been trying to act strong all night. She promised herself she'd be strong, to focus on having fun with her friends. But she was so scared, terrified for Carmen and the baby, and it just got worse. "Oh my gosh," she slipped out and covered her mouth. "P-Please don't talk like that, mum. Please don't," she whimpered. "She's going to be okay."

"We're praying, my love. I promise to keep you updated. I'm so sorry, Sydney."

They said their final I love yous and Sydney hung up the phone. An overwhelming amount of emotion hit her all at once and she started crying.

"Sydney?"

The familiar voice made her hiccup. Sydney turned around and saw Tory standing behind her. "You scared me," she exhaled and wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

"Why are you crying?"

There was a pause, Sydney's cries mixing with the crashing waves next to them. "Something happened to Carmen and she's in the hospital. She and the baby might not make it," she confessed and her lips quivered again. She covered her mouth.

"Oh my gosh," Tory said with a deep frown. "I'm so sorry."

Sydney faced her again, seeing the level of concern on her face. She suddenly realized what was happening and she scoffed a laugh. "Why are you talking to me right now? We're not friends, remember?" She jabbed and dabbed away the tears under her eyes.

Tory blinked a couple times. "Yeah, I know," she muttered and eyed the sand below her feet. "I just saw you run out and I knew something was wrong."

"Oh, you caring about somebody else's feelings? That a first," she said sarcastically.

"That's not fair, Syd."

"Lots of things aren't fair, Tory. But I know you don't care about me so thanks for trying to pretend like you do." Her anger got the best of her and she trudged past Tory, avoiding eye contact, and she headed back to the club.

Tory clenched her jaw, trying to conceal the words she wanted to say, but she couldn't. She spun around. "I'm sorry, Sydney," she blurted.

Sydney stopped walking. The words made her scoff and she turned back around, her cold eyes burning red. "Don't apologize if you're gonna keep doing this shit. Apologize when you're ready to change because I'm tired of having my hopes crushed every time I think you and I are on the right page!" She raised her voice, her face becoming blistered red. "Do you have any idea the effects of what you're doing has had on me? On how it's effecting Robby? Given your history, I shouldn't be so surprised."

Her sarcastic jabs made Tory glare at her. "I wasn't wrong when I said you don't understand. Okay? I don't have a choice, Syd. I have to fight!"

"You could've fought with us!" Sydney finally yelled, unleashing every emotion she kept locked away in the burning house. "But instead, you go back to the people who hurt you! They don't care about you, Tory. Kreese doesn't give a shit about you. He's using you. We care about you. I care about you!" Her voice broke from the pressure. "And you treat me like I'm some kind of monster. Just because I grew up in a different environment doesn't mean I don't relate to how you're feeling. Do you hate me that badly?"

There was another silence, both girls vulnerable, an emotion they were desperate to hide whenever they saw each other.

"I'm so sorry about your mother, Tory. With every piece of my heart, i'm so sorry." Sydney continued, a tear sliding down her cheek. "But I tried so hard to be there for you and you just pushed me away."

She turned back around, the wind blowing through her long green skirt. Tory stood there, eyes trained on the back of her head. "I didn't mean it," she blurted out.

Sydney paused. Slowly, she turned back around and met her gaze.

"What I said at the dojo that day, I didn't mean any of it," Tory confessed, feeling herself get more emotional.

"Everybody always says they don't mean it."

"Yeah, but I swear I didn't. I promise you," she swore and walked closer to her.

Sydney sucked in a deep breath as well as the tears she felt coming. Every muscle she had was locked. Her guard remained up. "Then why did you say it?" She asked with her throat growing tighter.

"Because you wouldn't have stopped trying to talk me out of leaving," Tory started to explain. She eyes began to burn and she blinked, feeling them well with tears. "I had to say I didn't care about you so you'd stop caring about me. But I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry, Sydney."

She closed her eyes, feeling like she could cry again. She released a tired breath and opened her eyes, her vision cloudy. "You hurt me really bad, Tory." She said with a broken voice.

Tory shook her head, her face twisting into a sad expression. "I didn't want to," she admitted, her voice also cracking. "I'm sorry, okay? Why is that not enough?"

"Because you keep betraying me!" Sydney yelled again, her eyes shining with tears. She pointed at herself. "I've been there for you through everything. I defend you when Sam accused you of stealing. I forgive you for starting the school fight even after you broke into Sam's house. I forgave you after the All Valley when Silver made you cheat because I know you didn't want to. And how do you repay me? You go back to Kreese every time!" The hurt in her voice increased. "I love you, Tory, and yet you treat me like I mean nothing to you. Like our friendship means nothing."

She turned around and quickly walked away before she bursted into fits of cries, leaving Tory to stand there in tears. Sydney covered her mouth to conceal the cry she let out.