Chapter Thirty
Primadonna

THE GAME WENT on forever and drink after drink, neither Tory nor Sam fell from the stool. They only glared fire at each other. "How you doing over there, Larusso?" Tory asked, her words slurring.

"I could do this all night." Sam replied.

"We have been." Sydney commented in annoyance.

"Yeah?" Tory asked and looked at one of the guys in the crowd. "Hey big red. Two shots of vodka."

Sydney's eyes widened. "Uh—"

"Sam." Robby warned.

"Just give it to me." Sam said darkly.

"Sam, that's not a good idea." Sydney said, shaking her head.

"Mind your own business, Sydney. Seeing as she's your new best friend." Sam snapped at her.

Sydney's face fell drastically. Her lips formed a frown.

"Sam." Miguel said in disbelief.

Sam only accepted the shot.

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Tory downed the shot first without a flinch. Sam looked at the tiny glass with hesitation before drinking it. She got one sip in and started to stumble.  Sydney glanced at miguel in worry.

Regaining her balance, Sam finished the shot and threw the cup down. Tory stared at her in shock.

"You got this Tory."

Suddenly, Tory lost her balance and fell backwards off the stool.  She crashed into a couple people making everyone gasp.  "Oh God,  are you okay?"  Sydney quickly asked and bent down to help her up.

Tory glared at Sam.

"Guess somebody can't hold their liquor,  huh?"  Sam mocked.

Sydney glared.  "Enough Sam."

"Why are you always taking her side?"  Sam suddenly shouted and hopped down from the stool.

"I'm not taking any sides.  You're both acting like kids and it's gone on long enough." Sydney shot,  standing up straight.

"So what,  you're all buddy buddy with Cobra Kai now?  I thought you wanted to train with us?"  Sam said loudly,  her voice laced with pain.

Panic rose in her heart and she suddenly went numb.  It went silent after that.  Miguel froze.  "What?"

Sydney didn't want to look him in the eye but she had no choice.  "That's not true—"

"Have you been training with them this whole time?"  Miguel asked and his voice raised.

"No,  it was just that one time and I didn't even want to."  She responded,  shaking her head quickly.

But that didn't make it any better and Miguel looked at her in betrayal before walking away back into the house.  Sydney tried her hardest not to have break down in front of all these people.  She looked back at Sam,  who was surprised.  "Thanks sam."  She muttered.

"Sydney."  the brunette started to say but Sydney rushed past her and into the house.

"Miguel,  stop.  I can explain."  She called out to him.  When he didn't say anything,  she grabbed his arm making him stop.  "Miguel,  please."

He turned to her with hurtful eyes.  "All this time I've begged for you to train with me,  you've been training with them?"

"No!"  She exclaimed and flared her arms around.  "It was just one time and Daniel asked me to. I didn't want to do it but he said he thought it would be a good idea. I promise it was just one time."

"I thought you said you didn't know karate," Miguel accused.

"Miguel, I've know the Larusso's my whole life, Obviously I know karate. I just don't know it as well as all of you." She elaborated.

Miguel shook his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew it would upset you!" Sydney exclaimed.

"So you thought it was better to keep it from me?" The boy questioned hastily.

Sydney glared at him and took a step forward. "Hey, I'm not entitled to tell you every little thing about my life. It was one time and I haven't done it since. I don't want to learn karate. I'm a dancer. I knew if I told you, you would be upset and feel betrayed so I decided to keep it to myself because it's not a big deal! I'm not even apart of a dojo! Why are you so upset?"

Miguel looked like he was about to cry. "Because. . .
I—I. . ."

She stared at him, waiting for a response. "Mig?"

Miguel swallowed. "Because I want the girl I love to be interested in what I do. I want to be first one you come to when you take interest in karate, not them."

It seemed like time stopped ticking and the world froze. Suddenly, her heart was in her throat and she couldn't speak.  Or breath.  Their eyes met and suddenly it felt like Sydney was being sucked into a black hole. "What?"

Miguel didn't seem to realize what he said because he froze too.  The angry look on his face faded into his normal expression.  "Syd—"

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" Demetri's voice suddenly announced.

Sydney pulled a face. "Is that Demetri?"

"Yes it is." He answered and the couple walked into the living room to see Demetri standing on the stage with a microphone in his hand.

"I'd like to make a toast. To Eli Moskowitz." Demetri said and held up his cup.

Sydney groaned.  "Oh no, this can't be good."

People began to whisper, asking who Eli Moskowitz was. Sydney rolled her eyes. "Bunch of idiots."

"Oh! I'm sorry," Demetri laughed. "Some of you might know him as 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."

Everyone turned and looked at Hawk, who's face darkened in anger but also embarrassment.

"Well, he was my binary brother. You know what he is now? A real zero." Demetri continues and made an 0 with his hand.

