Chapter Twenty
Primadonna

SYDNEY WAS VERY familiar with the beach club. Her parents were regulars so they spent a lot of their time there. After putting on her bathing suit and grabbing her sunglasses, Sydney drove to Aisha's house to pick her up and someone she was bringing along. Arriving at her house, she honked the horn.

Aisha came out of her house with a girl.  From where she was,  Sydney could see that she was tall and she had blonde hair with brown roots.  Aisha got in the passenger seat and the girl for in the back.  "Hey hot stuff."  Aisha greeted.

"Hi,  my love."  Sydney greeted when a smile.

"E,  this is Tory.  Tory,  this is Sydney,"  Aisha introduced them.  "Tory's new to the dojo."

Sydney smiled at the girl.  "It's nice to meet you."

"You too,"  Tory smiled back.  Her eyes widened slightly.  "You're British."

"And proud."  Sydney smirked.  She began backing out of the driveway.  "Are you any good at karate,  Tory?"

"I think I'm pretty good." Tory shrugged.

"Don't sell yourself short,"  Aisha scoffed.  "Troy sparred Miguel today and she totally kicked his ass."

Sydney laughed loudly.  "No way,  really?  I've been waiting for someone to kick his ass.  Cheeky little shit."

Aisha laughed and looked at Tory over her shoulder.  "Sydney is Miguel's girlfriend."

Tory widened her eyes slightly.  "You are?"

"I am."  Sydney smirked and felt her stomach turn at the mention of his name.  "We've been together almost a year."

Aisha held a finger up.  "Cutest couple ever."

Sydney smiled at her and turned up the radio.  The girls jammed out all the way to the beach club.

"Okay,  this is not the beach.  Where are the homeless dudes on rollerbladers and the guy shoving shitty hip hop demos in your face?"  Tory asked when the three of them stood on the balcony of the beach club,  overlooking everything.

Aisha chuckled.  "No,  don't worry.  They'll come after they pass out the hors d'oeurves."

"And don't worry,  I have pepper spray."  Sydney added.

Her eyes scanned everyone walking around and in the pool till they landed on Sam and Robby,  who were longing out on their stomachs on the lawn chairs.  She frowned.  After what happened at Valley Fest,  Sam wasn't answering her calls.  She felt guilty for not telling her about Cobra Kai but at the same time,  Sydney wanted to support her boyfriend.  She was torn between her best friend and the dojo.  Still,  she sent Sam a small wave but she just looked at Robby and started talking.

Aisha noticed and looked at sydney,  frowning.  "You haven't talked to her either?"

She shook her head.  "I've tried calling her but she won't answer.  I feel really guilty."

"Don't,  it's not your fault.  They would have been pissed off even if you didn't know.  Miguel's your boyfriend.  She should understand."

Sydney soaked in her words and nodded,  knowing she was right.  "C'mon,  I'm starving."

When they got downstairs,  Tory said she was going to go look around so Sydney and Aisha went to the food tables.  They started piling their plates high with food.  Sam made her way over to them.  "Hey."  She greeted awkwardly.

Sydney gave her a small smile and continued grabbing her food.

"Hey."  Aisha replied.

"So,  how's it going?"  Sam asked.

Aisha scoffed.  "You realize we're not okay."

Sydney was shocked at how blunt she was but didn't say anything. 

"What are you guys mad about?  You're the ones who stomped all over our Valley Fest demo,"  Sam started.  She looked at Sydney.  "And you're the one who didn't tell me about it."

She remembered what Aisha said and looked up at her.  "You would have been mad either way."

"And we only did it after your father attacked our dojo.  What were we supposed to do?"  Aisha added.

"He didn't attack you guys."  Sam denied.

"'Snake in the grass'"?  Aisha questioned.  "Real subtle."

"He was just tying to do the right thing."  Sam went on. 

"What,  so Cobra Kai is wrong?"

"It's not wrong,  it's just. . ."

Sam paused.  Sydney looked back at her,  waiting to see what she was going to say.

She sighed.  "What are we doing?  It's our summer vacation.  We're at the beach and we're fighting about karate?"

"When we should be fighting about boys."  Aisha realized.

Sydney grinned.

"Or who's gonna gag the last piece of pretzel bread."  Sam joked.

Sydney scoffed and grabbed it.  "Me,  that's who.  Y'all are too slow."

Aisha and Sam chuckled at her.  Sydney looked at Sam and did a half smile.  "I'm sorry for not telling you about Cobra Kai."

Sam shook her head.  "Miguel's your boyfriend.  I understand."

"For what it's worth,  what you guys did was beautiful."

Sam smiled.  "Thanks."

They continued to get their food and Sydney noticed Sam looking across them at Robby,  who was sitting back in his chair with his sunglasses on.  She grinned.

Aisha noticed too.  "So it's just you and abs summer,  training?"

Sam smiled shyly.

"He's a cutie."  Sydney teased her and nudged her in the side.

"Okay."  Sam laughed and they giggled before making their way to the tables to eat.  "How are you and Miguel doing,  Sydney?"

