◟⊹ 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑  ╱  chapter five

« 🥋 »

─ ─ ─ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ blood in blood out !⌇

( real life )

✸ REAL LIFE . . .

atarah was cleaning some clothes with hawk and demetri. despite her attempt to remain calm and collected on the outside, she could not shake the thoughts and feelings that were swirling inside of her.

the memory of the previous night's events haunted her, and she could not forget the kiss she had shared with kwon.

despite her best efforts to push the memories and feelings away, they refused to leave her alone as she was preparing the clothes. but she made sure to keep her emotions hidden, not wanting anyone to see her vulnerability.

devon walked up next to kenny, nervously clenching her hands together. she wasn't sure how well Kenny would react, but she had to apologize. "hey," she began, her voice soft and shaky. "i... i don't know how you'll ever forgive me, but-"

kenny's expression hardened slightly, the hurt and anger palpable. he didn't say a word, just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"kenny, i am truly sorry," devon finished, holding her breath as she waited for his response.

her heart skipped a beat as she looked into Kenny's eyes. "i have regretted what i did to you every single day i've been here," she admitted honestly.

kenny paused for a moment before responding. "look, i..." he began, his voice trailing off as he thought about what to say. "i've had a lot of time to think on the plane-"

devon's eyes widened in surprise. she hadn't expected this. "and i've always liked you," he confessed, looking directly at her.

devon's heart started racing rapidly, but she quickly pushed aside any romantic notions, reminding herself that he was just talking about their friendship. however, she couldn't ignore the way her heart was pounding, fluttering with hope.

"you were always cool with me when we trained with silver," kenny stated, a small smile on his lips. "honestly, you targeting me is kind of flattering." devon couldn't help but blush at his words, despite her attempts to remain nonchalant.

kenny smirked as he looked at her, his eyes glimmering with amusement. "you just saw me as the biggest threat," he said, his smile widening.

devon couldn't help but smile back, her heart still racing from his earlier confession. she chuckled softly at his comment, her voice dripping with playful mockery. "i did," she confirmed, her eyes sparkling.

demetri leaned over towards atarah and hawk, his voice hushed as he tried to discreetly get their attention. "pssssst," he whispered, glancing over at kenny.

"if miguel's back, why is kenny here?" he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

atarah looked between hawk and demetri, absorbing their conversation without chiming in. "oh, he's taking devon's spot" hawk's response caused demetri to furrow his brow in confusion.

"so, he just forgave her all of a sudden?" hawk nodded in agreement, while atarah remained silent, observing the exchange quietly.

his arms are folded over his chest as he looks in slight annoyance at the person across from him, atarah. his voice is calm as he speaks, but his brow is slightly furrowed.

"after what she did?" he mutters in a scoff, rolling his eyes. he speaks again, this time in a slightly louder but still annoyed tone. "i don't buy it." he glances around the room as if to check for any other potential ears listening in.

"atarah, as our captain's sister without a soft spot for kenny," he begins, his voice almost a growl. "i feel obligated to inform you that we may have a potential traitor in our midst." he leans in a little closer, as if to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

atarah's arms are crossed over her chest as she attempts to dissuade the conversation. "we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions," she muttered in disagreement, shaking her head as the mere thought of kenny being a traitor seemed impossible to her.

demetri nodded in agreement with her statement before chiming in with more of his own thoughts. "all i'm saying is, we all know silver's gonna cheat," he explained with a certainty. "the question is, how?" he mused aloud as he glanced over at devon and kenny talking.

the three of them watched as the two of them continued their conversation. demetri's brow furrowed as he watched, trying to discern just what they could be discussing. atarah let out a sigh as she watched as well, her eyes slightly narrowing in suspicion.

the announcement from the director echoed through the arena, causing a hushed murmur to rise from the crowd. atarah stood nearby with sam, both of their gazes locked on robby who had just suffered another defeat. she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment and sadness as she watched her dojo brother suffer yet another loss.