Everyone ooed and Sydney groaned. "Why does he always find a way to make things nerdy?"

"Nathan thought it was hilarious.  "I love math humor."

"All right, that's enough, Demetri." Hawk demanded.

Demetri laughed again.  "Don't let that angry red hairdo fool you.  He's a big softie.  We watched every Harry Potter movie together and he balled like a baby when dobby died."

Sydney awed and looked at the boy.  "You did?  Don't worry Eli,  I did too."

Miguel nudged her quickly and Hawk glared at her from across the room.

The information made the party goers laugh but Eli only glared in embarrassment.

"Should we stop him?"  Miguel asked her.

She waved her hand.  "No,  he deserves it."

"Demetri's embarrassing him."  Miguel reminded.

When Sydney looked at him,  she remembered what he said and it made her stomach hurt again.  She quickly pushed that feeling away.  "Yeah,  and what do you think he's done to everyone else?  He needs a good ego check."

"In the words of Eli's hero,  Steve Jobs,  'I've got one more thing to say',"  demetri carried on.

Sydney cringed and shook her head. "Ew,  that was bad."

Bert laughed from next to her.

"Have any of you heard of sleep enuresis?"  The lanky boy asked.

"Don't!"  Hawk hissed,  glaring holes in the boy.  Sydney saw the smallest hint of desperation on his face.

Demetri stared at him for a second before continuing.  "That is the medical term,  of course.  In the king's English,  it's good old fashioned bed wetting.  And Eli here is a pro."

Everyone in the room bursted into laughter and Sydney's eyes widened.  "Okay,  maybe that's a little much."

Hawk looked around the room in humiliation.

"My mom even had a special air mattress for sleepovers.  And she called it. . . Eli's Waterbed."

"Okay Demetri,  that's enough."  Sydney spoke up.

Most people were shocked.  Sydney Benoist was usually the one to make fun of people and now she was putting her foot down. 

"Screw mercy.  You're a corpse!"  Hawk snapped.

Before he and mitch could do anything,  Chris stood in front of him.  "You're gonna have to go through me."

"Stay out of it,  traitor."  Mitch said harshly.

Miguel stepped in.  "Okay guys,  stop."

"Hey, don't touch him." Robby stepped in as well, glaring at Hawk and Mitch.

"Or what?" Aisha threatened.

"Aisha." Sydney said in shock.

Moon stepped in between them. "Guys, stop. We're friends."

"Oh, I smell a rumble!" sting ray announced.

Blue lights went off and they heard a siren. "COPS!"

Everyone immediately scattered.  "Demetri, you got lucky! I'll see you in school!" Hawk shouted with a viscous smile.

Sydney grabbed both Miguel and Demetri and dragged them away. "Demetri, you wanker. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't!" He squeaked out.

The three of them ran through the sea of teenagers.  "Sydney!  Sydney!"  She heard Charlie shout through the crowd.

The tall boy came running toward her,  holding a drunken Sam's hand.  "Sydney,  Sam's really drunk.  I can't take her home.  Her parents'll kill her."

"Not before I kill her first."  The Brit said darkly.

Charlie pleaded.  "Sydney,  please.  We gotta get out of here."

Sydney's eyes wondered to the drunken brunette swaying side to side.  She knew her parents well enough to know if they saw her like this,  she would be grounded for life.  But they were also in a fight and sydney fell that Sam didn't deserve her kindness at the moment.  At the same time,  she was her best friend and needed help. 

Sydney sighed.  "I'll take her to my house,"  she turned around to Miguel.  "Can you find a ride home?"

Miguel nodded quickly.  "Yeah,  yeah.  It's not a problem."

She nodded back and kissed him quickly.  "Okay,  let's get out of here!"

They went their separate ways and Sydney took ahold of Sam,  dragging her out of the house quickly.  "I'm so sorry,  Sydney."  Sam slurred.

"Yeah,  you will be."  Sydney muttered.  "That hangover will be punishment enough."

Sydney put her in the car and helped her buckle up and quickly ran to the other side.  She started her car and swiftly pulled out of the driveway,  speeding down the road.  The tension was high and awkward. Sam leaned her head against the cool window. "I did something really bad, Syd."

"You can tell me in the morning," The Brit said. It went silent.

"Because I want the girl I love to be interested in what I do" Miguel's words echoed in her head. Sydney felt like throwing up and she wasn't even drunk.  Never in her life had she heard that word from anyone besides her parents and the Larusso's.  They were her family,  of course,  so they were obligated to say it.  But Miguel was her boyfriend and she had never heard those words from anyone like him before.

Sydney spent the first half of her life alone.  Her parents were always gone,  leaving her to fend for herself. She had to learn to do things by herself in order to survive all those days alone. She learned how to cook, how to dress herself, and how to ride a bike to school. Sydney always felt like she needed to defend herself. She built her walls so high so that nobody could see how hurt she was on the inside.