"We're wonderful,"  she's breathed out with a loving smile.  "He's so, so amazing."

Aisha smiled at her reaction.  "I haven't seen you this happy about a guy in years."

"He's special."  She added.  She glanced at Sam.  "What about you?  Any new guys in your life?"

Sam stifled at laugh.  "Not exactly.  Well,  I'm not sure.  I've been talking more with Charlie."

Aisha's eyes widened.  "Charlie?  The one from my dojo,  Charlie?"

Sam nodded.  "Sydney's trying to set us up."

"I'd say i'm doing a great job."  Sydney praised herself.  They found a table and sat in the tall chairs. "So what do you think about him?"

"He's really funny,"  Sam chuckled.  "And very sweet."

"He's a good guy."  Aisha nodded.

"Yeah.  So,  Robby actually moved into our house."  Sam informed.

Their eyes widened.  "Your parents let that happen?"  Aisha asked.

"Daniel Larusso let that happen?"  Sydney added in shock.

"Well,  there's nothing going on.  We're just friends."

"Uh huh."  Aisha hummed.

"So you've got two guys in your life.  Look at you go."  Sydney smirked and shoulder bumped her.

Sam rolled her eyes and bumped her back.

"Hey,  look what I got,"  Tory sang when she joined them at the table. She showed them her bag and half way pulled out a bottle of vodka.

"Where'd you get that?" Aisha asked in a low tone so no one would hear her.

"I swiped it from the bar." Tory answered.

She noticed the looks on their faces. "Oh, relax. All the adults are getting wasted. No one's gonna notice if we have a little fun."

Sydney smirked. "Well, I'm always up for a challenge."

"You should put that back. You'll get into big trouble." Sam insisted.

"And you are?" Tory asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, Sam this is Tory. Tory, Sam." Aisha introduced them.

"Oh, the Sam." Tory emphasized.

Sydney furrowed her brows.

"Come on, like anyone's gonna miss one bottle of vodka." Tory added. "I could swipe half the silverware in this place befor anyone would notice."

Sam looked at her in surprise. "You shouldn't steal anything."

"What are you, a nun?" Tory laughed.

sams face fell slightly.

Tory looked at Sydney and Aisha. "Come on, are we gonna drink or not?"

Sydney shrugged. "Sure, I could use one. I need to get the image of all these old men staring at me out of my head."

Aisha glanced at her and Sam and chewed her lip in thought. "Okay, one drink." She gave in.

"That's my girls," Tory smile and put her arms around their shoulders, leading them away.

Sydney looked over her shoulder and smiled at Sam apologetically.

One drink of vodka turned into five and the three girls were laughing hysterically at something Tory said. She told herself to stop since she was the one driving home but she wanted to have a little fun

"So Sydney, how'd you and Miguel meet?" Tory asked and took another drink of the alcohol.

"It's a very long, complicated story." The Brit said dramatically.

"Straight out of a movie." Aisha added.

"I was the bitchy, mean, popular girl and he was the nerdy new kid." Sydney explained.

"Oh my gosh, I love that trope." Tory gasped.

"Well, I never gave him the time of day and accidentally called him by the wrong name.  But then. . . I don't know really.  He never treated me any differently than anyone else.  He laughed when I insulted people,  which I found weird and comforting at the same time.  And I slowly started to feel something for him,  and he took me out on a date and it just clicked.  Now I never want to be away from him.  I'm currently dying on the inside that he's not here."

Aisha and Tory smiled the whole way through her story.  When she was done and her face was bright red,  they awed.  "Wow,  straight out of a movie."  Tory said,  agreeing with aisha.

She smiled shyly and flipped her long ponytail off her shoulder.

Aisha went on to tell the story of what she did to Yasmine at the party.  Tory laughed loudly.  "Wait,  so you gave her a front wedgie?"

"I split that bitch in two."  Aisha emphasized.

"Yes she did."  Sydney grinned and they high fived.

"Hey!"  Sam said,   coming up behind them.

The three girls turned around,  still laughing.

"My mom's missing her wallet."  sam stated,  mainly looking at tory.

"Sucks for her."  Tory laughed.

"Does she need help finding it?"  Sydney asked.

"You wouldn't know anything about that?"  Sam asked,  still looking at tory.

Tory's face fell.

"Wait,  wait what are you saying?"  Aisha questioned.

"Just give me the wallet and I won't tell security."  Sam threatened.

Sydney furrowed her brows.  "Sam,  we've been with her the whole time.  She didn't take anything."

Tory glared at her.  "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Rght,  and she didn't steal a bottle of vodka,  and you wouldn't steal half the silverware in here."

"Sam,  back off."  Sydney said and started to get annoyed.

"Listen,  I didn't rob your mom,  bitch."  Tory said and stepped forward in Sam's direction.

The two glared at each other and Sydney grew nervous,  ready to step in if anything happened.

"Let's get out of here."  Tory said to Aisha and she while still glaring at Sam.

When tory turned around,  Sam reached forward and grabbed Tory's bag.  "Get off of me."  Tory grunted and shoved Sam backwards.

She ended up falling into the table of food.  "Sam!"  said exclaimed with wide eyes.

