Fleur hid behind the staircase, holding her breath. She could hear her fathers feet, walking down to the basement. She waited until she saw his back, holding a plate, taking off up the stairs to get to the door. He turned, watching her run. Fleur grabbed the door, trying to pull it open, trying to get to freedom. Only, as she pulled her wrist with the knob, she found the door had been locked.

"No!" Fleur yelled out, hitting the door as she cried. Her eyes turned, seeing her dad looking up at her from the basement, a plate in hand. "Let me out of here!"

"Daisy." he spoke to her, calm and gentle. "You need to eat."

Fleur woke up with a gasp, frozen in her bed, back again the mattress as she laid there. She took a breath, feeling sweat on her back and forehead. She didn't wanna move, not yet, not until she was fully aware she was okay, still in The Valley, still in her room at Moons. Fleur shut her eyes a moment, rolling over to her side.

"Hi, Daisy." her father spoke, kneeling by her bed. Fleur screamed, sitting up and turning her lamp on. He was gone, never there, only in her head. She held her chest, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the painful thump in her chest.

"Fleur!" Moon called from down the hallway, pushing through the door quickly to see her. "What happened?"

Fleur shook her head, trying to catch a breath, feeling as if his hands were around her neck, cutting off all her oxygen.

"Fleur." Demetri spoke in shock as he saw the girl walk into Miyagi Do, blinking in disbelief. "You're here?"

Daniel looked over at her, their matching Miyagi Do gi's. Fleur nodded as him, looking to Demetri again. "I thought about what you said. About how I can split family and karate."

Daniel rose his head as he listened to her, tightening her gi belt. "Truth is, this was the first place I ever felt safe when I moved to The Valley. I don't wanna just throw that away."

Daniel smiled at her. "You're always welcomed back here, Fleur."

"Okay, well, good to know, but..." Fleur trialed off, giving a tight lipped smile. "I kinda threw someone on the back of my skateboard to come here with me."

Eli walked from the other side of the gate, Daniel blinking in his direction. "Well, look who decided to come back."

He walked down the steps, patting Fleurs shoulder as she grinned, walking behind him to hug Demetri, who spun her in a circle, over joyed that she picked him and Miyagi Do over Eagle Fang. They watched Daniel go to Eli. "It's good to see you, Eli. Or is it Hawk?"

"Oh, doesn't matter. I'm just here to do what I can to help out the team." he nodded from under the sun, Fleur and Demetri grinning as one.

"That's good." Daniel nodded with a minor smile. "The more help, the better. But first, you need a gi."

"Yeah, a gi!" Fleur yelled, getting weird looked from the rest of them. "Sorry, I was- I was just trying to live in the moment. Go get him a gi, ignore me."

"Good to have you back, man." Demetri hugged him, the rest of the team falling in to do the rest.

"Good luck, Fleur." Eli said a few days later, driving her and Demetri toward the hair dresser place, Demetri huffing and puffing the entire way over.

"Thank you Eli, my supportive friend." the lavender-blonde said, getting out of the car with a thing of roses and a bottle of sparkling water. She waiting for Demetri to say something, just like she did the night at Sam's house when Eli asked her to get pizza. But like before, he just waited for her not to do it, just like he had the night at Sam's.

When Fleur shut the door, the Moskowitz boy looked over in disbelief. "Dude, are you playing a joke?"

Demetri pulled a weird look. "What?"

"You just let your girlfriend go and get a date to prom." he motioned toward the small shop in disbelief. "Get out of this car and stop her."

"Fleur isn't my girlfriend." he sighed with a shake of his head. "Besides, I thought you were into Fleur?"

"Yeah, I thought so until we got there and it was weird because we both knew it wasn't the same." he gave a eye roll in return. "That's your girl in there. I know you like her, I don't know why you're with Yasmine."

"Wrong, I use to like Fleur." Demetri pointed out with a knowing point. "Big difference."

"Oh, yeah? What changed?" Eli crossed his arms with a knowing look his way.

"Because, Fleur is interesting." Demetri pointed out, making his friend give another stupid look. "Her whole life, she's got this massive story. What do I have? A simple life, with two moms, one friend, does karate and likes Doctor Who. She's so, laid back and cool, like, in an intimidating way."

Eli rose his hands. "Are you kidding? So you think Fleur is interesting and intimidating, so you stop liking her, but you get with an asshole like Yasmine?"

"No, it's not-" Demetri waved him off with a huff. "What i'm trying to say is Fleur, she's just deserves a guy with an interesting story, that's cool like she is. That's why I thought you guys were gonna work out."

"Yeah, well, we didn't because you love her." he jabbed him in the arm with an index finger. "And the sooner you leave Yasmine, before she dumps you for a hot Aussie, the sooner you can tell Fleur you love her."

"I don't l-" Demetri rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"Yeah, dude, you do. You love her." Eli argued with a knowing look. "I know when you love people, okay? I had to deal with your Hermione Granger crush for years."

Demetri looked toward the shop again, almost like he was expecting her to walk out. "So, what if I do?"

"I told you!" the blue eyed boy yelled, slapping his arm. "You have to tell her!"

"Why? She doesn't feel that way about me. And what? Ruin our friendship forever?" he looked in pure disbelief with an insane look. "Do you think i'm that insane?"

"Are you blind? Every single person in this universe knows Fleur is freaking crazy about you." Eli looked his way with wide eyes. "Why do you think Yasmine hates her so what?"

"Fleur? Fleur Khori? 5'3, fake blonde, also has lavender highlights, rides a skateboard, and was locked in a basement? Are you insane? Did some of your brain get chopped off too?" Demetri tossed his hands up in disbelief, red in the face with an offended look.

"Yeah, that Fleur. You're the insane one! What are you gonna do? Wait for her to make a move on a taken dude? She's not gonna do that." Eli defended Fleur with a eye roll toward Demetri. "You guys are getting on my nerves, slowburn bullshit isn't cool unless it's in the movies."

"So, what? I dump Yasmine, who I have no clue how I even ended up with, and wait for my best friend to confess her feelings for me, even though she doesn't have them?" Demetri gave a wild look his way. "Have you forgotten where we are? She's going to give Kody roses and sparking water and ask him to prom!"

"Only because she knows she's not gonna go with you!" Eli yelled back with a point his way. "You tell her, or i'm gonna start exposing the both of you!"

"You wouldn't." Demetri rolled his eyes.

"I would too." he gave a daring look.

Fleur ran back to the car, empty handed. She was grinned and yelling from outside of the door. "He said yes!"

And Demetri hated it.

•

kylie speaks

i have known the prom
episode was gonna be my
fav chapter for this book
since s4 dropped! i'm so happy!