It turns out, Demetri and Eli were running away from Kyler and his buddies the night of the Halloween dance. Molly found this out after Miguel came over to her apartment the next day to tell her that his mom is making him quit karate.

To say Molly was upset with Demetri and Eli was an understatement. She couldn't believe neither of them told her they left Miguel stranded with all of those bullies. Molly told them that what they did wasn't okay and you don't leave friends stranded like that. Demetri and Eli took Molly reprimanding

Molly really thought her words had gotten into their heads until Demetri started joking saying he didn't want to keep getting yelled at by Mama Molls.

Those words made Molly reprimand the boys for another hour.

Now, Molly, Eli, Demetri, and Miguel were in the library working on their homework. Each of them had their own side of the table; Molly was on the side across from Demetri, Eli on her right and Miguel on her left.

"So that's it? No more karate?" Demetri asked and Miguel sighed. Miguel had broken the news to the other three about how mad his mom was about Miguel taking karate and getting into fights. Miguel's eyes didn't look up from his notebook as he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so." He muttered in defeat.

"It's probably for the best. It was starting to boost your confidence." Demetri said to try and comfort the boy. Molly whipped her head in Demetri's direction and shot her foot out, kicking him under the table.

Demetri held back yelping in pain at Mollys kick as Miguel turned to him with furrowed brows. "Isn't that a good thing?" Miguel asked as Demetri brought his leg up into the chair and started to rub it to make it feel better. He turned to Miguel and shook his head crazily. "No. What has confidence ever gotten anybody except for a black eye and their backpack thrown in the trash?"

Molly squinted at Demetri, looking back and forth between him and Eli. "A relationship?" Molly suggested, considering her and Eli wouldn't be a thing if she wasn't confident in asking him out.

Eli smiled at Molly's answer. He turned to Miguel and rose his eyebrows in hopes it would make him feel better. "Well, I thought it was kind of cool how you stood up to Kyler."

Demetri looked at Eli with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "Are you insane?" He asked Eli and before giving time for him to answer, Demetri turned to face Miguel. "Let me ask you. What is the best superpower anyone could have?"

"Super strength." Miguel said and even though the question wasn't towards Molly, she answered as well. "Flight."

Demetri shook his head as he pointed at Miguel. "Wrong." He said before he looked ahead of him to Molly, pointing at her with the same accusing finger. "And wrong." He said, making Molly give the boy a disgusted look.

"Invisibility." Demetri said as he noticed the expression on Mollys face. He rolled his eyes, not wanting Molly to feel bad. "A distant second would be teleportation or super speed to get away fast."

"Get away from who?" A voice asked from Mollys right and the girl jumped at Kyler and Brucks standing behind Eli. "Whom." Both Molly and Brucks corrected Kyler, making Brucks and Kyler look down at Molly.

Molly squirmed in her chair at the bullies eyes in her, her and the boys discreetly grabbing her belongs before they all got up at the same time.

"And we were just leaving." Miguel said as they all started making their way towards the exit of the library, Molly walking the way Miguel did so she wouldn't have to run into Kyler or Brucks.

"Oh, look at this freak." Kyler laughed out and Molly immediately froze. She turned around and felt her blood boil at the slight of Kyler holding onto Eli's face as he and Brucks pointed at Eli's lip.

"Oh, shit! What kind of girl would ever kiss this shit?" Kyler asked as Molly angrily walked towards the boys despite Miguel and Demetri's whispers to make her stay put.

Once she was standing beside Eli, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of Kyler's grasp. She stepped in front of Eli protectively and glared up at the bullies. "Uh... considering I'm his girlfriend. Me."

Both Kyler and Brucks grimaced at Mollys words. Kyler leaned off to the side so he could see Eli from behind Molly and pointed at him, turning back to look at Molly. "You're dating this dude?" He asked and Molly scoffed, holding back an eye-roll. "I just said that. God, were you dropped on your head too many times as a baby?"

The cocky smirk on Kyler's face was wiped clean in seconds. He neck started to turn red as he took a small, but intimidating step closer to Molly. "What'd you say?" He asked when Molly suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder push her backwards.

Miguel stepped in front of her, shaking his head at Kyler. "Hey, come on. Leave her alone." Miguel said, not wanting to have to watch Kyler pick on Molly. Kyler chuckled at Miguel stepping up, looking him up and down as he took a step closer to him. "You haven't had enough, 'Rhea?"

Miguel ignored him, shaking his head in annoyance. Molly reached out and grabbed onto Eli's hand, leading him out of the library with Miguel and Demetri hot on the couple trail.

...

"Molly! Open the door! Molly! Molls! Oh my God!"

To say Molly was close to a heart attack when she heard Miguel screaming followed by him banding on the door was an understatement.