There was so many nights she questioned if her parents loved her. They bought her everything she wanted and provided her with lush full lifestyle.  She was Sydney Benoist,  West Valley's rich girl.  Everyone wanted to be her but they didn't know her.

They didn't know that she suffered from a terrible case of anxiety. They didn't know they she had to take medication for it. They didn't know that she cried at night because she was so lonely. They didn't know that when she looked in the mirror, she lost her mind a little. They didn't know that she was alone in her huge house. They didn't know the burden she carried of having to do everything herself. People would be shocked to discover that Sydney Benoist wasn't perfect.

Sydney never felt like she belonged anywhere except for when she was laying in her bed pretending to be someone else. Love was a foreign word and feeling. There were reasons she was scared to let people in; the damage they could do and the damage they could find. You'll never know how damaged a person is until you try to live them.

Did Miguel love her or was he trying to fix her?

To her relief,  Sydney's parents were asleep when she got home.  The only problem was getting Sam up the stairs without her falling and hitting her head. Sam wasn't heavy but Sydney struggled getting her up to her room.

When they entered Sydney's room,  Sam crashed on her bed. "Oh my gosh, I feel terrible."

"Yeah, I'm sure you do." Sydney said and kicked off her heels. "Do you want to try throwing up or taking a shower?"

"I don't think I can move." Sam muffled into her bed cover.

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Figured."

She walked into her bathroom and grabbed the trash can, walking back into her room and setting by her bed. "I'm going to have to call your parents and let them know you're here."

"No,  Syd,  please,"  Sam pleaded.

"Sam,  I'm not letting them think you were kidnapped.  Now get under the covers,"  Sydney ordered and walked into the bathroom to call Daniel and Amanda.  She dialed their number and it rang.

"Hello?"

"Danny,  hey,"  she said with a fake cheerful tone.

"Oh hey,  Syd.  Aren't you supposed to be at a party?"  Daniel asked.  He sounded tired like he was about to go to sleep.

"Uh yeah,  it ended early.  Um,  I just called to ask if Sam can sleep over at my house tonight?  Y'know,  last sleepover before school starts?"  Sydney asked,  keeping her voice calm and steady.

"O course she can.  that sounds like fun.  Just have her text us that she's okay,  alright?"

Sydney grinned.  "Will do.  Thanks Danny.  Bye."

She quickly hung up the phone and huffed.  "The things I do for this girl."

Sydney walked out of the bathroom to see Sam had fallen asleep.  The covers were pulled to her waist and she was snoring.  Sydney's face softened.  She walked forward and carefully brought the covers up farther to cover her upper body.

Her phone buzzed and Miguel's name popped up on the screen.  She walked back into the bathroom,  quietly shutting the door.  She sucked in a deep breath and answered.  "Hey."

"Hey,"  Miguel said softly.  "How's Sam?  Did you guys get home okay?"

"Yeah,  yeah we did.  She's okay.  She's sleeping."  Sydney said,  nodding to herself. She wrapped one of her arms around her waist awkwardly.

"That's good."

It went silent and the couple both felt very awkward.

"I'm sorry about tonight. I didn't mean to get mad at you and shout,"

He was so sweet. It made Sydney feel so guilty. "No, I'm sorry. I should've told you about Miyagi-Do. I promise it was just that one day and if I do decide that I want to learn karate, I'll come to you."

Miguel laughed on the other side. "No, Syd, that's your decision. You've known the Larusso's forever, Of course Mr. Larusso would be your first choice. I understand.  I shouldn't have gotten mad."

She stayed quiet and listened to him.

It's just. . ."  he trailed and then paused.  His heart started pounding.  "I meant what I said."

She squeezed her eyes shut and felt her stomach twist.

"I love you,  Sydney.  I think I always have.  I don't think I discovered it till I was angry with you because I realized how much I'm afraid of losing you."

The words were stuck in her throat.  Did she love him?  She didn't know.  She didn't even know what love was.

"Syd?"

His voice made her eyes fill with tears. "I. . .I," her voice cracked. "I-I have to go. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

She hung up the phone and a sob escaped her mouth. She quickly covered her mouth to muffle it. She leaned against her sink and gripped the counter. Sydney looked at herself in the mirror and saw the same frightened little girl that cried for her mom and dad when they were away. Her makeup was cracked and mascara ran down her cheeks. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She whispered to her reflection.

This school year was going to be a rough one.

This was a lot to unpack in one chapter. The next chapter is the school fight and I'm crying already

WE FINALLY GOT THE L WORD!!! How do we feel about that????

Sydney feels like she has to choose between Sam and Tory and right now I'm on Tory's side because Sam blames Sydney for everything.

Get ready for a lot more drama