Food coated her from head to toe and gasps were heard all around them.  Sydney covered her mouth quickly in shock. Tory immediately turned and fled the scene, Aisha following her.

Sydney looked between them, not knowing what to do. She stepped forward to Sam. "Oh my god, Sam, are you okay?"

"Real nice friend you have there, Sydney." Sam snapped at her.

Sydney cocked her head back in shock. "What did you think was going to happen? You don't go and grab someone like that."

"Why are you defending her? You're supposed to be my best friend." Sam exclaimed.

"Because you're acting like a bitch right now."

Sam scoffed. "Wow, that's rich coming from you."

Sydney's face fell and she went quiet. She turned around and followed Aisha and Tory, leaving her there. The two girls noticed her expression. "Syd, are you okay?" Aisha asked.

"I'm fine.  Let's get out of here." She muttered and started walking out of the beach club to her car.

They followed behind her.

Sydney and Sam were best friends since they were kids.  It was rare that they fought over anything that wasn't small like boys or clothes.  They are basically sisters.  Sam was there for her when she was having a hard time coping with her mom and dad leaving all the time.  To have her snap on her like that really hurt her feelings.

They gathered in her car and Sydney looked over her shoulder at Tory.  "I'm sorry that happened."

Tory shrugged.  "That was bitchy thing she did.  You don't seem like the type to be friends with her."

Sydney started her car and pulled out of the parking lot.  "You didn't know me before."

"Yeah,  well,  I know you now and you seem like a really good person."

"You are,  Syd."  Aisha agreed,  looking at the Brit.

Sydney didn't respond and started driving down the highway.  The sun was settling and peaks of orange and purple started to appear in the sky.  There was a point in her life where she didn't believe she was worthy of having friends.  She branded herself as the bitchy rich girl.  That's what she wanted people to believe.  She thought it was easier to make people be afraid of her than to get hurt.  Sydney was deeply insecure about a lot of things.

Her development shocked a lot of people but it didn't shock anyone more than her.  The way she wasn't as mean as she once was and how protective she had become over people she barely knew.  The way she defended herself to Yasmine.  The way she came out to Miguel about her struggles with anxiety.  The way she was able to open her heart to someone who truly cared about her.  Miguel was the light of her life. 

He was the light she needed to realize she needed to make a change. 

After dropping Aisha and Tory off,  Sydney drove to Receda to see Miguel.  She texted him that she was on her way.  The sun was gone from the sky and was now a midnight blue.  When she entered the apartment complex,  she parked her car and strutted to Miguel's apartment.

A minute after she knocked,  Miguel appeared on the other side and smiled at her.  "Hey beautiful."

"Hey honey,  I've missed you."  Se sighed and cupped his face,  kissing him.

"I missed you too,"  he said and led her inside.  They walked down the hall to his room.  She plopped down on his bed and he shut the door,  quiet not to wake up his mom and yaya.  When he shut the door,  he pounced ontop of her and sent her into a fit of giggles.  "Sooo,  tell me about your day."

She giggled and shifted to where her head was rested against his pillow and he laid on her chest.  "It was fun.  Aisha invited that new girl Tory."

"Oh yeah,"  he nodded.  "She kicked my ass today."

"Ao I heard,"  she smiled.  "Good,  you need to be humbled."

He lifted his head.  "Oh,  I do."

"Mhmm."  She hummed with a smirk.

"Oh okay."  He nodded and started pinching her sides.

She let out a yelp snd and started squirming.  Miguel tickled her sides and leaned himself up,  covering his mouth with his.  She sighed against his lips and ran her hands through his hair.

He pulled back and furrowed his brows.  "You seem a little off.  Are you okay?"

She hated how easily he could read her.  She sighed.  "Do you think I'm a good person?"

He cocked his head back slightly and leaned on his elbows,  putting his forearms on both sides of her head and laid on her.  "What kind of question is that?"

She rested her hands on his shoulders.  "Sam and I got into a fight.  She did something that was totally wrong and I said she was being a bitch and she said 'That's rich coming from you'."

Miguel shook his head.  "That's horrible.  Why would she say that?"

"I don't know,"  she shrugged.  She tapped her fingers on his clothed shoulders.  "I mean,  I was a bitch but I feel like I'm improving."

"Well,  first the record,  I've never thought you were a bitch,"  Miguel started.  "And I never will think that.  Yeah,  you were mean but I understand why.  You've had to grow up faster than a lot of people.  That would make me bitter,  too.  I think you're the greatest person I've ever met."

Sydney's heart fluttered along with her stomach. A smile stretched on her face from ear to ear and she reached her hands up, cupping his face. "How did I get so lucky?"

"I ask myself that every day. Literally."

She giggled and lifted her head, kissing him softly. He leaned down so his head rested in the crook of her neck. She played with his hair, twisting the strands around her fingers. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear and closed her eyes.

I'm so soft for them

Miguel is literally my dream guy

I'm really debating on if I want to make Syd and Tory friends what do you y'al think???

Her character development is amazing I'm so proud of her for realizing her worth and being able to check herself.