She opened her front door to let Miguel in and immediately he ran towards Molly and pulled her into a hug. Molly yelped at the action, especially when Miguel lifted her into the air. "What happened?" Molly laughed out over Miguels cheers.

Miguel put Molly down and let her go, his smile spread across his whole face. "My mom said I can do karate again!" Miguel yelled like an excited little kid and Molly's jaw dropped. "Oh my God! Yay!" She screamed, jumping back into Miguel's arms to celebrate.

The two practically spun around and when they pulled away, Miguel rose his finger. "And we have another student!" Miguel said, starting to get a little out of breath. Molly took her excitement down a notch, not wanting to tire out Miguel as her brows furrowed. "Really? Who?" She asked and Miguel smiled.

"Aisha." He said and Molly's eyes brightened, a big smile taking over her face as she tilted her head. "Oh my God really?" She asked and when Miguel shook his head, Molly let out a relieved breath of air. "Good, she can kick Yasmine's ass."

Miguel squinted at Molly, shaking his head. "That's your first thought when I tell you Aisha joined karate?"

...

Molly, for the first time ever, was the first one in her group to make it in and out of the lunch line and to their table. Demetri had left Molly at class, saying he had to use the restroom, Molly didn't know where Eli and Miguel were. She checked her phone to see if either of the boys texted about why they were late when she heard Sam and Aisha talking from one table over.

"Come on, I need a place to sit." Sam said and casually, Molly turned her head to see what was happening. She watched as Sam nervously stood over one of the seats at Aisha's table with her lunch tray in hand. Aisha smirked at Sam, tilting her head to look at the popular table. "Oh...you can go sit with Kyler. I hear he doesn't mind that you suck."

Sam and Molly's faces dropped. Molly didn't know Sam or Aisha very well, but she knew they used to be friends until the start of this school year when Sam started hanging out with Moon and Yasmine. She didn't know their history, but Molly knew that Sam didn't deserve to be getting slut shamed.

As Sam slowly started to walk away from Aisha's table, Molly sat up. "Hey, Sam!" She called out and Sam froze. She slowly turned around and watched as Molly gave her a kind smile. "You can sit here. I'm sure my friends won't mind." Molly sat, patting the seat beside her.

Sam smiled, walking over to Molly's table. She put her lunch tray down as Kyler and his friends laughed from the other end of the cafeteria. Sam slowly turned her head to the laughter and Molly smirked when she saw Sam's face harden and her jaw clench.

"Go beat their asses." Molly whispered and Sam whipped her head down to Molly, her eyes wide. Molly looked up at Sam and nodded her head encouragingly. Sam nodded along with Molly, spinning on her heels to face Kyler.

Molly maneuvered herself in her chair to watch the interaction go down as Eli, Demetri, and Miguel came over. "Why are you sitting in the chair backwards?" Demetri asked as Eli kissed Molly's cheek before sitting down.

"Hey, E." Molly said as she reached out for Eli's hand to hold while keeping her eyes on Sam, waving Demetri off. "Now, shush. I'm watching my new favorite show."

All three boys turned their heads to see what Molly was looking at just as Sam reached Kyler. "Think it's funny to spread lies about me?" She asked and Kyler chuckled, a fake confused expression covering his face. "What're you talking about? We saw a movie, and that's it." He said before he sighed and looked away from Sam. "Well, maybe I saw a little bit more than you."

Brucks and Kyler's other friends laughed, Brucks coming up to stand beside Kyler. "Yeah, we heard you got pretty choked up." He laughed out. Molly sucked on her teeth in annoyance, shaking her head. "Oh... kick their asses, Sam." She whispered as Eli grabbed her her chocolate milk, knowing she'd probably want something to drink while she watched this fight go down.

Sam whacked Kyler's lunch tray off of his table and Molly gasped, squeezing Eli's hand in shock. "Oh my God. It's like a reality tv show."

Kyler clenched his jaw watching Sam, the whole cafeteria watching the two of them now. Kyler cleared his throat and turned away from her, looking around at everyone else in the room. "Hey, guys. You know that billboard with a big-ass dick on it? I guess Sam takes after her dad."

The whole room let out either laughs or "oohhs" at Kyler words. Molly felt her blood boil, hating that people actually liked this dude. "Hey, Kyler!" Miguel yelled, shocking his three friends and making all of the bullies plus Sam look over to him. "Why don't you shut the hell up and stop being such an asshole?"

"Oh my God!" Molly whisper yelled, taking a sip from her chocolate milk as she finally looked away from the fight and looked to Eli and Demetri. Both boys looked just as shocked as her.

"Want another beatdown, 'Rhea? I'm ready for your lame-ass karate this time." Kyler said, walking away from Sam and up to Miguel.