"miyagi-do's loss puts them on the verge of elimination after their first match..." atarah muttered to herself as she glanced over at sam, seeing the same disappointment mirrored in her sister's eyes.

miguel's voice was laced with a mixture of annoyance and frustration as he questioned Eli's decision. "eli, why didn't you tag in kenny when you had the chance?" he asked, his tone slightly harsher than usual.

hawk rolled his eyes at miguel's question, his own annoyance growing. "he just got here," he retorted, his gaze shifting to kenny. "you expect us to trust him?"

but kenny was not having any of it, annoyance clear on his face. "trust me to what?" he snapped, his voice rising in volume. "not get my ass kicked like you and demetri?" he continued, his tone filled with mockery and irritation.

demetri walked closer to kenny and gave him a glare, "you completely disappeared after the shitting" he said annoyed

"and then you coincidentally come back the same time as silver." he snapped. he looked at miguel and turned back to kenny, "you really want to tag in a mole?"

kenny stood there annoyed, yelling, "are you serious?" he continued, "i fly here to help us win, and you won't give me a chance?" he looked around, seeing that everybody was looking at him, "everybody laughed at me in the woods, but somehow, i'm the bad guy?"

with a clenched jaw, robby firmly placed one hand on kenny's chest, keeping him at bay. "hey! this isn't about kenny." robby asserted, his voice low and firm.

robby's strong hold on kenny, along with the stern authority in his voice, seemed to halt any immediate aggression. he met each of their gazes, his sternness slowly replaced by a calmer and more focused expression. "i'm the one who lost the match, me." he said, shifting his attention to demetri and hawk.

daniel and chozen watched the heated exchange unfold, their faces betraying their concern. chozen couldn't resist a sardonic comment. "team falling apart faster than a crunchy taco," he muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching.

daniel let out a small exhale, a mix of frustration and worry. "this is exactly what we wanted to avoid," he said, his eyes flickering between his students.

kwon's gaze never left atarah, his eyes fixated and unwavering. he watched as disappointment etched across her face, her team exuding arrogance and neglecting the potential of a fighter like kenny.

his thoughts ran rampant with judgment, silently questioning the group's tactics and their blind ignorance of kenny's fighting capability compared to that of demetri or even hawk.

the tension grew as atarah remained oblivious to kwon's intense staring, consumed by the self-assured confidence of her teammates, much to his chagrin.

she casually glanced around the area, her eyes finally meeting kwon's intense gaze. a flicker of recognition and a wave of embarrassment washed over her as she recollected the events of the previous night.

the memory of their kiss lingered fresh in her mind, and a rosy hue crept onto her cheeks. for a brief moment, their eyes remained locked, a silent exchange of understanding passing between them, as atarah struggled to find the right face or even a way to react to kwon's unwavering stares

axel's unexpected arrival caught atarah's attention, her startled gaze shifting to the sudden interaction between him and kwon. before either could react,

axel barged into kwon forcefully. stunned, atarah and sam reacted with wide eyes, the scene unfolding before them leaving them both puzzled and surprised.

"what was that?" atarah exclaimed, her voice betraying her shock. sam, equally bewildered, replied with a mumbled response, "i... I don't know."

atarah swiftly exited the building, her eyes locked onto axel as he made his way towards the hotel. without hesitation, she moved quickly to catch up with him, her hand reaching out to grab his arm. concern laced her voice as she confronted him.

"axel," she exclaimed, her surprise evident in her tone. "what was that back there?"

axel paused, turning to face her, his expression betraying a hint of jealousy as he looked at Atarah. "i.. i don't know what you're talking about," he replied somewhat evasively. her eyes searched his face for answers, her confusion growing by the moment.

"don't play games, axel." her voice held a firm tone, a mix of uncertainty and irritation. "you stormed in there and bumped into kwon on purpose. what's  going on with you?"

axel's gaze shifted away momentarily, a flicker of unease in his eyes before he looked back at atarah again. he tried to maintain his cool, but the hint of jealousy in his expression betrayed his inner turmoil.

"it's... it's nothing," he said, his voice slightly defensive. "i just got a little carried away, that's all." he tried to shrug off her grip on his arm, but her hold remained firm, determined to get a more satisfying answer.

atarah wasn't satisfied by axel's vague response. She could see that there was more to his behavior than he was letting on.