Miguel shook his head, his eyes falling on the ground. "It's not lame-ass karate." He muttered, Molly only being able to hear him because the whole cafeteria was silent watching. Kyler went to punch Miguel, but he caught it, shocking everyone in the room.

"It's Cobra Kai." Miguel said before he punched Kyler in the face. Molly shot out of her seat and pulled Eli's out of his. "Back up. Back up!" Molly yelled, grabbing Demetri's forearm and pulling both him and Eli towards the wall so they wouldn't get hurt.

Molly watched the fight with wide eyes as every single one of Kyler's group tried to fight Miguel and failed miserably.

"No mercy!" Aisha screamed from a couple feet away from Molly, startling the girl a little bit. She knew Aisha had joined Cobra Kai, but she didn't know she was already that dedicated.

Molly was in awe watching the fight. She would probably deny it if Miguel asked, but it was definitely changing her mind about joining karate. Eli watched Molly with a small smile on his face before he turned back to the fight just as Miguel jumped onto their lunch table, grabbed Molly's lunch tray, spun around, and hit Kyler in the face with it.

The whole room screamed and cheered for the boy, everyone running up to him as Molly, Demetri, and Eli stayed back, almost frozen in shock. "That was awesome." Molly whispered, which Eli took note on and nodded in agreement with her, his eyes still glued onto Miguel.

"Hey! Hey!" Counselor Blatt screamed as she entered the cafeteria. The crowd around Miguel started to scatter as she walked towards him. "Get down from there right now!" She yelled, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him off of the table.

As the woman pulled Miguel out of the cafeteria, he looked back at his friends and smiled at all of their amazed looks, Molly giving him two thumbs up.

...

After school, Molly went to Eli's house to work on homework and watch a couple movies.

When Eli abruptly paused the movie and sat up, Molly was a little confused, but sat up with him nonetheless. "Can I ask you a question?" Eli asked and Molly took notice on the fact that Eli's eyes were struggling to look at her which meant he was nervous. She gently nodded her head and moved into a criss cross position on the bed. "Sure. What's up?"

Eli started picking at his nails, until he decide to reach out and hold Molly's hands, playing with her fingers as a way to fidget. "I've been thinking about it for a while and I think I want to join karate with Miguel." Eli said, finally looking up at Molly to see her reaction.

Molly smiled at Eli's words, squeezing his hands. "Eli, that's great!" She said and Eli smiled. He didn't know what was going through his head, but he figured the next part of what he wanted to say should be ripped off like a bandaid.

"But I want you to join with me."

Molly was taken aback by Eli's words. She straightened up a little and furrowed her eyebrows. Eli opened and closed his mouth, starting to get nervous again. "I know you said you don't want to pay your neighbor to yell at you so I talked to my mom and she is more than happy to pay for your classes. She knows that I'll feel safer with you there, so she'll pay. And I saw you watch the fight today, you liked it. You even said you thought it was cool! And so I guess I'm asking if you'd want to come with me?"

Molly smiled at Eli's rambling, but he didn't notice it, his eyes nervously on their conjoined hands as he continued. "You don't have to stay for good, but you could at least come to one class and then see from—" "Eli..." Molly softly interrupted, grabbing both side of his face. Eli's mouth shut almost instantly, his cheeks flushing pink and his eyes going wide as he looked at Molly.

"If you want me there with you, I'm there. No explanation needed." Molly said with a big smile, her eyes not leaving Eli's since she knew eye contact was a big thing for him to know if people were telling the truth. Eli's eyes softened as Molly shrugged. "Plus, I've gotta admit, that fight was pretty cool and I should probably learn some self defense."

Eli stared at Molly for a couple of seconds before he leaned forward and hugged her. Since Molly wasn't using much strength to hold herself up, Molly fell backwards onto the bed, Eli landing on top of her. The two teens laughed as Eli put his hands on either side of Molly's head to sit himself up.

Their laughter died down as Eli started to lift himself up. Watching Eli's eyes travel around her face made a three-worded phrase echo through Mollys mind.

I love you.

It was practically an alarm going off in her head telling her to speak her words out loud. It was on the tip of her tongue, ready to jump out into the world when Eli leaned down and kissed her. The phrase melted back into Molly, waiting for another time to be announced as Molly moved her head up to kiss Eli back.

When they pulled away, Eli smiled down at Molly, his cheeks tinged with blush. "You're the best." Eli whispered and Molly smiled at the words. "I know." She playfully shrugged, making Eli laugh and lean down to kiss Molly again.

And as much as Molly loved what Eli said, another part of her really hoped he would've said the other three worded phrase.

emily speaks...

BOLD ELI COMING INTO CLUTCH
next chapter is eli's last chapter💔😔 rip

MOLLY AND MIGUEL>>
ugh she loves her boys so much and i absolutely adore her moments with demetri because it's like a mother reprimanding her child