"axel. be honest with me." Her voice softened just a bit, her expression still betraying a mix of confusion and concern. "why are you acting like this? there's something going on that you're not telling me. please, just be real with me."

she loosened her grip on his arm, hoping that this softer approach might encourage him to open up.
axel's shoulders slumped as he finally relented to atarah's gentle insistence. he sighed deeply, the weight of his unspoken emotions too much to bear.

"fine," he muttered after a moment of hesitation. "you want the truth? i.. i don't like seeing you with kwon, i'm jealous." his confession came out haltingly, and his eyes avoided meeting atarah's.

her expression softened at axel's admission. she had sensed that there was jealousy driving his actions, but hearing him say it out loud was still a surprise.

"jealous? of kwon?" atarah asked, her voice still soft, trying to make sense of his confession. "i saw you two kiss." she felt a pang of guilt as axel muttered his words, the pain in his voice evident.

"you... you saw that?" she asked, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. she slowly released her grip on his arm, her expression morphing into one of regret.

"axel, i..."

Before she could say more, axel cut her off, his gaze meeting hers, the jealousy in his eyes becoming more apparent.

"i saw it, alright," he said, his voice a mixture of pain and anger. "you were kissing kwon. i saw it with my own eyes."

he took a small step back, creating a slight distance between them, as if to shield himself from the confirmation of his fears. atarah's heart sank at the mix of hurt and anger in axel's tone. she could see the pain he was trying to hide behind his jealousy.

"it's not what you think," she began, her own voice laced with regret. "kwon and i.. it was just one kiss. a  mistake. it didn't mean anything."

axel's gaze narrowed at her explanation. he wanted to believe her, to trust that it was just a simple mistake, but the image of her kissing kwon still haunted his mind.

"a mistake?" he echoed bitterly. "it didn't look like a mistake to me. It looked pretty deliberate."

Atarah shook her head, frustration seeping into her voice. "i know how it looked," she admitted. "but you're not hearing me. it was a moment of weakness, a stupid decision in the heat of the moment. i regret it." her voice trailed off, leaving the unspoken hanging in the air.

axel's expression darkened even more, his jealousy intensifying at atarah's words. he couldn't believe her nonchalance over the whole situation.

she let out a slightly annoyed sigh, feeling frustrated by the situation. "i don't even understand why you're so upset about it," she said, looking up at him with a hint of irritation. "we only started talking yesterday, and you're already talking about beating up kwon just because he kissed me. It doesn't make any sense."

"what do you mean, you don't understand why i'm so upset?" He retorted, his voice raising a notch as he clenched his fists. "we may have just started talking yesterday, but I still care about you. seeing you with kwon... seeing you kiss him... it hurts."

she crossed her arms, her annoyance starting to show. "you care about me." she repeated, her tone bordering on disbelief. "but you think beating up kwon is the answer? that's your response to this? what is this jealous rage, axel?" axel's eyes narrowed, the rage inside him still simmering.

"i don't know what it is," he admitted, his voice strained. "It's just... seeing you with him... it makes my blood boil. i can't stand the thought of him being near you. i can't stand the thought of him touching you, or even looking at you."

zara, despite her usual air of arrogance, couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for both axel and atarah. she had heard their conversation vividly and understood that kwon had taken advantage of atarah's vulnerability.

meanwhile, axel's disbelief in atarah's innocence added an extra layer of complexity to the situation. zara grappled with her conflicting emotions, torn between her usual self-centeredness and a growing sense of empathy for the two people caught in this messy predicament.

atarah noticed zara staring in their direction, abruptly ending her conversation with axel. axel, sensing the shift in attention, turned to see sara as well. he gave atarah a dismissive "i guess i'll see you around," before walking over to where zara stood.

as she turned away, a mix of frustration and self-anger washed over her. atarah longed to scream or lash out, to punish herself for what she perceived as her own weakness. weakness was a burden she had carried for too long, its weight leaving a deep impression on her psyche.

she walked with determination towards her hotel room, the walls closing in around her as her self-blame intensified.

🪩
UHMMM PATRICK JUST NOTICED ME ON INSTAGRAM😭😭 AND HIS FRIEND ELLE SHOWED HIM MY EDITSSS WHAT IS GOING ONNNN